Patara→Lara

Patara and Lara sit at opposite ends of the Turkish Mediterranean story. Patara is a small farming village, Gelemiş, with orange groves, family-run pensions and roughly 18 kilometres of protected dunes where loggerhead turtles still come ashore to nest between May and October. Lara is the long hotel coast on the eastern edge of Antalya, a place of large resorts, sandy beaches, cliffs and a busy promenade life. Turkey Transfer drives you from one to the other in a single private ride: about 146 km, taking roughly 154 minutes (around two and a half hours) in normal conditions without stops.

This is a long transfer, and it is worth planning it as part of the holiday rather than as a gap between two bookings. The road follows the Lycian shoreline for most of the way, so the journey is scenery as well as distance. This guide explains what the drive is like, when to leave, how to handle the arrival in Lara, and which parts of Lara suit which kind of traveller.

Your driver collects you at your hotel or pension in Gelemiş. The last stretch of road into the village narrows through the houses, so at busy checkout times in July and August it pays to be ready at the agreed time with your bags near the door. If you are staying close to the beach, some pensions sit a short walk from where a car can park, and your driver will help with the luggage either way.

From Patara the route heads along the Lycian coast toward Antalya. The first landmark is Kalkan, about twenty minutes up the coast, with its marina and old town stacked above the water. Beyond it the road continues toward Kaş, the small harbour town that is also the jumping-off point for boat trips to the sunken ruins at Kekova. After Kaş the coast road passes the Demre area, where the church tradition around Saint Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra, belongs to the same stretch of coast where Patara is said to be his birthplace. It is a small coincidence of geography that you leave his reputed home village and drive past the place where he served as bishop.

Further east the road runs through the towns of Finike and Kumluca and then climbs and drops along the foothills of the Taurus range. This is the part many passengers remember. Pine-covered slopes fall steeply to the sea, there are long open bends with sea views, and the water changes from deep blue to pale turquoise depending on the light. The Lycian shoreline here is dramatic rather than manicured. Later the road reaches the Kemer coast, where pine forest and the beach resorts of Kemer, Beldibi and Göynük follow each other, and then it runs into Antalya itself. From the centre of the city the final leg crosses to the eastern side and into Lara.

Your driver picks the best line on the day according to road works and conditions. If you want the coast and the views, say so when you book.

The 154-minute figure is a normal-conditions estimate. Treat it as the base for planning and add a margin in these cases:

• Midday and early afternoon in July and August, when coast roads carry more holiday traffic, tour buses and slower vehicles.
• Arrival into Antalya city in the late afternoon, when commuters and resort traffic overlap on the approach to the eastern districts.
• Any stop you add. A coffee break, a photo stop and a longer lunch each stretch the day, so tell your driver how much time you want to spend.

Early morning and mid-morning departures are usually the calmest. A start before the heat of the day gives you the best light on the coast and leaves a comfortable cushion for a stop on the way.

A private vehicle means the timetable is yours. With a drive of about two and a half hours before stops, many travellers like to break the journey once. Sensible options along this corridor include:

• Kalkan: a short walk by the harbour, a coffee above the marina, a look at the old town streets. It is the easiest first stop because it is only about twenty minutes from Patara.
• Kaş: a longer break for lunch in the harbour area. Kaş is the base for Kekova boat trips, which are a day out in their own right rather than a quick stop.
• Demre: a stop for travellers interested in the Saint Nicholas story and the Lycian rock tombs associated with the area.
• Roadside viewpoints: several bends on the coastal road give open views over the sea and the mountains. Ask your driver to pull in at a safe place for photographs.

If you want something beyond these coastal stops, the Saklıkent Gorge is one of the deepest canyons on the Mediterranean coast and is about an hour from Patara. Treat it as an inland excursion, not as a casual stop on the road to Lara, because it adds a significant detour and makes the day much longer. Arrange anything like this when you book so that the timing works for your arrival in Lara.

Lara is a district, not a single village, and the hotels are spread along a long stretch of coastline east of the old city. Before you travel, make sure you have your hotel's exact name and a phone number to hand. With dozens of large properties along the same road, the correct entrance matters. Tell us the hotel name when you book and your driver will take you to the main entrance or the reception drive.

Check-in practice matters on a long transfer. Many hotels in Lara work with standard afternoon check-in times. If you leave Patara in the morning and arrive early in the afternoon, you may reach the hotel before your room is ready. In that case the hotel can usually hold your luggage while you use the pool, the beach or the restaurant. If you want to be sure of an arrival that matches check-in, plan a mid-morning departure from Patara with a stop on the way.

On arrival, your driver will help you unload at the hotel entrance. Resort entrances in Lara can be busy at peak times, with several vehicles waiting at once, so allow a few minutes at the door, particularly in the high season.

Lara is long, and the hotels are not all alike. The main idea to take from a map is that the strip runs along the coast with the sea on one side and the main road on the other, with the character changing as you travel east.

The western end of Lara, nearer the centre of Antalya, is the most connected part of the district. Here you find more everyday life, local restaurants, shops, and short taxi rides into the old town and into the city. This end suits travellers who want a beach holiday but also want to dip into the city in the evening. It also suits people who prefer shorter transfers around the city.

The middle of the coast is the Lara most brochures show: large resorts, wide frontages and beach areas set out in front of the hotels. It suits families and groups who want to stay on the property for most of the day, mixing the pool, the beach and the dining rooms. The surrounding streets are built around the hotels, so you get the feeling of a resort district rather than a town.

Further east, the district of Kundu is known for its group of large hotels and its proximity to the airport. It suits travellers with early flights, couples who prefer a quiet stay on the property, and visitors who want convenient access to the airport side of the city. It is also a good base for those planning excursions east toward Side and Belek.

Lara beach is a sandy coast with a gentle entry into the sea, which is why it works well for families and for less confident swimmers. Many resorts have their own sections of beach, with loungers, shade and a short walk from the lobby to the sand. Beyond the beaches, the cliffs along the Antalya coastline are one of the city's defining features. Near Lara, the Lower Düden Waterfall drops over the cliff edge and falls straight into the sea. It is a natural landmark you can see from the park above or from a boat trip offshore. The sunsets over the water are one of the quiet pleasures of this side of the city.

Another well-known attraction in the Lara area is Sandland, an open-air display of large sand sculptures that changes theme from season to season. It is an easy outing for families who want something different from the beach.

Lara is also a convenient base for seeing Antalya's historic areas.

• Kaleiçi, the old town: the walled harbour quarter with its narrow lanes, Ottoman houses, small museums and the old harbour. Hadrian's Gate, built to honour a visit by the Roman emperor, marks the entrance. A taxi from the Lara area takes you across the city in a reasonable time outside the evening rush.
• Perge and Aspendos: two of the best-known ancient sites in the Antalya region, both reachable by road. Aspendos has one of the best-preserved Roman theatres in the world.
• Side: a coastal town with an ancient theatre and the temple of Apollo beside the sea, east of Antalya.
• Belek: the golf and resort region, also to the east.
• Manavgat Waterfall and the Köprülü Canyon: a nature day for those who want mountains and rivers instead of beaches.

Because Lara is on the eastern side of the city, trips toward Side and Belek start closer to your hotel than trips toward Kemer or the western coast. If you plan several excursions, a private vehicle with a driver for the day often works better than organising separate taxis, since the driver already knows the roads.

After the long drive from Patara, your first evening in Lara is probably going to be a quiet one. Most hotels in the district serve dinner on site, and many guests eat at the property for the first night. When you want a change, Lara has plenty of restaurants outside the hotels, ranging from simple grills and Turkish breakfast places to seafood restaurants near the water. The old town of Antalya, with its harbour restaurants, is a short drive away.

Compared with Patara, the contrast is obvious. In Patara, dinner is often a family-run pension terrace, a simple dish of the day and an early night in a quiet village. In Lara, evenings are lively, with shops open late, promenade walks along the sea road and a wider range of places to eat and drink.

A transfer of about two and a half hours is a long ride for children, so a little preparation makes the day easier.

• Child seats: baby and child seats are available on request. Tell us at the time of booking how many children are travelling and their ages, so the right seat is fitted in the vehicle before you arrive.
• Timing: for small children, a departure after breakfast with a stop around the middle of the trip tends to work better than a late afternoon start.
• Snacks and water: bring a few snacks and drinks for the back seat. Long coastal roads do not always have a convenient stop exactly when you need one.
• Motion sickness: the coastal bends can be tiring for children prone to car sickness. Ask your driver to take the winding sections steadily.
• A stop worth making: Kalkan harbour or a quiet beach pull-off gives children a place to run around before the second half of the drive.

For Lara itself, families usually choose a beachfront resort with a pool and a children's area. The sandy beach and gentle entry into the sea are the main reason families stay in this district.

Long transfers are sometimes planned around flights, and the Patara to Lara route can fall at an awkward hour.

Late departure from Patara. If you leave after dark, the coast road is less enjoyable because the views disappear, and it is a longer journey in the dark on a winding road. Our drivers know the road well, but a late arrival also means arriving at a hotel reception in the middle of the night. Tell the hotel in advance that you will arrive late so that your room is held and someone is at the desk.

Early departure from Patara. A very early start means a calm road and the best chance of arriving in Lara before the heat of the afternoon. The village is quiet at that hour, so let your pension know the night before that you are leaving early, and arrange breakfast or a packed breakfast if that is possible.

Arrival times in Lara. Arriving in the late evening is easy with a private driver because the vehicle takes you directly to the door. You do not need to find a bus connection or a taxi rank.

Many guests in Lara later use the same company for the return to the airport, and it helps to plan the timing in advance. Lara is on the eastern side of Antalya and Antalya Airport is close to the Lara and Kundu hotels, so the airport drive from this district is much shorter than the journey you made from Patara. Even so, allow generous time. Airport roads and terminal approaches can be busy in the summer season, and check-in queues are longer in peak weeks.

A practical guide for planning:

• Ask your hotel for the time your driver should collect you, based on your flight departure.
• For international flights, arrive at the terminal well ahead of departure, following the guidance of your airline.
• Pack the night before and settle the room before the pickup so there is no last-minute delay.
• If you have a very early flight, tell your driver and your hotel about the early check-out in advance.

If you are travelling in the other direction later in your trip, for example back toward Patara or Dalaman Airport, the same road is covered in reverse. Dalaman Airport is about 68 km from Patara, roughly an hour to an hour and a quarter depending on the season and traffic.

The Antalya region has long, hot summers and short, mild winters. Sea temperatures climb to around 28°C in August, and the beach season runs from May to October.

• Spring (April to early June): the coast is green, the mountains are still fresh, and the road is quieter than in summer. It is a very pleasant time to make the drive. Sea temperatures are cooler, but the days are comfortable for sightseeing at Kalkan, Kaş and the ruins around Patara.
• Summer (June to September): the busiest period. The road carries more traffic, and the heat is strong in the middle of the day. Early or late-afternoon departures are more comfortable, and hotels in Lara are at their fullest.
• Autumn (late September to October): the sea is still warm, the crowds thin and the light is soft. Many travellers consider this the best time for combining beach days with visits to old towns and ruins.
• Winter (November to March): a quieter coast with fewer visitors. Some small seasonal businesses close in Patara, and boat trips are limited, but the road is open and the drive is possible all year. Weather can be wetter, so allow a little extra time on the mountain sections.

Turtle nesting season on Patara beach runs from May to October, so the beach is protected during these months. If you leave the village after a stay in summer, you leave behind one of the most unspoilt beaches on the coast.

There is no direct, comfortable public connection between Patara and Lara. By bus you would first change in Kaş or Fethiye, then again at Antalya's main bus station, and finally take another taxi to your hotel in Lara. With luggage, that becomes a long day of waiting and carrying. A private vehicle with a local driver turns the same distance into a single ride from your door to the hotel entrance.

• Door to door: the driver collects you from your accommodation and takes you to the hotel in Lara. No changes, no waiting at stations.
• Your own schedule: stop for photographs, lunch or a short walk without worrying about a timetable.
• Space for luggage: large suitcases, beach gear and children's equipment travel with you.
• Local knowledge: our drivers know the bends, the busy points and the places that make good stops. Ask them about Kalkan, Kaş and Demre on the way, and about restaurants and excursions near Lara once you are close.
• Private vehicle: you travel with your own group only, with air conditioning for the summer heat.

1. Confirm the exact name of your hotel in Lara and keep a copy of the booking on your phone.
2. Give us the pickup address in Patara or Gelemiş, plus a contact number that works on the day.
3. Tell us how many passengers and how many large bags are travelling, so we send a suitable vehicle.
4. Ask for child seats at the time of booking and state the ages of the children.
5. Decide whether you want stops, such as Kalkan, Kaş or Demre, and tell your driver in advance.
6. Plan your timing around hotel check-in so that you arrive when your room is ready.
7. Keep water, a light jacket for the air conditioning and anything the children need within reach, not in the boot.

This is a long transfer, and it is best treated as part of your holiday. The coast road is beautiful, but it is winding, and it rewards a relaxed pace. Do not plan a tight connection at the end of the drive, such as a dinner reservation within minutes of the estimated arrival. Allow some slack for traffic near Antalya, particularly in the summer afternoon.

If you change your plans, for instance if you want to add the Saklıkent Gorge, a Kekova boat trip or a long lunch in Kaş, tell us as early as you can. We can arrange the route and timing so that the journey still ends comfortably at your hotel in Lara.

Book your Patara to Lara transfer with Turkey Transfer and spend the journey enjoying the Lycian coast instead of working out buses and connections.