Antalya and the Turquoise Coast: itineraries, groups and incentives

The gateway to the coast is Antalya airport (AYT), about 13 km from the old town of Kaleiçi. From Istanbul the flight takes 1 h 15 to 1 h 30, departing from IST or SAW, and Antalya also has direct flights from Kayseri, which links Cappadocia with the coast without passing through Istanbul. The article on domestic flights explains how those legs fit into an itinerary.

By road, the coast connects with the interior across the Taurus mountains: Konya to Antalya is about 4 to 5 hours, which is how the 15-day grand journey does it, leaving Konya at midday and arriving in Antalya in the afternoon. The stages along the coast are short and are covered in the same vehicle with driver:

• Antalya – Perge: about 20 minutes. Antalya – Aspendos: about 50 minutes. Antalya – Side: around 1 h 15.
• Antalya – Demre (Myra) – Kaş: about 3 hours in total, with a stop at Myra.
• Kaş – Kalkan – Patara – Fethiye: about 2 hours of driving, plus the visit time at Patara and Xanthos.
• Antalya – Fethiye direct: between 2 h 30 and 3 hours. Fethiye – Ölüdeniz: about 20 minutes.
• Fethiye – Bodrum: about 3 hours. Bodrum – Pamukkale: about 4 hours, the stage that takes the circuit back inland.

The Fethiye side has its own airport, Dalaman (DLM), about 50 km away, and Bodrum has Milas-Bodrum (BJV), about 36 km from the centre. We use them when a programme enters or leaves through that end of the coast instead of Antalya. The meeting point is always the arrivals hall or the hotel, with the passenger or group name on the sign; the vehicle is assigned by capacity, from a chauffeured car to a coach.

The coast is covered from east to west, from Antalya towards Fethiye, and each block fits into one day of vehicle and guide:

• Antalya. The old town of Kaleiçi with its Ottoman houses, Hadrian's Gate, the old harbour and the viewpoints over the cliffs; depending on the programme, the Düden waterfalls or Konyaaltı beach. It is the day-6 visit of the 15-day grand journey.
• Perge, Aspendos and Side. The three sites east of the city combine into one day: the colonnaded street and stadium of Perge, the Roman theatre of Aspendos, the best preserved in Anatolia, and the temple of Apollo by the harbour of Side. They are visited on foot, on stone, in the sun and without shade.
• Demre, Myra and Kekova. The Lycian rock tombs and theatre of Myra, the church of St Nicholas in Demre and, when the sea allows, the sunken city of Kekova, which can only be seen from the water, by boat from Üçağız. It is a full-day block.
• Kaş, Patara and Xanthos. Kaş as a stop and a quiet overnight; Patara, with its long beach and the ancient city behind the dunes; Xanthos and the Letoon, the Lycian sites an archaeological programme should not skip.
• Fethiye and Ölüdeniz. The harbour of Fethiye, the Lycian tombs above the town, the abandoned village of Kayaköy, the Saklıkent gorge and the Ölüdeniz lagoon, where the grand journey leaves free beach time. The boat trip and paragliding are optional activities that are not part of the programme.
• Bodrum. Already on the Aegean: the castle, the marina and the whitewashed streets, and time permitting the Museum of Underwater Archaeology or the ancient theatre. From Bodrum the circuit climbs to Pamukkale or leaves through its airport.

For a one-week programme the usual sequence is Antalya (2 nights, with Perge and Aspendos), Kaş (1 night, with Myra and Kekova), Fethiye (2 nights, with Patara, Xanthos and Ölüdeniz) and departure through Dalaman, or continuation to Pamukkale and Ephesus. When the coast is only a seaside ending, two nights in Antalya or Fethiye are enough and the rest goes to the interior and the Aegean.

From April to June and from September to October the coast is pleasant for visiting sites and for walking: mild temperatures, calm sea and fewer visitors at Aspendos and Myra. July and August are the months of strong heat, when open-air visits are concentrated in the early morning and the afternoon is left for the sea; in exchange, it is the best time for swimming at Ölüdeniz and Bodrum, as the 15-day grand journey record notes.

The sailing season, for boat trips to Kekova or out of Fethiye, runs roughly from May to October; outside it boats sail less regularly and depend on the state of the sea. In winter the coast is mild and rainy, the sites stay open and city hotels operate normally, but many beach establishments close. The Turkey operating calendar details closures, religious holidays and summer and winter opening hours for the whole country.

Antalya concentrates large-capacity hotels and congress venues a short distance from the airport, which is why it is the coastal city where incentive programmes are most often requested: a fixed base, visit days to Perge and Aspendos or to Side, a boat outing and a group dinner in Kaleiçi. The MICE and incentives in Turkey page explains the formats and what a proposal needs.

For a closed group covering the whole coast, what changes compared with an individual trip is the logistics: the coach is chosen by capacity and by the roads of the Lycian route, which are mountain roads between Demre and Kaş; the nights are distributed so that no day exceeds three hours of driving; and the walking visits at Aspendos, Myra and Xanthos are scheduled for the early morning in the hot months. The actual hotels are proposed by name in the quotation and confirmed at booking.

Group and incentive quotations are answered within 72 business hours, and individual trips within 24, at net rates for the agency. The full commercial terms are in the agents area.

• Entrance tickets to the sites and museums listed in the itinerary are included in the circuits; museums and sites may have a weekly closing day and different summer and winter hours, and the final programme is adjusted to the calendar in force on the departure dates.
• Perge, Aspendos, Myra, Patara and Xanthos are walked on uneven stone without shade; Kaleiçi and Bodrum on cobbled, sloping streets. Moderate walking level and closed shoes.
• The boat trip to Kekova depends on the sea conditions of the day; when it is not possible, the day is reordered around Myra, Demre and Kaş.
• At Ölüdeniz the boat trip and paragliding are optional, are not part of the programme and are booked on site.
• In July and August the vehicle is air-conditioned and visits are brought forward; water, a hat and sun protection are advisable at every site.
• Hotel zones: in Antalya, Kaleiçi for cultural programmes and Lara or Konyaaltı for groups that want beach and capacity; in Fethiye, the centre or the Ölüdeniz area; in Bodrum, the centre for a single night. The actual hotels are proposed by name in the quotation and confirmed at booking.
• A valid passport, the visa or electronic authorisation and compliance with entry requirements are the traveller's responsibility and depend on nationality.