Antalya Airport to Side Transfer: Resort-by-Resort Drive Times

Once you leave Antalya Airport, the driver joins the main coast road, the D400, and heads east. It is a wide, mostly straight highway that runs a little back from the sea, with the Taurus foothills on your left. The first resort you pass is Belek, roughly 33 km and 40 minutes in. At that point you are a bit over halfway; the rest of the journey continues through farmland and smaller towns until the turn-offs for the Side villages begin.

Nothing about the route is complicated, but it is long enough that you will be glad not to be standing at a bus stop with suitcases after a flight. Your driver goes straight to your accommodation without stopping at other hotels along the way, because the vehicle is booked for your group only.

Before reaching Side the road passes a string of beach villages. Going east, they come in this order, and each one is a few minutes further than the last:

• Gündoğdu – about 63 km, around 73 minutes. It is the first of the villages you come to, even if the drive time to it is not the shortest.
• Evrenseki – about 60 km, around 70 minutes. The shortest drive of any Side-area resort.
• Çolaklı – about 61 km, around 71 minutes.
• Kumköy – about 62 km, around 72 minutes, right on the edge of Side.

In practice the difference between these four is only a couple of minutes, so if you are choosing between them, decide on the beach and the atmosphere rather than the transfer. The live price for each is on its own route page, for example Antalya Airport to Kumköy.

The old town area of Side is about 65 km from the airport and takes around 75 minutes. The peninsula's narrow streets mean the vehicle drops you at the closest point it can reach if your accommodation is inside the historic core; the driver helps with your bags for the last stretch. Prices for this trip are on the Antalya Airport to Side route page.

East of Side, past the area where the Manavgat river meets the sea, are two quieter hotel strips:

• Titreyengöl – about 71 km, around 82 minutes.
• Sorgun – about 74 km, around 84 minutes, the longest of the Side transfers. See Antalya Airport to Sorgun.

Manavgat town is a short way inland, north-east of Side. It is about 68 km from AYT and takes around 80 minutes, a good fit if you are visiting family, renting an apartment or staying somewhere off the beach.

After passport control and baggage reclaim, walk out into the arrivals hall. Your driver is there holding a sign with your name. Because we track your flight, a late landing does not cause a problem: waiting is free when the flight is delayed, so there is no reason to rush through the terminal or message anyone in a panic.

The car is usually parked a short walk from the exit. On the drive you can ask the driver to stop if a child needs a break, but most families find the hour and a quarter passes quickly.

We do not use sedans. Every transfer to Side is in a van, sized to the group:

• Minivan for 1 to 6 passengers.
• VIP Mercedes-Benz Vito for 1 to 7 passengers, with more comfortable seating.
• Mercedes Sprinter for 8 to 16 passengers, useful for two families travelling together or a wedding party.

The price is fixed per vehicle, not per person, so a full van works out well for larger groups. There is no luggage fee and no extra charge for arriving at night. Child seats are free; just tell us the ages of the children when you book. You can compare the vehicles on the fleet page.

For the return, work backwards from your departure time. Take the drive time for your village from the lists above, add a margin for summer traffic on the D400, and then add the time you want to have at the airport for check-in and security. On a busy summer Saturday the road near Belek and Antalya can be slower than in spring or autumn, so it is sensible to be generous.

When you book the return on the Side to Antalya Airport page or on WhatsApp, give us your flight time and we will suggest a pick-up time from your hotel. Our article on when to leave your hotel for the airport explains the reasoning in more detail.

Send your flight details, the number of passengers and your accommodation on WhatsApp or by e-mail, and you receive a fixed quote within about a minute. There is no prepayment: you pay in the vehicle, in cash, or by card if we agreed that when you booked. Cancellation is free.

We hold a D2 transfer permit from the Ministry of Transport, and every seat is covered by passenger insurance. If you are still deciding where on this coast to stay, our guide to where to stay around Side compares the villages, and the Side transfer page lists every route we run in the area.