Antalya Airport to Side, straight to your hotel
A private Antalya Airport to Side transfer covers 66 km of the Turkish Riviera, from the arrivals exit at Antalya Airport to your hotel in Side, Kumköy, Çolaklı or Sorgun in about an hour. Your driver loads the luggage once and heads east on the D400 coast highway, with no other passengers and no detours to other hotels.
Most package holidays include a shared coach transfer. It is part of the package price, but it waits for other flights and then works its way along the coast, and Side is one of the furthest resorts from the airport, so it is often near the end of the run. A private car leaves as soon as you are through arrivals, and one fixed price covers the whole vehicle, which suits families and groups.
Side is two places in one: an old town of Roman ruins on a small peninsula, and a long line of beach resorts on either side of it. We cover both, as well as the golf resorts of Belek, half an hour closer to the airport.
| Pickup | Antalya Airport (AYT) |
|---|---|
| Drop-off | Any hotel, villa or address in Side |
| Distance | About 66 km by road |
| Journey time | 1h – 1h 20min, depending on traffic |
| Best for | Resort |
| Busiest season | April–October |
| Availability | 24/7, including late-night and early-morning flights |
The drive from AYT to Side
From the airport, your driver joins the D400 heading east. This is the main road along Turkey's Mediterranean coast, a dual carriageway for most of the way to Side, with traffic lights and roundabouts where it meets the larger towns.
The first town is Aksu, where the ruins of ancient Perge lie just north of the road. The highway then crosses the flat coastal plain, past fields and greenhouses, to Serik, the district town that Belek belongs to. A few kilometres further east, a brown sign marks the road to Aspendos, whose Roman theatre, about 4 km north of the highway, is one of the most complete Roman theatres still standing.
Beyond Aspendos the D400 runs on through farmland and villages towards Manavgat. A few kilometres before Manavgat, your driver turns off towards the sea, and the last stretch runs down to the coast and into Side.
In normal traffic the drive takes about an hour. The busiest times are summer weekends, when charter flights land back to back and the roads around the airport fill with coaches, and the town stretches through Serik and Manavgat, where traffic lights slow things down. Allow up to 1 hour 20 minutes then. Many flights land late at night, when the road is quiet and the drive is often a little quicker.
Resorts west of Side, such as Çolaklı and Evrenseki, come first, about 50 minutes from the airport. Sorgun and Titreyengöl, east of the old town, take about an hour.
Schematic, not to scale. Route line © OpenStreetMap contributors
Pickup · 0 min
Antalya Airport (AYT)
Your driver meets you in arrivals and loads the luggage.
About 10 min · 9 km
Aksu
The ruins of Perge, with a long colonnaded street and a Roman stadium, lie just north of the road here, about 15 minutes from the airport.
About 25 min · 31 km
Serik
The district town that Belek's golf resorts belong to, about half an hour from the airport. Its traffic lights can slow summer traffic.
About 30 min · 37 km
Aspendos turn-off
The Roman theatre of Aspendos stands about 4 km north of the highway. Add a stop of an hour or two to your quote if you want to see it.
Arrival · 1h – 1h 20min · 66 km
Side
Drop-off at your hotel door. For small hotels inside the old town, the car stops at the closest point it can reach.
AYT to Side: one fixed price for the whole car
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Meeting your driver at Antalya Airport
Most international flights arrive at Terminal 1 or Terminal 2; domestic flights use a separate domestic terminal. After passport control and baggage reclaim, walk out through the arrivals exit. Tour operator reps and transfer drivers wait outside; yours holds a sign with your name.
Antalya Airport has three terminals. International flights use Terminal 1 or the expanded Terminal 2, which opened in April 2025, and domestic flights use the separate domestic terminal. We track your flight number, so your driver is at the right one. Drivers and tour reps wait outside the arrivals exit, and yours holds a sign with your name.
Summer charter flights often land in waves, and passport control can take a while. Your 60 minutes of free waiting start when you actually land, and the pickup moves with any delay at no extra cost.
For the trip home, your driver collects you from your hotel lobby and waits up to 15 minutes from the agreed time.
Arriving here for somewhere else? See every Antalya Airport transfer we run.
Where we drop off in Side and the nearby resorts
Side's hotels stretch for more than 10 km along the coast, from Çolaklı in the west to Titreyengöl in the east. Most are large resorts with a drive-up lobby, so the car takes you to the door. The old town is different: its lanes are narrow and busy with people on foot, so for small hotels there the car stops at the nearest point it can reach.
Side old town
Boutique hotels and pensions among the ruins on the peninsula, near the Temple of Apollo and the harbour. Vehicle access is restricted, so the last stretch is usually a short walk.
Kumköy
The resort strip just west of the old town, with hotels a few minutes from Side's beaches and ancient gate. About an hour from the airport.
Çolaklı, Gündoğdu and Evrenseki
Large all-inclusive resorts on the long sandy beach west of Side. These are the first stops coming from the airport, about 50 minutes away.
Sorgun and Titreyengöl
East of the old town, where resorts sit in pine woods near the mouth of the Manavgat river. About an hour from the airport.
Manavgat
The busy market town a few kilometres inland from Side, known for its river and waterfall. Hotels and apartments here are about an hour from the airport.
When to book your Side transfer
Side's season runs from April to October. July and August are hot and the resorts are full; charter flights cluster at weekends, so the airport and the D400 are at their busiest on summer Saturdays and Sundays. May, June, September and October bring a warm sea, fewer people and easier roads.
Turkish families holiday here too. Kurban Bayramı runs from 16 to 19 May 2027, and the days around it fill the coast and the roads from Antalya with domestic visitors. Ramazan Bayramı, on 9–11 March 2027, falls before the main beach season.
Winter is quiet and mild. Some resorts close for the season, while the old town and Manavgat stay open, so check your hotel's opening dates if you are travelling between November and March.
For the most comfortable arrival, a morning or late-evening landing avoids both the afternoon heat and the worst of the weekend traffic.
Private transfer vs other ways to reach Side
| Option | Door to door | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Private transfer | 1h – 1h 20min | Straight to your door, fixed price per vehicle, driver waiting in arrivals. |
| Tour operator coach | 1½–2½ hours | Included in many package holidays. It waits for other flights to land, then drops passengers hotel by hotel along the coast, and Side is often one of the last stops on the run. |
| Taxi | 1–1¼ hours | Metered taxis wait outside the terminals. Quick and direct, but the fare is only known at the end, and a family with a lot of luggage may need two cars. |
| City bus, coach and dolmuş | 2½–3½ hours | Bus 600 runs from the airport to Antalya's bus station, where coaches leave for Manavgat; a dolmuş minibus covers the last few kilometres to Side. Two changes with your cases. |
Skip the changes: door to door to Side
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Vehicles, prices and what's included
You pay one fixed price for the vehicle, not per seat, quoted for your date and group before you book. Tolls, fuel and parking are in the price, and so is waiting time: 60 minutes from your actual landing, or 15 minutes at a hotel or address pickup.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Luggage | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Couples and solo travellers |
| Executive sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Mercedes E-Class or similar |
| Minivan | Up to 7 passengers | 6–7 suitcases | Families and golf or ski bags |
| Minibus | 8–16 passengers | One suitcase each | Groups, weddings, events |
Exact models vary by local partner. Tell us about oversized luggage, golf bags, skis or strollers and we will size the vehicle to fit.
Not included: waiting beyond the free time, and stops or detours added on the day. Planned stops are fine: ask for them with your quote and they are priced in. Tipping is up to you.
Who the Side transfer suits
Families on all-inclusive holidays
Child seats fitted before pickup and no waiting for a coach to fill. A minivan takes up to seven people, with room for buggies and beach bags.
Couples staying in the old town
Arrive at a small hotel among the ruins rather than at a coach stop on the main road, with a driver who knows how close the car can get.
Groups and family gatherings
Minibuses seat 8 to 16, so a wedding party or extended family travels together, arrives together and shares one price for the vehicle.
Late-night arrivals
Many charter flights land after midnight. Your driver is there whatever time you land, and you reach the hotel in about an hour instead of after a long coach run.
Plan the rest of your Side holiday
- Visit the Temple of Apollo at the tip of the peninsula early in the morning or at sunset, when it is cooler and the light on the columns is softest.
- Want to see Aspendos? It is a short detour from the D400. Add the stop to your quote, and your luggage stays locked in the car while you look round.
- Resort rooms are often not ready until the afternoon. Pack swimwear and sun cream in your hand luggage if you land in the morning.
- Boat trips run up the Manavgat river from Manavgat town, and the Manavgat waterfall is a short drive inland. Either makes an easy half day out.
- Moving resorts mid-trip? Belek is about 45 minutes from Side, and the Kemer coast about 1¾ hours. We quote hotel-to-hotel transfers anywhere on the Turkish coast.
- For the flight home, leave Side about three hours before an international departure, and allow extra on summer Saturdays and Sundays, when the airport is at its busiest.
