Taxi from Alanya: Day Trips and Transfers
Private car from Alanya to Dim Cave, Sapadere Canyon, Alara, Manavgat waterfall or Aspendos, along the coast to Mahmutlar or Gazipaşa, or on to Antalya and beyond.
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Alanya sits in the middle of its own stretch of coast, with the castle rock splitting the town into an eastern and a western half, and almost every trip out of it starts by choosing one of those two directions. Eastward the coast road runs past the apartment towns towards Gazipaşa, while side roads climb into the cool valleys behind them. Westward it follows the headlands towards Manavgat and Side, past a castle, a waterfall, a reservoir in the hills and a Roman theatre. Beyond all of that lie the long legs to Antalya, Belek, Kemer, Pamukkale and Fethiye, booked when the stay in Alanya comes to an end or moves somewhere else.
Each leg in the list carries its own distance and driving time, which leaves these paragraphs free to concentrate on what the numbers do not show: which trips belong together, what a driver needs to find a flat in a large residential complex, and how to settle the ride home before you leave. Whatever the leg, the vehicle and its driver are reserved for your group only, travelling one way, and the fare is set for the whole vehicle before the day. If you want collecting later, or prefer the driver to stay nearby while you look around, that goes into the same booking.
East or west: the first decision
Look at the list by direction rather than alphabetically. The eastern trips leave through Tosmur and Kestel, where the Dim river reaches the sea, and continue past Mahmutlar and Kargıcak to the cliffs on the way to Gazipaşa. The western ones go out past Damlataş and Kleopatra beach, through Konaklı, Avsallar and İncekum to Okurcalar, and then down onto the flat ground around Manavgat, where the river valley leads inland and the road carries on towards Side and Serik.
Trips on the same side of town combine naturally, and trips on opposite sides do not. Pairing Dim Cave with the Manavgat waterfall means crossing the whole of Alanya in the middle of the day, for two places that have nothing to do with each other. If the party wants both, two separate days usually work better than one long one.
- East and inland: Dim Cave and the Dim valley, Sapadere Canyon above Demirtaş
- East along the shore: Mahmutlar, then Gazipaşa town and its airport
- West along the shore: Avsallar, Okurcalar, Alara Castle
- West and inland from Manavgat: the waterfall and Green Canyon
- Furthest west of the day trips: Aspendos, past Side
Cool air in the hills: Dim Cave and Sapadere
When the beach gets too hot, people in Alanya head uphill. Dim Cave lies in the Kestel area on the western slope of the Cebel-i Reis mountain, overlooking the Dim valley, so a visit often finishes down by the water, where restaurants put their tables on platforms over the stream. Sapadere Canyon is a separate outing further east: the turning leaves the Gazipaşa road and climbs north through Demirtaş, and at the end a walkway follows the stream into the gorge between pools and small falls.
Both are dead ends for traffic, and neither is a place where an empty taxi passes by looking for passengers. Decide before you set off whether the driver waits for you or comes back at an agreed hour, and say so in the booking. Wear shoes with grip for a walk on wet rock or boardwalk, and pack a layer for the cave, which keeps its own temperature whatever the weather outside. Because the two sit in different valleys, linking them adds a fair stretch of driving between them; that is possible, but name both stops when you book so the timing is planned in.
West towards Manavgat and Side
The western day trips line up along one road, which makes them easy to string together. Alara Castle stands on a crag above the Alara stream, a short way inland from Okurcalar, and the Seljuk caravanserai sits below it; a swim at one of the beaches on the way back fills the rest of the afternoon. Further on, a road leads north from Manavgat up the river, first to the waterfall and then into the hills to the reservoir known as Green Canyon, where boats go out on the water. Aspendos lies beyond Side, near Serik, and is the longest of these outings.
Many visitors staying in Alanya combine one of these sights with an afternoon in Side itself. Cars cannot enter the old town, so the driver stops at its edge and you walk in from there; agree on that spot as the meeting point for the return. If a boat trip on the reservoir is already booked, give its departure time so the pickup in Alanya is set around it. In summer, an early start leaves the cooler hours for the theatre at Aspendos, where there is little shade.
Short runs along Alanya's own coast
Not every journey from Alanya is an excursion. Many of the people booking the shorter legs live here for months at a time, or visit family who do: a flat in Mahmutlar, a house above Avsallar, friends at a hotel in Okurcalar. The reasons are ordinary ones, such as a viewing with an estate agent, a market day in another town, a dinner invitation or a move between two rented flats, and they often fall in the evening when the town centre is slow.
Gazipaşa is a special case, because the name covers both a farming town and the small airport that lies on the coastal plain just west of it. Say which one you mean. Wherever you stay in Alanya, the Gazipaşa terminal is the nearer of the two airports, and the gap grows the further east you live; trips to Antalya Airport are covered on a separate departure page that works out when to set off from each stretch of the coast. For a hop of a few streets, a metered taxi from the rank may be simpler; a booked car pays off when the address is hard to find, the luggage is heavy or the ride home is late.
Long legs: Antalya, Belek, Kemer and beyond
The onward legs all start the same way, west along the coast road through the resort towns, and then separate. Belek comes before the city and is usually a change of hotel, often for golf or a second week somewhere quieter. Antalya means the city itself: an appointment, a consulate, a few nights in Kaleiçi, or a long-distance coach. Kemer lies on the far side of Antalya, along the foot of the mountains, so its leg includes the city traffic as well as the coast.
Pamukkale and Fethiye are full travelling days. Pamukkale works far better split in two, with an overnight stay by the white terraces between the outward and the return journey, than squeezed into a day, and Fethiye suits those moving on to the Lycian coast or flying home from Dalaman. On legs this long, ask for a break on the way when you book, and give the full luggage count so the car is the right size from the start.
Addresses, children and getting back
Large residential complexes are where most pickups go wrong. A site name alone can cover several gates and a dozen blocks, so send the block letter, the gate the driver should use and a map pin, and tell us whether the block stands between the highway and the beach or uphill of it.
For families, list each child with their age and the matching seat or booster will already be fitted when the car pulls up; there is no charge for child seats. Buggies, cool bags, snorkelling gear or a wheelchair should all be named in the booking. With one fare for the vehicle whatever the headcount, keeping a group together in a single car is normally the sensible choice, and a larger group can ask for a van or minibus. The return is the part worth deciding early: a pickup at a set time, or a driver who waits, can both be added to the same booking.
Frequently asked questions
Can we see Dim Cave and the Dim river in the same outing?
Yes. The cave stands above the same valley, so a visit to the cave followed by lunch by the river is an easy combination. Mention both in the booking and say whether the driver should wait or return at a set time.
Will the driver wait for us at Sapadere Canyon?
Yes, provided it is arranged in advance. Add waiting time, or a pickup for the way back, at the moment you reserve the outward leg, because there is little chance of finding a car for the way back at the canyon.
We live in an apartment complex in Mahmutlar. What do you need from us?
The complex name, block, gate and a map pin, plus a phone number the driver can reach. Say whether the building is above or below the main road, as that decides which way the car approaches.
Can we visit the Manavgat waterfall and spend the afternoon in Side?
Yes, they lie on the same side of Alanya. Book the leg to the waterfall, add the stop in Side, and agree on a pickup time and place outside the pedestrian old town for the drive back.
Is the Gazipaşa leg for the town or the airport?
It can be either. Tell us which when you book, because the airport and the town centre are reached by different turnings. For a flight, give the flight time so the pickup is set with a margin.
Is Pamukkale realistic from Alanya?
Done there and back in a day, most of the daylight goes on the road. Splitting it into an outward leg, a night in Pamukkale and a return leg gives Hierapolis and the terraces the unhurried visit they deserve.