Taxi from Belek: Excursions and Transfers
Private car from a Belek or Kadriye hotel to Aspendos, Perge, Land of Legends, the canyon or the waterfall, into Kaleiçi at night, or on to Side, Kemer and Alanya.
On this page
Belek is made for staying put. The hotels sit in the pines behind the beach, the golf courses spread inland behind them, and most of what a day needs is inside the gate. Sooner or later the gate opens: a round finishes before lunch and the afternoon is empty, the children have tried every slide, someone wants dinner in a real town, or the second week is booked further along the coast. The legs listed below cover all of that from Belek and its neighbour Kadriye. Each one is a private car and driver, one way, at a single price for the whole vehicle that is agreed before anyone gets in.
Kilometres and driving times sit beside each leg in the list, so the paragraphs here turn to the decisions that surround them: which places share a stretch of road, how to fit a sight around a tee time or a toddler's nap, what an evening right across Antalya involves, and how to move a whole party and its luggage when the holiday changes address. Should you need a ride back too, or a driver who stays while you look round, mention it when you book and it becomes part of the same arrangement.
East or west of the resort strip
The hotels line the shore from Kadriye in the west to Boğazkent in the east, and the D400 highway runs a little way inland of them. Nearly every leg here begins by joining that road and turning one way or the other, and that choice shapes the whole day.
Turn west and you pass Perge on the edge of Aksu, then the long fence of the airport, then the city of Antalya with Kaleiçi at its centre; Kemer lies beyond the city, on the coast road heading south. Turn east and you come to Serik and the turning for Aspendos, then the road that turns inland up the Köprüçay valley to the canyon, and further on the junction for Side, the town of Manavgat with its waterfall to the north, and eventually Alanya. Land of Legends is the exception, because it stands in Kadriye itself and the drive is over almost as soon as it starts.
A day that keeps to one side of the hotels is simple; one that pairs Perge with the canyon means doubling back past the hotel halfway through, usually during the coolest hours you had. Kadriye is a little nearer the western sights, Boğazkent the eastern ones.
- Westbound: Perge, Kaleiçi and the rest of Antalya, then Kemer.
- Eastbound: Aspendos, Köprülü Canyon, Side, Manavgat and its waterfall, then Alanya.
- On the doorstep: Land of Legends in Kadriye.
One river, two very different days
The Köprüçay reaches the sea between the Belek hotels and those at Boğazkent, and it links two of the trips on this list. It is the river the ancients called the Eurymedon. Aspendos stands beside its lower course, with a Seljuk bridge spanning it close to the theatre, while far upstream in the Taurus the same water has carved Köprülü Canyon, where the rafting camps launch. Aspendos is a compact, open-air visit, kindest early in the day while the stone is still cool; its theatre is among the best preserved of the ancient world and still stages an opera and ballet festival on some evenings, on dates that change from year to year.
The canyon takes the whole day. Rafting means a camp, a safety briefing, hours on the water and a change of clothes, and the trip home starts when your group comes off the river, not at an hour you picked over breakfast. Tell us which camp you are booked with, pack something dry, and decide on the return before you leave, because no empty car will happen to drive past in that valley. If anyone still has the energy, Aspendos can be added as a stop on the way back; ask for it when booking.
Fitting a trip around a tee time
A golf holiday leaves free time in an awkward shape: a morning on the course and then an afternoon with nothing in it, or a partner who does not play and has the whole day to fill. The shorter legs suit both. Perge, Aspendos and Land of Legends are close enough for a few hours out, and Kaleiçi works as a late-afternoon wander that turns into dinner. In high summer, aim for the later part of the afternoon rather than straight after lunch, when the paving at Perge and the seats at Aspendos give back the most heat.
When you plan around a round, give us the time you expect to be back in the lobby, not the tee time, and leave room for a shower. A separate car for the non-golfers is often easier than one vehicle trying to serve two timetables. Clubs rarely need to come on these legs, but if they do, count the golf bags apart from the passengers so the car that turns up can take them.
Two kinds of evening: next door and across the city
Land of Legends is the evening most families end up having. The theme park and the shopping avenue beside it stay busy after dark, and the night show of fountains, lasers and a boat parade along the park's canal is the moment when everyone heads for the exit together. The ride is short; the crowd at the gates is not. Agree a meeting point and an hour a little after the show ends, or book a driver who waits.
Kaleiçi is the opposite sort of night out: further away, right across Antalya, with the old walls, the narrow lanes, the harbour and the restaurants along the cliff top. Much of the walled quarter is pedestrian, so the car stops at its edge and the evening continues on foot down towards the marina. The drive in around the end of the working day meets the city's rush, while the late drive home is far quieter, so leave with time in hand and fix the return as you book: a named gate or square, and an hour.
Leaving Belek for the next stop
The onward legs divide by direction as well. Eastbound, Side and Alanya are mostly changes of hotel: a golf week followed by a beach week, or a family joining relatives who booked further along the coast. Manavgat is a different errand: the district town, its shops and the long-distance coach station. Westbound, Antalya suits anyone spending a few nights near Kaleiçi and the archaeological museum, or catching a coach at the intercity bus station, while the Kemer leg crosses Antalya from one side to the other before following the coast south between the mountains and the sea.
For a hotel change, book reception to reception and list every piece of luggage, including pushchairs, golf bags and whatever has been bought along the way. Check the next hotel's check-in time too, since a midday departure from Belek that arrives early can leave you minding suitcases in a lobby. If your flight home leaves from Antalya, that run has its own departure page and is booked as a separate leg.
Families, groups and the right size of car
Because you pay per vehicle and not per head, a family or a group of friends is usually best off travelling together in one car. What you choose is space: the Economy Van seats four with room for four cases, the Standard Van seven and seven, the First Class Van six and six, and the Minibus twelve or sixteen. List anything bulky in the booking, from a folding pushchair and a cool box to wet towels after the canyon.
Child seats and boosters are fitted free when requested. Give the age of every child, so the right seat is already installed when the car pulls up at the hotel. A large party splitting between rafting and the pool may do better with two smaller cars than one big vehicle doing everything.
Frequently asked questions
Which sights are closest to the Belek hotels?
Land of Legends in Kadriye is practically next door, with Aspendos a short drive east and Perge a short drive west. Köprülü Canyon and the Manavgat waterfall are fuller outings further east.
Can we combine two places in one outing?
Yes, when both sit in the same direction from the hotels. Aspendos fits on the way back from the canyon, Perge sits on the road into Antalya before Kaleiçi, and Side is not far from the Manavgat waterfall. Put both in the booking with the time you would like at each, so the second stop is planned rather than improvised.
Will the driver wait, or come back for us later?
Either one, as long as it is arranged at booking. It matters most for rafting, for the night show at Land of Legends and for late dinners in Kaleiçi, where finding a car on the spot is hard, so fix the way back in advance.
I play golf in the mornings. Can a car take my partner out while I am on the course?
Yes. Book a separate leg for whoever is not playing, with the return timed for when the round is over, so the golfer can join for the afternoon or dinner.
We are moving on from Belek to Side, Alanya or Kemer. Can you take everything?
Yes. These legs run from one hotel reception to the next. Tell us how many people are travelling and how many suitcases, golf bags and pushchairs there are, and the vehicle is chosen to fit the lot.
Do you have child seats?
Yes, at no charge on request. Send each child's age with the booking so the seat or booster matches, and mention a pushchair if one is coming.