Taxi from Kemer: Sights and Onward Trips
Private car from your Kemer hotel to Göynük Canyon, Phaselis, the Tahtalı cable car, Olympos and the Chimaera flames, to Kaleiçi, or on to Belek, Side and Kaş.
On this page
Kemer sits on a thin strip of shore with the Beydağları rising straight behind it, and almost everything worth a drive from here lies on the one road that squeezes between those slopes and the sea. Head south and the pine coast gives you an ancient harbour town, a cable car up a mountain and, further on, the Olympos valley with its flames above Çıralı. Head north and the road tunnels its way to Antalya and the walled lanes of Kaleiçi. Beyond those come the legs people take when the holiday changes address: Belek, Side, Alanya and, the other way, Kaş.
The distances and drive times sit in the list below, so this page sticks to what the list cannot tell you: which outings belong to the morning and which to the dark, which ones leave you somewhere a passing taxi will not appear, and how the single coast road shapes a longer trip. Each leg is a private car and driver for your party alone, priced per vehicle and agreed before the booking is confirmed. Every leg is one-way; if you want the car to come back for you, or the driver to stay while you look around, say so when you book.
One road between the mountain and the water
Look at a map of this coast and the planning becomes obvious. The D400 is the only through road, cut into the foot of the mountains, and the resort villages hang off it like beads: Beldibi and Göynük to the north of Kemer town, Kiriş, Çamyuva and Tekirova to the south. Past Tekirova the road leaves the shore and climbs inland through forest, and the valleys of Olympos and Çıralı are reached by their own side roads that drop back down towards the sea.
Two consequences follow. Places on the same side of Kemer combine easily, while a day that zigzags north and then south means passing your own hotel twice. And because there is no second road, a slow lorry on the climb or a hold-up in one of the tunnels affects everyone travelling that way. Neither is a reason to stay put; both are reasons to give the hotel name rather than just the village when you book, and to leave a little slack around anything with a fixed start.
Canyon, harbour ruins and a mountain top
The three short outings each want something different from you. Göynük Canyon is the odd one out on the map, a little north of town and a short way inland from Göynük village, inside the Beydağları Coastal National Park. The way in is a walk on a forest path before the canyon itself, where you wade and swim through water that stays cold even in midsummer. Helmets, water shoes and wetsuits are on hand there, but the ride home is yours to plan: a towel on the seat and a dry set of clothes in a bag make the difference.
Phaselis and the Tahtalı cable car both lie south, near Tekirova, so they pair well. Phaselis is ancient streets and harbours under pine trees, with small coves between the ruins where people swim, so bring a swimsuit and go early, before the stone warms up. The cable car runs from a valley station inland of the coast road to the summit of Tahtalı, and whether it runs at all depends on the wind up top. Check its status on the morning you go, and pack a warm layer even in high summer.
- Phaselis, then the cable car: ruins in the cooler part of the day, the summit once you know the wind has allowed it.
- Göynük Canyon on its own: wet clothes, wet shoes and a tired party rarely want a second stop.
- Cable car with a lunch stop on the way back: name the place when booking so the driver plans for it.
Olympos by afternoon, the flames after dark
The Olympos valley is the outing that changes shape once the sun goes down. By day it is a ruined city half hidden in the trees along a stream, opening onto a pebble beach; Çıralı shares that same long beach at its northern end but is reached by a different side road off the highway. That detail matters when you book, because a driver sent to one is not a few metres from the other by car. Tell us which you mean, or simply say what you want to see.
The Chimaera, the flames that burn out of the rock on the hillside above Çıralı, are the reason many people go in the evening. From the car park a rough stone stairway climbs steadily through the trees to the burning patch; it is uneven and unlit, so wear proper shoes rather than flip-flops. A torch helps, above all on the way down. This is the trip where arranging the return matters most: the car park is quiet once the visitors thin out, and the road back to the coast highway is not one you want to stand beside hoping for a ride.
North through the tunnels to Antalya and Kaleiçi
Northbound, the coast road runs on a ledge above the sea and dives through a series of short tunnels where headlands block the way, before coming down to the long beachfront at Konyaaltı and the city above it. The list carries two legs in this direction for a reason. The Antalya leg is for an address in the city: a hotel, a clinic, a shopping centre, the bus terminal. The Kaleiçi leg is for the old town itself, the harbour, the clock tower and the narrow lanes inside the walls.
Most of Kaleiçi is meant for walking, so the drop-off is at its edge, not inside the walls. Agree that drop-off point as the place you will meet again, and book the ride back to Kemer at the same time as the ride in. An evening in the old town tends to run later than planned; if you are unsure of the hour, ask for a later pickup or for the driver to wait, and the tunnels and bends home are then someone else's concern.
Moving on: Belek, Side, Alanya or Kaş
The onward legs split by direction. Belek, Side and Alanya all lie east, and every one of them goes through Antalya first, so the hour you leave decides how long you spend in city traffic before the open highway begins. Setting off once the morning rush has passed keeps that stretch shorter. Belek suits golfers and families moving to another resort; Side and Alanya suit a holiday split between two stretches of coast. Send the full luggage count, golf bags included, so the right vehicle turns up.
Kaş is the other direction entirely: south past Tekirova, inland over a wooded pass and down to Kumluca, then along the shore through Finike to Demre and over a last high, empty stretch before the descent into Kaş. It is a long drive of curves, so plan a break or two, and if you have not yet seen Phaselis, it sits just off the road at the start of the journey and can be added when you book. Mention children's ages or anyone prone to motion sickness in the booking.
Getting back: decide before you leave
Because each leg is one-way, the return is the part to settle while booking. The driver can come back at a set time to an agreed spot, which suits the canyon, the old town or a long afternoon at Olympos, or the driver can wait while you visit, which suits a short stop such as Phaselis or the cable car on a day when you are not sure how long the queue will be.
The places on this page are not all on a taxi rank's doorstep. The canyon entrance sits up a forest road, the car park below the Chimaera empties at night, and the cable car's valley station is a climb away from the coast. Fixing the return in advance turns those spots into simple meeting points. For the booking itself, send the hotel name, the number of people and bags, any child seats you need with the children's ages, and how you want to get back.
Frequently asked questions
Which trips from Kemer can be combined in one day?
Phaselis and the Tahtalı cable car share the stretch near Tekirova and combine easily. Olympos by afternoon and the Chimaera flames after dark make one long outing. Göynük Canyon is north of town and works best on its own. Name every stop when booking so the waiting is planned in.
Is the Chimaera trip better in the evening?
Most people think so, because the flames show up far better in the dark. Take a torch for the path, and arrange the return pickup or waiting time when you book, since the car park below the flames, out of Çıralı along the hillside, is quiet at night.
What if the Tahtalı cable car is not running because of wind?
It does stop in strong wind at the summit, so check its status on the morning of the trip. If you are unsure, book the outing with Phaselis nearby so the day still has a plan, and tell us of any change as early as you can.
Can the car drive us into Kaleiçi?
The old town lanes are mostly for walking, so the car stops at the edge of Kaleiçi. Agree that spot as your meeting point for the ride back, and book the return together with the ride in.
We are moving from Kemer to a hotel in Side or Alanya. Can you take us?
Yes, door to door between the two hotels. The route passes Antalya, so leaving after the morning rush means less time in city traffic. Tell us how many travellers and suitcases there are, and a vehicle with room for all of them comes to collect you.
Can we stop at Phaselis on the way to Kaş?
Yes. Phaselis lies just off the coast road near the start of the drive south. Ask for the stop when you book and say roughly how long you want there, and it is built into the trip.