Transfers across the Antalya City area

The Antalya region is the city itself and the coast on either side of it, not a resort strip. East of the airport, Kundu and Lara hold the large beach hotels, backed by a long run of sand and the cliffs where the Lower Düden waterfall drops into the sea. Behind them is the working city: shopping centres, offices, ordinary streets. At its heart stands Kaleiçi, the walled old quarter above the Roman harbour, a grid of narrow lanes, restored houses and small hotels. West of the centre, Konyaaltı follows a pebble beach under the Beydağları mountains, with the aquarium and the museum nearby. Beach holidays, city breaks and business trips all land in the same district.

Every transfer in this region is short. The airport sits on the eastern edge of the city, so the outlet centres and Mall of Antalya are 5 to 6 km away, Perge 12, the centre and Kaleiçi 13 to 16, Kundu and Lara about 15 and Konyaaltı about 22 — roughly 15 to 30 minutes at the wheel. The approach is the D400 and the ring road rather than a holiday highway, so what slows you down is city traffic rather than August: weekday rush hours and the junctions near the centre. Late arrivals cross an empty city in minutes, and winter takes the queues out of the whole run.

Choosing within the region is really choosing between three coasts. Kundu and Lara are hotel-bound: sand, all-inclusive, most of the day spent on the property, and a short ride from the terminal. Kaleiçi is the opposite — you walk everywhere, sleep in a converted old house and stand minutes from the harbour, though suitcases have to cross cobbles. Konyaaltı puts a pebble city beach and a promenade in front of ordinary neighbourhoods, which suits longer and quieter stays. For the return leg the distance is never the problem; the traffic is. Book the pickup with the outbound trip and count on three hours at the airport in summer.