Antalya Airport to Side and Alanya: The East Coast Transfer Guide

Ask arriving travellers to guess how long the drive to Alanya takes and most will say two and a half hours or more. The real figure is about 89 minutes for 127.2 km, and that surprise sums up the whole east coast: distances look long on the map, but the highway keeps speeds high nearly the entire way. Here is how the seven main stops between the airport and Mahmutlar compare, so you can match the destination to the holiday you are planning.

Why the east side is faster than it looks

Leaving Antalya Airport eastbound, you are on a wide, flat highway within minutes, and it stays that way for most of the corridor. There are no mountain passes and few traffic lights; the road runs straight behind the coast. Only where you leave the highway for a resort — at the Side turn-off, for instance — does the route drop to local coastal roads, where speeds fall and hotel entrances follow one another. That is why Sorgun at 67 km takes about 51 minutes, while Mahmutlar at 138.5 km still needs only about 97 minutes — the extra kilometres are the fast kind.

Side

66.8 km, about 56 minutes. An ancient harbour town with a Roman theatre and temple ruins beside sandy beaches; sightseeing and swimming share one postcode. A private transfer to Side is booked without a card and without a deposit. The price is fixed per vehicle when you book; you pay the driver in cash — euros, US dollars or Turkish lira — when you reach your hotel.

Sorgun

67 km, about 51 minutes. A quiet hotel zone in pine forest around a small lake; chosen for calm, not nightlife. Here too the booking needs no card and no deposit: the fixed per-vehicle price is paid to the driver in cash on arrival — euros, US dollars or Turkish lira.

Manavgat

67.7 km, about 53 minutes. A working river town famous for its waterfall, and the junction for the surrounding resort villages. A private transfer to Manavgat is booked without a card and without a deposit. The price is fixed per vehicle when you book; you pay the driver in cash — euros, US dollars or Turkish lira — when you reach your hotel.

Okurcalar

97 km, about 69 minutes. A compact strip of large all-inclusive resorts; most guests stay on hotel grounds. Here too the booking needs no card and no deposit: the fixed per-vehicle price is paid to the driver in cash on arrival — euros, US dollars or Turkish lira.

Avsallar

102.9 km, about 73 minutes. Incekum's fine sand and shallow water make it a steady favourite with families. A private transfer to Avsallar is booked without a card and without a deposit. The price is fixed per vehicle when you book; you pay the driver in cash — euros, US dollars or Turkish lira — when you reach your hotel.

Alanya

127.2 km, about 89 minutes. A proper city with a Seljuk castle above Cleopatra Beach, plus restaurants and year-round life. Here too the booking needs no card and no deposit: the fixed per-vehicle price is paid to the driver in cash on arrival — euros, US dollars or Turkish lira.

Mahmutlar

138.5 km, about 97 minutes. The long-stay address east of Alanya: apartments, markets and everyday infrastructure rather than resort walls. A private transfer to Mahmutlar is booked without a card and without a deposit. The price is fixed per vehicle when you book; you pay the driver in cash — euros, US dollars or Turkish lira — when you reach your hotel.

Per vehicle, not per person

Every fare is for the whole car, not per person; the exact price for the vehicle you choose appears as soon as you select your destination on the booking form. On a long leg this matters. The car we recommend is the Premium Van (V-Class), which takes six passengers and four bags for one fixed price whether the car is full or not; a Premium Sedan takes three passengers and two bags, and up to 12 people with eight bags fit in a 12 Seater minibus. Split the fare and the per-head cost of a private transfer to Alanya or Mahmutlar falls with every extra passenger — and there is no meter running along the way.

Practical notes

We run these transfers ourselves, so these are our own rules rather than general advice. Your driver waits inside the terminal with a name sign, tracks your flight by the number you give at booking, and delays cost nothing extra. There is no prepayment: the price is fixed at booking and paid in cash to the driver at the end of the ride. The transfer is private — only your group, no other passengers, no detours to other hotels — and it runs 24/7 at the same price, night flights included. For the return leg you choose the pickup time yourself, and a child seat is fitted free of charge if you note your child's age in the booking form.