How To Reach Antalya

Antalya is part of the Turkish Riviera and attracts millions of travellers every year. Famous for it's historic, cultural and natural landscapes, the Turkish Government took it one step further and funded Antalya's Tourism industry, making the city very tourist-friendly with many recent renovations. The best way to reach Antalya is by flight however, all routes are open including Road, Rail and Sea. Exploring this seaside city will take you on a rich journey bordering between modern and ancient Antalya.

The quickest and most hassle-free way to reach Antalya from India is to travel by flight all the way through. There are multiple airlines that will take you to Istanbul and from there you can choose to take a domestic or charter flight which is just about 1 and a half hour's journey. There are direct flights to Istanbul from Mumbai & Delhi via Turkish Airlines and multi-stop flights via other airlines such as Air India, Air Arabia, Jet Airways, Gulf Air and others. Antalya airport is just 16 km away from the main city and was newly opened in 2012 as part of the main tourism scheme promoted by the Government.

The nearest railway station is Burdur which is located 122 km away. Burdur is connected to Istanbul by train with a change over at Eskisehir. From Burdur there are many buses available to take you to Antalya or you can hire a private vehicle. Another option is to reach the city of Konya which is a more popular train station and is 300 km away from Antalya. From Konya as well, you can opt for a private vehicle or a bus-coach to take you to the seaside city. 

An exciting way to get to Antalya is by the sea where many international cruise ships dock. However, this route is best accessed from other Mediterranean countries like Greece and not directly from India. There is also the option of travelling to Marmaris by ferry from one of the Greek Cyclades and then travel by bus from Marmaris to Antalya. 

Antalya is fairly easy to reach by road through their public coach services as well as private vehicles that you can hire. The bus terminal at Antalya is 6 km away from the main city, serving connections to all the well-known cities of Turkey, including Istanbul, Konya, Ankara, Izmir, as well as other smaller towns. From Istanbul, it would take 10 hours via the Eskisehir route and it is almost 700 km. An efficient way to travel would be to take an overnight bus to save on time and money.

Antalya is a bustling city and it's safe to say that getting around is quite easy. There are options for hiring a taxi service or jumping into a local bus. The bus service across Turkey is fantastic and a great way to experience it like a local. They also have a minibus service which is called a Dolmus, which can take you to all the popular tourist attractions. The Dolmus has a set route and there are many stations that can be found around the city. Trams are another easy way to get around the city.

For the daredevils, perhaps bicycling through the city would be an interesting choice, however, since the city is not very bike-friendly and does not have dedicated biking lanes, it is not the best method of travel.