Air Travel

It makes sense to fly to the Turquoise Coast if you're coming from Istanbul or elsewhere in Turkey. The main airports here are in Dalaman and Antalya. Antalya has one of the country’s busiest international airports, serving the coast from Alanya to Kaş, including Side, Olympos, and Finike. Dalaman Airport serves the coast from Kaş to Datça, including Kalkan, Fethiye, Göcek, Dalyan, and Marmaris. There are also airports in Adana and Antakya. Turkish Airlines frequently flies to all these airports, as do budget carriers like Pegasus.

Car rental concessions operate at all airports, and all international agencies are represented. Havaş airport buses also link the two largest airports to major towns. Many hotels and travel agencies will arrange airport shuttles as well (usually for a fee). Yellow airport taxis are pricier for individuals (though still cheap by Western standards), but are usually well regulated, with a clear legal pricing system prominently displayed; these are an especially good option if you're sharing.

Taking a bus from Antalya airport into Antalya costs about 10 TL; they're timed to meet all arriving flights and leave the city center hourly. You can catch a 45-minute Havaş bus to the airport from the 5M Migros AVM (a shopping center) on Ataturk Boulevard, about 3 miles from Kaleiçi, or take the Antray public tram from just outside Kaleiçi straight to the Antalya intercity bus terminal, and catch either a Havaş or the near-hourly Antobüs 600 bus to the aiport. A taxi to the airport from Kaleiçi, by comparison, costs about 45 TL, but is well worth the convenience if you can afford it

From Dalaman Airport, airport buses will take airline passengers east via Göcek to the Fethiye intercity bus terminal (10TL and takes about an hour) and west to the Marmaris intercity bus terminal (15 TL, about 90 minutes). Theoretically, the buses leave Marmaris 3 hours before any flight and Fethiye 2½ hours before. For more exact information, call the Havaş airport bus company.

Contacts

Havaş. 212/444--0487; www.havas.net/en.