The operator's answer: they never clash, so you may not have to choose
We run both coaches, so here is the fact most comparison articles miss: the Antalya city day runs Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; the Alanya city day runs Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. They never fall on the same date. Both start from €43, both include a professional guide, hotel pickup in an air-conditioned vehicle and a one-hour boat trip, and both are reserve-free, pay-on-the-day, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. If your week has room for two excursions, the honest answer is: do both. If it only has room for one, read on.
The two days at a glance
- Days: Antalya Tue/Thu/Sat · Alanya Wed/Fri/Sun
- Price: both from €43
- Boat trip: Antalya — one hour along the coastline from the old harbour · Alanya — one hour around the castle peninsula, where dolphins show up now and then
- Lunch: Antalya — Turkish lunch at a local restaurant, included · Alanya — a riverside restaurant over the flowing Dim River (on certain dates lunch or the cable car is arranged separately — your booking confirmation states exactly what your date includes)
- Swim stop: Antalya — none · Alanya — swim or relax at Damlataş Beach, with the famous cave right next door (cave entrance fee separate)
Choose Antalya if…
…you want the big-city day. The Antalya city tour shows you both faces of the Düden river — the leafy park waterfall upstream and the cliff waterfall crashing into the sea — then gives you dedicated free time in Kaleiçi, the walled old town of Ottoman houses, Hadrian's Gate and the historic harbour. The Düden entrance fee is included. It is the day for waterfalls, old-town lanes and a proper city atmosphere.
Choose Alanya if…
…you want castle, coast and a swim in one relaxed loop. The Alanya city tour walks the ramparts of the 13th-century Seljuk castle with views across both bays, rides the cable car down the hillside to the Damlataş beachfront, circles the peninsula by boat, stops for that Dim River lunch and ends with free time in the lively bazaar. It is the more unhurried of the two days, with short walking distances — and it is the only one with beach time.
Taking children? Read this first
Both days are family-workable, but the fine print differs. On the Antalya day, infants join free of charge — with a €5 seat fee if you want a separate seat for your infant — and lunch for children who join free is not included, though it can be bought separately; the included lunch has vegetarian and vegan options. On the Alanya day, infants travel free and children pay a reduced rate, and the day itself is the easier one for small legs: short walking distances, beach time and a boat ride. One cost note on the Alanya side: the Damlataş Cave entrance fee is not included, so budget for it if the cave tempts you.
The zone factor: who gets the lie-in
The two coaches sweep the corridor in opposite directions, so your hotel's zone decides which day starts gently. For the eastern end, the difference is dramatic: Kızılot's first pickup is 07:50 for Antalya but 09:50 for Alanya — a genuine lie-in. At the western end it flips: Gündoğdu boards at 09:15 for Antalya and 08:20 for Alanya. Not a reason to pick a city by itself, but with children it is worth knowing before the alarm goes off. The full pickup tables are in the two destination guides: the Antalya day from Side and the Alanya day from Side.
Who neither day suits
Both are full days on a coach with a guide and a schedule. If what you really want is a lazy beach day, book neither — you would spend it wishing you were horizontal. And if you cannot give up a full day at all, neither city works as a half-day from the Side corridor; there is no short version of either tour.
The two-centre week
Because the days never clash, a single week fits both cities comfortably — Antalya on Tuesday, Alanya on Friday, and the beach in between, for example. To see how every fixed-day excursion slots around them, use the weekly planner: what runs on which day from Side. Then reserve the Antalya day and the Alanya day free of charge and decide at leisure — you pay on the day, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before.