Antalya Excursions, Explained by People Who Live Here
Antalya is not one destination: it is a base. From a hotel in Lara, Kundu, Konyaaltı or the city centre you can walk an Ottoman old town before lunch, stand under a shark tunnel in the afternoon, or leave the coast entirely and spend a day on the white terraces of Pamukkale. The problem is never a lack of options. It is knowing which excursion actually fits your group, what the price really covers, and who is running the vehicle that picks you up.
We are Atalay Tours, a local operator on this coast: our own guides, our own crews, no middlemen. Every trip below works the same way: reservation is free, you pay on the day of the tour, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before. This guide walks you through the three excursions we run around Antalya city and links to the deeper guides we have written on each. You can browse everything in one place on our Antalya excursions page.
The Three Core Antalya Experiences
Antalya City Tour: Düden Waterfalls, Kaleiçi & a Harbour Boat Trip
If you only take one excursion from a Lara or Kundu hotel, make it this one. The Antalya city tour is a 9-hour day that connects the two faces of the Düden river, the leafy Upper Düden waterfall park and the clifftop where the Lower Düden drops straight into the Mediterranean, with dedicated free time in Kaleiçi, the walled old town of Ottoman houses and Hadrian's Gate. From the old harbour area you take a one-hour boat trip along the coastline, and a Turkish lunch at a local restaurant is included, with vegetarian and vegan options available.
- Price: €43 per adult (ages 10–99), €31 per child (ages 4–9), infants 0–3 free.
- Included: hotel pickup and drop-off in an air-conditioned vehicle, professional guide, Düden waterfall entrance fee, the boat trip and lunch. Drinks are payable separately.
- Pickup: all Antalya zones: Lara, Kundu, the city centre, Kaleiçi and Konyaaltı. Runs daily.
Bring comfortable walking shoes: Kaleiçi's lanes are cobbled and uneven, and the day involves real walking. There is one short jewellery and souvenir stop: browsing only, no obligation to buy anything.
Antalya Aquarium: Ticket and Hotel Transfer in One Package
Some days need a plan that cannot be rained off or melted by August heat. The Antalya Aquarium package bundles your entrance ticket with round-trip hotel transfer, so there is no taxi haggling and no queue at the gate. Inside you get roughly two to two and a half hours at your own pace: the famous 131-metre glass tunnel with sharks and rays passing overhead, more than 40 themed tanks holding over 10,000 marine creatures, and, if your timing is right, trained divers hand-feeding hundreds of sharks in a main tank of over five million litres.
- Price: €73 per adult, €60 per child (ages 2–11), infants 0–1 free.
- Included: the entrance ticket, round-trip air-conditioned transfer and local travel insurance. Some extra sections inside the complex, the Snow Room and Ice Museum, the reptile house, charge their own fee on site.
The whole venue is step-free, which makes it the most stroller- and wheelchair-friendly outing on this list, and the easiest win with toddlers.
Pamukkale from Antalya: The Full-Board Day Trip Inland
The one excursion that leaves the coast entirely, and our bestseller. The Pamukkale day trip takes you through the Taurus mountains to the Cotton Castle: snow-white travertine terraces you walk barefoot (shoes off to protect the calcite), warm mineral pools, and directly above them Hierapolis: the UNESCO-listed ancient spa city with one of the best-preserved Roman theatres in Turkey. An optional swim in the Cleopatra Antique Pool, among submerged 2,000-year-old columns, is the memory most guests take home.
- Price: a flat €50 per person for adults and children alike (children 4–10 pay the same €50; infants 0–3 join free).
- Included: hotel pickup from every resort area between Tekirova and Gazipaşa, round-trip transport, a licensed guide, travel insurance and three meals, breakfast on the way, a sit-down lunch near Pamukkale, dinner on the return drive.
- Not included: the official Pamukkale–Hierapolis entrance ticket, the Cleopatra Pool fee and museum entries, you buy those at the official gates at the current official rate, so you never pay a hidden markup buried in our price.
Be honest with yourself about the length: this is roughly 11–14 hours door to door with an early start. Rewarding, but not a half-day stroll.
Which Excursion Fits Your Group?
- First visit, want the essence of Antalya: the city tour. Waterfalls, old town, sea: one day, one price.
- Small children, or a scorching afternoon: the aquarium. Indoors, air-conditioned, step-free.
- Willing to trade one beach day for something unforgettable: Pamukkale. Bring a swimsuit, a towel and a bag for your shoes.
Families heading inland should read our Pamukkale first-timer and family guide before choosing: it covers age bands, difficulty and which trip suits which age.
How Booking Works With Us
The same three promises apply to every excursion on this page. You reserve for free: no deposit, no card details. You pay on the day of the tour, in person. And if plans change, you cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before the start. Pickup times depend on your hotel location and are confirmed personally after booking, so you are never guessing at a kerb. We have broken down every euro of the long inland day, what it includes, what it never includes, in our Pamukkale prices guide, and answered the questions we hear most in the Pamukkale FAQ.
Staying Further East?
If your hotel is in the Side, Kumköy or Manavgat area rather than Antalya city, the logistics change, start with our complete local guide to Side excursions instead, then compare. Many trips, including Pamukkale, collect from both coasts.
Ready to choose? Every departure, price and inclusion is on our Antalya tours page: reserve free, pay on the day, and let a local crew handle the rest.