A Long Weekend of Antalya Day Trips
Three days covers the whole Pamphylia core: Perge, Aspendos and Side, then the mountaintop ruin most day-trippers skip entirely, Termessos. A rental car starts earning its cost on day three. Only have a weekend? Our 2 day version drops Termessos. Have more time? The 5 day itinerary adds Olympos and Pamukkale on top of this same spine.
| Day | Focus | Distance/drive time from Antalya |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perge’s colonnaded street and stadium | 18km, 20 to 30 minutes |
| 2 | Aspendos theatre and Side’s harbor ruins | 47km / 76km, 40 to 45 min / just over 1 hour |
| 3 | Termessos, the mountaintop ruin Alexander gave up on | 37 to 39km, 40 to 45 minutes |
Book these before you go
- Book a Perge, Aspendos, and Side day tour for days one and two
- Reserve a discovercars.com rental for the Termessos drive, public transport barely reaches the trailhead
- Check rates on Booking.com for your Antalya base
Day 1: Perge, the closest ancient city
Perge is 18km out, 20 to 30 minutes, an easy warm-up covering a colonnaded main street, Roman stadium, and agora. Entry runs somewhere between 100 and 300 TRY depending on the source, verify on site. Back in Antalya by early afternoon, settle into Kaleici or Lara as your base for the two longer days ahead.
Day 2: Aspendos and Side, the Pamphylia double
Aspendos, 47km out, has the best-preserved Roman theatre anywhere and still hosts the Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival most Septembers; entry runs about 700 TRY (roughly $15, €13), check the current fee on the official museum listing . Side, 76km total, just over an hour, pairs a working beach town with its own Roman ruins, the Temple of Apollo on the harbor point is the signature sunset shot.
Day 3: Termessos, the ruin Alexander couldn’t take
Is Termessos worth the climb over Perge?
For most travelers with only one inland ruin day left, yes. Termessos is steeper and shadeless with no shade on the trail, but it also has essentially no tour-bus crowds, unlike Perge or Aspendos on a summer morning. The site sits inside Guillik Dagi National Park, entry runs roughly 100 to 120 TRY, and gates often close by mid-afternoon, so leave Antalya early.
Bring real shoes and more water than seems necessary; there is no shade anywhere on the site. Check current access at the official park site before you drive the 37 to 39km out. Reward the climb with dinner back in Kaleici, a meyhane-style meze spread with seafood runs roughly 600 to 900 TRY a person.