Antalya Day Trips: 5 Day Itinerary
Five days extends the 4 day Pamphylia-and-Olympos plan with the longest single day trip on this coast, Pamukkale’s white terraces. Same first four days, one honest add-on at the end. Have a sixth or seventh day to spare? The 6 day and 7 day versions push on to Kas and Kekova.
| 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 |
| 4 | Olympos beach-and-ruins, Chimaera flames after dark | 80 to 85km, about 1.5 hours |
| 5 | Pamukkale’s travertine terraces and Hierapolis | 250 to 300km, 3.5 to 4 hours each way |
Book these before you go
- Book a Perge, Aspendos, and Side day tour for days one and two
- Book an Olympos and Chimaera evening tour for day four
- Check Pamukkale tour options for day five, both single-day and overnight versions exist
- Check rates on Booking.com for your Antalya base
Day 1: Perge, the closest ancient city
Perge is 18km out, 20 to 30 minutes, a colonnaded main street, Roman stadium, and agora. Entry runs somewhere between 100 and 300 TRY, verify on site. Settle into Kaleici or Lara for the four longer days ahead.
Day 2: Aspendos and Side, the Pamphylia double
Aspendos, 47km out, has the best-preserved Roman theatre anywhere, hosting the Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival most Septembers; entry runs about 700 TRY (roughly $15, €13). Side, 76km total, pairs a working beach town with its own Roman ruins.
Day 3: Termessos, the ruin Alexander couldn’t take
Termessos sits inside Guillik Dagi National Park, 37 to 39km out, a steep shadeless climb rewarded with no tour-bus crowds. Entry runs roughly 100 to 120 TRY, gates often close mid-afternoon, so start early. Check current access at the official park site first.
Day 4: Olympos and the Chimaera flames after dark
Olympos, 80 to 85km south via Kemer, pairs beach and ancient ruins. The Chimaera flames at Cirali are natural gas vents that have burned for millennia, best hiked after dark when they actually show up against the rock. Drive back to Antalya that night, or overnight in Cirali if the evening runs long.
Day 5: Pamukkale, the honest way to do a very long day
Is Pamukkale doable as a day trip from Antalya?
Barely. Pamukkale sits 250 to 300km out, 3.5 to 4 hours each way, and a commercial single-day round trip exists, a 5am pickup and an 8pm return, but that is a 12 to 13 hour day, most of it in a vehicle. Combined entry to the travertine terraces and Hierapolis runs about €30, check the current fee on the official Hierapolis listing , plus roughly €6 more to actually swim in Cleopatra’s Antique Pool. Turkey’s official tourism site covers Pamukkale as its own destination if a future trip gives it a full day or two.
If a fifth day is the only day left for Pamukkale, book the earliest departure available and accept it as a long haul rather than a relaxed outing. Travelers who can spare it, an overnight in Pamukkale or nearby Denizli turns the same terraces into an actual visit instead of a bus-window blur, worth arranging independently even outside this 5 day spine.