Guided group tours in Antalya: Pamphylia, Lycia and Alanya

Heat is the main constraint. MGM, the Turkish State Meteorological Service, gives Antalya an average daily high of 31.6 °C in June, 34.9 °C in July and August and 31.7 °C in September (1991-2020 normals). Perge's main street, the tombs at Myra and Xanthos, and Patara outside its council chamber have no shade, so in those months they get the first hours after opening. The average high is 21.8 °C in April and 27.3 °C in October. Most rain falls from November to February, with 12.4 rainy days in an average December and 12.6 in January.

On 6 October 2026 none of the twelve sites in the plans below had a weekly closing day (Ministry of Culture and Tourism). All opened at 08:00 or 08:30 and closed at 19:00, Alanya Castle at 18:30, and Side's ancient site also listed a night opening until 22:00. Under the Ministry's directive, changes are reported at least seven days ahead, so check the pages a week before the tour.

Every 6 December a commemorative liturgy is held in the St Nicholas church in Demre (district governorship); in 2024 close to 500 people attended, from 09:00 to 12:00 (Habertürk).

Too far apart for one day: Alanya Castle to Patara is 362 km by road, about five hours of driving. Within each area the distances are short.

Road distances and drive times are OSRM car estimates of 6 October 2026 between the coordinates of our destination records, without stops or traffic; straight lines join the same points.

On our records' timings, Perge (120 minutes), Aspendos (90) and Side (120) need 5 h 30 min on site plus about an hour on the road. Perge and Aspendos both want the first hour after the 08:00 opening: Perge has no shade, and the Aspendos theatre is quiet only before the coaches arrive. From June to September give it to Perge, also the shorter order by road (63 minutes of driving, against 82 from Aspendos). Side goes last, for the late-afternoon Temple of Apollo, with the indoor Side Museum, about 120 m from the theatre, as the place to regroup out of the sun. Keeping Aspendos to the theatre saves 50 minutes.

Karain Cave (90 minutes) is a separate half day, with 470 steps up to the entrance.

Myra is 2 h 9 min from Perge by road and Patara 3 h 29 min, so Lycia works better from a base in the west. Phaselis (120 minutes) is the stop on the way, the one site on this coast with shade under pines; in summer its bay fills from mid-morning.

In Demre, start at Myra (60 minutes) at 08:00, since its tomb terrace has no shade, and give the middle of the day to the indoor St Nicholas church (45 minutes), four minutes away. Limyra (60 minutes, 31 minutes east) is nearly empty, a quiet last stop. Xanthos (90 minutes) and Patara (120 minutes), 18 minutes apart, fill a second day. At Patara the beach shares the entrance, so do the archaeology first and check the closing time before you promise a swim.

Alanya Castle takes about three hours on two levels, with the Inner Castle about 250 m above the sea and the Red Tower and Shipyard at the harbour. Start at the top so every later stop is lower. It is a day of its own, or a long one after Side, 57 minutes away.

Turkish citizens enter all these sites with MüzeKart, according to the Ministry's pages. Foreign visitors pay the euro prices of the Ministry's February 2026 directive, charged in lira at the previous day's Central Bank effective selling rate: the St Nicholas church €17; Aspendos €15; Patara €15; Myra €13; Alanya Castle €12; Perge €11; Phaselis €10; Side's ancient site €7; the Side Museum €5; Karain Cave €5; Limyra €3; Xanthos €3. A Side museum-and-site ticket costs €10 and is valid for 72 hours.

MuseumPass The Mediterranean (€90, not sold to Turkish citizens) gives one entry to each of more than 40 Ministry sites in Antalya, Mersin, Adana and Denizli for seven days from the first visit. At the prices above, the Pamphylian day (€36 with the Side combined ticket), the Demre day (€33) and the Xanthos-Patara day (€18) total €87; add Phaselis or Alanya Castle in the same week and the pass is cheaper.

Which card suits whom in a mixed group is on our museum cards page, and the pass terms are on our Museum Pass page.

No Antalya site is covered by the National Palaces' rule for groups of more than eight, the one written headset rule for Türkiye on our headset rules page. With Your Next Tours the group listens on their own phones over a portable WiFi router, without internet (how it works).