Getting Around Antalya
Antalya is a large, spread-out coastal city, but its main visitor areas are well served by public transport. The good news for tourists is that you can pay for most tram and bus rides with a contactless credit card, so you don't necessarily need to hunt down a local card before your first journey. Fares are inexpensive by European standards, and the network links the airport, the old town, the bus terminal and the main resort strips.
Trams and the Rail Network
Antalya's rail system is a tram network rather than a conventional metro, and it is the backbone of car-free travel in the city. It is made up of a few connected lines, and the key transfer points are easy to learn.
- Line T1 (AntRay) is the main workhorse. It runs from the north of the city down through the centre and out to the northeast, with branches at the far end. The T1A branch serves the airport, while the T1B branch continues onward toward Aksu and the Expo area. Trams run frequently throughout the day, roughly from early morning until around midnight.
- Line T2 is a heritage tram line using vintage tramcars, running near the coast between the museum area and the old town, then south to Zerdalilik. It is largely single track with passing loops, so it is slower and more of a scenic ride than a rapid transit option.
- Line T3 is the newest line, starting north of the city and swinging west past the Batıgar area (useful for the bus terminal and a transfer to T1), the university hospital and the museum, where you can transfer to T2.
The practical upshot: T1 is what you'll use most, T2 is handy for the old town and coastal sights, and T3 helps you reach the northern and western districts. Transfers between lines are possible at the shared stops.
Buses
Buses fill in the gaps the trams don't cover, and they go just about everywhere in the city. Several routes serve the main bus terminal (Otogar), and a few are especially useful for visitors:
- Route 600 connects the airport to the Otogar and can double as an inter-terminal shuttle. It runs frequently during the day and also has a handful of overnight departures.
- Route 800 links the airport with the Lara resort strip to the east and continues cross-town to the western resort strip, making it a good option if you're staying at either end of the coast.
- Route KL08 is a handy cross-city line connecting the western beach areas with the eastern side of Antalya, including the Düden waterfalls, passing through the centre.
For planning, Google Maps is a reasonable starting point, but the Antalyakart mobile app tends to give more accurate arrival times and can even show you where your bus currently is.
Tickets and Passes
There are three main ways to pay for trams and buses:
- Contactless credit card — tap to ride. This is the simplest option for a short visit and works out at roughly a euro per ride.
- Antalyakart — a reloadable plastic transport card that gives you certain discounts when you use it more often, and also covers transfers and some attractions. You can buy or top it up at kiosks along the tramway, at the airport and at the bus terminal; bring banknotes, as you'll likely need them.
- Disposable paper cards — available for single rides. They can't be reloaded and don't allow transfers, but you can load a suitable amount onto them when you buy.
Note that discounted fare cards are only available to Turkish citizens with a national ID, so visitors pay the standard rate.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are plentiful, with stands all over the city where drivers wait between fares. You can also book through ride-hailing apps such as BiTaksi or iTaksi. At popular visitor destinations, taxis often display price lists in euros, which makes costs easier to gauge.
Taxis are the most convenient choice for the Lara resort strip, which sits east of the city near the airport. Drivers are also often open to being hired as a private guide or for an excursion — a reasonable option for somewhere like Perge, though it gets pricey for longer runs such as Aspendos.
One caution: at the airport, taxi touts may approach you claiming no bus is leaving from your terminal. Treat such claims with suspicion and check the official stops yourself.
Walking
The city centre is genuinely walkable, and getting around on foot is often the most pleasant way to see the old town and central sights. By contrast, using a car or bicycle in the centre is tiresome at best, so it's worth planning your day around walking plus trams rather than driving.
Getting from the Airport to the City
Antalya Airport has two terminals, and they are not right next to each other — there's a free shuttle or a walkway connecting them. Terminal 1 handles domestic flights and Terminal 2 handles international ones, which matters because not every transport option serves both.
- By tram: The T1A branch runs downtown from two Terminal 1 stops (domestic and international) and does not serve Terminal 2. Get off at İsmetpaşa for the old town, or stay on to transfer to Tram 2. If you're heading onward to the Otogar bus station, stay aboard longer. When travelling out to the airport, look for a tram badged "Havalimanı".
- By bus: Route 600 runs from both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 to the Otogar, so it can also serve as an inter-terminal shuttle and save you a taxi fare. It runs frequently during the day with a few overnight services, taking roughly an hour to the Otogar. At Terminal 1, the stop is by the blue "D" sign next to a fig tree, usually crowded with other waiting passengers — ignore the "D" sign outside the international terminal, which is a decoy. Route 800 also serves both terminals, running every couple of hours and heading via Lara to the western resort strip.
- By taxi: The best option if you're staying on the Lara resort strip, which is east of the city near the airport.
Whichever you choose, remember that trams and buses can be paid for contactlessly with a credit card, or with an Antalyakart if you'd rather load a card for multiple journeys.