5 Days in Antalya: Ruins and Coast
Five days keeps the four-day route (Perge, Aspendos and Side, then Termessos and Olympos, then a Pamukkale overnight) and adds one day back at the coast with nothing booked. After four days of early starts, ruin-hopping and long drives, day five is deliberately empty. See the 4 day version if you would rather skip the rest day, or the 6 day version to add a real beach day at Olympos instead of Antalya itself.
Book these before you go:
- Check Antalya hotel rates on Booking.com
- Book a Perge, Aspendos and Side day tour
- Book a Pamukkale overnight tour
- Check Pamukkale hotel rates on Booking.com if driving yourself
| Day | Focus | Distance / drive time from Antalya |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Perge, Aspendos, Side | 18 to 76km, 20 min to 1hr15 |
| Day 2 | Termessos, Olympos and the Chimaera | 37 to 85km, 40 min to 1hr30 |
| Day 3 | Travel to Pamukkale, terraces and Hierapolis, overnight | 250 to 300km one way, 3.5 to 4hr |
| Day 4 | Hierapolis morning, Cleopatra’s pool, return to Antalya | 250 to 300km return, 3.5 to 4hr |
| Day 5 | Rest day, Antalya beach or harbour | 0km |
Day 1: Perge, Aspendos and Side
Perge (18km) is the closest ruin: a colonnaded main street, a 12,000-seat stadium, and an agora with a round fountain. Entry is reported anywhere from 100 to 300 TRY, verify at the gate. Continue to Aspendos (47km total), the best-preserved Roman theatre anywhere, hosting the September opera and ballet festival ; entry runs about 700 TRY (roughly USD15/EUR13), free with the Mediterranean Museum Pass . Close at Side (76km), a beach town built into its own ruins, with the Temple of Apollo at sunset the standout stop, before driving back to Antalya.
Day 2: Termessos and the Chimaera at Olympos
Termessos (37 to 39km) is a steep, shadeless climb to a mountaintop ruin that Alexander the Great besieged and abandoned. Go early, real shoes and water required, the gate reportedly closes mid-afternoon. In the afternoon, drive south via Kemer to Olympos (80 to 85km, about 1.5 hours), where beach and ruins sit together. After dinner in Cirali, hike up after dark to the Chimaera, the natural gas flames behind the mythological chimera; a daylight visit mostly wastes the walk.
Day 3: To Pamukkale, the terraces and Hierapolis
Drive to Pamukkale (250 to 300km, 3.5 to 4 hours). Beyond the white travertine terraces, the site includes the Hierapolis ruins and archaeology museum, a genuine UNESCO World Heritage Site , with combined entry around EUR30. Stay overnight in Pamukkale or Denizli rather than driving straight back.
Day 4: Hierapolis at a decent hour, then back to Antalya
Walk the terraces or the necropolis in the morning, ahead of the day-trip buses from Antalya, and add Cleopatra’s Antique Pool (roughly EUR6 more) if swimming among submerged Roman columns appeals. Drive back to Antalya in the afternoon (250 to 300km, 3.5 to 4 hours).
Day 5: A day with nothing booked
After four days that each involved a long drive, an early start, or both, day five is a deliberate rest day back at your Antalya base. Konyaalti’s pebble beach or Lara’s sandier stretch both work; so does a harbour boat cruise if you would rather be on the water than beside it. For the full breakdown of Antalya’s own neighborhoods and beaches, see the Antalya city guide . Nothing on this day needs booking in advance, which is the entire point of it.
Why does this itinerary include a day with nothing planned?
Because the first four days are genuinely demanding: two ruin-heavy days plus a 500 to 600km round trip to Pamukkale is a lot of driving and walking for one stretch. A rest day between that block and any further plans (Kas, if you have a sixth or seventh day) keeps the trip from turning into an endurance exercise, and it costs nothing to leave unplanned.
Do you need a rental car for this itinerary?
Mainly for Termessos, where a car lets you arrive before the tour buses and heat do. For Pamukkale, either a car or a booked overnight tour works; a car gives you control over timing, a tour removes the driving. Day five needs no car at all.
Five days is the version built for people who want the day trips without treating the whole week like a checklist. Cross-check entry fees on Turkey’s official tourism site before you travel; the lira moves fast enough that any figure here can drift.