7 Days in Antalya: Ruins and Coast

Seven days is the version with room to do Kas and Kekova properly instead of leaving it out. Days one through five match the 5 day itinerary : Perge, Aspendos and Side, then Termessos and Olympos, a Pamukkale overnight, and a rest day. Days six and seven add a genuine overnight in Kas for the Kekova boat trip, rather than the rushed single-day version this route intentionally avoids at six days. See the 6 day itinerary if Kas is not a priority for you.

Book these before you go:

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 6 Travel to Kas via the coast road, Kekova sunset boat, overnight 190km, 3 to 3.5hr
Day 7 Kas or Kaputas beach morning, return to Antalya 190km return, 3 to 3.5hr

Day 1: Perge, Aspendos and Side

Perge (18km) opens the route: 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, 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 then abandoned. Go early, real shoes and water required. In the afternoon, drive south via Kemer to Olympos (80 to 85km, about 1.5 hours), then dinner in Cirali and an after-dark hike to the Chimaera’s natural gas flames.

Day 3: To Pamukkale, the terraces and Hierapolis

Drive to Pamukkale (250 to 300km, 3.5 to 4 hours). Beyond the travertine terraces, the site includes the Hierapolis ruins and archaeology museum, a genuine UNESCO World Heritage Site , combined entry around EUR30. Overnight in Pamukkale or Denizli.

Day 4: Hierapolis at a decent hour, then back to Antalya

Walk the terraces or necropolis before the day-trip buses arrive from Antalya, add Cleopatra’s Antique Pool (roughly EUR6 more) if it appeals, then drive back to Antalya (250 to 300km, 3.5 to 4 hours).

Day 5: A day with nothing booked

A deliberate rest day at your Antalya base before the second overnight leg. Konyaalti or Lara beach, or a harbour boat cruise, all work; see the Antalya city guide for the full neighborhood breakdown.

Day 6: To Kas, via Myra, then Kekova at sunset

Drive south (190km, 3 to 3.5 hours), stopping in Demre to see the rock-cut Lycian tombs at Myra on the way, one of the sites the Mediterranean Museum Pass covers. Check into Kas by mid-afternoon, then join a Kekova boat trip for golden-hour light on the half-submerged sunken city, seen from the water rather than on foot; there is no shore access to most of it. A standard 10-hour Kekova, Demre and Myra day tour from Kas runs roughly USD60 to 75 per person, though a shorter sunset-only cruise is also common. Overnight in Kas.

Day 7: Kas or Kaputas beach, then home to Antalya

Spend the morning in Kas itself, or drive the short hop to Kaputas beach for a swim between the cliffs, before the return drive to Antalya (190km, 3 to 3.5 hours). Plan to arrive by early evening; this is a full travel day, not a leisurely one, so keep the morning simple.

Is the Kas overnight worth it over a single day trip?

Yes, and it is not close. A single day trip to Kas and back is 6 to 7 hours of driving alone before any boat time, which the research consistently flags as a bad plan, not just an ambitious one. Splitting it across two days turns a punishing round trip into a proper visit, with time to actually enjoy Kekova rather than just tick it off.

Do you need a rental car for this itinerary?

A car is genuinely useful for Termessos and for stopping at Myra on the way to Kas. For the Pamukkale and Kekova legs specifically, a booked tour or transfer removes two long highway drives from your own hands, which is worth the cost on a trip already covering close to 900km of driving in a week.

Seven days is the full version of this route: every ancient site and coastal detour worth doing, with nothing crammed into a day that cannot hold it. Cross-check entry fees on Turkey’s official tourism site before you travel; the lira moves fast enough that any figure here can drift.