4 Days: Antalya and the Coast

Four days from an Antalya base adds Olympos and the Chimaera’s eternal flames, 80-85km south, to the Perge, Aspendos, Side and Termessos combo. Same spine as the 3-day plan , one more day added. Going longer? See the 5-day plan , which adds Pamukkale.

Book these before you go

Day Focus Distance / Drive Time
1 Perge and Aspendos 18km and 47km, 20-45 min each
2 Side 76km, 1-1.25 hr southeast
3 Termessos 37-39km, 40-45 min northwest
4 Olympos and the Chimaera 80-85km, about 1.5 hr south

Day 1: Perge and Aspendos

Morning

Drive 18km/20-30 minutes east to Perge, the closest ruin on this coast: a colonnaded main street, a stadium, and a bath complex that still reads like a city.

Afternoon

Continue 30km/15 minutes to Aspendos, the single best-preserved Roman theatre standing anywhere. Entry runs roughly 700 TRY ($15/13 euros), free with the MuseumPass . It still hosts the Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival every September (2026 dates: Sept 10-29).

Evening

Back in Antalya for dinner, one relaxed day covering both sites.

Day 2: Side

Morning

Drive 76km/just over an hour southeast to Side, a working beach town built directly around a Roman theatre and harbor.

Afternoon

Walk the open town for free; the theatre is the ticketed piece, exact current fee unconfirmed across sources, verify on site. The Temple of Apollo stands on the harbor point.

Evening

Stay for sunset through the temple’s columns, then drive the hour back to Antalya.

Day 3: Termessos

Morning

Drive 37-39km/40-45 minutes northwest into Guillik Dagi National Park. Go early, the gates reportedly close by mid-afternoon and there’s no shade on the trail.

Afternoon

Entry runs roughly 100-120 TRY ($2-3/2 euros, verify on site). The steep, shadeless walk from the car park to the mountaintop ruins is a real hike, wear proper shoes and carry extra water.

Is Termessos Worth the Climb If You Only Have Time for One Ruin?

Yes, for anyone who doesn’t mind a genuine hike. Termessos beats Perge on drama and crowd-free ruins alone, real elevation, real solitude, and no tour-bus traffic. Background on the site sits on the Ministry of Culture and Tourism site . Skip it only if a steep, shadeless climb in the heat isn’t your idea of a good afternoon.

Evening

Back in Antalya by late afternoon, time to recover before dinner.

Day 4: Olympos and the Chimaera

Morning

Drive 80-85km/about 1.5 hours south through Kemer to Olympos, the rare combination of ancient ruins and a real beach on the same stretch of sand. Entry fees and the access point vary by whether you start from Cirali or the Olympos end, verify on site.

Afternoon

Spend the afternoon between the ruins scattered through the pine trees and the beach itself. Don’t rush this one, the point of the day is arriving at the Chimaera after dark, not ticking off ruins by 3pm.

Is the Chimaera Hike Worth Doing After Dark?

Yes, and it’s the one stop on this whole route built specifically for evening. The Chimaera’s natural gas flames, burning out of bare rock above Cirali, barely register in daylight; after dark the vents glow visibly against the rock, which is the entire point of the detour. Bring a flashlight for the walk itself.

Evening

Hike the short trail from Cirali to the Chimaera flames after dark, then drive the roughly 1.5 hours back to Antalya, or stay overnight in Cirali if a late mountain drive isn’t appealing.

Bring a flashlight and a full tank for Olympos day, the drive back after the Chimaera hike is in the dark and gas stations thin out south of Kemer. General trip planning help for the whole route is on the official Turkey tourism site .