Antalya Boat Trips: What to Expect

Almost every visitor to Antalya ends up on a boat at some point, and with good reason: this coast looks completely different from the water. Cliffs that you barely notice from the road turn out to be a hundred metres high, a waterfall drops straight into the sea, and coves you cannot reach on foot open up around every headland. This guide explains the types of trip, where they leave from, what is actually included and how to pick the right one.

The short harbour cruise from Kaleici

The easiest boat trip in Antalya starts at the old harbour below the old town, and it is the one to take if you have half a day rather than a whole one. Boats run along the base of the cliffs that the city sits on, which is where you realise how dramatic the setting is: the wall of rock, the Ottoman houses on the skyline above and the mountains behind.

The turning point on most of these cruises is the lower Duden waterfall, where the river drops directly off the cliff into the sea. Seeing it from the land viewpoint is fine. Seeing it from underneath, from a boat rocking in the spray, is much better, and it is the single best reason to take this particular trip. Cruises typically last one to two hours and leave frequently through the day, so you can turn up rather than plan ahead.

Full day trips with swimming stops

The classic Turkish coast boat trip is a full day out with three or four swimming stops, lunch served on board and music playing. These run from Kemer, Side, Alanya and other resort harbours, and for most visitors this is the trip worth doing.

The pattern is much the same everywhere: leave mid morning, cruise for half an hour or so, anchor in a bay for a swim, move on, repeat, with lunch somewhere in the middle and a final stop in the afternoon before returning around teatime. The quality varies more than the itinerary does, so it is worth looking at the boat before you book if you can: how crowded it is, whether there is shade, and whether the swimming platform looks safe for children.

Kemer and the Phaselis coast

If clear water is your priority, the Kemer stretch is the best on this coast. The mountains come down to the sea, the shore is pebble rather than sand, and the result is water you can see the bottom through. Boats from Kemer marina work the coves between Kemer, Phaselis and Tekirova, stopping in bays that have no road access at all.

The highlight is Phaselis, where you can swim off the same three small bays that served the ancient city as harbours, with the ruins in the pine woods just behind the beach. Combining a boat trip with a walk around the ruins is one of the better days on this coast.

Alanya and the sea caves

Boat trips from Alanya are built around the caves in the rock of the peninsula below the castle: the Phosphorus Cave, the Pirates Cave and the Lovers Cave. Boats nose into the openings, which is dramatic in itself, and the tours usually circle the whole headland so you see the castle and the Red Tower from the water. Add swimming stops and lunch and it becomes a full day.

This is also the stretch where you see the most theatrical pirate boats, complete with rigging, cannon sound effects and pool slides off the back. Families with children tend to love them and anyone hoping for a quiet day at sea should book something else.

The Manavgat river trip

A different kind of trip entirely. Boats run up the Manavgat river from near Side to the Manavgat waterfall and back, through green banks rather than open sea. It is calm, shaded in places and a good option for anyone who does not want open water or is worried about seasickness. Many of these trips combine the river with the waterfall and the Manavgat market, making a relaxed half or full day.

Sunset cruises

Shorter, usually two to three hours, leaving in the late afternoon and returning after dark. There is generally less swimming and more sitting with a drink watching the light change on the cliffs and mountains. It is the best option if you want the coast and the atmosphere without spending a whole day in the sun, and it works well for couples and for anyone travelling in the hotter months who would rather avoid midday.

Private charters

If there are several of you, chartering a boat for the day is worth pricing up. You choose the route, you stop where you want, you swim without three hundred other people, and you eat when you feel like it. Split between a family or a group of friends, the cost per person is often not far off a good quality group trip, and the experience is entirely different. Charters are available from Antalya, Kemer, Side and Alanya.

What is actually included

This is where expectations and reality most often part company, so check before booking:

• Lunch: usually included on full day trips, rarely on short cruises. Normally a simple buffet or grilled chicken and salad.
• Drinks: usually not included. Soft drinks, tea and alcohol are sold on board unless the trip is advertised as all inclusive.
• Hotel pickup: often included on organised excursions, but not always, and not on tickets bought directly at the harbour.
• Towels: almost never provided. Bring your own.
• Snorkelling gear: sometimes available, often not. Bring a mask if you care about it.

What to bring

• Swimwear worn under your clothes, plus a towel and a bag for wet things.
• High factor sun cream, and reapply it. The reflection off the water burns people who never burn on a sunbed.
• A hat and sunglasses, and a light long sleeved layer for the deck.
• Cash in small notes for drinks and tips, since card payment on board is not reliable.
• Water shoes if you plan to get out at pebble stops.
• A dry bag or a sealed pouch for your phone.

Seasickness and safety

The sea here is usually calm from late spring to early autumn, and most people have no trouble at all. If you are susceptible, take a morning departure when the water is flattest, choose a bigger boat, stay on deck in fresh air, look at the horizon rather than your phone, and take any remedy before departure rather than after symptoms start.

On safety, check that there are enough life jackets and that children have them fitted before the first swimming stop. Swimming stops are in open water with the boat at anchor, and depth can be considerable, so keep weaker swimmers in jackets and children in reach. If you have been drinking, sit the swim out.

Choosing a trip and avoiding disappointment

A few practical rules. Look at the boat rather than the flyer if you can, because photographs are generous. Ask how many passengers it takes, since the same itinerary is a different day on a boat with fifty people than with two hundred. Check the return time before you commit, especially if you have dinner plans. And be sceptical of anything sold to you very cheaply on the street with a hard push, because the cheapest trips make their money on drinks and the day is often built around that.

Booking through your hotel or a reputable operator costs a little more and usually avoids all of this. Reviews are worth reading for the specifics rather than the star rating: crowding, food quality and whether the advertised swimming stops actually happened.

Getting to the harbour

If your trip includes a hotel pickup, that solves it. If not, journey times to the main departure points are short: the old harbour in Kaleici is about 15 km from the airport, Kemer marina around 55 km, Side around 65 km and Alanya around 125 km. Boats leave early and marinas are busy at the end of the day, so a private transfer with an agreed pickup time is the easiest way to handle both ends. Fixed prices for every resort are on our destinations page.

Is a boat trip worth it?

Yes, and for most people it is one of the better days of the holiday. The coastline is genuinely more impressive from the sea than from the road, the swimming stops are in water far clearer than the beach in front of your hotel, and even the short waterfall cruise from Kaleici gives you a view of the city you cannot get any other way. Pick the format that matches your group, go in the morning if you can, and take more sun cream than you think you need.