Belek Travel Guide: Golf, Beaches & Getting There from Antalya Airport

If you have booked Belek, you have chosen the most polished corner of the Turkish Riviera. Thirty-five minutes east of Antalya Airport, this is where Turkey put its five-star ambitions: championship golf laid out under umbrella pines, all-inclusive resorts the size of small villages, and a long ribbon of soft Blue-Flag sand backing onto the warm Mediterranean. It is calm, green and unashamedly comfortable — and the way you get there from the airport sets the tone for the whole trip.

Belek built its reputation on golf. Within a ten-minute drive you have a cluster of the best courses in Europe — the Montgomerie, Carya, the PGA Sultan and Pasha at Antalya Golf Club, Kaya Palazzo — all manicured, all walkable between hotel and first tee. Even if you have never held a club, the effect is visible: wide green corridors, mature pine forest, and resorts that compete on spa, cuisine and service rather than noise.

Families come for a different reason. The Land of Legends theme park, with its rollercoasters, water slides and nightly show, sits right in Belek, and most of the big resorts run their own aquaparks and kids' clubs. The beaches shelve gently, the promenade is stroller-friendly, and the whole resort is built around the idea that you should not have to think too hard on holiday.

What Belek is not is a place for old-town wandering or backpacker nightlife. The town itself is small and functional; the experience is the resort and the coast. If you want Roman ruins you drive to Side; if you want a castle you go to Alanya. Belek is for switching off.

Belek sits about 34 km east of Antalya Airport (AYT) — a straightforward 35-minute drive along the D-400 coastal highway, with no mountain passes and no ferries. That makes it one of the easiest resort transfers on the whole coast.

You have the usual options. The airport taxi rank works, but the meter climbs on a route this length and the late-night fare is unpredictable. A shared shuttle is cheap per seat but loops through other hotels first, which can double your travel time after a long flight. For most travellers — especially families with luggage and tired children — a private transfer is the sensible choice: a fixed price agreed before you fly, a driver waiting inside arrivals, and a single direct run to your hotel door.

A private WeCare transfer to Belek starts from €25 per vehicle (not per person), so two, four or seven people share one fare. You are met inside the terminal with a name board, your flight is tracked so an early or late landing is no problem, and child seats are fitted free. Most guests pay the driver on arrival in cash or by card. You can book the Antalya Airport → Belek transfer here in about two minutes.

After a charter flight into AYT, the arrivals hall can be busy in summer. With a transfer booked, you skip the taxi queue entirely: your chauffeur is already past the crowd holding your name, takes the bags, and walks you to an air-conditioned Mercedes. Thirty-five minutes later you are at reception with a cold bottle of water gone and the holiday already started. It is a small thing, but on day one — and again at 4am on departure day — it is the difference between a smooth trip and a stressful one.

• Best time to go: May–June and September–October give you warm sea and fewer crowds; July–August are hot (34°C) and the busiest, so book your transfer early.
• Resort distances: hotels in central Belek and Kadriye are 30–40 minutes from AYT; if you are staying further east toward Bogazkent, allow a little longer — your driver will know.
• Day trips: Side's Roman ruins (35 min), the Köprülü Canyon for rafting, and Antalya's old town (Kaleiçi) are all easy half-days. Booking a private driver for the day is often cheaper than you expect.
• Returns: book your airport return at the same time as your arrival. It locks the price and means a driver is reserved for your departure slot, however early.

How far is Belek from Antalya Airport? About 34 km, a 35-minute drive on the D-400 — no detours, no ferries.

How much is a transfer from Antalya Airport to Belek? A private transfer is from €25 per vehicle, fixed at booking. For two or more people that is usually better value than a metered taxi.

Is Belek good for families? Very — gentle beaches, huge resort aquaparks, kids' clubs, and the Land of Legends theme park in the resort itself.

Do I need a car in Belek? No. The resorts are self-contained, and a pre-booked private driver covers airport runs and day trips far more comfortably than a rental.

When is Belek cheapest? Late autumn through spring; July and August are peak. Whenever you come, book your transfer in advance to skip the queue.