Tours to Antalya from Chisinau — Last-Minute Deals

Antalya is the main city of the Turkish Riviera and its air gateway: a nonstop flight gets you here from Chisinau in two hours or so, while hotels in the city itself are just 10–40 minutes from the airport. Few resorts mix a beach holiday with city life like this: sandy Lara with big all-inclusive hotels in the east, pebbly Konyaaltı beneath the Taurus Mountains in the west, and the old town of Kaleiçi, with Ottoman houses and a Roman gate, in the centre.

The package covers return flights, an airport transfer, your room with the meals you selected and insurance; only the journey to Chisinau is extra. Neither Moldova nor Turkey requires a visa from Ukrainians. Compare operators' prices with our tour search, or hand the choice of district and hotel within your budget to a manager.

Lara, Konyaaltı or Kaleiçi: Where to Stay

• Lara and Kundu. The city's eastern edge, a 10–20-minute drive from the terminal: a long fine-sand beach, a gently shelving sea and Antalya's largest hotels. Many are built to look like famous buildings, from the Titanic liner to the Moscow Kremlin and Topkapı Palace. Most guests here are families with children, and nearby the Lower Düden Waterfall plunges straight into the sea.
• Konyaaltı. A western beach about 7 km long, made of fine pebbles mixed with sand, with the Taurus Mountains rising right behind it. A promenade with parks and a cycle path runs along the shore; close by are the Archaeological Museum and an aquarium with a 131-metre underwater tunnel, and at the western end a cable car climbs Tünektepe hill. Hotels here are city-style, usually with breakfast or half board, 30–40 minutes from the airport.
• Kaleiçi. The old town inside the walls by the Roman harbour: narrow lanes, boutique hotels in Ottoman mansions, the 2nd-century Hadrian's Gate and the Yivli Minaret, the symbol of Antalya. There are hardly any beaches, but plenty of restaurants, bars and pleasure boats, so the district suits couples and sightseers.

Getting There: Flight and Transfer

Flights from Chisinau to Antalya (AYT) operate all year round: several a day in summer, fewer in winter. Flying time is about two hours. The group transfer then takes 10–20 minutes to Lara hotels, about 20 to Kaleiçi and 30–40 minutes to Konyaaltı. The same airport serves every resort on the coast, so in peak season a coach dropping guests along the way may take longer.

Train, bus and car options for reaching Chisinau, plus airport parking, are explained in detail in tours to Turkey from Chisinau.

What to See in and around Antalya

• In the city: a stroll through Kaleiçi and the old harbour, a boat trip to the Lower Düden Waterfall, which drops about 40 metres into the sea, the park at Upper Düden, the Archaeological Museum with statues from Perge, and the view over the bay from the top of Tünektepe.
• Ancient sites nearby: the ruins of Perge half an hour from the centre, the theatre of Aspendos, among the best-preserved Roman theatres anywhere, and mountain-top Termessos in its national park.
• For children: the aquarium with its underwater tunnel, Kurşunlu Waterfall in a forest park and the Land of Legends theme park in neighbouring Belek.
• Shopping: the MarkAntalya and TerraCity malls, and for souvenirs and spices, the shops of the old town by the Clock Tower.

For more trip ideas around the country, see our article on the sights of Turkey.

Season and Weather

Antalya stays busy all year, though beach weather holds from May to October. The water is at its warmest in August, when daytime temperatures exceed +34 °C; June and September bring milder heat and equally pleasant swimming. In winter the air warms to +15…+17 °C, a season for excursions and city walks rather than the beach.

Approximate averages.

Hotels and Prices

Expect from roughly 29,000 UAH for seven nights for two adults on all-inclusive. The most expensive options are Lara's five-star complexes with water parks and a private beach; the city hotels of Konyaaltı and the boutique hotels of Kaleiçi, which mostly work on a bed-and-breakfast or half-board basis, cost noticeably less. The best prices come in May and October, with early booking and among last-minute deals. The country's top resorts are gathered in our review of VIP hotels in Turkey, and what makes up the price of a package is explained in how much a tour to Turkey costs.

Entry Documents

• Passport. It needs six months of validity remaining on the day you land in Antalya. Visa-free stays for Ukrainians are limited to 90 days within any 180.
• ID card: good only for entering Moldova; the flight to Antalya requires a passport.
• Travel documents. E-tickets, the hotel voucher and insurance arrive from the operator a few days before you leave.
• Border. Under martial law, travel abroad is restricted for some men, and minors have their own document requirements, so check your situation in advance.

Looking for somewhere quieter or closer to nature? See other resorts on the coast with departures from Chisinau: Kemer with its mountains and clear sea, Belek with its water-park hotels, ancient Side and Alanya with its fortress above the sea.