Airport Transfer
Getting to Olympos and the Chimaera
Olympos and the Chimaera sit on Turkey's Mediterranean coast near the village of Çıralı, in the Kumluca district of Antalya province, roughly 80 km from Antalya city. There's no train and no direct scheduled coach that terminates in the village itself, so reaching the area involves a short combination of flight, road transport, and a final local minibus or transfer — straightforward once you know the route, but worth planning a little ahead of time.
By air: flights to Antalya
The nearest airport by a wide margin is Antalya Airport (AYT), which handles both domestic connections from Istanbul and other Turkish cities and a large volume of international charter and scheduled flights, particularly in the busier April–October season. For visitors booking flights from abroad, comparing fares well ahead of peak summer dates is worthwhile, since prices to Antalya can rise sharply in July and August; sites such as enucuzucak.com are a useful starting point for finding cheap flights to Antalya from a range of departure points. Once you land, Antalya's airport has car rental desks, taxi ranks, and connections into the city's otogar (bus station) for onward travel toward Kumluca and Çıralı.
By road: minibus and intercity bus
For travelers without a rental car, the standard route from Antalya is: take an intercity bus or minibus (dolmuş) from Antalya's main otogar heading toward Kumluca, a market town that acts as the transport hub for this stretch of coast. From Kumluca, transfer to a smaller local minibus that runs down the winding road through pine forest to Çıralı and the turnoff for Olympos village. Frequency on this final leg is lower than the main coastal routes, so it's worth checking current timetables locally or with your accommodation rather than assuming buses run constantly through the day — services typically thin out by early evening.
Many tree-house pensions and hotels in Çıralı and Olympos can also arrange a direct private transfer from Antalya airport or the otogar, which removes the need to change vehicles at Kumluca and is a popular option for travelers arriving with luggage or on a tight schedule.
By car
Driving is the most flexible option and takes roughly 1.5 to 2 hours from Antalya, following the coastal highway (D400) south past Kemer before turning off toward Kumluca and then down the signed side road to Çıralı and Olympos. The final descent from the highway winds through pine forest and drops in elevation noticeably, so it's worth taking the turns at a comfortable pace, particularly after dark. Parking is available near the Olympos ancient city entrance and at various points around Çıralı village, though space can be limited on the busiest summer weekends.
On foot: the Lycian Way
For hikers, there's a third option entirely: walking in. Olympos sits directly on the route of the Lycian Way, Turkey's best-known long-distance waymarked trail, so visitors already walking a section of the trail from neighboring towns such as Adrasan or further afield can arrive on foot rather than by road. This is one of the more memorable ways to experience the approach to Olympos, descending through forested trail sections before the ruins and beach come into view.
Getting between Çıralı, Olympos village, and the Chimaera
Once you've arrived in the area, getting between its main points of interest is straightforward. Çıralı and Olympos village are a short drive or a walkable distance apart along the coast road, and local dolmuş services or short taxi rides connect them, along with the Chimaera access road, where the walk up to the flames begins. Many visitors without a car rely on their pension for advice on the current minibus schedule or arrange a short taxi for the Chimaera access point, particularly for an evening visit when public minibus frequency drops. See our map for the layout of these key points relative to each other.
Timing your arrival
Because the final transport leg into Çıralı and Olympos runs less frequently than main coastal routes, it's worth timing arrival for daylight hours where possible, especially on a first visit, and confirming your pension's pickup or transfer options in advance if you're arriving on an evening flight. For guidance on the best months to visit weather- and crowd-wise, see our best time to visit guide. If you'd rather skip the logistics altogether, Safaryar Holidays offers guided tours from Antalya that include transport, entry, and the Chimaera night walk as part of a packaged itinerary — a straightforward option for visitors short on time or unfamiliar with the local minibus network.
Traveling onward from Olympos and Çıralı
Many visitors treat Olympos as one stop within a longer Mediterranean coast itinerary rather than a standalone destination. From Kumluca, onward minibus and coach connections run both toward Antalya and Kemer to the northeast, and further southwest along the coast toward Kaş and Fethiye, making it straightforward to continue along the Lycian Way corridor by road even if you're not hiking every stage on foot. Travelers arriving with a rental car have the most flexibility here, since the coastal highway network connects Olympos to virtually every other major Lycian coast destination within a few hours' drive, while those relying on public transport should budget extra time for connections at Kumluca in either direction.