How Far Is Antalya From Istanbul By Flight, Train & Car??
Istanbul and Antalya are two Turkish cities fiercely competitive in attracting tourists. Most tourists are hesitant to choose between these two cities. I have completely compared these 2 cities in the article “Istanbul vs Antalya,”.
Contrary to their close competition, these two cities are far apart, such that one is located in the northwest of Turkey and the other is in the south of Turkey. The straight-line distance (air distance) between Istanbul and Antalya is approximately 480 km (298 mi) and 695 km (432 mi) by road.
In the following, I will introduce all the ways to get from Antalya to Istanbul so you can decide which one to go.
How far is Antalya from Istanbul?
Table of Contents
The closest land route between Antalya and Istanbul is 695 (432 miles) kilometers, and if there are no special problems, you can reach your destination after about 9 hours of driving.
There is also a 730 km route and an 810 km route, and I will introduce all 3 routes completely.
The shortest route between Antalya and Istanbul
Since I love new places, I went to Antalya via a route of 695 km and returned to Istanbul via a path of 810 km.
First, I drove 330 km (4 hours), passed through Bursa, and had a short break in Kütahya. Then, I drove 100 km to Afyonkarahisar, which took about an hour and a half.
My stay in Afyonkarahisar was longer because I visited Anitpark(Memorial Park), Arap Mosque(Arap Dede Cami) and Ulu Mosque(Afyonkarahisar Grand Mosque). Then I moved to Antalya and arrived in Antalya after 4 hours of driving.
The longest route between Antalya and Istanbul
On this route between Antalya and Istanbul, I passed through the cities of Izmir, Denizli, and Balıkesir. Although this route was very long, it is the most beautiful route to cover the distance from Antalya to Istanbul by road trip.
The stunning nature of this route fascinated me. On this trip, I also visited Pamukkale, one of Turkey’s most beautiful tourist attractions, proving that this long route is worth its length.
The distance between Antalya and Istanbul is about 810 km, which, including the time of stops and sightseeing, took about 12 hours.
Another one of these routes is moving towards İzmit, then Sakarya and finally towards Eskişehir. Eskişehir is one of Turkey’s most ancient and beautiful cities. It is a thousand years old and has various tourist attractions, such as the Odunpazari and Porsuk River beach. This route is about 730 km, which will take about 10 to 12 hours, depending on the road conditions.
Click here to see the directions on Google Maps.
Which land road is better?
If you want a smooth and comfortable road, choose the 695 km route. But if you want to learn more about Turkey’s natural attractions and see a more beautiful highway, go on the 810 km route.
Air distance between Istanbul and Antalya
The air route to travel the distance from Antalya to Istanbul is a direct flight of 480 km, which will be approximately one hour and twenty minutes to one and a half hours.
Considering the route between the airport and the city and the delays, your trip will take more than 3 hours.
I have used Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, and AnadoluJet for air travel in Turkey. Turkish Airlines has the fewest flight delays, and Pegasus and AnadoluJet are among the cheapest airlines in Turkey.
Travel by train and bus
Due to the popularity of these two cities, there are many ways of transportation between them. I have never traveled by train between them, but according to the latest information, you can use a bus to get from Antalya to Denizli. Then, go to Eskişehir by train, which is an 8-hour journey, and then go to Istanbul by high-speed train from Eskişehir.
Antalya → Denizli → Eskişehir → Istanbul
Another way is to travel from Konya to Antalya by bus and between Istanbul and Konya by high-speed train.
Antalya → Konya → Istanbul
Passenger terminals in Turkey are called Otogar. You can take a taxi and ask the driver to take you to the Otogar. There, you can buy a bus ticket and take the route you want.
Finally, you can also travel directly between Antalya and Istanbul by bus, which takes about 10 to 11 hours. To do so, you need to go to Otogar and buy a ticket.
In summary
As you can see, there are different distances between Istanbul and Antalya, and you can choose according to your taste. If you don’t feel like wasting time, definitely travel by plane. But if you want to enjoy your trip and are in no rush to reach your destination, a road trip is the best choice.
Finally, I suggest you read the following articles to get more information:
