This tour was very well-organized, very professional, a good duration, and enjoyable from start to end.
I booked this two days prior to departure. Within minutes I had an e-mail in my inbox with a link for payment via credit card and quickly after paying that, I had a confirmation e-mail. As described, the day prior to the tour, I received an e-mail with my pickup time and location. Because I was staying at a hotel in Old Town Antalya, the tour van could not enter into the small street my hotel is on. A very appropriate, under 5-minute walking distance location was provided to me with direct link to the location google maps for pickup.
The day of the tour, the tour van arrived on-time and the tour guide stepped out of the van to approach me, confirm my identity, and guide me to the van. There were a few people already in the van before me. The tour guide (her name is Cığıl but recommended folks struggling to pronounce it can call her Jule) then informed everyone how many more stops we have left before heading out as a complete group, giving us clarity on what we can expect before we even asked.
After all passengers were picked up, we began the drive out to Perge. En-route, our tour guide outlined for us the entire day's itinerary very clearly so we knew what to expect and it matched the description online. When approaching Perge, our tour guide taught us about ancient history starting from the Greek Empire through to modern Turkey so that we would have context to help us understand the sights we were going to see that day. The guide also went over some facts about Antalya and its place within Turkey from a population and economic standpoint. The tour guide's fact-sharing on the drive to Perge made you forget about the drive entirely and added to the entire tour experience.
Once we arrived at Perge our guide explained to us she will provide us a guided tour of the location then provide us our own time to walk around and where and when to meet back up together. She gave us an informative tour of the entire location that did not feel too long and detailed or too short and fast, and gave us about 45 minutes on our own afterwards to take photos and explore the place. She also clearly showed us where to meet up as a group afterwards and where the washrooms were.
After our time at Perge, en-route to Aspendos, our tour guide entertained us further with interesting historical facts. Again, the quality of the sharing here made you forget the drive duration as the tour guide spoke for a good amount of time to keep you learning and entertained.
Once we arrived at Aspendos, again our guide was very communicative with us on the process, outlining how we'll enter, that she'll give is a tour first, then leave us to our own for some time, and where and when to return. After our guide gave us an informative tour of the theater, we had about more than enough time to walk up and down the stairs and across the theatre aisles to get photos, and enough time if you wanted to also make a purchase at the gift shop.
Our lunch location was a 1-minute drive from Aspendos. To ensure a seamless lunch process, en-route to Aspendos, our guide actually explained the lunch situation to us: there are three choices for dishes and while driving to Aspendos we were to pick which dish we'd like and inform our guide, plus inform of any allergies. While driving to Aspendos our guide passed on the entire group's meal selections to the restaurant. This meant that once we got to the restaurant and sat down, our food was warm and ready for us.
The lunch meal had three options: fish, chicken, or beef kebab. All meals started with a small salad followed by roasted vegetables, then the main. There were oranges on the table for post-lunch dessert. I had allergies and the kitchen was able to accommodate and adjust my meal for me. One thing to note about the lunch is that while the cost of lunch is within the ticket price, the drinks are not. The drink prices are listed at the table so you can clearly see how much you will pay for drinks, whether it be for water, a juice, a soda, or an alcoholic beverage. However, the drink prices are high. One bottle of water was 35 TL. Two fantas costed 150 TL.
After lunch we headed to Side and again en-route, our tour guide made an enjoyable presentation of Turkish history and culture, explaining more about how the Turkish Republic was formed, who Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is and why he is important to the country, and how Turkey is a secular state and what that means. If you don't know much on these topics and what makes Turkey what it is, these are great to learn about on your tour. The tour guide also informed us about the area we were going to see from a realistic perspective, sharing what was historical vs. modern replicas. There was no salesmanship or gimmicks here but just sincerity and transparency.
At Side our guide led us to a few historical sites and explained what they are. We then had 45 minutes to ourselves to explore the Old Town of Side which was adequate time to take photos, explore other historical sites in the area, shop if you wanted to, and even get a drink and sit a cafe for a bit. Again, the guide was very communicative on the process of where and when to meet.
From Side to the Manavgat Waterfall our tour guide taught us a little bit about the Turkish language, a few Turkish words, and even Turkish hand-language culture. This covered the time it took to reach the waterfall and our guide even set the foundation for expectations on the size of the waterfall. She led us to the Waterfall, pointed out where the washrooms are for us, and gave us 20 minutes here for photos and a bathroom break, which was as much time as you needed for this area as it is quite small.
After that, we headed straight back to Antalya, dropping folks off along the way. My day was a pickup at 8am and a drop-off around 5:30pm. Others who were picked up first and therefore dropped off last would have had a bit of a longer day and those picked up last and dropped off first a bit shorter (for them maybe a pickup around 8:50am and drop-off around 5:10pm).
This was truly a very well-organized, well-managed, and professionally executed tour. The durations at each stop were not too long or too short. The tour guide entertained us and educated us between every single drive from one stop to another. This part really impressed me as the tour guide was clearly increasing the value of this tour significantly during what is typically the most dull part of a day tour. The tour guide explained at each stop the process we'll undertake for entry, visiting, self-time, and departure. There was never a moment you were wondering what was going on or feeling confused at all. Everything was just so top-class.
A few tips for folks to help them plan their attendance better:
1) As stated in the description, entrance fees are not included at all locations. The total entrance fee as of October 2024's prices (be aware that Turkey has been under significant inflation for the past few years so prices can change) was 975 TL. You do not pay entrance fees at the locations yourself. Your guide has paid in advance for them for you so you can all easily walk in. At lunch time, you pay either via Turkish Lira cash or Euro cash directly to the tour guide or via credit card at the restaurant (the money is not for your lunch, which is covered in your reservation cost. The restaurant and tour company I think have a partnership so you can pay on the restaurant's machine). So, if you want to pay in cash, make sure you have at least 975 TL to cover entry fees.
2) Make sure you also bring at least 100 TL cash for cold water. In these touristic areas, cold water bottles sell for 20-30 TL per bottle (and 35 TL at the restaurant). With how hot it is and how long the day is, you will likely need to purchase 2-3 bottles to stay hydrated and cool.
3) Make sure you also bring at least 20 TL to use the washroom at the Manavgat Waterfall before the longer drive (about 80km) into Antalya. Yes, the washroom costs 20 TL to use. You pay a custodian, who then gives you a token, and you use the token to open up the spin-gate to enter.
4) Pack toilet paper. Not everyone thinks of doing that while travelling, so if it's not something you typically do, do so here. The washrooms at Perge did not have toilet paper (at least not in my stall).
5) Make sure you bring sunscreen to re-apply throughout the day. I can't tell you how many sunburnt tourists I saw during my day. Perhaps folks forget to re-apply. I applied sunscreen in the morning, and twice during the trip after about 3-hour intervals each, and at end-of-day, my skin was still darker, and that was with SPF50.