For Kalkan and Kaş, Dalaman Airport (DLM) is the nearer gateway: Kalkan is 121.9 km and 111 minutes, Kaş 148.9 km and 141 minutes. Antalya Airport (AYT) mainly makes sense when flights decide.
Quick answer: start with Dalaman, let the flight change your mind
Both towns are in Antalya province, so Antalya Airport (AYT) is the obvious name to search for. In practice it is not: Kaş lies roughly midway between Antalya and Dalaman, and most transfers there run from Dalaman Airport (DLM), the nearer of the two. Kalkan is likewise reached mainly from DLM, the nearer of Turkey’s two southern gateways. From Dalaman, Kalkan is about 121.9 km and 111 minutes and Kaş about 148.9 km and 141 minutes.
So the default is Dalaman. Choose Antalya only if your flights give you a clear reason to, and then plan for a longer drive than the Dalaman figures below.
| From Dalaman Airport (DLM) | Distance | Transfer time |
|---|---|---|
| Kalkan | about 121.9 km | about 111 minutes |
| Kaş | about 148.9 km | about 141 minutes |
What the figures mean for the two towns
Kalkan is the shorter drive of the two. Kalkan is a hillside resort town of whitewashed houses, upscale rooftop dining and sea-view villas, quieter and more boutique-focused than its neighbour. Kaş is a bohemian harbour town reached along the winding D400 coastal highway, known for scuba diving, boat trips over the sunken ruins of Kekova and the water at Kaputaş Beach. If you are staying in both, the order of your stops matters less than the fact that each leg is a long coastal drive.
When Antalya Airport can still be the right choice
The reason is flights, not geography. Antalya Airport is Turkey’s third-busiest, serving over 39 million passengers in 2025, with 58 airlines flying to 160 destinations. Traffic is highly seasonal: up to 910 daily flights in the summer season, around 270 in winter. If the only practical flight for your dates, or the only one that fits your holiday length, lands at Antalya, the drive to Kalkan or Kaş is still possible, just longer than from Dalaman.
The figures above start from Dalaman. For Kaş and Kalkan from Antalya, ask for the transfer time to your exact address before booking rather than estimating it from the Dalaman numbers.
Checks that differ between the two airports
- Dalaman: your chauffeur waits right outside the domestic arrivals gate. The Dalaman Airport page has the details.
- Antalya terminals: there are three. Terminal 1 and the Domestic Terminal share a building complex within walking distance, while Terminal 2 is a separate building about 2.5 km away, linked by a free shuttle bus or taxi. Check which terminal your flight uses before you plan the pickup. The Antalya Airport page has terminal notes, and pickup details are confirmed with you after booking.
- Season: in summer, with up to 910 daily flights at Antalya, expect a busier airport than in winter.
- Late arrivals: at both airports your flight is tracked. At Dalaman, support operates 24/7 and pickup timing may be adjusted based on the actual arrival time.
How to decide
- Flights to both are similar: choose Dalaman. It is the nearer gateway for both towns.
- A clearly better flight lands at Antalya: take it, but plan a longer drive and confirm the transfer time first.
- Late landing and a long coast road: the longer the road, the later you arrive. Check with your accommodation that someone can receive you.
- Staying in Kalkan or Kaş for a short trip: the shorter Dalaman figure for Kalkan makes it the easier arrival day.
For the wider airport question, see the comparison of airports on the Turkish Riviera. For transfer and booking options, see the Dalaman to Kalkan and Dalaman to Kaş route pages.
