The short answer
Fly to Dalaman if you can. It is closer to both towns, the drive is 50-90 minutes shorter, and the private transfer costs roughly half: €67 to Kalkan versus €153, €78 to Kaş versus €140. Pick Antalya only when the flights make the decision for you — AYT has far more routes and year-round service, especially from Russia and Germany. Both airports are covered by our fixed-price private transfers, so the road part is solved either way.
Dalaman to Kalkan and Kaş: the numbers
Dalaman (DLM) is the natural gateway to the western Lycian coast. The route follows the D400 the whole way, past Fethiye and over the pine-covered hills; you reach Kalkan first, with Kaş about 25 minutes further east along the same road.
- Dalaman to Kalkan: 123 km, about 1h45 — fixed private transfer €67
- Dalaman to Kaş: 155 km, about 2h10 — fixed private transfer €78
- Prices are per vehicle (up to 6 passengers), not per person, and include meet & greet, flight tracking, free waiting and pay on arrival
Antalya to Kalkan and Kaş: the numbers
From Antalya (AYT) the route runs west along the D400 through Kemer, Kumluca and Demre. Kaş comes first from this side, with Kalkan another 15 minutes further on. The road is scenic but winding, so average speeds are lower than the distance suggests.
- Antalya to Kaş: 195 km, about 3h — fixed private transfer €140
- Antalya to Kalkan: 215 km, about 3h15 — fixed private transfer €153
- The gap: Kaş costs €62 more and takes about 50 minutes longer than from Dalaman; Kalkan costs €86 more and takes about 1.5 hours longer
When Antalya still makes sense
Antalya is one of Europe's busiest leisure airports, with year-round service from dozens of countries. Dalaman's network is heavily seasonal and UK-weighted: Jet2, easyJet, TUI and British Airways fly in from spring to autumn, German service is mostly SunExpress and TUI fly, and many routes disappear between November and March. From Russia, direct flights to Dalaman are rare to non-existent, while Antalya has multiple services daily — so for many Russian and winter travellers, AYT is simply the only realistic nonstop. Domestic connections via Istanbul (Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, AJet, SunExpress) serve both airports year-round. If the Antalya fare looks dramatically cheaper, add the €62-86 transfer difference per vehicle before comparing.
There is one soft argument for Antalya: the D400 west of the city is one of Turkey's great coastal drives — sea views, pine forest and Lycian ruins right by the road: Phaselis, the rock tombs of Myra at Demre, the viewpoints above Kekova. As a road trip it is wonderful; as a transfer after a four-hour flight it is simply long. If you are prone to motion sickness, sit in the front and skip the big meal before the winding section after Kumluca.
Public transport, honestly
There is no direct airport bus to either town. From Dalaman, take the Muttaş airport shuttle to Fethiye bus station (about an hour), then a coastal minibus toward Kaş that stops in Kalkan — realistically 4 to 5 hours door to door, for roughly €10-15. From Antalya, ride the tram or HAVAŞ bus to the central otogar, then a Batı Antalya coach to Kaş — about 4.5 to 5 hours in total. It works for solo travellers with light luggage arriving in daytime; with children, dive gear or a late-evening landing it becomes a poor trade, because the last minibuses and coaches leave in the early evening.