Ramadan and the two Eid holidays move through the calendar, about 11 days earlier every year. In the coming seasons they fall in late winter and spring: Ramadan and the Ramadan Feast (Ramazan Bayramı) around February and March, and the Feast of Sacrifice (Kurban Bayramı) around May. Check the official calendar for exact dates. For visitors, the fasting month itself changes little on the coast; the holidays are what you need to plan for.
Does Ramadan change a holiday in Antalya?
Very little. Hotels, restaurants, cafés and shops in Antalya, Belek, Side, Kemer and Alanya open as usual during the day, and alcohol is served in the places that normally serve it. Many people in Türkiye fast, many do not, and nobody expects visitors to. It is simply polite not to eat or drink ostentatiously in front of someone who is clearly fasting, especially in traditional neighbourhoods and villages.
Iftar: the evenings of Ramadan
- At sunset the fast is broken with iftar, often a shared meal with soup, dates, olives and the special round Ramadan pide bread sold only this month.
- Many restaurants offer an iftar menu; tables fill up just before sunset, so reserve if you want to join in.
- In the old town and around the big mosques there is a festive atmosphere in the evening, with families out late.
- Before dawn, in some neighbourhoods, a drummer walks the streets to wake people for the last meal (sahur) - part of the tradition.
The Eid holidays: when Türkiye travels
The Ramadan Feast lasts three days and the Feast of Sacrifice four; the government often extends them into a longer break. Millions of people travel to their families or the coast, so domestic flights, intercity buses and hotels fill up and the roads into Antalya are busy on the first and last days. Banks and government offices close, but shops, restaurants, museums and tourist sites in the resorts usually stay open.
Planning your transfer around the holidays
- Book early if you land at the start of an Eid holiday: vehicles and drivers are in high demand.
- Allow extra time for departures on the last day of a holiday, when the airport and the roads are at their busiest.
- During Ramadan, traffic is heavy in the hour before sunset and unusually quiet during iftar itself.
- Share your flight number: we track it, so a delayed flight on a busy day does not cost you your pickup.
Good to know
During the holidays people greet each other with "İyi bayramlar" (happy holidays), and sweets are handed out everywhere - it is a warm time to be in the country. Our prices do not change for Ramadan or Eid: one fixed price per vehicle, with no holiday, night or season surcharge.