If your hotel is inside Side old town or anywhere around the centre, you can join every group boat tour we run — dolphin watching, the pirate galleon, Green Canyon and Suluada — with hotel pickup included. This page answers the three questions guests from this neighbourhood ask most: what time you are collected, where exactly to wait, and where the boat actually departs from.
Pickup around 09:00 — the exact minute is confirmed a day ahead
Side centre is the last stop on our morning collection route. While guests in Kızılot board around 08:20, hotels around the old town are typically reached at about 09:00 — which means a slower breakfast and less time on the bus for you. And we don't leave it at "typically": the evening before your tour we send the exact pickup time for your hotel, usually over WhatsApp. Very few operators commit to a confirmed minute in advance, yet it removes the most stressful part of any excursion morning — wondering whether you have already missed the bus.
Where to wait: your hotel's outer gate
The meeting point is the outer door or security gate of your hotel — not the lobby, not a central square. The lanes of the old peninsula are narrow and partly closed to traffic, so if your guesthouse sits on a street the shuttle cannot enter, the confirmation message will name the nearest corner the driver can reach. Simply be at the stated spot at the confirmed time; if anything is unclear, message us on WhatsApp and you'll get a fast answer.
The boats do not sail from Side ancient harbour
This is the single biggest misunderstanding we correct for old-town guests. You walk past the ancient harbour by the Temple of Apollo, see boats moored there, and naturally assume your trip starts a few steps from your hotel. It doesn't: our group boats cast off from the Manavgat River pier, and the shuttle is exactly what bridges that gap. There's a genuine upside, too — the dolphin boat begins with a cruise down the river, where turtles often rest on branches at the water's edge, before reaching the point where the river meets the sea. Our Manavgat River day guide shows what that stretch looks like. The pirate galleon casts off from the same river pier at 10:00.
Which trips can you join from the old town?
All of them. The Dolphin Island tour is a roughly eight-hour door-to-door day with about an hour and a half of swimming where river meets sea, extra open-water stops and a grilled chicken lunch on board — and, honestly, no promised dolphin sightings, because wild animals don't follow scripts. The multi-deck pirate ship runs a treasure hunt, tug-of-war and free face painting for children on selected days of the week — current days are shown in the booking calendar. The Green Canyon boat tour swaps the sea for a mountain reservoir with soft drinks included on board, and Suluada delivers the white-pebble "Turkish Maldives" beaches on a full-day run. Private gulet and luxury yacht charters also welcome old-town guests; for those, hotel transfer is arranged on request as an extra. Compare every departure on our tours page.
Booking from Side centre: the practical part
Side Boat Trips is a direct local operator, so your reservation is confirmed instantly and no prepayment is taken — you pay on the day of the tour, on board, in cash or by card. Plans changed? Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure. Children aged 0–2 join group tours free of charge, with older-child rates listed on each tour page.
FAQ: boat trips from Side old town
What time should I be ready?
Plan for roughly 09:00, but treat the time we send the evening before as the binding one. Be at your hotel's outer gate at that confirmed minute.
Will I be picked up directly at my hotel?
Yes — at the outer or security gate. If your street is too narrow for the shuttle, we name the closest reachable corner in the same message that confirms your time.
Why doesn't the boat leave from Side harbour?
Group boats are based at the Manavgat River pier. The transfer there is included, and the river leg — with its turtle sightings — is part of the experience rather than dead time.
Is the trip suitable for children?
Families from the old town join us all season. Infants up to two travel free on group tours, the pirate ship's activity programme suits ages three and up, and life jackets are available for every age on the dolphin boat.
Pick your date, book in a couple of minutes with instant confirmation and pay nothing until you're on board — your exact old-town pickup time arrives the evening before.
Ready to book your day at sea?
Instant confirmation · No prepayment · Free cancellation up to 24h
