Side · Antalya
Horse riding in Side
Side horse riding, the way most guests do it: sixty minutes on horseback through the pine country behind Side and down to the water, with the drive out from your hotel and the drive home both inside the price. Most people on this ride have never sat on a horse before, and the riding centre builds the outing around that.
€40 per rider
- Hotel pickup and return included
- About an hour in the saddle
- Nothing to pay online — you pay on the day
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Horse riding in Side costs €40 per rider, and a child pays the same as an adult. Inside that figure sit the return drive from your hotel in the Side area, a riding helmet, and roughly sixty minutes on horseback among the pines and beside the water. Door to door you are away from the hotel for roughly 3 hours. No riding experience is needed, the minimum age is 2, and you pay at the riding centre on the day — nothing is taken when you book.
What the ride actually is
A vehicle collects you from your hotel and drives inland to a riding centre in the countryside behind the Side strip. You meet the horses, the staff put you on one that suits your size and your nerve, a helmet goes on, and somebody explains how to sit, how to steer and how to stop. Only then does the group move off.
The first stretch is soft ground under pines, at a walk, with a guide riding with the group rather than watching from the side. As the woodland opens out the track heads for the coast, and the ride reaches the water — the part every guest photographs. It is a working beach rather than an empty one: hire boats on their moorings, a jet-ski pontoon, people swimming. Then it loops back the way the ground allows, you dismount at the centre, and the same vehicle takes you home.
That is the whole thing. There is no lunch stop, no shopping stop, no second activity bolted on. It is a horse, an hour and the country between the pines and the sea.
The exact route varies. Weather, ground conditions, how the group is riding and the horses' own condition decide what is sensible on the day, and the guide's judgement is the one that counts.
The hour, and the outing around it
The hour is the riding. It is not the time you are away from your hotel, and confusing the two is the single most common way a guest ends up annoyed at a tour desk.
Count the collection, the road out, the introductions, the helmets, the briefing, the riding and the road home, and you are looking at roughly 3 hours door to door. If you have a dinner sitting or a transfer to catch, plan around 3 hours, not around one.
- In the saddle: about one hour.
- Door to door: about 3 hours.
- Your pickup time: confirmed with your booking, because it depends on which hotel you are in.
Read more on how long the ride is, where the outing is broken down part by part.
Never ridden before?
Then you are the ordinary case. The riding centre sells this hour to people on holiday, not to riders, and everything about it is arranged on that assumption: the horses are used to beginners, the pace on the woodland stretch is a walk, and a guide stays with the group from the first step to the last.
You do not pick your own horse. The staff look at your build and how you are standing next to the animal, and they choose. It is the single most useful thing they do all day. It is also why somebody who has never sat on a horse and somebody who rides at home end up in one group, and neither of them spends the hour wishing they were elsewhere.
A rider who can genuinely handle more may be offered a faster stretch where the ground and the guide allow it. Whether it happens is the guide's call on the day, it is promised to no one, and nobody is asked to go faster than they want to.
Horse riding for beginners walks through the whole thing in detail, including the bit nobody mentions — how you get on.
Who can ride
Riders must be 2 or older. Below that there is no ride, and we would rather say so here than take a booking and turn a family away at the riding centre.
Pregnancy rules the ride out, and so does serious trouble with a back or with getting about. Unsure whether something of yours counts? Say so at the booking and it gets checked while you are still at home, not in a car park.
- Minimum age 2, and the adult who brings a child does not have to ride.
- Weight: we do not publish a figure as a rule. The staff judge suitability on the day against the horses available — tell us at booking if you would like it checked first.
- Ruled out by pregnancy, and by serious back or mobility trouble.
What to wear
Long, comfortable trousers and closed shoes you can walk in. Trousers matter more than anything else you put on: a saddle and stirrup leathers against bare legs for an hour is the difference between a good memory and a sore one.
Leave the flip-flops and sandals at the hotel, skip anything with a heel, and do not wear something loose enough to flap. Sunglasses, a hat that stays on under a helmet and sun cream are all sensible on this coast.
Full detail on what to wear, and footwear specifically on what shoes to wear.
Helmets and safety
A riding helmet is provided for every rider and we ask every rider to wear it. If yours feels loose or tight, say so — there are other sizes, and a helmet that moves is not doing its job.
Nobody mounts before the briefing, the pairing of horse to rider is a decision the staff make rather than a queue, and a guide stays with the group from the yard and back. None of it makes horse riding risk-free, and we are not going to tell you it does. It is an outdoor activity on a live animal. What it does mean is that the predictable risks are the ones somebody is actually managing.
More on whether horse riding is safe and on what helmet you are given.
Pickup, and where we collect from
Return transfer from the Side resort areas is part of the €40, in an air-conditioned vehicle. The run works its way east along the coast road, beginning at Gündoğdu, through Side, and out to Kızılot and Çenger at the far end. Your pickup time depends on which hotel you are in, and it reaches you before the day.
We do not publish a single pickup time for everybody, because there is not one. Your exact time comes with your booking confirmation.
If you are staying outside the listed areas, the booking form will not quietly take your reservation. Write the hotel name to us instead, and you get a straight answer about whether a vehicle reaches it, and on what terms.
The full pickup picture, area by area, is on the pickup and transfer page.
What you pay, and when
€40 per rider, the same for an adult and for a child. The riding centre charges one fare per rider, so there is no child discount.
No card is taken online. Booking holds a place; the money changes hands at the riding centre on the day. Drop the booking more than 24 hours ahead and it costs nothing.
The full breakdown, including what is not in the price, is on the prices page.
Sunset, sunrise and private rides
The same country and the same horses also go out at the end of the day and at first light, and the riding centre will put a private group together for an occasion. Those are separate departures arranged for the date you ask for, not the standard hour moved to a different time.
They are priced per booking and we have not been given a figure for any of them, so you will not find one anywhere on this site. Send a date and a rider count and we come back with the time, the price and whether it is free.
What the price includes
What the price includes
- Return transfer between your hotel in the Side area and the riding centre
- A riding helmet and the safety equipment for the ride
- A short lesson before you mount: sitting, steering, stopping
- A horse chosen for you by the staff, not by you
- About one hour of guided riding
- Riding instructors and guides with the group
What it does not include
- Photographs taken for you during the ride — the riding centre sells them on site, and you settle there
- Food and drinks
- Anything you spend on yourself
These are real things you may choose to spend money on at the riding centre. No price is published for them here — ask on the day and pay there if you want them.
Hotel door to hotel door
How the ride works
The hour is the riding. The rest of it is the getting there, the meeting, the briefing and the drive home — which is why you are away from the hotel for longer than an hour.
- 01
We collect you
A vehicle picks you up from your hotel in the Side area. Your exact pickup time comes with your booking confirmation, before the day — it depends on which hotel you are in.
- 02
The drive out
A short transfer inland from the coast road to the riding centre.
- 03
Meeting your horse
The staff pair you with a horse that suits your size and your confidence. You are not asked to choose one yourself.
- 04
Helmet and briefing
A helmet for every rider, then the basics before anyone moves off: sitting, steering, stopping — and what to do when the horse ahead of you stops.
- 05
Into the pines
The first stretch is soft ground under the trees, at a walk, with a guide riding with the group.
- 06
Out to the shore
The track opens towards the coast and the ride reaches the water — the part everyone photographs.
- 07
Back to the centre
The loop returns the way the ground allows. You dismount at the centre and say goodbye to your horse.
- 08
And back to the hotel
The same vehicle takes you home. Door to door the outing takes about 3 hours.
The route can change. Weather, ground conditions, how the group is riding and the horses' own condition all decide what is sensible on the day, and the guide's judgement is the one that counts.
Pickup
Where we collect from
Return transfer from the Side resort areas is part of the price. The pickup run works its way along the coast road; your exact pickup time depends on your hotel and is sent to you before the day.
West to east: Gündoğdu → Side → Çenger
Staying inland, or further towards Belek or Alanya? We never accept a pickup we have not confirmed first. Write the hotel name to us and you will get a straight answer about whether a vehicle can reach it, and on what terms.
At the riding centre
Booking
Book your ride
Pick a date, tell us how many of you are riding and where you are staying. Nothing is charged online — you pay at the riding centre on the day.
Questions guests ask
How much does horse riding in Side cost?
€40 per rider for the standard hour, and a child pays the same as an adult. Return transfer from your hotel in the Side area is included in that. You pay at the riding centre on the day — nothing is taken online when you book.
How long does it take?
About an hour on horseback. Door to door — collection, the road out, the introductions, the briefing and the road home — allow roughly 3 hours away from your hotel.
Do I need riding experience?
No. Most guests on this ride have never been on a horse. The staff pair you with a suitable horse, explain how to sit, steer and stop, and a guide rides with the group the whole way.
What is the minimum age?
2. Riders under 2 cannot be booked. Whoever brings a child does not have to ride themselves. On the standard hour, children aged 2 to 10 pay the same €40 as an adult.
Is hotel pickup included?
Yes, from the ten Side resort areas — Gündoğdu through Side itself and east as far as Kızılot and Çenger. Your exact pickup time depends on which hotel you are in, and it is sent to you before the day.
What should I wear?
Long, comfortable trousers and closed shoes you can walk in. Leave the flip-flops, sandals and anything with a heel at the hotel, and skip loose scarves or anything that flaps.
Are helmets provided?
Yes — a riding helmet is provided for every rider, and we ask every rider to wear it. Tell the staff if yours feels loose or tight; there are other sizes.
When do I pay, and can I cancel?
Payment happens at the riding centre, on the day itself. Call off a booking any time up to 24 hours beforehand and it costs you nothing.
Is there a weight limit?
The riding centre recommends a maximum of around 100–110 kg. That is guidance rather than a rule enforced at the gate — suitability is judged by the staff on the day against the horses available. If you are near it or above, tell us when you book and we will check before you travel.