Group day tours from Antalya, Belek, and Side are the dominant way visitors reach Saint Nicholas Church. They typically bundle the church with the Myra ruins and a Kekova boat trip, departing at around 07:00 and returning late evening. The advantage is simplicity — everything is pre-arranged. The downsides are real, though: you spend much of the day travelling with strangers, lunch stops are often at commission-paying restaurants, and the time at each site is fixed by the guide rather than your own interest.
A private transfer gives you the same door-to-door convenience without the group dynamic. You choose your departure time, you decide how long to spend at the church and whether to continue to Myra independently, and you are not rushed back to the coach. For visitors who are primarily motivated by the religious or archaeological significance of the site — rather than a packaged day out — this is a material difference. You can linger over the frescoes or spend extra time at the tomb facades without someone ushering you back to a bus.
Private transfers work particularly well for families with young children, older visitors who prefer a slower pace, and anyone combining Saint Nicholas Church with other stops along the Lycian Coast such as Kekova or Kaş at their own discretion. If your sole goal is to see the church and Myra thoroughly rather than to tick a box on a tour itinerary, private transfer is the more purposeful option.