It’s an article about the best vacation spots on the Lycian coast for my taste, where I’ve been more than once.
We went here during the summer and fall, and we really enjoyed it in different formats:
- a road trip along the entire Lycian coast in July;
- a girls’ trip for her birthday in August;
- hiking along the Lycian Trail and resting in Oludeniz afterwards.
So, I collected all the information in a large guide – below is a lot of useful information and photos on the Lycian coast.
Where exactly is the Lycian coast
The Lycian coast is located on the border of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, which wash the shores of the province of Mugla and Antalya. Lycian coast is considered the most beautiful coast of Turkey for a reason – it has very picturesque bays, incredibly blue water, and sandy and pebble beaches with pine trees growing over them. In the ancient cities, you can see the ancient Lycian tombs, which can be seen both in the mountains and in the middle of cities, which are different from the hyped all-inclusive Turkey.
Famous cities on the Lycian coast are Fethiye, Oludeniz, Kash, Kalkan, and Patara.
When is the best time to vacation on the Lycian coast
We have vacationed here three times in different seasons – summer and fall.
In summer – July and August – it is very hot here. The air is up to +35 ℃, but the water already manages to warm up well to +25 – +27 ℃. In August, we didn’t want to get out of the water at all, it was so hot. In July, it is very hot and humid. During the day, it is better not to go out under the air conditioning. But we rented a car and drove around to interesting places along the coast and inland. I will write about this below.
As for me, the beginning of autumn to mid-October is the ideal time when the water in Lycian coast is warm – up to +25 degrees, and the air is warm – up to +27 ℃.
In spring – April and May are just the perfect time to hike the Lycian Trail . It’s not too hot, everything is blooming around, and there is water in the wells.
Getting to the Lycian coast
The nearest airports are in Dalaman and Antalya. You can get from them to Fethiye or other cities by bus or rented car. During three trips to this coast, we tried different options:
- 1.We bought tickets for a direct flight to Antalya and rented a car at the airport. Then we traveled around the entire Lycian coast.
- 2. We flew to Dalaman with a stopover in Istanbul and got to Fethiye by shuttle bus, which runs from the airport directly to the city center. And then they traveled by public transport, taxi, and boats on the water.
Fethiye
Fethiye is a fairly large city on the Lycian coast, where you can not only relax. Unlike small resort villages, it is a good place to spend the winter.
What to do in Fethiye?
Relax on the beaches located in the bays of the Fethiye Peninsula. We enjoyed lying on pillows on the Help Beach – it’s a paid beach, but it’s very beautiful. In general, you can walk along the beaches of the entire peninsula and choose the one you like.
Or hang out on the city’s Chalysh beach – it’s huge, located near the city and the city’s waterfront. There are many cafes and restaurants, you can relax for free on your own towel, or pay for a sun lounger and umbrella.
Climb to the Lycian tombs carved in the rock, which are visible from the city streets. This is an open-air museum where you can see this antiquity up close, even climb inside, and from this height you can panorama Fethiye. Here is the largest tomb of King Amyntas of the IV century BC.
Go to Dalyan to go boating, see turtles in the rehabilitation center for these animals located there, see other Lycian tombs from the river, apply healing mud and have lunch in one of the restaurants lining the river right above the water.
Have dinner at one of the restaurants in the Old Town of Fethiye. There are many good places here, but I can recommend the following:
- Fethiye Pasha Kebap – If you want to eat meat, I recommend this restaurant of traditional Turkish cuisine. Tables must be booked in advance, there are always a lot of people here.
- Ulaslioglu Baklava Fethiye – Turkish sweets and tea (or coffee) – baklava and other sweet delights are delicious and fresh here. It is located near Pasha Kebap.
- Fethiye Fish Market – Balık Pazarı – worth going here to eat fish or seafood. Yes, they are the most delicious at the fish market.
Active recreation in Fethiye
On the Fethiye waterfront, buy a boat trip to the bays of Fethiye – this is the best way to reach remote beaches and bays where there are no tourists and you can swim in the blue water. But be careful not to buy a tour of 12 islands or something else on a large ship – you will regret the money and time spent. It’s better to buy a boat trip around the bays on a small boat – they have the best deals and there are few people on such a boat. Almost a private party on a boat.
Take a walk to the Fethiye Marina to see the yachts and visit one of the good bars located in the marina. Namely in the hotel Yacht Classic Hotel – it is beautiful and romantic to have a glass of wine overlooking the sea and yachts.
Go to the Saklikent Gorge – plan to spend the whole day on this trip. There is a very beautiful gorge cut by the river. Along the gorge, you can go on a short trek and swim in a remote waterfall.
Take a two-day trip to Pmukkale to see the natural travertine terraces formed by thermal springs. This incredible place is quite far from Fethiye, but it’s worth it. You can get there by bus or rented car. Plan to spend the night in Pamukkale, because you will definitely spend the whole day on the travertines. Details. How to organize an independent trip to Pamukalle.
Where to stay in Fethiye
- Deniz Manzaralı Suites≫ – large beautiful apartments with views of Fethiye Marina. It is a great option for a family planning a long vacation, cooking in their own kitchen and living in a city not far from the center.
- Bahar Hotels≫ – is a hotel with its own large swimming pool, located near the waterfront and not far from Chalish Beach. The price includes a traditional Turkish breakfast.
- Bliss Suites & Hotel≫ – beautiful modern apartments with beautiful views of Fethiye Bay
Getting to Fethiye
At the airport of Dalaman or Antalya rent a car. This is the best way we used when flying to Turkey. We also used a shuttle bus from Dalaman Airport to Fethiye when we flew on a three-day bachelorette trip – it was cheaper and we didn’t plan to move around the Lycian coast much. So choose the option that suits you best.
Oludeniz
Oludeniz is a small but very picturesque village that hides between the mountains on the shores of a huge beach with turquoise water. Most tours sold to organized tourists in Fethiye are actually sold at the Oludeniz Hotel. But don’t be alarmed, these tours are not all-exclusive, and they are mostly bought by British tourists who are very fond of Oludeniz. In addition, most of the hotels in Oludeniz Booking.com.
Humanization is divided into two parts: the upper and the lower. The lower one is hotels by the sea, including the first, second and third lines by the sea. A slightly serpentine path leads to the upper Oludeniz, connecting the two parts. There are buses between them every 10 minutes from morning to evening.
Lower Oludeniz is purely touristy, with restaurants, tourist shops, and paragliding agencies being the specialty of the town. Throughout the warm season, paragliders (paragliders) fly over Oludeniz, which is a paragliding Mecca.
I advise you to read – What is it like to fly a paraglider over Oludeniz
Upper Oludeniz is located away from the sea, but there are more apartments than hotels here. There is a larger selection of shops and it is much cheaper to stay here if you decide to stay in Oludeniz for a long time.
What to do in Oludeniz
Swim and relax on the shores of a picturesque bay. The water here is very clean and incredibly blue. The beach is pebbly and long, you can come to the beach with your own towel and bedding, or you can rent a sun lounger and umbrella – for money or for free. Free means relaxing in one of the cafes with their own beds, buying drinks and food (only drinks are allowed).
Paragliding in Oludeniz
What people who are in love with the sky come to Oludeniz for is paragliding. The area is considered ideal for paragliding – there are very safe air flows and good infrastructure for flights. If you just want to try it, there are a lot of agencies on the waterfront that organize paragliding in tandem with an instructor. We flew like that – it was very cool and beautiful, because the bird’s eye view of Oludeniza Bay is also worth seeing. Anyone can fly. A tandem jump will cost an average of €100 and can be booked at any tourist office in Oludeniz. This price includes a climb to Mount Babadag (1969 meters above sea level), a skydive with a pilot, and photo and video shooting.
If you don’t want to fly, but want to see Oludeniz from a height, go to Mount Babadag. This can be done by rented car or by a lift that takes everyone upstairs. There is a launch pad for paragliders on the mountain and a restaurant Babadag 1700 Grill & Bar. In the evening, many people gather here to watch the unsurpassed sunset – in high season, book tables in advance.
Visit the abandoned Greek city of Kayaköy, which was deserted after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The Turks did not want to settle in the mountain village, building new houses in the valley instead. And the Kayakay remained empty. But now some of the abandoned houses have been converted into restaurants and cafes, a very specific and strange place, but worth it.
Where to stay in Oludeniz
- Salonika Suites≫ – huge rooms with beautiful decoration, the hotel is located near the waterfront and the city beach.
- Turk Hotel≫ – is the best hotel in Oludeniz, because we lived here and I can recommend it wholeheartedly. The owner Lily is his soul. It has an incredible atmosphere all summer long – no wonder the British choose it. Nice rooms, low price, delicious food, and very fun parties almost every night. I recommend it!
- Sea Breeze Hotel and Apartments≫ – The apartments are located in upper Oludeniz, the price is very low, for those who want to stay in Oludeniz for a long time and cook their own food.
How to get to Oludeniz
The easiest way to get to Oludeniz is from Fethiye: by dolmush (€1 one way) or by rented car.
I advise you to read – Fethiye or Oludeniz, which resort to choose for your vacation
Valley of butterflies
Not far from Oludeniz is the Valley of the Butterflies (Uzunyurt), a beach with blue water that is completely isolated from the possibility of reaching it by land. You can get there by renting a boat from Oludeniz, which is what we did when we were vacationing in Oludeniz. If you don’t want to swim down to the valley, you can look at it from above and take a few photos.
We decided to spend the whole day in the Valley of the Butterflies, so in the morning we boarded a boat that picks up people at Oludenizu Beach and returned by the same boat in the evening. It was inexpensive – about 20 euros each way.
Another option is to buy a tour on a sightseeing ship that takes tourists along different routes, entering the Valley of the Butterflies Bay. This way you will see several beautiful bays at once and also visit the valley. But I warn you that this is not the best idea – the big ships that sail into the Valley stop here for an hour, disembark people, and you simply do not have enough time to see this wonderful place, swim and lie on the beach. And you’ll be in a crowd of people, which is a dubious idea, as far as I’m concerned.
What to do in the Valley of the Butterflies
Swim and sunbathe on the beach. The whole beach is covered with pebbles – some of them are small, some are large. The best place to enter the water is on the right side (if you look at the Valley from the water side).
Go on foot to the waterfall located deep in the Valley. It is a waterfall in the spring, and in the summer you will hardly see any water here, only a small stream flowing down the mountain.
Stay in the Butterfly Valley for a week – you can camp in a small bungalow. There are only a toilet and a shower outside, but the romance overrides everything because it’s really nice to be away from the crowds of tourists.
More information: Butterfly Valley – a lost beach in Oludeniz
Getting to the Butterfly Valley
Either take a boat from Oludeniz or a rented car to the village of Faralia to see the valley from above. There is also a dangerous trail with ropes stretched out – you can climb down with their help.
I advise you to read – Rent a car in Turkey – our own experience
Kabak
The village of Kabak is my favorite on the Lycian coast. I have been here twice – the first time we came by car during a road trip around Lycia and, secondly, I came here on foot when I was walking Lycian Way.
I advise you to read –Kabak Beach – a wild vacation near the tourist Oludeniz
You will like Kabak if you like semi-wild vacations. What is meant by this? You don’t have to sleep in a tent, but if you want to, there is a cool and inexpensive campsite here. Kabak has a selection of cool hotels and simpler ones, like a room in a bungalow. But don’t expect a large selection of restaurants and shops here, like in Fethiye.
A couple of cafes on the beach and in the upper part of the village, small shops with the necessary food – that’s all. But that beautiful pebble beach surrounded by pine trees, the relaxed atmosphere, moonlit parties on the beach, and sometimes even naked people on the beach – this is not typical Turkey, this is a place where there is a spirit of freedom from convention.
Accommodation in Kabak Bay
- Kabak Avalon Bungalows ≫ is a hotel consisting of separate bungalows located on a mountain. But it has its own infinity pool overlooking the sea. A good place – book in advance, as it is in great demand.
- Sea Valley Bungalows≫ – is a hotel with bungalows located on Kabak Beach. It’s a great location for those who don’t have enough pools, and Kabak Beach is worth swimming in the sea during the day and partying in the evening.
- La Boheme Kabak≫ is a very stylish boutique hotel located near the beach with beautiful views of it and the sea. The bungalows are located at a distance from each other, there is a small pool for those who like to sunbathe in sun loungers and want to cool off on a hot day.
How to get to Kabak
The easiest way to get to Kabak is from Fethiye or Oludeniz: by dolmus or by rented car.
Please note that Kabak is the end point of the road – from there it’s only a walk through the mountains or a detour. The Dolmush stops in the upper part of the village, and you have to walk down. The road to Kabaku is bad, and cars are often left in the parking lot at the top.
Patara
The huge sandy beach of Patara, located near the village of Gelemish. A place to relax for those who don’t like crowds. But there is almost no infrastructure here either-the beach is almost wild, and for good reason-the loggerhead turtle lays its eggs here every summer. Therefore, some parts of the beach are closed to the public, and you cannot put umbrellas and sunbeds anywhere.
The peculiarity of resting on Patara Beach is that it is part of the Patara archaeological complex and you need to buy a ticket to visit it (60 lira in 2022). It is also important to remember that the town of Gelemish is not located on the coast, but deep in the valley. That is, every day you have to go to the beach by car or taxi.
In general, the sea here is very clean, the sand is fine and its wide strip stretches for a dozen kilometers – it is a very large and beautiful beach, if you do not get tied to the infrastructure of the resort town.
What to do on Patara Beach?
See the ruins of the ancient city of Patara (Gelemiş), protected by UNESCO. In addition, admission to the open-air archaeological museum is included in the price of the beach ticket.
You can spend all day on the beach itself, but you need to take an umbrella and food – there is only one cafe here and it’s not very good.
I advise you to read – Details about Patara beach and its second (unknown) part
Accommodation near Patara beach
For the night, you can choose a small hotel in the village of Gelemish, located near Patara.
- Golden Lighthouse Hotel≫ – is a very cool hotel with a private pool if relaxing on Patara Beach is not enough.
- TUTHALİYA HOTEL≫ – is a small, nice hotel with a small pool. The colors of the hotel are somewhat reminiscent of Greece, but no – it’s Turkey.
Getting to Patara
We traveled by rented car but there are small minibuses to Gelemish from Kalkan and Fethiye or Oludeniz, called dolmush.
Kalkan
A small town with a peculiar architecture that combines Greek and Turkish features. The low white houses, narrow cobblestone streets, and colorful wooden balconies are very nice here. Here you can stay for a couple of days to swim in the sea and make day trips to the ruins and beach of Patara, located ten kilometers from the city.
Kalkan has its own beaches – Yalı or Emerald, or the city beach Kalkan Halk Plajı – where you can sunbathe and lie around all day.
Also nearby are the huge ruins of ancient Xanthos and the historic sanctuary of the goddess Summer. A little further, 30 kilometers away, are the ruins of the ancient city of Tlos. The acropolis, columns, city square, Bellerephon’s tomb, and the ruins of the amphitheater are well preserved here.
Go to the Delikkemer Aqueduct Museum and Reserve – a huge aqueduct wall that rises above the city and remains from ancient times.
Accommodation in Kalkan
- Payava Hotel by True Blue≫ – is a very nice hotel with a swimming pool and rooms overlooking the sea and Kalkan Marina.
- Pier House Hotel≫ – is a very nice hotel with rooms where you can relax in the bathroom overlooking the sea. Fantastic views of Kalkan Bay from the infinity pool located on site.
- The White House Kalkan≫ – is a very nice hotel in the city center near the waterfront. Cozy rooms, delicious breakfasts, good atmosphere.
Getting to Kalkan
By rented car or by bus from Fethiye or Antalya – there is a bus station in Kalkan, where large comfortable buses and dolmus from different cities of the coast arrive.
Kash
Kash – I fell in love with this unlike any other Turkish town. A small promenade, narrow picturesque streets, wooden balconies, authentic cafes and shops make the city very cozy and more like neighboring Greece than Tzrechchina.
By the way, Kash means eyebrow, which is exactly what the town looks like if you look at it on a map. You can also see Lycian tombs in the middle of the street – near one in the very center, cats sit and locals drink beer. The ancient burial place blends in wonderfully with the style of this city.
What to see in Kash
This is a city for walking along narrow streets, long meetings in cozy cafes overlooking the sea. The waterfront and the streets on the slope above are full of cafes with a price tag for every budget. Try the yogurt and berry dondur ice cream made right on the waterfront – it’s delicious.
In the evening, we also went to see the ruins of the Andifli amphitheater – the upper staircase offers a magnificent view of the sea and the neighboring island of Kastellorizo. By the way, there is a ferry to the island – in a couple of hours you can compare Turkish Kash with the Greek town of Castellorizo, which also has Lycian tombs by the sea.
Kascha beaches are another thing worth going to this city for. Therefore, the most beautiful beach of the entire Lycian coast is located 15 km from Kashou. This is Kaputash beach, located in a gorge of rocks with fine sand and incredibly turquoise water. There are dolmushis (shuttle buses) to the beach, and there is also a parking lot.
Try a vacation on this beach – you won’t regret it even after you first go down more than 100 stairs and then climb to the top. It’s worth it! And your friends and followers will be envious of the photos from this beach.
More information: Kas – the most romantic and cozy city in Turkey
Accommodation in Kash
There are many small hotels in Kashi where you can stay for a couple of days. Good options:
- Hotel Cachet≫ rooms with sea views, a Greek island and a private jacuzzi on the balcony. There is also a large swimming pool with sun loungers and a bar. Stone steps lead to a small private beach for swimming in the sea water.
- Molino Hotel≫ – is a cozy hotel on the peninsula with a private pool. The stylish rooms offer pool and sea views. There are also rooms with a private jacuzzi.
- Belinda Hotel≫ – located in the eastern part of Kash, has a private pool and rooms with sea views. The price includes delicious breakfasts.
Getting to Kash
The most convenient way to get there is by car – Kas is located 152 km from Dalaman and 200 km from Antalya. Bati Antalya buses depart from Fethiye and Antalya to Kas.
Recommendations for organizing a trip to the Lycian coast of Turkey
Rent a car – I highly recommend it, because without it, you will spend a lot of time waiting or adjusting your plans to public transportation. You can find the best option for a rental company on the aggregator Rentalcars.com – Here you can find a budget option and read reviews about rental companies.
Book your accommodation in advance – remember that in Turkey Booking.com is banned in Turkey, so it’s best to do it at home. Or use a VPN while in Turkey.
Do not neglect health insurance – on the EKTA you can buy insurance without leaving your home.
Useful articles and links:
- Cappadocia – how to fly in a hot air balloon
- Istanbul in transit – 4 routes around the city for several hours
- Hotels in Cappadocia – with the best views of hot air balloons
- Lavender in Turkey – where to see the blooming fields
