Getting there / Flights and roads
Getting to the Lycian Coast, Reached With One Change
Most visitors fly into Dalaman, and from there most of the beaches and ruins in this journal lie within two hours by road. Here is how the journey works, and what to book before you land.
Outside the arrivals hall at Dalaman, drivers stand with name boards and the hire desks are already busy. Beyond the car park the D400 runs toward Göcek, and the coast begins.
Most travellers reach this part of the coast with a single change. Turkish Airlines flies nonstop to Istanbul from New York, Miami, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Madrid, Oslo, Stockholm and Moscow. From there the last leg is short: both of Istanbul's airports have direct flights to Dalaman, the closest airport to most of the coast, and the flight takes a little over an hour. In summer, airlines such as easyJet, Jet2, TUI and SunExpress also fly direct to Dalaman and Antalya from the United Kingdom and other European countries, so it is worth checking for a direct flight before you book.
Dalaman for the west, Antalya for the east
Dalaman serves Fethiye, Ölüdeniz, Dalyan, Göcek, Kalkan, Kaş and the ancient cities of the Xanthos valley. Antalya is the better door to the eastern edge of the coast, with Çıralı, Phaselis and Adrasan an hour or two away. Kekova sits between them and is about three hours from either airport.
For the two towns most people ask about, the comparison is plain. Kalkan is about 1 hour 45 minutes from Dalaman and about 3 hours 30 minutes from Antalya. Kaş is about two hours from Dalaman and about 3 hours from Antalya. Flying to Dalaman saves roughly an hour and a half on the way to Kalkan and an hour on the way to Kaş.
What the clock says from Dalaman
The coast road is the D400, and it bends. Treat these times as the drive itself, without stops.
| Destination | Drive |
|---|---|
| Göcek | about 25 minutes |
| Dalyan, İztuzu and Kaunos | about 35 minutes |
| Fethiye and Paspatur | about 50 minutes |
| Ölüdeniz and Çalış | about an hour |
| Kayaköy | about 1 hour 10 minutes |
| Faralya, Kabak, Xanthos, Letoon, Pınara and Marmaris | about 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Patara | about 1 hour 45 minutes |
| Kalkan | about 1 hour 45 minutes (roughly 120 km) |
| Kaputaş and Sidyma | about two hours |
| Kaş | about two hours (roughly 150 km) |
| Destination | Drive |
|---|---|
| Phaselis | about an hour |
| Çıralı | about 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Adrasan | about two hours |
| Kaş | about 3 hours (roughly 190 km) |
| Kalkan | about 3 hours 30 minutes (roughly 215 km) |
| Kekova (Üçağız), from either airport | about three hours |
Three ways to cover the last miles
A hire car is the easiest option, and collecting one at the airport is simple. It suits anyone who wants to link several places in a day, such as Xanthos, Letoon and Patara.
A private VIP transfer or a seat on a shared shuttle minibus both run from the airport to Kalkan and the other towns. The dolmuş minibuses are the local network: they run between Kalkan and both Kaş and Fethiye, and between Göcek and Fethiye. Boats take over where the road stops, from Ölüdeniz, Gemiler, Üçağız and Kaş harbour, where the ferry to Meis leaves.
Insider notes
Allow for the bends. A drive of two hours on the D400 feels longer than the map suggests, and a late flight makes it longer still.
Some places need no car once you arrive. Kaş, the old quarter of Fethiye, Küçük Çakıl and Göcek harbour are all a walk from where you sleep.
Dolmuş services thin out in the evening, so check the last return before you settle in. Boats keep their own timetables too.
Land in the morning, and you can be eating at a harbour table in Kalkan before the afternoon is over.