Section / Places

Places

Beaches, towns and gorges along the Lycian coast, with the ones worth the drive marked first.

Kaputaş from the cliff top, with sunloungers on the sand and an island on the horizon

Beaches

Kaputaş Beach, the Cove at the Foot of the Cliff

Between Kalkan and Kaş, a long stairway drops to the most photographed stretch of sand on the Lycian coast.

Kalkan and Kaş · 5 min read

Small boats moored along the quay in Kalkan harbour

Towns

Kalkan Old Town, the Cobbled Hill Above a Greek Harbour

Kalkan's lanes climb from a small, deep harbour between whitewashed stone houses. The shops line the way up, and the bay shows itself at every gap.

Kalkan · 4 min read

Göcek bay from above, with a wooded headland and boats in the sheltered water

Towns

Göcek, the Harbour Town Behind Its Islands

Göcek is a low town on a sheltered bay, with six marinas along its edge and a ring of islands offshore. The main street, the market hall and the dinner tables all face the boats.

Göcek · 4 min read

The wooden walkway bolted to the wall of Saklıkent Gorge above the turquoise river

Gorges

Saklıkent Gorge, the Canyon You Wade Into

A wooden walkway, an ice-cold river and a gorge that starts in Kaş district and ends in Muğla. Most visitors walk the first stretch and leave wet to the knee.

Seydikemer · 4 min read

A paved street lined with shops and flowering vines in Kaş

Towns

Kaş Old Town, the Bazaar Street That Climbs to a Tomb

Uzun Çarşı runs uphill from the harbour square between wooden bay windows and ends at a Lycian sarcophagus. The cafés are in the side lanes, and the doorsteps belong to the cats.

Kaş · 4 min read

Patara beach from above, a long strip of orange sand beside the sea

Beaches

Patara Beach, the Long Sand Where Lycia Held Its Parliament

Eighteen kilometres of open sand lie beside the ruins of a Lycian capital, with almost nothing built on them.

Patara · 5 min read

A turquoise bay framed by pines and rocky headlands

Beaches

Kabak Bay, the Cove at the End of the Road

A pebble beach at the foot of a pine valley, reached on foot from the last village on the Faralya road.

Faralya · 5 min read

Ölüdeniz lagoon and its sand spit from the air

Beaches

Ölüdeniz, the Lagoon Under the Mountain

A sheltered lagoon behind a spit of pale pebbles, an open bay beyond it and a ridge that sends paragliders down onto the beach.

Fethiye · 5 min read

Çıralı beach and the mountains behind it, with the river mouth in the foreground

Beaches

Çıralı, the Shingle Beach Without a Skyline

A long curve of pebbles between orange groves and the mountains, with a fire burning in the hills above.

Olympos · 5 min read

Adrasan bay from above, with the mountain behind the beach

Beaches

Adrasan, the Quiet Bay and the Island Offshore

A calm village bay of pebbles and coarse sand, and a protected island of pale sand a short boat ride away.

Kumluca · 5 min read

The İztuzu sand spit and the Dalyan delta from above

Beaches

İztuzu Beach, the Long Sand Spit Where the Turtles Come First

A four-and-a-half-kilometre ribbon of sand near Dalyan, with a lagoon on one side and open sea on the other.

Dalyan · 5 min read

Phaselis bay from above, with a pine-covered headland in front

Beaches

Phaselis, the Harbour Town Under the Pines

A trading port on a pine-covered headland, with a bay on each side and a smaller harbour between them.

Tekirova · 5 min read

More places are on the way