Beautiful Turkish Riviera – A Scenic Drive You Need To Discover!
If the breathtaking scenery of the Turkish Riviera can't convince you to take a road trip through Turkey, nothing will. You couldn't find a more scenic coastal drive than the D400 between Antalya and Fethiye, exploring ancient Lycia! Bright blue sea, deserted beaches and glorious mountains all the way! The route is jam-packed with ancient ruins and natural beauty, well worth exploring. Join us for the last part of our epic Turkey road trip!
In Part 1 of our Turkey road trip series, we got as far as Antalya in Southern Turkey. Undoubtedly, the stretch between Izmir and Antalya holds some amazing highlights, however, the most scenic part was yet to come.
Today, we cover the coastal drive along the D400 starting with Cirali, a mindful travellers paradise and home to the ruins of Olympos and the eternal flames of Chimaera. We spend three nights in beautiful Kaş and hiked a few kilometres on the trails of the Lycian Way. We then moved on to looking for sea turtles at Patara Beach and drove through some of the most spectacular mountains on our way to Fethiye. Here, we had time to roam the deserted village of Kayaköy and admire Ölündeniz Beach from above. Lastly, we travelled from Fethiye to the remote town of Dalyan, best known for its Lycian rock tombs before returning for a final night to Selçuk. It’s a lot to get through, so let’s get started!
Stop 1: Kaş via Cirali Beach
Antalya via Cirali to Kaş - 3.5 hours, 206 km
3 overnights
When we planned our drive from Antalya to Kaş, we looked for a nice place to stop along the way for lunch. This is how we stumbled across Cirali. It sounded like a lovely place with a beautiful beach to possibly have a swim and a good lunch. Perfect!
Leaving Antalya we got our first impressions of the D400 coastal drive. The road takes you along the coast and into the mountains, catching glimpses of the sea and if you are lucky you can even see the snow-capped peak of Mount Olympos.
Cirali
The drive from Antalya to Cirali is about 80 km and takes you about 1.5 hours. To get to Cirali you turn off the D400 highway and drive through lush vegetation down a steep road to the village centre. It’s a lovely eco village, without any big brick buildings and only tiny roads in a beautiful setting. The 4 km long pebble beach is surrounded by breathtaking mountains and home to endangered sea turtles that come here to lay their eggs. Untouched by mass tourism, Cirali attracts mostly local tourists, hikers and off the beaten track travellers. Cute little wooden B&Bs and guesthouses, that look more like private homes, invite you to stay with family. The main road through the village has plenty of small cafes and restaurants to choose from. Everything looks rustic in a charming way. If you turn back from the beach you see Mt. Olympos snowy summit peeking through in the distance. Even in November, it was still perfect weather for a little dip in the Ocean. Along the beach road, you’ll find quite a few little restaurants with beach views and sunbeds. We camped down at one of the restaurants and enjoyed a delicious fish lunch and some downtime, regretting that we couldn’t stay here for a few days. If I had my time again, I would definitely add 2 – 3 nights in Cirali to the itinerary!
Cirali Must-Do's
Visit the Ancient City of Olympos:
The village of Olympos is located at the next turnoff from the D400. Make a day of it and visit the more lively village, walk past Kadir’s treehouses and, of course, visit the ruins of ancient Olympos. Maybe even go for a dip at Olympos beach. By car, you will have to drive out of Cirali back to the D400, turn left towards Kaş and take the next turn off again towards Olympos. There is plenty to see so don’t miss out on it.
The Eternal Flames of Chimaera:
In the evening you should visit Chimaera, the ‘Burning Rock’, just outside Cirali. This mystical place has eternally burning flames thanks to gasses emerging from the ground. Especially at night, these flames are an otherworldly sight, you shouldn’t miss out on. From Cirali village you can follow the Chimaera signs for about 3.5 km to a car park. From here it’s approximately another 30-minute steep walk until you reach the Chimaera site. It’s a good after-dinner workout and for dessert, you can bring some marshmallows and roast them over the eternal flames!
Go Hiking along the Lycian Way:
The Lycian Way is a marked long-distance hiking trail stretching from Fethiye to Antalya. The entire trail is about 500 km in total and follows the stunning coastline of the Turkish Riviera, covering the ancient region of Lycia. If you drive on the D400 you basically drive parallel to the Lycian Way Hiking Trail. This means you can dart out here and there and do little hikes on the trail from one of your overnight spots. If you have a couple of days in Cirali, explore parts of the Lycian Way. There are quite a few trails you can do, many of them full-day hikes. Check with your host in Cirali to possibly arrange transport if need be to get you to the start or endpoint of a trail.
I cannot stress enough how beautiful the coastal drive along the D400 was. If you are looking for a good, affordable and reliable car rental company Localrent.com comes highly recommended.
Kaş
After a lovely lunch and a good couple of hours of relaxing we had to move on to Kaş, our home for the next 3 nights. From Cirali you’ll still have about two hours of scenic coastal road ahead of you. Take your time along the drive, it is just too beautiful to rush through! For the last few kilometres driving into Kaş, you’ll – once again – leave the D400 and make your way down to the coast through the steep serpentines. It’s for some intense driving, but the views are just amazing.
About Kaş
The small town stretches in front of you, towering mountains in the back and little islands speckled across the bay ahead. Once you get into the town you’ll see bougainvillaea covered, whitewashed houses, little cobblestone streets that invite you to explore.
Even though Kaş is decked out to cater for tourists with restaurants and cafes and a plethora of hotels and guest houses, you can see it is not overrun by mass-tourism. It still has an authentic small-town feel, with a good balance of tourism infrastructure, yet not too commercialised. The closest airport to Kaş is Dalaman Airport, about 2.5 hours away and Antalya International Airport is even 3.5 hours away, which makes it thankfully not convenient enough for mass tourism. Nevertheless, Kaş does get a good portion of foreign tourists but is also extremely popular with local tourists. Since the Lycian Way passes through Kaş, you’ll also see many hikers with big backpacks and gear passing through. It’s a lovely place, perfect for a good couple of days of exploration and relaxation!
Where to Stay
We stayed at the Hideaway Hotel – a simple, yet beautiful hotel with some of the best views over Kaş! Their rooftop terrace is the highlight of the hotel! From here you overlook the bay with the town and the Greek islands right in front of you. It’s just a short walk into the town centre and sunsets are best enjoyed at the Antiphellos Amphitheatre situated right next to the hotel. Ideal for us road trippers – there is a big parking area for hotel guests just a few metres away.
The rooms are modern and nicely decorated without any clutter. The breakfast buffet is enormous and delicious! It’s served on the rooftop terrace to give you the best start to the day. If you like a sundowner drink on the terrace, you can just grab a drink from the bar fridge and note it down in the honesty-bar book. Easy! If you don’t need luxury, but a simple and lovely place in a central location – the Hideaway Hotel is for you!
Kaş Must-Do's
The only time during our road trip that we had rainy days was unfortunately in Kaş! This hindered our plans a little as it comes to activities, but of course, we still have a couple of recommendations on what to do!
Walk parts of the Lycian Way:
As one of the overnight stops along the Lycian Way, it’s easy to walk a few kilometres along the trail. It’s popular to hike up the mountain to enjoy some of the best views over the area. Otherwise, you can follow the trail from around Büyükçakil Plaji around the bay. You’ll see a few signposts for the Lycian Way along the road to follow. At some stage the trail gets quite rough, but we made it a fair part along. It was a fun adventure with great views over Kaş.
Explore the Beaches:
Kaş has an amazing coastline and turquoise waters, inviting you to just jump in. Instead of sand though, you’ll mostly find pebble beaches with only a few exceptions. If you have sensitive feet, you might have to invest in some water shoes. There are many little bays and beach clubs in and around town, with deck chairs and umbrellas for some convenient beach fun.
Kaş’ most popular beach is Kaputas, situated about 20 km West of town. It’s a stunning sandy beach, which can get quite crowded in summer but should be very enjoyable during the shoulder season. If the weather is right – take the day off and enjoy the day by the beach.
Spend a day on a boat:
The best thing to do is getting on a boat and enjoy the day exploring the area around Kaş by sea. The harbour is located right in the city centre with plenty of day cruise companies you can choose from. See which itinerary suits you best and enjoy the day swimming in pristine waters and hidden bays, seeing the area from a different angle.
Visit the Greek Island of Meis:
Just opposite Kaş and seemingly so close you can touch it, lies the Greek island of Meis or Kastellorizo, as it’s called in Greek. The ferry ride only takes about 30 minutes, leaving Kaş at 10 am and returning at 4 pm – ideal for a day trip. The ferry office is situated at the harbour and the round trip costs about 25 EUR. You can bring your passport to the ferry office the day before you plan to go for all the border crossing admin. You are leaving the country after all. Just be aware that Meis is extremely small with only about 400 permanent inhabits, which means there is only so much to do. The biggest attraction is the Blue Cave, which costs approximately another 10 EUR to visit. If that sounds like something you would be interested in – why not pop over to Greece for the day?!
Kaş - What's the Verdict?
I absolutely loved Kaş! Even though we had a bit of rain during our time here, it was still an amazing little place with a great vibe. If you want to take it slow, you could easily spend a week here without getting bored. Having a car is a definite advantage to be able to visit all the sights around town without the hassle of having to organise transport. There is so much to do in the area, you should make sure to plan enough time. I would definitely recommend staying at least three nights if not longer.
As always, good food and drinks are a cornerstone for any enjoyable stay and again – Kaş delivers! There are many lovely cafés with hipster coffee culture, traditional Turkish restaurants as well as any other Mediterranean fare – you won’t be disappointed. If you love good coffee you should definitely try Linckia Coffee Roastery or Biiisstt Coffee & Sandwiches! Both offer good coffee and a nice atmosphere.
Unfortunately, partly due to low season, partly due to stricter COVID regulations, many of the restaurants, bars and cafes we wanted to visit were closed. I guess I will have to come back once everything is back up and running to taste more!
Stop 2: Fethiye
Kaş via Patara Beach to Fethiye - 2.5 - 3 hours 135 km, 2 overnights
All good things must come to an end and so we had to leave beautiful Kaş to get on our way to Fethiye. We couldn’t leave though without stopping at some of all those sights littered along the way. We had to make some hard decisions since we couldn’t visit them all. At this point – I have to be honest – we had enough of ancient ruins and we skipped Xanthos and Letoon.
Both cities are UNESCO World Heritage sites and played a major role in the ancient Lycian federation. They are surely fascinating archaeological sites with historical Roman streets, an ancient shopping arcade and a well intact Byzantine church, to name just a few.
Nevertheless, we decided to visit Patara Beach instead. It’s about a 45-minute drive from Kaş, an easy start to your driving day. Should you be interested in doing both Patara as well as Xanthos and Letoon – no problem. The two sites are only about a 30-minute drive apart.
Patara
This uninterrupted 18 km stretch of white sandy beach is not only Turkeys most beautiful beach, it belongs to the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. It’s also a sanctuary for the rare Loggerhead Turtles to lay their eggs. Of course, it wouldn’t be Turkey if there wouldn’t be the ruins of the ancient Lycian city of Patara right next to the beach! It’s the full enchilada, as they say!
About Patara Beach
Turning off the D400 you pass through the lovely little village of Patara. To enter the beach area, you’ll have to pay a small entrance fee of about 20 TRY. If you like to visit the Patara ruins you pay slightly more. However, the ruins are visible as you drive past them, so I am not sure if it’s really worth paying extra for it.
The parking at the beach is free and if you need to load up on water, souvenirs or a little snack, you’ll find shops and cafes in the parking area.
As you walk the boardwalk towards the beach you’ll get overwhelmed with the stunning views awaiting! Bright blue sea, white sand, windswept dunes and mountains in the distance – it surely is worth visiting this amazing stretch of land. Thanks to low season and COVID times, we nearly had the beach to ourselves. We went for a good long walk along the beach, hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive Loggerhead turtle, but alas, they must have been out that day. In summer the beach is popular for swimming and spending the day by the water. Towards the end of November, it was still warm enough for a quick dip, but not quite beach weather anymore.
If you pass through, make sure you stop at Patara and just enjoy the area. There is a lot to see and maybe you are lucky and get to see some turtles.
The Drive from Patara to Ölündeniz
I‘ll have to mention the drive because it turned out to be the most amazing experience. The quickest way from Patara to Fethiye is to stay on the D400 all the way. Unbeknownst to us, GoogleMaps decided on the shorter route by a few kilometres and led us off the D400 just before the town of Esen, on some godforsaken country road.
Along the way you’ll find small restaurants here and there in case you would like to stop for a rest. Once we reached Ölündeniz, the views over the beach and the area from the mountain pass were just unbelievable.
Even though this road was absolutely stunning, it is very weather dependent. We were extremely lucky with a perfectly sunny day. In case of bad weather though, I would suggest to rather stick to the D400. The road is very remote and probably not very safe in bad weather
Fethiye
Fethiye is a modern yet charming port city. The marina area is one of the main strips to meander with a kilometre long promenade with benches to sit and little shops to buy snacks, coffee or juices.
On the other side of the marina area, you’ll find a maze of small streets with a bazaar type of feel. Small shops with souvenirs, clothes, herbs and spices as well as little restaurants make for a typical Turkish shopping experience. As it comes to beaches you’ll find once again no sand, but all pebble beaches. The most beautiful of them all is Ölündeniz Beach, about 17 km outside of the city. Again, it is so convenient to have a car to drive to Ölündeniz if you like to spend the day by the beach. Otherwise, it’s possible to catch one of the cheap and cheerful local dolmus (minivan taxi) to get you to and from the beach.
The other beach in Fethiye’s North is Çaliş, only about 7 km from Fethiye’s marina area. You’ll find all hotels, restaurants and shops are very much geared towards British pensioners and tourists. I found it a bit depressing, to be honest, but you might think differently.
Where to Stay
I have been to Fethiye twice and I haven’t gotten right either time, to be honest. The first time I stayed in an Airbnb flat in the Çaliş area. The flat was lovely, but it was too far out from the city and the area around Çaliş is like a Little Britain. This time I made sure we stayed right in the city centre, a stone throw away from the marina and right in middle of the bazaar area.
We stayed at the Infinity Exclusive City Hotel, which gets very good reviews and could not be more centrally located. It wasn’t a bad hotel at all, but I think the rating of 9 on Booking.com is very much exaggerated. The room pretty old and the hotel looks a little tired overall. We, weirdly enough, had a massive bathtub in the middle of our room, which was admittedly enormous. The breakfast was ok, but nothing to write home about. The one thing that really annoyed me was that they list ‘parking’ under the hotel facilities. When we arrived we couldn’t find any signs for the parking and had to use the marina parking, which you pay for by the hour. As it turned out the free parking is along the busy main road – first come, first serve. There is no actual hotel parking. During the day it’s a nightmare to find a place and we had to circle the area forever only to end up again at the marina parking. It gets better towards the evening, but either way, it’s not ideal when you come by car.
Therefore, I am still yet to discover the perfect accommodation in Fethiye. If you know one, let me know!
Fethiye Must-Do's
There are plenty of things to do in and around Fethiye, but the below are definite Must-Do’s!
Do a Boat Cruise:
Spend a day cruising the pristine waters around Fethiye by boat! Peruse the marina for a boat and offer to your liking! There is a huge amount of boat companies, the offered trips are all pretty similar, just see what suits you best!
You’ll start in the morning, get comfy onboard your beautiful boat and sail past the stunning coastline around Fethiye. You’ll stop along some beautiful bays where you can go for a swim. Lunch is served on board and you can kick back with a few delicious drinks of your choice. Make a day of it and treat yourself! It’s definitely a Must-Do when in Fethiye.
The Deserted Village of Kayaköy:
Only about 13 km outside Fethiye lies the deserted village of Kayaköy. Once a lively Greek village of about 10,000 people was forcefully evacuated in 1923 after the last Greco-Turkish war. As a result of the war, the Treaty of Lausanne was signed between Greece and Turkey. The treaty dictated that any remaining Orthodox Christians had to leave their homes in Turkey to settle in Greece. Therefore, all inhabitants of Kayaköy were forcefully removed to leave not only the village but Turkey altogether. Ever since then the village remained deserted and is now preserved as a ghost town and museum. Against a small entrance fee, you can roam between the empty, derelict houses and explore this eerie piece of Turkish history.
Ölündeniz:
If you visit Kayaköy you are an only 15-minute drive away from Ölündeniz Beach. By all means, enjoy the beach and all its easy tourist facilities. Take it easy and enjoy the breathtaking views.
If you are a certified adrenaline junkie, you simply must go paragliding off the summit of Babadag mountain. Thanks to the stable weather conditions and stunning views, Ölündeniz is amongst Europe’s best paragliding sites! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, you should try at least once. There are many companies offering paragliding in Ölündeniz, one of them being Skysports Turkey!
The other thing you should give a go is walking a couple of kilometres of the Lycian Way. There is a starting point just above Ölündeniz with a car park and some signposts sending you off in the right direction. If you want amazing views over Ölündeniz without taking to the sky, this amazing stretch of the Lycian Way should be on your To-Do List!
Fethiye - What's the Verdict?
Fethiye is a Must-Visit along the Turkish Riviera, especially if you are road tripping the area. You’ll find pristine blue waters, stunning coastline and ancient ruins around Fethiye, which makes it worth a visit. Explore the coast by boat for a day to relax and take in the amazing views. It’s a great experience.
Fethiye is also a convenient start or endpoint for your road trip if you don’t want to drive all the way to Izmir. Dalaman International Airport (DLM) is the closest airport, situated only about 45 km North of Fethiye. There are a few European low-cost carriers flying directly into Dalaman (DLM) or you can get extremely cheap domestic connections from Istanbul.
Unfortunately, I can’t say much about the best restaurants, bars and cafes as COVID restrictions were increased by the time we reached Fethiye. Only take-away service was allowed and we couldn’t enjoy the local cuisine and hospitality as much as we had hoped.
Stop 3: Dalyan
Fethiye to Dalyan - 1 hour, 60 km, 1 overnight
Our next stop was Dalyan, known for its Lycian rock tombs and only a short drive from Fethiye. The small town of Dalyan is situated along the river with the same name. Across the river, you’ll find the ancient city of Kaunos to which the amazing Lycian rock tombs belong as well as the remains of an amphitheatre. Riverboats connect the town with Iztuzu Beach, another stunning protected beach area for the endangered Loggerhead Turtles. You can do boat tours to Kaunos and the rock tombs as well as evening sunset cruises with the best views over the rock tombs. While we were there, not much was running in terms of the tourist infrastructure, so we did our own trip to Kaunos, which is easy enough to do!
From the town side of the river, you get over to the other side by a little rowing boat, which costs close to nothing. From the pier, you can walk the few kilometres to Kaunos while on the way marvel at the rock tombs towering above you. Once you arrive at the entrance to the ancient city of Kaunos, you pay a small entrance fee and are free to explore to your heart’s content. For the most part, we were the only visitors there that day, except for an amateur opera singer using the amphitheatre as her stage! It was such a great experience.
Dalyan - What's the Verdict?
Since the COVID lockdown rules had taken effect just a few days earlier, we couldn’t visit any restaurants or cafes. Apart from our sightseeing excursion to Kaunos the most amazing experience we had were sunset drinks by the river. Thanks to a little shop selling drinks out of the window we were able to sit in the sun watching the few boats go by, rock tombs just on the other side of the river, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere.
Dalyan is definitely set up for bigger amounts of tourists with plenty of hotels, bars and restaurants. Unfortunately, thanks to the strict COVID regulations, they were all closed while we were there. I feel like we couldn’t experience the full potential of Dalyan, but nevertheless, I think you don’t need more than one, maybe two nights in Dalyan to explore everything the town has to offer. It’s worth a visit, but there is no need to spend too much time here.
Our hotel was very cheap and I guess we got what we paid for. It was alright for a night, but really not worth writing much more about it. If you stay within walking distance of the main strip around the river, you surely find some good accommodation according to your budget.
Stop 4: Selçuk & Departure
Dalyan to Selçuk - 3 hours, 247 km, 1 overnight
We now got on the last stretch of our trip, before returning back to Izmir. The drive between Dalyan and Selçuk was one of the longer ones we had and not very exciting! We pencilled in the last night in Selçuk as an overnight stop. We found a cosy little place in the centre of Selçuk. Given the COVID restrictions we faced, it seemed better to stay in a ‘bigger’ town to be able to get take-away food since sit-down dinners weren’t possible.
Where to Stay
This place definitely needs to be mentioned. In Selçuk, we stayed at the Amazon Antique guesthouse, a lovely in-expensive place in the heart of the historical part of Selçuk. We had a lovely small room just across the garden with all amenities needed and traditionally decorates. We had the ‘restaurant’ area mostly to ourselves with the best feature being the beautiful fireplace. Being by now end of November, it got pretty cold at night, so sitting by the roaring fire with our take-away food was warm and cosy. Our host couldn’t have been more lovely, making us feel at home. In the morning he went all out, preparing a delicious breakfast buffet for us. He gave us tips on what to do and was overall looking after us. Should you find yourself in Selçuk, I can definitely recommend staying at the Amazon Antique guesthouse.
Selçuk Must-Do's
If you haven’t explored the town yet, make sure to take a few hours to walk around. There is so much to see right in the city centre.
Visit the Byzantine Ayasuluk Citadel for example. You will be able to see this impressive fortress from anywhere in the city, so it’s easy to find. If you made it to the citadel you might as well visit Basilika of Saint John, just a few meters away. It’s one of the leftovers of Ephesus in Selçuk and is believed to be the burial site of John the Apostle. Close by you’ll also find the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, dedicated to the ancient goddess Artemis. If you want to get more in-depth information and see some of the most valuable artefacts excavated in nearby Ephesus, visit the Selcuk Efes Kent Bellegi-History Museum. It’s a beautiful stone building close to the train station and the ruins of the Byzantine Aqueduct.
If you walk through the lively city centre, stop by the daily market and have a look at the local delicacies. From fresh fruit and vegetables to the most delicious baked goods, household ware, even ovens – you can find anything here.
As you see, Selçuk itself is jam-packed with more sights and ancient artefacts, part of the previously grand city of Ephesus. It’s a lovely little town, don’t drive just through, there is plenty to see.
The Departure
With this, our road trip came to an end and it was time to wish Turkey goodbye. After our last night in Selçuk, it was just a quick one hour drive to Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport, where we dropped our trusty vehicle off. The GoldCar booth at the airport was deserted that day, but you’ll find a box to throw the car keys in for drop off. Meanwhile, it felt a bit strange, we didn’t have any issues afterwards. The only charges deducted later were for the OGS, the electronic toll fees we had accumulated during our trip.
Driving in Turkey is so easy, especially outside the big cities. The roads are very good and the traffic is not too hectic. With a sim card and GoogleMaps, navigation is a piece of cake and you’ll always find something interesting along the way. We often stopped in smaller, local places for a quick snack and the hospitality of the people was just overwhelming, always spoiling us with a little tea or dessert after our meal.
I hope you enjoyed this three-part series about Road Tripping Turkey. Should you have missed the previous two parts, have a look at Magical Turkey – Why You Should Plan Your Road Trip Now and The Road Best Travelled – Authentic Turkey From Izmir to Antalya!
We will leave Turkey now and explore a whole new country next week! Thanks a lot for your interest and hopefully, you will join us again.
If you enjoyed this, please give it a Like and Subscribe to get informed once a new post is out.
Have a fabulous week! Until next time.
