Kaş

Kaş has beach activities, and ancient ruins in its hills, but is mostly a relaxing sort of place. Standing at 36°12′ N, on about the same latitude as Tunis in North Africa, it has a subtropical Mediterranean climate. Summers are hot and sticky, with average daytime highs of 35°C, with very little rain. Winters are mild with daytime temperatures around 15°C, albeit with occasionally very heavy rains. September is a good time to visit, with warm seas but without the sweltering summer heat.

Kaş is small and easy to walk. Dolmuşes run to the peninsula, to villages such as Çukurbağ (for Phellos) and along the coast to Kalkan and Demre.

• Town centre is modern, including the main mosque in retro-Ottoman style. Yeni Camii or New Mosque at the foot of the peninsula was a Greek Orthodox church, little altered.
• 🌍 Antiphellos is the ruins of the port for the inland city of Phellos (below). It was populated from the 4th century BC and outgrew Phellos but declined after an earthquake and tsunami in 141/2 AD. The main features are the amphitheatre, and the "king's tomb" the best of many sarcophagi and rock tombs. The site is free to explore 24 hours.
• Rock tombs line the cliffs behind town, with a good selection accessible from Likya Cd.
• Sleeping Giant (Uyuyan Dev) is the rocky ridge above the cliffs. You can hike up from the east, the direct approach from town is steep and hazardous.
• 🌍 Çukurbağ is the straggling settlement that you come through to reach Phellos.
• 🌍 Phellos remains only as a few acropolis walls and tombs on the hill north of Çukurbağ. Wear long trousers, or the hawthorn undergrowth will rip your legs, and watch out for bears.
• 🌍 Isinda is the scattered remains of a city, by the village of Belenli. Around the 1st century AD its inhabitants abandoned it for Antiphellos on the coast.
• 🌍 Aperlae is the scrappy remains of a Lycian city. Remarkably, it seems to have been built with the help of snails: their shells were found in such profusion that they were probably used as a source of lime. The site is free to access 24 hours but it's a long rough hike to get here, and most visitors come on a boat trip.
• 🌍 Apollonia is another ruined city, on the hill south of Boğazcık and difficult to find.
• Oninda 5 km northeast of Boğazcık is even harder to find, and not much there.
• 🌍 Kekova is an uninhabited island sometimes visited by boat trips. On its north coast are the sunken ruins of ancient Dolikisthe, destroyed by the earthquake of 141/2 AD. Boats can't anchor there and no swimming or snorkelling is permitted. They allow kayaks but you don't see much.
• 🌍 Kyaneai is a straggle of three ruined cities, on a ridge near Highway D400 so they're straightforward to reach by a hike, but you'll probably have them to yourself. There's a theatre and many tombs and sarcophagi.
• See Demre for points further east, such as the ruins of Hoyran.

• Beaches are shingle, such as Çınarlar Beach in a cove just south of the marina, and Büyükçakıl ("Big Pebble") 2 km further south. But the water is clean for swimming and snorkelling.
• Boat trips: over a dozen operators ply from the harbour.
• Scuba diving: a dozen scuba shacks offer training, kit hire and dives in the area.
• Lycian Way is a long-distance hiking route along the Med coast. Eastbound the local section is from Phellos into Kaş then on towards Demre.
• Republic Day on October 29th is celebrated in the town square, with music, dancing and quaffing of rakı. Enjoy, because this marks end of season and a lot of businesses shut up shop thereafter.

• Lots of small supermarkets, such as Carrefour at Atatürk Blv 32, open daily 08:00-22:00.
• Uzunçarşı Cd is the main shopping street May-Oct for crafts and souvenirs. The name means "long market", and after rainfall you'll work out why it's nicknamed "slippery street". Its upper section, Doğruyol Cd, has a fine Lycian sarcophagus.
• Street markets are held on Friday by the old otogar, and on Tuesday on the hill just west of the centre.

Lots of places with good ambiance, value for money and inexpensive.

• Bahçe, Doğruyol Cd 33, ☏ +90 242 836 2370. Daily 11:30-00:00. Long-established favourite by the Lycian sarcophagus on "slippery street". (updated May 2024)

• Kaş has many free-standing bars, open until 03:00 during the April-October tourist season. Favourites include Mavi Bar by the marina and Red Point Cafe a block inland.

Kaş and the coast road have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of May 2024, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

• Dolmuses run from the old otogar to towns such as Fethiye, Demre and Antalya.
• Kınık to the northwest has the ruins of Xanthos and Letoon.
• The island of Kastellorizo can be done as a day trip, but is linked by the Greek ferry network to Rhodes and beyond.