TürkiyeCennetThe Lycian coast
From Ölüdeniz to Tahtalı along the coastline of ancient Lycia: a lagoon, a gorge, an ancient city built behind a beach, a settlement under water, and a cable car climbing from sea level to 2,365 m.
- days
- 5
- Stops
- 6
- Approximate distance
- ~180 km
- Best season
- Spring · Autumn
Stops
- PataraAntalya
The ancient city and an 18 km beach share one entrance. The beach closes at night during loggerhead turtle nesting season.
- Çıralı & YanartaşAntalya
Olympos and the Chimaera flames are both here. The flames are far more striking after dark.
- Mount TahtalıAntalya
The finale: a cable car to the summit, looking down on the coast you have spent five days crossing.
What this route is about
This coastline was, in antiquity, the territory of an independent federation known as Lycia. The Lycians had their own language, their own script and a distinctive style of tomb carved directly into cliff faces. Even after joining Rome they largely governed themselves. This five-day route crosses the densest part of that geography from west to east.
The spine of the route also follows the line of the Lycian Way, Türkiye’s first long-distance walking trail. Even if you are driving between the stops, you are tracing the same landscape.
Splitting it into days
Five days for six stops is brisk but reasonable. In practice most people base themselves in Ölüdeniz or Kaş and make day trips — sleeping somewhere different every night on this coast is exhausting.
- Day 1 — Ölüdeniz. The lagoon and Butterfly Valley.
- Day 2 — Saklıkent. A detour inland, back to the coast in the afternoon.
- Day 3 — Patara. The ancient city in the morning, the beach later.
- Day 4 — Kekova. The boat trip takes most of a day.
- Day 5 — Çıralı and Tahtalı. Olympos by day, the Chimaera flames after dark, or the cable car.
When to go
April to early June, and September to October. July and August on this coast mean 35–40 °C with humidity, and unshaded sites like Patara become genuinely punishing at midday. Winter is walkable — January and February stay around 15 °C and green — but boat trips and cable car services thin out.
Practical notes
A rental car is by far the most flexible way to link these stops; Saklıkent and Çıralı are far from public transport. Kekova is reachable only by boat, and swimming and diving there are prohibited — the site is protected. The Tahtalı cable car closes in high wind, so check before driving up.