Lycian Way Guide: The Coastal Trail from Fethiye to Antalya

The Lycian Way was conceived by the British researcher Kate Clow and opened in 1999; it was Turkey's first waymarked long-distance trail. It is roughly 760 km long and runs from Hisarönü (Ovacık) near Fethiye to Geyikbayırı in the Konyaaltı district of Antalya. The path is marked with red-and-white stripes following the French GR convention. It follows old routes between Lycian cities, mule tracks and forest paths; pines and carobs grow at lower elevations, cedars and junipers higher up. The route crosses mountainous coastal terrain and its difficulty varies. How long a stage takes depends on fitness and weather; exact durations and current trail conditions are not written without confirmation, and where unknown we say we don't know.

The western end is Fethiye, built over ancient Telmessos; on the town's hillside rises the Tomb of Amyntas, dated to 350 BCE. The trail drops south to Ölüdeniz, a resort about 14 km south of Fethiye whose lagoon is a nature reserve where construction is prohibited. Ölüdeniz is famous for paragliding thanks to the wind conditions around Mount Babadağ. The route then climbs via Faralya (Uzunyurt) to ridges above Butterfly Valley, which was declared a first-category protected area in 1995; it is a steep-walled canyon with two waterfalls that flow year-round. The descent into the valley can be steep and technical. Current boat times and fares from Ölüdeniz to the valley change by season; they are not written without confirmation, and where unknown we say we don't know.

Heading southeast, the route reaches Patara, a major harbour city of the Lycian League and, by legend, the birthplace of Saint Nicholas. Patara adjoins a protected beach called Turkey's longest, closed to development and used by loggerhead turtles for nesting; sources give its length variously as about 11 to 18 km, so we do not write a single fixed figure. The site holds a theatre, a monumental gate and one of the oldest lighthouses in the world. Further east, Kaş sits on ancient Antiphellos; on the town's southern edge stands a Hellenistic theatre facing the sea and the island of Kastellorizo (Meis). Current entry fees and opening hours for the ruins are not written without confirmation; where we do not know, we plainly say we don't know.

East of Kaş lies the Kekova region: an uninhabited island of 4.5 km² facing Demre. On the island's north shore are the partly sunken ruins of the ancient town of Dolichiste, destroyed by an earthquake in the 2nd century CE; swimming and diving are banned in the sunken-city section. The region was declared a specially protected area in 1990 and takes in the villages of Simena (Kaleköy) and Üçağız. Inland lies ancient Myra at Demre, famous for its Lycian rock tombs dated to the 4th century BCE and its theatre. Myra is also linked to Saint Nicholas, who was bishop here in the 4th century; the church built in his name stands here. Current times and fares for boat tours and museum visits change by season and are not written without confirmation; where unknown we say we don't know.

The eastern part of the route holds ancient Olympos, in Antalya's Kumluca district, one of the coast's most important harbour cities after Phaselis. Its ruins include harbour structures, a necropolis, a bath, a church and a theatre. Just north of Olympos, behind Çıralı beach, the Yanartaş (Chimaera) sits on the hillside: a place of constant flames where methane seeping from the rock burns naturally. These emissions are not volcanic and are mostly methane; directly below the flames lie the ruins of a temple of Hephaistos. The site was described by Francis Beaufort in 1811. The flames look most striking at night. The entry fee, opening hours and conditions for night access are not written without confirmation; where unknown we honestly say we don't know.