Five Days on the Lycian Coast

Lycia is the ancient name for the mountainous coast between modern Fethiye and Antalya. Its cities sit on the shore or in the valleys just behind it, linked today by a winding coastal road. Many of the sites lie off the main road and are hard to reach without your own transport, so hire a car. Keep the daily driving short; you will want to stop for the views.

Day 1: Fethiye and Tlos

Start in Fethiye, in Muğla province, at the Tomb of Amyntas, a temple-fronted tomb carved into the cliff above town. The steps are steep but short, and you get a view over the bay. The Fethiye Museum has been closed for restoration for some time, so check its status before planning around it. In the afternoon drive inland to Tlos: the acropolis hill, rock tombs and stadium need about two hours.

Day 2: Letoon, Xanthos, Patara

These three are close together. The Letoon was the religious centre of the Lycian league; parts of its temples stand in groundwater for some of the year. An hour is enough. Just beyond is Xanthos, the old Lycian capital, with its tall pillar tombs and theatre. Xanthos and the Letoon are listed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Several of the finest pieces found here are in the British Museum, and the site shows casts. End the day at Patara: after the theatre, the council house and the colonnaded street you can walk out to the long sandy beach. Stay the night in Kaş.

Day 3: Demre

Drive east along the coast to Demre. At Myra the rock tombs carved into the cliff and the Roman theatre take about an hour. Then head into town for the Church of St Nicholas (Noel Baba Kilisesi in Turkish), built over the grave of the bishop behind the Santa Claus legend, with surviving wall paintings. In the afternoon go down to the harbour at Andriake for the Museum of Lycian Civilisations. With an extra day, a boat trip to Kekova is the classic outing on this stretch.

Day 4: Arykanda, Limyra, the Chimaera

From Finike take the inland road towards Elmalı. Arykanda climbs a mountainside in terraces, with baths, theatre and stadium on different levels, so there is a lot of uphill walking. Allow two hours. On the way back stop at Limyra. Spend the night in Çıralı and walk up at dusk to the Chimaera (Yanartaş), where gas seeping from the rocks keeps small flames burning. The path is stony and uphill; take a torch for the descent in the dark.

Day 5: Olympos and Phaselis

Olympos lies in a wooded valley at the southern end of Çıralı beach, its ruins scattered along a stream and half hidden in the vegetation. Two hours is enough. Your last stop is Phaselis to the north: a main street, an aqueduct and three small bays in a pine forest. From here the coast road continues to Antalya; the two-day Antalya route picks up where this one ends.

Practical notes

Summer middays are hard work at these sites: visit early and late, and spend the hottest hours in a museum or the sea. Closed shoes, a hat and plenty of water are needed every day, with climbs at Arykanda and Tlos and a rocky streambed at Olympos. Some sites close one day a week, so check the hours on each museum page.