Why come here
Kaş (pronounced "Kash") is what Fethiye was 30 years ago: a working town that hasn’t been over-built. The harbour faces the Greek island of Meis (Kastellorizo, visible offshore, reachable by 20-minute ferry). The streets above climb into a hillside dotted with Lycian rock tombs. The main square holds a single Lycian sarcophagus, 2,400 years old, that the modern town built itself around.
What Kaş actually does best is diving. Twenty-eight named dive sites within 30 minutes of the harbour, ranging from beginner reefs to wreck dives (the WWII-era Italian seaplane Savoia, the Dimitri freighter), to underwater archaeology (Lycian amphora fields). Visibility 25–40 m for most of the season. Eight or nine well-established dive schools compete openly on price and quality, which keeps both reasonable.
Kalkan, 30 km west, is the more curated companion: a tighter cluster of white-washed pensions and villas above a small harbour, more boutique restaurants per capita than Kaş, less working-town energy. Most travellers pick one base or the other — not both.
What to do, by pillar
Scuba diving in Kaş — the Mediterranean's clearest water
30+ documented dive sites within an hour of harbour, 25 PADI centres operating in Kaş town, 25–40 m visibility most of the season. Standout sites include the Heybeli wreck (sunken Greek dredger at 22 m), the Canyon swim-through, Big Reef (gorgonian fans), and a Roman amphora field at Three Anchors.
Standard pricing: Discover Scuba ~€80; certified single dive ~€45; two-tank day with lunch ~€80–100; PADI Open Water Diver course ~€350–450 over 4 days. Most schools offer free pickup from your hotel.
Open the Kaş diving directory →Hiking — the Kaş peninsula and central Lycian Way
The Kaş peninsula loops give 4–8 km coastal walks straight from town — cliff-edge tracks, Lycian sarcophagi in the middle of pine woods, and abandoned Greek-Turkish villages. The Lycian Way passes through Kaş itself: stages 13–17 cover the most scenic central coast, including the descent to Patara, the cliff path above Kalkan, and the inland section around Bezirgan plateau.
Open the Lycian Way platform →Sea kayak to Kekova & sailing the central Lycian coast
Two products, two paths from Kaş: single-seat themed day sails (4–7 hours, including a rest-day option for Lycian Way hikers) for solo travellers and curated groups, or multi-day private gulet charters (3–7 nights, whole boat) via SailTurk.
Kekova kayak day trips are the must-do non-diving water activity here: a 2.5-hour drive (or boat) to Üçağız, then a 4-hour kayak tour over the sunken city of Simena. Around €40–60 per person including transport and equipment.
For sailing — gulet, catamaran or motor yacht charters with Kaş, Kalkan and Kekova on the route — SailTurk is our partner platform with 92 anchorages mapped and 10 curated routes from Bodrum to Antalya.
Open SailTurk →The Antiphellos theatre & archaeology
The ancient theatre — carved into the hillside above the harbour in the 4th century BC, with 26 rows of seats facing west toward the Greek island offshore — is free to enter and the best sunset spot in town. Add Xanthos and Letoon (the joint UNESCO World Heritage Lycian capital), 50 minutes’ drive west, for the most important Lycian archaeological sites on the coast.
Where to stay
Neighbourhoods at a glance
Kaş town centre
Best for: harbour life, dive schools, the ancient theatre, restaurants. Pensions on the hillside; small boutique hotels around the harbour. Walk to everything.
- Walking-distance to dive shops, theatre, harbour
- Quieter than Fethiye / Oludeniz
- $40–180 / night
Kaş peninsula
Best for: longer stays, sea-front pensions with private bathing platforms. 10–30 min walk from town. Many family-run for decades.
- Direct sea swimming from your hotel
- Quiet evenings, walk to dinner
- $60–250 / night
Kalkan
Best for: couples, boutique pensions, white-washed alleys. 30 km west of Kaş, 30 min by car. More upmarket dining than Kaş.
- More polished, fewer dive schools
- Direct private transfers from Dalaman possible
- $70–300 / night
Çukurbağ peninsula villas
Best for: families, groups, longer stays. Private villas with pools on the headland west of Kaş town. Need a car.
- Pools, kitchens, multiple bedrooms
- 10 min drive into Kaş town
- $200–800 / night for the whole villa
Practical info
Getting there
Kaş has no airport. Two reasonable options:
- Antalya (AYT) — 3 hours east by the coastal D400 highway. More year-round flights than Dalaman (Antalya is Turkey’s second-busiest airport). Direct shuttle bus to Kaş ($15–25); private transfer (€100–150); rental car (3–3.5 h, recommended if exploring multiple bases).
- Dalaman (DLM) — 2.5 hours west. Similar transfer options, similar prices. Dalaman has more European seasonal flights (April–October).
The drive from either airport is along the D400, one of Turkey’s most scenic coastal roads — cliffs, hidden bays, short stops possible at Demre/Myra ruins or Patara beach.
Getting around
Kaş town is walkable. Dolmuş runs to Kalkan (30 min, ~50 TRY) and to Üçağız for Kekova day trips. For Patara, Xanthos, Letoon — either organised tour or rental car ($25–50/day).
Money
Most dive shops quote in EUR. Hotels in TRY or USD. ATMs are common in Kaş town; less so in Çukurbağ peninsula villas. Cards widely accepted.
The view from here — nearby attractions
- Patara Beach: 50 min west, the longest sand beach in Turkey (18 km), with the Lycian capital’s ruins inland. Sea-turtle nesting site — sun-loungers banned in nesting season.
- Xanthos & Letoon (UNESCO): 50 min west, the Lycian League’s federal capital and religious centre. Pillared tombs, Roman theatre, Byzantine mosaics.
- Kekova & the sunken city: 1 h east. Day trip from Kaş by boat, kayak or car. The most distinctive single sight on the coast. More on Kekova →
- Saklıkent Gorge: 90 min northwest, a 300-m deep canyon you can wade through in summer. Combine with Tlos.
- Meis (Kastellorizo): Greek island visible offshore from Kaş harbour. 20-minute ferry ($40 round trip). EU passport not required (Greek-side day visa stamped on arrival).
Frequently asked
Is Kaş good for non-divers?
Yes — sea kayaking to Kekova, snorkel safaris, hiking the peninsula loops, day trips to Patara and Xanthos, and slow restaurant evenings on the harbour give plenty of non-diving days. Travellers often spend 5–7 nights in Kaş with one or two diving days mixed into a broader itinerary.
How busy does Kaş get?
July and August are busy with mostly Turkish domestic tourists (foreign tourism never quite saturated Kaş the way it did Fethiye). Restaurants book out, harbour gets crowded by 6 pm, beach platforms fill up. May–June and September–October are the sweet spot.
Is the water cold?
Sea temperatures: 22 °C in May rising to 26 °C in August, back to 22 °C in October, dropping to 16 °C in winter. Most divers are comfortable in a 5/3 wetsuit for the main season; a 7 mm or drysuit for winter dives.
Can I day-trip from Fethiye?
Theoretically yes (3 h each way) but it’s a punishing day. Either base in Kaş for 3+ nights or split your trip: a few nights in Fethiye / Oludeniz for paragliding, a few in Kaş for diving and slower pace.