Where Antalya is my favourite coastal city of Turkey, Kaş is my favourite seaside city. Or should I say town? As it is much smaller than Antalya. I have seen quite a bit of Turkey by now, and Kaş and Kalkan are definitely the prettiest beach towns and seaside spots in Turkey. Well, in my opinion anyway.
Although I think I liked Marmaris as well, back in 2019.
I have fallen in love with this local small town Kaş and this area on my last trip here. It was my holiday after my 2600km bicycle trip across Europe (read here). I couldn’t have picked a better spot to relax. Whether it is from a bicycle trip or from a week of ruins.
…
Kaş – the local beach town
Not much has changed in Kaş. Luckily. After the bus trip from Antalya along the coast, it didn’t take me long to settle in at one of the beach front hotels, find my favourite restaurants again and go for a swim.
One week here should be sufficient to enjoy everything Kaş and Kalkan have to offer. Perfect location to relax, enjoy the view and write my blog posts. What else do you need?
___________
When you know the water is cold but you still jump in…
___________
Furthermore, to add a day of adventure, I hired a scooter and rode to Kalkan, the town 28km west of Kaş which I haven’t really seen yet.
Riding along the coast was very picturesque and I could take my time to stop wherever I wanted. Especially on the little cove beaches. And the prettiest of them all is apparently the Kaputaş Beach. What a beautiful spot to be. Although the water is quite refreshing in May.
…
I have also visited Patara beach, especially as it was part of the ancient site Patara (and part of the entry ticket). On that particular day, however, it didn’t look anything like on the photos.
It is a very long beach, but it was quite choppy and as the sand is not white (like in Phuket) it wasn’t worth a photo. In addition, as I didn’t want to sit in the sun during midday, I left and went to Kaputaş beach instead. Much better.. and no sand to be annoyed with.
Read more details here.
Kalkan – the tourist coastal town
Kalkan was surprisingly very cute and gorgeous. I didn’t expect this. Each restaurant and bar was prettier and more beautifully decorated than the one next to it. What a colourful little town. Although very hilly.
That said, as pretty as it was, it was all a little bit too commercial for me. Everybody tried to get me to eat at their restaurant. It was clearly made for tourists, who weren’t there yet. But it was still early in the season.
…
So, between Kaş and Kalkan? Which one do I prefer? Although I can see myself coming back to Kalkan, if I feel ‘fancy’ or want to do some shopping, I prefer the casual and local feel of Kaş. It seems more relaxed and that is certainly more me.
…
Besides the ancient city Patara and the beach (read the history here) I also visited the ancient site Xenthos. After all this is Turkey, the country for ancient history. But it was more a quick stop to take some photos and tick it off the list.
Last time I was here I went east, to Kekova and the sunken city, which was also amazing. Remember? Read here.
_______________
And so…
I had a great week in Kaş. And it won’t be the last time here. I will be back. What did I do all day you wonder? Well, between enjoying a swim in the amazing clear and turquoise waters, there is, of course, my daily walk to the Amphitheater. After all, it is part of Kaş like the Hadrian’s Gate is part of Antalya.
And so, I am off to Istanbul next. I wonder how I will handle a metropolis of 15 Mill. people after my quiet time at some of the prettiest beach towns of Turkey?
(post 175)
