Best 7-Day Lycian Way for Beginners — Faralya to Kaş
The full Lycian Way is 540 km and takes 25–30 days. If you've never done a multi-day hike, that's the wrong place to start. The right one-week introduction is the coastal stretch between Faralya (above Butterfly Valley) and Kaş — easier underfoot, hugely scenic, well-supported by pensions, and finishing in one of Turkey's loveliest small towns.
Why this section
- Gentler gradients than the western mountains. You're never far from sea level.
- Continuous pensions · you can do this with no camping kit at all.
- Reliable water · villages every 6–12 km.
- Beach swims daily · reward for the harder mornings.
- Easy bail-out · dolmuş minibuses run the parallel coast road; sprain an ankle, you're on a bus in 30 minutes.
Quick overview
| Day | From → To | km | Hours | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faralya → Kabak | 8 | 4 | Moderate |
| 2 | Kabak → Alınca | 9 | 5 | Moderate |
| 3 | Alınca → Gey | 14 | 6 | Hard |
| 4 | Gey → Patara | 16 | 6 | Moderate |
| 5 | Patara → Kalkan | 11 | 4 | Easy |
| 6 | Kalkan → Aperlae/Üçağız | 15 | 6 | Moderate |
| 7 | Üçağız → Kaş (via boat/transfer) | — | — | Rest |
Day 1 · Faralya → Kabak (8 km)
Start above Butterfly Valley with the long view down to the Mediterranean. The path descends, climbs over a small ridge, and lands at Kabak — a hippie-ish beach village with cabin pensions on the cliff. Easy first day to wake the legs. Sleep: Kabak Valley pensions, €30–50.
Day 2 · Kabak → Alınca (9 km)
Steep zigzag up out of Kabak — the hardest hour of the week, do it before 9 am. Then a high ridge path with the sea on your left for hours. Alınca is a tiny mountain village with two pensions. The terrace dinners at sunset are the trip highlight for most hikers. Sleep: Bayram's, Cengiz's or Doğa Camping; €35–60.
Day 3 · Alınca → Gey (14 km)
Long day on a high ridge route with limited water. Carry 2.5 L and start by 7 am in summer. The reward: forested descent into Gey, a sleepy village where pensions cost €25–40 and dinner is whatever the family cooked that night.
Day 4 · Gey → Patara (16 km)
Longest day but mostly downhill. You finish on Patara beach — 18 km of sand, one of the longest in the Mediterranean, backed by the ruins of ancient Patara (Lycian capital, St Nicholas's birthplace). Stay in Gelemiş village just behind the beach; €30–50 in family pensions, all walkable from the beach gate.
Day 5 · Patara → Kalkan (11 km)
Coastal cliffs, easy underfoot, lunch at Delikkemer aqueduct (huge Roman bridge over a gorge). Finish in Kalkan — a town of whitewashed houses tumbling down to the harbour. This is your "rest" half-day: harbourside dinner, swimming off the stone steps, hotels €60–120.
Day 6 · Kalkan → Aperlae/Üçağız (15 km)
The most spectacular day. Hill paths above the Mediterranean, then a descent through pine to Aperlae — sunken Lycian city half-underwater in a turquoise bay. Continue along the coast another 5 km to Üçağız village. Stay in a guesthouse with terrace over the bay; €30–60.
Day 7 · Üçağız → Kaş
Most hikers take a morning boat across the bay to see the sunken city of Simena and Kekova Island, then dolmuş or taxi the 35 km to Kaş for the final night. The hardcore walk the inland section (16 km on dirt roads) — skippable without losing much. Finish: Kaş harbour, dinner in a roof-terrace restaurant, ferry next morning to Meis if you want a Greek-island day-trip add-on.
What you don't need (because there are pensions every night)
- Tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat (a liner is fine)
- Stove or cooking gear
- More than 3 L water capacity
- A guidebook for the whole 540 km — just the Faralya–Kaş chapter
What you absolutely do need
- Real hiking boots, broken in. The "I'll do it in trail runners" crowd lose toenails on the Alınca descent.
- 2.5 L water capacity and electrolyte tabs.
- Sun protection (hat, long sleeves, SPF 50). The coastal sun is brutal April–October.
- Offline maps loaded onto your phone — see our planning guide.
When to go
Best: mid-April to late May, mid-September to late October. Avoid: July and August (35 °C+ on the ridges, dehydration is the #1 problem). OK with caveats: June and early September.
Getting there and away
Start: fly into Dalaman (DLM). 1 h taxi or bus to Fethiye, 1 h dolmuş to Faralya/Ölüdeniz. Finish: dolmuş from Kaş to Antalya (3 h), fly home from Antalya (AYT). Many hikers do the route in reverse (Kaş → Faralya) to fly in/out of the same airport.
Costs for this 7-day trip
- Self-guided budget: €350–500 plus flights
- Supported with luggage transfer: €700–950
- Fully guided private: €1100–1500
Detailed pricing in our 2026 cost breakdown.
Booking
Send dates and group size via our trip-enquiry form — multiple local operators will quote on this exact 7-day section. Or browse accommodation and book each night yourself. Either way, this is the gentlest true introduction to the Lycian Way — nine times out of ten, hikers who try this stretch come back the following year for the whole thing.