Do not let the Turquoise Coast in Turkey slip through your travel radar. It’s a destination that gets far less recognition than it deserves. With secluded coves, crystal clear water, and captivating hiking tails like the Lycian Way, it’s easy to see why Turkey’s Turquoise Coast is famous in the Middle East and beyond.
So, if you’re interested in planning a road trip along Turkey’s coastline, I’ve prepared the perfect guide to help you get started. Below I’ve outlined the day by itinerary I personally followed when discovering the Turkish Coast. By the end of this article, you’ll have all the information you need to plan the perfect holiday along the Aegean Sea.
Day 1: Kas
Kas was the very first stop on our Turkish road trip, and I must say, it might just be my favorite. What I loved about this relaxing port town was how unassuming it was. The old town of Kas has its own distinct charm, rivaling even the most favored towns along the Turkish Riviera.
It took us three hours by car to get there from Antalya airport. We spent the rest of the drive surrounded by nature and rocky coastlines. Driving into Kas was one of the most memorable parts of the trip for me. We drove into town right as the sun was setting and could see small islands lining the horizon.
As soon as we parked the car and started exploring by foot, we could hear live music drifting from a row of local bars. The town center was bustling with Turkish travelers strolling through the labyrinth of streets, enjoying the comfortable ambiance. Bougainvillea grew like weeds all over the weathered town, painting every corner a vibrant fuschia and white.
The next day, we spent the morning passing through the worn cobblestoned streets filled with brightly painted storefronts selling artisanal rugs, leather goods, and handmade jewelry. While I would have loved at least another night in this charming town, we had a full day of beach hopping ahead of us and needed to move on to our next spot along the Turkish Riviera.
Some of my favorite restaurants in Kas included:
- Dolphin: This restaurant had the perfect terrace for sipping a few sunset cocktails. If you come early enough, you will be able to have a beautiful view of the entire port and town below.
- Demeti: If you are looking for a fun dinner spot with traditional plates, this is it. We ordered an assortment of mezzi platters along with some of the best octopus I’ve ever tried.
- Echo: One of my favorite spots in old town Kas for a post-dinner beverage is Echo bar. This cocktail bar was right off of the port and offered live music and a local atmosphere.
Day 2: Kas to Fethiye
Before making our way to Fethiye, we decided to explore some of this region’s most famous Turkish beaches.
To start off our day, we headed to Büyükçakıl Plajı for an early morning dip in the Aegean Sea. While it may be a white sandy beach, this spot was definitely a gem along the Turkish coast. This rocky cove was lined with sun beds and several laid back beach bars. For the price of 100 Turkish lira (equivalent to one beachside mojito), we got lounge chairs and an umbrella right on the shoreline.
As we were approaching lunchtime, we moved onto Hidayet Koyu Plajı (Blanca Beach Club). Unlike the more hippie yet beautiful beach that we had previously visited, this spot offered beautiful sun beds on wooden platforms. With vibey music playing in the background and excellent pina coladas served up, it was the perfect spot to spend a few hours lounging in the sun.
After lunch, we moved on to Kaputas Beach. Kaputas Beach is by far the most famous pristine beach in the area and for good reason. Unlike other secluded coves and Turkish beaches that we had visited earlier that day, Kaputas Beach had soft white sand and some of the most crystal clear water I have ever seen.
Salty and sun dried, we then moved on to our next spot, Fethiye in Butterfly Valley.
Fethiye
From there, we drove an hour and a half to get to the region of Kabak. This rugged area is known for its mountainous scenery, dramatic cliffs, and its natural, relaxed atmosphere. While this spot is often overlooked by most travelers, after seeing countless photos of Butterfly Valley, I knew that this was going to be an area worth seeing.
Although the roads here were more windy and steep than I typically prefer, the journey was well worth it once we arrived at the Olive Garden in Kabak. As soon as we arrived in the late afternoon, we spent a few hours swimming and drinking cocktails while overlooking the most picturesque coastline.
That night, we decided to go to our accomodation’s restaurant, where we met two very special people, Abraham and Freddy. Freddy was the owner of the Olive Garden Kaback and was so kind and welcoming to us. Abraham on the other hand owned his own restaurant and art center further down the road.
We spent the night drinking wine, listening to their stories and learning about the land that surrounded us. Abraham told us all about his mission on how he wanted to bring ecotourism to Kebak to preserve the land and bring awareness to some of Turkey’s most cherished corners.
That night, Freddy himself served us salt baked sea bass and prawns for dinner. Without a doubt, this was my most favorite night of the entire trip – Surrounded by nature, not a city light in sight. Just exchanging stories with our new friends Freddy and Abraham over delicious food and wine.
Tip: This is a place you definitely want two nights in. If you are going to carve out some time in your itinerary to come to this more remote area, make sure you have enough time to take advantage of the beaches, hikes (specifically the Lycian Way), and surrounding area.
Day 3: Kabak, Butterfly Valley, and Pamukkale
The next day, we woke up early and headed to Kabak Beach so we could take a private water taxi to Butterfly Valley. While we initially didn’t want to pay the expensive price tag, it ended up being completely worth it. We got there at about 10am in the morning and had the beach completely to ourselves. While there isn’t too much to do aside from enjoying the natural beauty of the beach and valley, it is still worth a visit.
Tip: It’s important to note that this beach became swamped with people and monstrous pirate party boats later in the day. While I still highly recommend coming, I would suggest arriving even earlier and avoiding the massive boat trip tours. If you stay longer, also take a boat ride to paradise beach or secret beach. Paradise beach you will have to take a water taxi to but a secret beach you can hike to. These spots were recommended to us from our local friends and sounded incredible if you wanted to get away from the crowds.
After we got back from Butterfly Valley, we decided to pay our new friend, Abraham, a visit at his wellness club called Sifakafe. Abraham greeted us with fresh watermelon juices with basil that was handpicked from his garden just moments before it was served. Alongside our refreshing drinks, he also prepared a white bean dish, fresh goat milk yogurt that he prepared himself, and a spiced flatbread that came from his sister’s village in another region of Turkey. After about an hour or so, we moved on to Pamukkale.
Day 4: Pamukkale & Bodrum City
Pamukkale
We had one main objective for going to Pamukkale, and that was to see the thermal travertine pools that put this town on the map. Our alarm clocks rang at 6am in the morning. We knew if we were going to beat the crowds we had to be at South Gate right at 6:30am.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, the light illuminated the white travertine rock, creating a vibrant turquoise water hue that painted a stunning contrast.
Tip: If you decide to come to the pools, be sure to walk all the way down to the further pools, as these ones were the most impressive and had the least amount of people. It is also worth it to come early. The Pamukkale pools get insanely crowded and can be hard to fully enjoy when surrounded by hundreds of other people.
Do I recommend carving out so much driving for this place? Well, it depends. If you are only in Turkey for a short period of time, I wouldn’t. For us, we knew our road trip itinerary was going to be ambitious and so we expected to drive a lot. However, considering the only thing to see in this town are the pools, you may want to cut it out of your travel plans and spend more time in Bodrum city.
Bodrum
Bodrum was high on our list, as both of us had heard great things from other travelers. After our 3.5 hour drive, we dropped off our bags at our hotel and spent the afternoon checking out the town center. After some time, we stumbled upon Yula Bar, which served waterfront cocktails and lounge chairs right on the Aegean coast. We stayed there for an hour or so, enjoying a cold drink while watching the swimmers out in the water.
That night, we headed to a town called Gümüşlük. This area had an entire strip of lantern-lit eateries lining a calm bay with drifting sail boats. We had a delicious seafood meal of mezzis and fish at Mimoza, which was a beautiful spot situated right on the water. However, there were lots of similar restaurants just like it on this strip so just head down to this area and choose your favorite!
Day 5: Bodrum
The next day, we wanted to check out some of the famous Bodrum beach clubs. A few options we found were:
We decided to check out both 81 Hotel and Xuma Beach Club. No 81 Hotel was a swankier resort with a sun deck while Xuma Beach Club offered more of a party, younger vibe.
Tip: If you go in high season, be sure to reserve ahead of time online as some locations will not take walk ups.
In the afternoon, we went to Akyarlar which is a small, local beach town about 45 minutes outside of Bodrum. While there was nothing too fancy about this area, it felt very local and offered plenty of cheap sunbeds and inviting beach bars.
That afternoon, we drove back to Bodrum and ended up at Degirmen, which is an area with run down windmills on the top of a hill. This was the perfect place to watch the sunset over Bodrum and the surrounding area. While we just so happened to stumble upon this spot and found a bunch of locals hanging out here, it’s definitely a place I would recommend if you want to find some great views of the city and landscape!
Day 6: Bodrum, Ephesus, and Cesme
The next day we woke up and visited Chives Cafe for one last coffee. Chives Cafe was our go-to breakfast spot for morning lattes, baked goods, and avocado toast. Plus, the worker was incredibly friendly and gave us lots of recommendations for the next part of our journey.
Ephesus
From there, we drove to the ancient city of Ephesus, an area that’s home to some of the most well-preserved ancient ruins. While Ephesus might attract a large crowd, it is still beautiful to see and experience if you are in the area. After walking around the ruins and seeing the Virgin Mary monument, we made our way to Cesme.
Cesme
As soon as we got to Cesme, we went directly to another beach club called Sol & Mare. For me, this was my favorite beach club of the entire trip. Even though we only had a few hours, I would suggest coming early and spending the entire day here. Sol & Mare was situated in a small cove right next to several other beach bars and clubs.
From there, we went straight to a small town called Alacati. If I were to do it again, this is where I would have stayed. All the bars and restaurants opened up to the main pedestrian street. This little Turkish town was bursting with life and had a fun and lively atmosphere. For dinner, we went to a place called Fava. This restaurant had a tucked away patio away from all the noise, serving as the perfect spot for dining Al fresco. After dinner, we walked around the crowded streets before heading back to Cesme. If you come to the Turkish Riviera, I highly recommend adding Alacati to your Turkey tour.
Final Thoughts
Turkey is by far one of the most underrated places I have ever traveled to. As I explored from town to town, I found it hard to believe that these areas still remained under the radar compared to other popular European beach destinations like Italy or Greece.
However, after a week of driving through the Turkish Riviera, I can easily say that Turkey rivals any other Mediterranean sea beach destination, in fact, it might even beat it. With cheaper prices, fewer crowds, and the friendliest people, The Turkish Riviera has easily earned its spot as one of my favorite destinations.
Whether you prioritize a Turkey road trip along the Turquoise Coast or prefer to stay in Bodrum and take a day trip or two in the surrounding area, I hope you use this guide to create your very own Turkey itinerary.
Have any questions on where to go during your week road trip throughout Turkey? Drop me a comment below!
4 Comments
Carlos Campos
April 29, 2024 at 5:28 pmHi Dani,
Great review of your trip to Turkey. Thanks for sharing your insights with us.
I have visited Turkey twice but not the Turkish Mediterranean area and it is in my plans since 2020 but has been postponed with the covid pandemic. I even made a trip plan 390 pages long of what to see and do in the area and planning on at least 2 weeks. I want to include Pergamon, Troy, Canakkale, Gallipoli and possibly Edirne or Bursa before returning to Istanbul. I loved Türkiye both times and can´t wait to return for a longer time. My plan is to fly directly into Antalya and pick up a rental car for the trip north along the Med coast line passing Fethiye, Marmaris (and even Rhodes), Bodrum, Epheso, Izmir, etc. CUrrently I am awaiting trip companions interested in traveling this area either in Spring or Fall. My questions to you are: How did you move around,car rental or scheduled bus? or private tour? Did you have trouble communicating? Do´s and don´ts? I know what I want to see abd would like to have most of the logistics preplanned. Do you need to reserve the whole thing or search as you go for lodging? Any apps that facilitate the travel arrangements? Thank you ans safe travels whereever you go!
Dani Thomason
May 27, 2024 at 10:21 pmHi Carlos, sounds like a lovely trip you have planned! To answer your questions, we rented a car and I think this is the best way to get around. I would imagine it being difficult to get to off the beaten path type of places (especially Fethiye) without a car. Along the coast the roads are quite easy to navigate by car. We did not have any troubles communicating. Everywhere we went we were able to speak English or at least order what we wanted by just pointing to the menu. As far as hotels, we reserved ahead of time our accommodations. We did not reserve any restaurants ahead of time. I think if you decide to go to Ephueses, you may want to reserve that a head of time.Apart from that I think you will be good to go! We didn’t have any extra apps planning our trip. I will say the best part was having a car so we could have some flexibility in our travel plans 🙂 hope this helps!
Sonja
May 13, 2024 at 9:20 pmHi
Thank you for your post! Your information has helped me a lot! After 3 day’s in Istanbul and 3 days in Cappadocia we only have 3 more nights. Would you suggest Cesme, Alacati and Ephueses or just head straight to Bodrum for 3 nights?
Dani Thomason
May 27, 2024 at 10:14 pmI would suggest checking out Cesme, Alacati, and Ephueses! I especially loved Alacati and thought it was a highlight of my trip.