Kaş or Fethiye? Picking Your Base on the Lycian Coast

The first thing to understand is scale. Kaş is a small harbour town, and most places to stay are small hotels and guesthouses rather than big resorts. It suits travellers who like to wander the same few streets, recognise faces by the end of the week and keep things simple.

Fethiye is a larger harbour town that acts as the hub for a whole area, including the Ölüdeniz lagoon a short drive away. That gives you more variety in where you stay and more to fill your days, with a little less of the village feel. Neither approach is better; it simply depends on whether you picture yourself in the same café each morning or setting off somewhere new after breakfast. Our guide to where to stay around Fethiye breaks the area down.

Both places are built around the sea, but they use it differently.

From Kaş: the town is a diving centre, so it appeals to anyone who wants to learn or to dive regularly. Boat trips head to Kekova, where you can see the ruins of a sunken city, and the Greek island of Meis (Kastellorizo) lies just offshore. Between Kaş and Kalkan is Kaputaş beach, and further west, Patara combines a beach with ancient ruins.

From Fethiye: boat trips leave the harbour for the bays and islands of Fethiye Bay, a classic day of hopping between swimming spots. The lagoon at Ölüdeniz is the other big draw, and above it the mountain of Babadağ is a launch site for paragliding, so you can see the coast from the air.

Fethiye has the wider spread of sights within easy reach. Lycian rock tombs are carved into the cliff above the town, the abandoned village of Kayaköy makes an evocative walk, and the gorge at Saklıkent is a cool escape inland. Walkers can also try the Lycian Way, which starts near Ölüdeniz.

Around Kaş, the land-based outings are mostly about the coast itself: the drive to Kaputaş, a day at Patara with its ruins, and exploring the town's lanes and harbour. Many visitors to Kaş spend more of their time on or under the water than on sightseeing tours. See the Kaş and Kalkan travel guide and the Fethiye and Ölüdeniz travel guide for the full picture of each.

• Divers: Kaş, with its diving centre.
• Paragliding or adventure fans: Fethiye, for Babadağ above Ölüdeniz and the Saklıkent gorge.
• Hikers: Fethiye is handy for the start of the Lycian Way.
• Small-hotel lovers: Kaş, where guesthouses and small hotels are the norm.
• A day trip to Greece: Kaş, with Meis just offshore.
• First-time visitors who want lots of options: Fethiye, as a larger base.
• Short breaks: Fethiye, thanks to the short transfer from Dalaman.

Couples and families can be happy in both; it mostly comes down to whether you want a small, intimate town or a busier base with more variety.

This is where the two differ most in practical terms. Fethiye is close to Dalaman Airport (DLM), while Kaş is a long drive from any airport.

• Dalaman Airport to Fethiye: about 55 km, around 55 minutes
• Antalya Airport to Kaş: about 200 km, around three hours
• Dalaman Airport to Kaş: about 153 km, around 165 minutes
• Antalya Airport to Fethiye: about 230 km, around 200 minutes

For Kaş, Antalya and Dalaman are not far apart in drive time, so pick whichever has the flights that suit you. For Fethiye, Dalaman is the obvious choice unless your flights only go to Antalya. Our Antalya Airport to Kaş and Kalkan transfer guide describes the long coastal drive.

On a drive of around three hours, comfort matters. Our transfers are private: only your group in the vehicle, no stops at other hotels, straight to your door. The driver waits at arrivals with a name sign, and because flights are tracked, a delay costs you nothing extra in waiting. Prices are fixed per vehicle, not per person, with no night surcharge or luggage fee. Choose a Minivan (1 to 6 passengers), a VIP Mercedes-Benz Vito (1 to 7) or a Mercedes Sprinter (8 to 16). Free child seats are available on request. No prepayment is needed, and cancellation is free.

Kaş and Fethiye are close enough to combine. A popular plan is to fly into one airport and out of the other: land in Antalya, stay in Kaş, move on to Fethiye and fly home from Dalaman, or reverse it. Our article on the open-jaw holiday via Antalya and Dalaman explains how that works. If you only have one week, though, it is often more relaxing to pick one base and enjoy it fully. With two weeks, a split stay lets you try a diving day and a Kekova boat trip from Kaş, then paragliding, Kayaköy and the island trips from Fethiye, without long day trips in between. We can drive you between the two towns as well, with the same fixed per-vehicle price and door-to-door service.