One day in Kaş, Turkey

Still on a mission to find turquoise blue waters and white sandy beaches, we decided to go to a little town in Turkey on the Turquoise Coast.

A short drive by bus from Fethiye, we decided on Kaş along the Mediterranean coast due to a hugely popular beach cove that is recommended by all guidebooks and blogs. Unfortunately, Kaputaş Beach is still about a 15-minute drive away from the town of Kaş, and without a car, you still need to take another bus back (towards Kalkan) to get to the beach. It is also packed with locals and tourists alike, so we didn’t go.

Nonetheless, we were in Kaş for one day and went to explore this little seaside town. We were pleasantly surprised.

Things to do in Kaş:

1. Explore the coffee shops and restaurants

It has the feel of the Greek Islands, with whitewashed buildings, blue-painted roofs, small cobble-stoned streets and pink bougainvillea everywhere! There are plenty of small little restaurants and coffee shops with blue and white tablecloths serving delicious fish or just about anything you want really - being a touristy spot, expect touristy prices.

2. Take a dip in turquoise waters

Even though Kaş is a seaside town, it doesn’t actually have a sandy beach, but people still swim in the ocean. Many restaurants along the shore have decks with stepladders into the water where you can get in. Alternatively, you can just jump from the nearby rocks or swim to floating decks further out in the ocean.

If you didn’t already know, Turkey is famous for olives and Turkish figs, and in Kaş, olive and fig trees line the streets. In fact, there are so many, that much of it gets wasted – when it gets ripe it just falls off and rots on the ground.

3. Visit the ruins

There are some interesting ruins in and around Kaş as well. In town, you can visit the ruins of Antiphellos’ amphitheatre constructed in the first half of 1 BC. It’s not amazing like others we’ve seen in Turkey, but you get a nice view of the ocean and nearby islands and is great for enjoying some sundowners (for non-South Africans, that’s alcoholic drinks typically consumed at the end of the day at or around sunset) while watching the sunset. There are also the old town walls near the harbour.

Around the theatre you will find many people wild camping, we are not certain if they are travellers from abroad or locals but they seemed pretty comfortable.

View from Antephelios Amphitheatre, Kas - Vagabond Journals

4. Visit nearby islands, or dive underwater ruins

From Kaş, you can book day tours to the nearby Meis Islands which actually belong to Greece, or Kekova Island where you can dive and explore the ancient underwater ruins of the sunken city.

We didn’t book a place before we arrived and just walked around looking for some guesthouses around the bus station.

We stayed in a dorm room with 6 beds and a bathroom at Anis Pension for a decent price of 120 TL/night (for 2 people). They also have private rooms which look very nice but were obviously more expensive. They have a great terrace with a view of the city and serve a Turkish breakfast for free in the morning with unlimited Turkish tea and coffee.

(P.S. Booking.com is banned in Turkey, so you can book accommodation through them from outside Turkey, but if you are already inside the country, you have to make use of Agoda.com or HostelWorld.com).

If you are looking for a quiet and beautiful seaside town to relax and laze by the water with an occasional dip, you definitely need to visit Kaş. If you have more time, you should visit the Kaputaş beach.

We also recommend hiring a car and driving the coastline from Fethiye to Antalya, alternatively, hitchhike the route. There are plenty of little beaches and beach coves where you can swim or camp overnight in the beautiful turquoise waters.