The Complete Guide To Kas, Turkey (Kaș)

Out of the many times I’ve been to Turkey I have to say it wasn’t until my most recent trip that I absolutely fell in love with a city. Sure Istanbul is metropolitan with great cuisine, and Cappadocia is always great for first timers, and even the package resorts of Antalya have their charms. But Kas was the first city in Turkey I didn’t want to leave. In fact, I fell so in love with Kas that I scrapped the next two cities on my trip and just stayed here longer to create a more detailed and complete guide to Kas.

If you’re looking for a chill beachside city with a bohemian atmosphere and unpretentious people, then Kas is the place for you. The city is built on a hill overlooking beautiful turquoise water, and even has a view of the charming Greek island Kastelorizo.

How To Get To Kas

Kas is a town that lies on the Mediteranean coast in southwest Turkey. There is no airport in this city and the easiest way to get to Kas, other than driving yourself, is by bus from Antalya or from Dalaman

How To Get From Antalya To Kas

Antalya is a big tourist destination, therefore there is quite a large international airport. From the airport you can take a taxi for about 100 TL to the bus station (Otogar). There, just find an information table and ask where the buses to Kas are parked. You usually don’t need to buy a ticket at the cashier, the driver will collect money himself on the bus. The bus from Antalya to Kas costs around 40 TL per person. And although on Google it shows that the drive to Kas takes just 3 hours, the drive on a bus will take 4 – 4,5 hours due to all the stops it takes.

From Dalaman To Kas

Dalaman is another city that you can fly into if you need to get to Kas. Dalaman airport is quite small, and there are not a lot of flights per day, but it is located closer to Kas than Antalya. From Dalaman airport you can book a shuttle to Kas for 100 TL. It is a bit more than from Antalya, but the drive is just 2 hours long, so I think it is really worth it.

Click here or here to see where you can book a transfer from Dalaman to Kas

The Best Time To Visit Kas

Kas is a working town, therefore there are not a lot of foreigner tourists, even in the high season. However, if you are hoping for empty beaches and always available restaurant tables you will be disappointed.

Kas is a very popular vacation spot for local tourists and it can get crowded during the high season as well. So, if you are looking for warm weather with no big crowds, the best time in Kas would be shoulder season. This being from the middle of April to the middle of June and from September to the end of October. Although you need to know that the sea is quite cold in these months and it can ruin your beach time if you are just looking to swim.

Where To Stay

Kas is a small city that has no fancy chain hotels like the Hilton or the Four Seasons, however it has many cute boutique hotels and cozy AirBnBs.

We chose to stay at a spacious apartment with a great view. And one piece of advice that I wish someone gave us when we were booking our apartment – is that Kas is very hilly and such a view means that we probably will be at the top of a hill. Worth it!

After walking up the hill the first time, we decided that we are never going to do that again. We basically climbed vertically, that is how steep those hills are. So if you are not planning on renting a car or taking a taxi every time you leave your apartment, you need to book something closer to Kas’ marina.

Where To Eat & Drink

One of the many great things about Kas is that there is a good variety of restaurants, bars, and cafes. There wasn’t a day that we didn’t eat delicious food at one of many cozy restaurants.

Here is a list of my 5 favorite places I ate at in Kas. For the full review of every place I ate at and my more detailed reviews, read: Kas Restaurant Guide.

Pell’s

Pell’s restaurant is a great place to have your breakfast. We were recommended to go here by a local, and boy, oh boy was it a great advice. The restaurant serves one of the best breakfasts I have tried in Turkey.

We ordered two different sets of breakfast, savory and sweet along with a few coffees. First of all, coffee was great and second and the most important our breakfast was a delicious art creation.

The sweet consisted of thin waffles with about a dozen different spreads/sauces/fruit toppings, along with some nuts and seeds. The savory was a lot of meat and eggs.

Address: Andifli, Topçu Sk. No:20, 07580 Kaş/Antalya, Turkey

Hours: Every day except Sunday from 9 AM to 9 PM (due to quarantine, hours can change)

Price: savory set – 90TL, sweet set – 80 TL

Noel Baba Cafe & Bistro

Noel Baba Cafe is located in the main square in Kas and usually pretty crowded, which is why it wasn’t our first choice in a search for breakfast. Nevertheless, I am glad that day we were super indecisive and after some time of not choosing a location I pointed to this cafe and said that we are going to eat here.

Although the place is located in the very center of the tourist zone, the prices were reasonable and our food was great. We ordered a big Turkish breakfast for two and ended up with so much food that we couldn’t finish. Luckily we did this Turkey trip with a friend from NYC who might as well be a leftovers disposal unit. There were toasts, eggs, sigara borek, gozleme (pancakes with cheese), two types of sausages, vegetables, different types of jams and honey, cheese, olives and other things.

Address: Andifli, Cumhuriyet Meydanı No:16, 07580 Kaş/Antalya, Turkey

Hours: Every day from 8 AM to 12 AM (due to quarantine, hours can change)

Price: Turkish breakfast for two- 120 TL

Hideaway Bar&Cafe

Hideaway is a cozy bar that has an entry from the main square, but it is nicely hidden in a closed courtyard from crowds that cross this square.

This place reminded me of a lot of bamboo bars in Bali or Thailand. Same relaxing vibe, same kind of people. It is a great place to get a cocktail or two and prices are reasonable for being in the center.

Address: Kalkan, Cumhuriyet Meydanı 16/A, 07580 Kaş/Antalya, Turkey

Price: strong cocktails – around 70 TL

Keyf-i dem

Keyf-i dem is a great dinner place. The restaurant is located next to the marina and it has a nice view of it as well. The interior reminds me of Greek island restaurants (no wonder there, Greece is just 7 km away).

The restaurant serves a great selection of seafood and meat. We actually loved the atmosphere of this place as well as the food, and it’s the only dinner place in Kas we went to twice during our stay.

Address: Andifli, Hükümet Cd. no 4, 07580 Kaş/Antalya, Turkey

Hours: Every day 9 AM to 12 AM (due to quarantine hours can change)

Nur Pastaneleri Kaş Bayii

Nur Pastaneleri is a great dessert shop. They always have fresh Turkish desserts, including “cold baklava” (the best baklava I have ever tried), and Kas’ specialty “burnt ice cream”.

Even if you aren’t usually a dessert person, I still suggest you come here to try the ice cream. You’ll either love it or hate it.

Address: Andifli, Atatürk Blv., 07580 Kaş/Antalya, Turkey

Hours: Every day 7 AM to 11 PM (due to quarantine hours can change)

Price: burnt ice cream – 4 TL per portion, baklava – 115 TL per kilogram.

How To Rent A Car in Kas

Renting a car in Kas is quite easy. You just need to find a renting office (there are a lot of them in Kas), bring your driver’s license, your passport, and of course money.

It took us about 30 minutes to organize everything (it would take less if we knew how to drive a stick, they had to call around for an automatic). Price depends on how many days you rent the car and what type of car you want. For an automatic Renault sedan we paid 300 TL ($35) a day.

Public Transportation

Kas is quite a small city and as there is no need to take a public bus inside the town, there aren’t any. However Kas has a bus station where you can take buses to neighboring cities and towns.

Bus system in Turkey is quite good and pretty cheap, so it is quite easy to travel around Turkey on public buses.

If you booked your accommodation up the hill and are looking for an easy way to get home from the marina, your options are to take a taxi ( 20 TL to anywhere with Kas), or to rent a car and drive yourself.

Things To Do In Kas, Turkey

Walk Around The Bohemian Streets Of Kas City Center
Visit Kaputas (The Beast Beach In Kas)
Take A Boat Taxi To Bilal’s Beach

Taste Kas’ Special Burnt Ice Cream
Souvenir Shopping At The Local Market
Visit Simena Kalesi and Take a Kayak Around The Sunken City

Explore The Ancient City Of Xanthos
Relax At Oludeniz Plaj And Experience Paragliding
View The Abandoned City Of Kayakoy

Check Out The Rock Tombs Of The City Of Telmessos
Patara Day! Visit Patara Beach, Patara Ancient City, And Patara Sand Dunes
Book A Boat Tour Around The Region

Take A Day Trip To Greek Island
Scuba Diving

Walk Around The Bohemian Streets Of Kas City Center

Kas is quite a small city, but undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in Turkey. Unlike Antalya, Kas is not as big of a tourist destination. There are not many all inclusive resorts littering the promenade, which means almost no all-inclusive tourists. The city caters mostly to local tourists and all that authenticity of a working fishing village is still present today.

The center of the city is full of cute colorful buildings and narrow cobblestone streets. As I always say, the best way to explore the city is to get lost and happen upon something unexpectedly wonderful like a cozy cafe, cute store, or a lovely street full of flowers.

Out of all the places I’ve been to in Turkey (a lot) I have to say Kas is the most bohemian. Locals are much more relaxed and pushy shopkeepers are nonexistant. People are casual and unpretentious which leads to an overall great time just chilling in the city.

Visit Kaputas (The Best Beach In Kas)

One of the must do things in Kas is a visit to Kaputas Beach. It is located 15 km away from Kas, so to get there you can drive yourself or take a taxi. Since we couldn’t rent a car on our first day in Kas (as I mentioned this previously), we had to take a taxi to this beach. The taxi price was about 150 TL ($17.5) one way. To get back we just gave our taxi driver a call and he picked us up in 25 minutes.

Kas has many beautiful beaches, but Kaputas beach is surely the best of them all. To get to the beach you will have to take a long staircase down the steep and pretty tall cliff. At the bottom you will see a big cafe, or rather a food court, since there are a few vendors that offer you food and drinks.

On the beach there are many sunbeds and umbrellas that you can rent. Unfortunately for us, we came too late (around noon), so all the umbrellas were rented. We didn’t see the point of renting just sunbeds, so we just placed our belongings on the beach towels on the sand. Oh yeah, this place has a sand beach instead of pebbles, which is pretty rare in Turkey.

The best thing about Kaputas beach is the color of the water. Oh, it just takes your breath away as soon as you see it from the road. The turquoise water is crystal clear and very refreshing. I didn’t even see any jellyfish or seaweed (I hate jellyfish).

By the way, on the way back to Kas, our driver showed us a hidden small beach that was a miniature copy of Kaputas beach. He also asked us to keep the location a secret, so I cannot tell you where it is, but if you like quests and to look for hidden gems, maybe you will figure it out on your own.

Location: Kalkan, 07580 Kemer/Kaş/Antalya, Turkey

Take A Boat Taxi To Bilal’s Beach

As I said, Kas has many beautiful beaches. Another one that I recommend you to visit is Bilal’s beach. To get there you have to take a boat-taxi from Kas harbour. There is a booth next to the main square where you can buy tickets. A round trip ticket costs 40 TL per person.

The boat actually goes to four beaches that are located 100 meters away from each other. In my opinion Bilal’s beach (the last one) is the most cozy, that is why I recommend it, but you can try any of them or all of them if you have time.

All of the four beaches including Bilal are known as Limanagzi, and they are more beachclubs than regular beaches. You can get a sunbed with an umbrella or a beach bungalow. Bilal’s beach offers you a deal: if you are getting food and drinks for at least 80TL per person then the bungalows or sunbeds are free.

The prices on the menu are pretty reasonable. We got beers for 35 TL, a fruit plate for the same price, and a feta sandwich for 30 TL. The one thing that is expensive on the menu (and actually all over Turkey) are cocktails. But if you want to have a nice time with some beers and food, it’s easy to spend a whole afternoon relaxing here.

The boat taxi starts to pick up people to go back to Kas from 2 PM until 6 PM every half an hour.

Location: Bayındır, 07580 Kaş/Antalya, Turkey

Taste Kas’ Special Burnt Ice Cream

Apparently Kas has their own flavor of ice cream made from goat’s milk, that you cannot find anywhere else. And the name of this ice cream is burnt ice cream. Why? Because it tastes like something burnt: toast, chicken, milk, or something else. At the same time the ice cream looks ordinary. It’s perfectly white colour will never make you think that it can taste like something charcoal black.

Nevertheless, burnt ice cream is Kas’ specialty and you must try it. To my surprise, our group split on those who hated the flavor and who really liked it and thought that it tasted like sweet barbecue meat. Even a local told me that no one thinks it is just ok, you either love it or you hate it.

The burnt ice cream is quite cheap, just 4 TL (less than 50 cents) for a portion. And the best place to get it is at Nurs Pastaneleri. So, try it yourself and write below in the comment section if you liked it or hated it.

Location: Andifli, Atatürk Blv., 07580 Kaş/Antalya, Turkey

Souvenir Shopping At The Local Market

Since Kas is a working city and there are mostly local tourists here, it is the perfect place to do your shopping. You can get all your souvenirs or some textiles here for a great price. For example we bought lots of towels and even a magic bag that turns into a huge beach towel (very convenient, don’t you think). Compared to Antalya or Bodrum, the prices are much more fair.

On the central square almost every day you can find many stalls with handmade jewelry, summer hats, knit beach bags, and other things that you might want for your perfect beach vacation.

There is also a big local market that occurs every Friday. If you are a fan of local products and want to find something special, the Friday market is for you.

Visit Simena Kalesi and Take a Kayak Around The Sunken City of Kekova

Simena Kalesi is a fortress that is located in Kalekoy village, 50 minutes drive from Kas. Simena Kalesi is a Byzantine castle that was built to protect the coast from pirates. The village of Kalekoy lies next to the Lycian necropolis, which you can explore as well.

There are two ways to visit Simena Kalesi. The easiest one is to rent a car (around $30 per day during the season) and drive yourself. The second way is to buy a boat tour from Kas harbor. The cost of such a tour is between 150 and 200 Turkish Lira per person and this tour lasts 10 hours.

The entrance to the fortress costs 17,50 TL per person. Inside the fortress you will find parts of the once beautiful fortification wall. The top of the fortress opens to a beautiful view of the Lycian coast. You can see Kekova island and how the turquoise sea covers the remains of the ancient city sunk due to an earthquake.

After visiting the fortress, go down to one of the coastal restaurants that has kayaks for rent. They usually offer one person kayaks for 50 TL/hour per person. Kayaking around some parts of the Sunken city is the best way to explore this historical site at your own pace.

Be aware of the possibility of flipping your kayak, especially if you are going too far in the deep water and the sea is rough. That almost happened to me and in that moment I was super happy that I didn’t have my phone with me or anything valuable in my pockets.

Location: Kaleüçağız, 07570 Demre/Antalya, Turkey

Traverse The Ancient City Of Xanthos

Xanthos was the capital city of the Lycian kingdom. It is located not far from Kas, so just rent a car and have a beautiful 40 minutes drive to the ruins.

The entrance to the city costs 17,50 TL per person, which is not expensive at all, but just so you know, the best-preserved parts of the ancient city of Xanthos you can see for free.

The remains of the capital city are not spread as far as you may think and won’t take long. However this historical site is located on a hill, covered with many sharp pebbles, so better wear comfortable shoes with a thick sole.

Location: Kınık, 07970 Kaş/Antalya, Turkey

Relax At Oludeniz Plaj And Experience Paragliding

Oludeniz Plaj (beach) is a gem of a beach that is located nearby to Fethiye city and where you can get from Kas in less than 2 hours drive. This spot is very popular in the high season, so it can get very crowded, but because all the sunbeds and beach umbrellas are separated by wooden walking paths, you don’t feel squished at all.

Two sunbeds and a beach umbrella will cost you 45 TL for a full day. The beach has a restaurant, toilets, showers and a big parking space. There are also lots of vendors that sell water, grilled corn, towels and other useful things.

Oludeniz Plaj is not just an incredible spot for swimming and sunbathing, but also a popular spot for paragliding. Everyone who is brave enough can experience this type of sport over an amazing scenery of fantastic turquoise sea and a wide pebble beach. The cost of a flight will be around €75. People who organize such activities are great professionals with lots of experience.

Location: Muğla, Turkey

Visit The Abandoned City Of Kayakoy

Kayakoy city was completely full of Greek people until 1923 when Turkey and Greece decided to exchange citizens. Turkey exiled all the Greek people to Greece, and Greece did the same with Turkish people.

Turkish government sent all the new arrivals to Kayakoy city, however the people didn’t like this location with it’s small houses and rocky soil. After a while they left Kayakoy city and went to another region and the twice abandoned city turned into what we see today – naked walls without roofs, and trees growing through the floors of the forgotten abodes.

Next to the entrance to the city of Kayakoy there are a few cozy restaurants with good prices and delicious food. We visited Antik restaurant, and really enjoyed Turkish meat pancakes (gözleme) and mezes.

Kayakoy city is located next to Fethiye city and is a perfect stop between Fethiye and Oludeniz Plaj.

Location: Kayaköy, 48300 Fethiye/Muğla, Turkey

Explore Rock Tombs Of The City Of Telmessos

Telmessos was an ancient city of Lycia and one of the biggest at that time. Nowaday the city in its place is called Fethiye. There are still lots of reminders of the once great city: Castle of Fethiye, Amphitheater, and Rock Tombs.

The Rock Tombs is the most interesting thing to explore. The tombs are carved into mountains, and it is not just a simple cave with a weird entrance, but a pretty big room with the facade of a palace. Of course there isn’t just one of them, but many. Unfortunately, to most of those tombs, tourists don’t have access. To be frank, the Rock Tombs of Telmesses look a lot like a smaller version of the City of Petra.

If you rent your own car, which I highly recommend you do, you can

Location: Kesikkapı, 117. Sk. No:3, 48300 Fethiye/Muğla, Turkey

Check Out Patara Beach, Patara Ancient City, and Patara Sand Dunes

Patara Beach is one of the few soft sand beaches in Turkey. It is also crucial for turtle survival, since it is a place where they lay their eggs. Due to this, some parts of the beach are prohibited to walk on.

Patara Beach, like many others, has a restaurant, public toilets and showers. To rent a sunbed will cost you just 15 TL, the same for a beach umbrella. You are not allowed to use your own umbrellas at this beach because of the chance you’ll ruin a turtle nest, so the city closely monitors where tourists can be.

To get to Patara beach you will have to buy a ticket, which is actually more a key card than a ticket. With this card you can enter this beach ten times during ten days. The card cost 40 TL for a car, not just a person.

At the same entrance you can also buy an entry card to the Patara ancient city. Patara city is a great historical site. There you can see the remains of the parliament building, public bath, the oldest lighthouse and others. Patara is also considered to be the birthplace of St. Nicolas (Santa Claus).

To end your day perfectly, walk on the beach, or drive around to the Patara Sand Dunes. It is a famous spot for watching the sunset. People come here with baskets of food and blankets or garden chairs. There is also a vendor that sells water and hot corn (of course).

Location: Gelemiş, 07976 Kaş/Antalya, Turkey

Book A Boat Tour Around The Region

One of the most popular activities in Kas is a boat tour. Such a tour lasts about 10 hours and takes you to the Sunken city, Simena Kalesi, some of the great snorkeling spots and others. You can book this tour at the Kas’ marina at any of the small stalls. There are over a dozen of them and they all offer the same tour programme on similar boats for different prices. You can find a tour between 150 TL and 200 TL per person, or maybe less if you try to negotiate.

The boat will pick you up at the marina at 8 AM and drop you back at 6:30 PM. You can, of course, bring some snacks and drinks with you, but lunch and tea are included in the price of a tour. On every boat you get assigned seats (sunbeds) that you can choose when you book the tour.

One of the big pluses of the boat tour is that you don’t need to rent a car and visit all of these places on your own.

Take A Day Trip To Greek Island

Kas is located on the Mediterranean coast, 7 km away from the Greek island – Kastelorizo. On Kastelorizo island there is a small cute town that you can easily visit on a boat from Kas.

This island has some interesting ruins, great Greek (of course) restaurants and cute colorful buildings with narrow charming streets.

Unfortunately for us, due to Covid-19, the route Kas-Kastelorizo was temporarily closed down and we didn’t have an opportunity to do this trip. Those who were lucky and visited Kastelorizo island please leave your opinions below in the comments section.

You can arrange a trip there (when it’s available) through Meis Boat Transfer, which is located right by the marina.

Scuba Diving

For those who have a scuba certificate and love this type of activity, Kas is a great spot. Scuba diving is a popular activity in Kas and lots of tour agencies offer day trips to the best underwater locations in this region. If you’ve been following my blog then you’ll know I actually just got scuba certified in Sharm el Sheikh a couple months ago!

Of course if you have experienced scuba diving in the Red Sea or somewhere in Asia, the Mediterranean Sea might not be something “unbelievable”. However if you like the process itself and want to see some turtles and some wrecks, scuba diving in Kas is a great activity for you.