Kas
A whitewashed Lycian harbour with the bluest water in Turkey
Kas (pronounced kash) is the small whitewashed harbour town that the Turkish Riviera sends you to when you have outgrown the resort belts.
Built on top of ancient Antiphellos with Lycian rock tombs hanging over the high street, Kas is a thirty-minute boat ride from the Greek island of Meis, the unofficial scuba diving capital of Turkey, and the most reliably sunny corner of the country between May and October. There are no big all-inclusive hotels: the centre is a grid of bougainvillea-draped boutique guesthouses, family-run fish restaurants and a handful of really good design hotels overlooking the bay. We send couples, divers, walkers on the Lycian Way and British clients who have done Kalkan and now want somewhere a touch more bohemian.
The five experiences that make a Kas trip unforgettable
Best diving in Turkey
The 1942 wreck of a B-24 Liberator, the SS Dimitrios, the Canyon and the Flying Fish reef all sit within a thirty-minute boat ride; PADI day-courses with British-trained instructors run from £85.
Day boat to Meis (Kastellorizo)
A 35-minute crossing reaches the Greek island of Meis with its famous Blue Cave; UK passport holders enter visa-free for the day.
Kaputas Beach
A 187-step descent into a turquoise gorge beach widely photographed for the Turkish Riviera; the prettiest swim on this coast.
Lycian rock tombs and the Hellenistic theatre
The 4th-century-BC theatre still has its original sea view; King Tomb on the harbourside is lit at night.
The right month makes the trip
Ideal: May to mid-October, peaks late June and September
Kas faces south-east and gets the most reliable sunshine on the entire Mediterranean coast. Sea temperature climbs above 22 Celsius from late May, dive visibility stays at 30 metres into October, and the high-summer heat is moderated by the Meltemi breeze. November to March is closed-off-season.
Combine in a single trip
- →Kalkan (30 minutes east)
- →Patara beach and Lycian ruins (40 minutes east)
Kas: questions British travellers ask us
Is Kas suitable for a UK family holiday or is it more for couples?
+
Kas works best for couples, divers, older families with confident swimmers and walkers. There is no sandy beach inside the town (it is a rocky harbour) and very few hotels run kids clubs. Families with young children are usually happier in Kalkan, Belek or Side. From age ten upward Kas is perfect — kids snorkel and boat-day to ruins.
How do I get to Kas from the UK?
+
Fly direct UK to Dalaman (DLM) — Jet2, easyJet, TUI and Pegasus all run summer programmes from Stansted, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol. From DLM the private transfer is 2h 30m south-east on the D400 coast road, one of the most scenic drives in the Mediterranean. Antalya (AYT) is a longer 3h 45m transfer and rarely worth the change.
Is the day-trip to Meis (Greece) included in the Schengen visa?
+
British passport holders enter Meis (Kastellorizo) visa-free for a day visit; you do not need a Schengen visa. The 35-minute Meis Express ferry runs daily in season at £35 return. Bring your passport — Greek border police stamp it on arrival.
Is Kas the same as Kalkan?
+
No. Kas is a working harbour town with a town beach (rocky), boutique hotels and Lycian tombs. Kalkan, 30 minutes west, is a hillside village famous for clifftop villas with private pools. Many British clients combine both — three nights in each — and we are happy to arrange that.
Can I dive in Kas as a complete beginner?
+
Yes. We pre-book PADI Discover Scuba half-days for non-divers (£85) and the four-day Open Water Course for committed beginners (£420). The Kas dive shops are British- and German-trained, all instructors speak English and the dive sites inside the bay are flat, calm and shallow enough for a first descent.
Other destinations
Your Turkey trip, written from scratch
Tell us your dates, taste and budget. We will return within 24 hours with a fully costed, day-by-day itinerary — no obligation, no fee.
Free, no-obligation enquiry
Plan your Kas trip with our concierge
Tell us a little about who's coming and when — we'll send a tailored itinerary within one working day. No pushy sales, no spam.