Routes AKDENİZ

Kaş – Kalkan Sahil Yolu (D400)

Türkiye's most famous stretch of bends, in 35 minutes

DISTANCE: 28 km
DRIVING TIME: 36 min

Motorcycle
Car

A short, dense Mediterranean stage: about 35 minutes of bends along the cliffs, with the view never letting up.

The 190 km of the D400 between Antalya and Kaş is one of the great coast roads of Türkiye: it climbs and drops along the cliffs, and between Kalkan and Kaş it looks straight down on the turquoise beach at the mouth of the Kaputaş gorge. This is also the heart of Lycia — Antiphellos, on which Kaş is built, Phellos 12 km above it, the sunken city of Kekova — and the leading diving region in the country, with 18 dive centres in Kaş alone. Kaş is one of the main stage stops on the Likya Yolu; the paragliders launch from Asas Dağı at about 600 m and land at the harbour.

What to eat

Tereyağlı ve ızgara alabalık
trout from the spring water, grilled or fried in butter and served at the source itself
İslamlar (Bodamya) village, 6-8 km above Kalkan at about 600 m, at the trout restaurants built over the springs
Günün taze balığı ve deniz ürünleri
whatever came in that morning, cooked simply — grilled whole, or fried
Kaş harbour and around it; the terraces on the water charge for the view, the back streets are easier on the wallet
Zeytinyağlı mezeler ve taze deniz ürünleri
cold olive-oil dishes eaten as a spread of small plates before the fish arrives
Central Kalkan and the terrace restaurants around the harbour; in summer a table without a reservation is hard to come by
Tahinli piyaz
not a side salad: small Çandır beans under a tahini dressing, eaten as a meal; hibeş is a tahini and cumin dip alongside
Central Antalya, at the eastern end of the route; the dish was registered in 2017
Gömbe tepsi kebabı
goat meat baked in a tray in a wood or stone oven for about two hours, until it falls apart
The Gömbe plateau, 65 km from Kaş

What to buy

El yapımı deri ayakkabı-sandalet, gümüş takı, antika ve tekstil
hand-made leather shoes and sandals, silver jewellery, antiques and textiles
Kaş Uzun Çarşı, the old bazaar lane above the harbour
Cuma pazarı alışverişi: köylü ürünü sebze-meyve ve tekstil
the weekly market: village fruit and vegetables, cheese and textiles
Friday, central Kaş, on the market ground behind the bus station (Andifli, Süleyman Sandıkçı Caddesi) — the largest market in the district
Taze zeytin, peynir, mevsim meyveleri ve el yapımı tekstil
fresh olives, cheese, seasonal fruit and hand-made textiles
The Thursday market in Kalkan, on Şehitler Caddesi
Üreticinin kendi yaptığı yöresel ürünler ve el sanatları
what the growers make themselves — preserves, oil, soap, small crafts
Kalkan local produce market, beside the family health centre, Wednesday and Saturday
Gömbe elması
mountain apples from one of the main apple-growing areas in the country
From the Gömbe plateau; sold at roadside stalls on the way back
Finike portakalı (2008’den beri coğrafi işaretli)
a thin-skinned, heavily scented winter orange
In season along the Finike-Kumluca stretch, at the roadside stands; registered since 2008

Road notes

Antalya to Kaş is ~190 km and takes about 3 hours on the D400; the road bends the whole way and stops for breaks and photographs stretch that easily.
Get to Kaputaş early (08:30-10:00 is ideal): the beach has no car park of its own, cars stop on the edge of the D400, and in July and August finding a space is close to impossible.
It is 187 steps down from the road to Kaputaş and the climb back is work, so take water. The seabed drops away quickly just off the shore and on some days there is a swell — take care with children.
Put the market days in your plan: the big market in Kaş is on Friday (behind the bus station, Andifli), Kalkan has its Thursday market on Şehitler Caddesi, and the Kalkan local produce market runs on Wednesday and Saturday.
Do not spend the midday heat on the coast — İslamlar, 6-8 km above Kalkan at about 600 m, is noticeably cooler; cooler still is the Gömbe plateau at 1,200 m, 65 km from Kaş.
The season opens in April and closes in October, with July and August the busiest; in winter the area goes back to its own routine and most hotels and restaurants shut.

Along the way

Kaputaş Plajı
a small turquoise beach at the mouth of a gorge, right below the road — 187 steps down from the D400
Kalkan
a village of white houses on a steep slope above a marina, the roofs strung with bougainvillaea
Kaş
a harbour town built on the Lycian city of Antiphellos, with a rock tomb standing in the middle of a shopping street

When to go

Spring / Summer / Autumn

Itinerary

The route passes through 12 named stops. The line between them is the routed road geometry the map draws — and the distance was measured off that line.

Kaş Merkez (Cumhuriyet Meydanı)
Kaş çıkışı – Çukurbağ Yarımadası sapağı
Yeniköy – Bucak Denizi / Kaş Marina sapağı
Yeniköy sahil kesimi (D400)
Gökçeören
Gökçeören batısı – D400 falez kesimi
Mavi Mağara mevkii (D400)
Kaputaş yaklaşımı (D400 virajları)
Kaputaş Plajı
Kalkan doğu girişi (D400)
Kalkan körfezi sırt kesimi
Kalkan Merkez

Directions in Google Maps

This route and Antalya – Muğla Likya Kıyı Yolu (D400 sahil güzergâhı)

This road is a short section inside Antalya – Muğla Likya Kıyı Yolu (D400 sahil güzergâhı) — 28 km, 36 min. The shelf carries both separately, because a Sunday afternoon out and a two-day journey are not the same thing.

Sources

8 SOURCES

This record is the counterpart of the route card on İz's Explore screen. The whole shelf, and how it was compiled, is on the route shelf. İz is not open to everyone yet; it lives inside the OtoTasdik vehicle wallet app.