We spent 10 days road tripping Turkey’s Turquoise Coast and it surpassed my wildest dreams. The views and scenery were beyond breathtaking and we absolutely loved being able to explore this region of the country in our own rental car (we hired our car through DiscoverCars.com)

*A reminder that if you book through the links in this blog I get a small commission at no extra cost to you which helps me keep these travel guides going!

We stopped in Alaçatı on the way down to the Turquoise Coast and fell in love with the charming cobbled street town and Çeşme peninsula, we had our breath taken away by the sheer beauty of Butterfly Valley, swam in the bluest water in Turkey in Kaş and even had some turtle sightings in the Ölüdeniz Blue Lagoon. Let me show you how to plan the perfect road trip along Turkey’s Turquoise Coast.

How to plan a road trip along Turkey’s Turquoise Coast

Hiring a car

After an amazing few days exploring the colourful and vibrant city of Istanbul (check out my complete guide to how to spend 3 days in Istanbul here), you’re going to pick up your car rental from DiscoverCars.com and make your way down the coast.
DiscoverCars.com allows you to compare prices across multiple car rental companies, allowing you to pick the one that best suits your needs. Our car hire was valued at 214.60 EUR for 9 days including full coverage (note we received this car hire as a sponsorship in exchange for blogging content).
Browse DiscoverCars.com for your dates here to road trip Turkey’s Turquoise Coast:

The Route

This road trip will start and end in Istanbul as this is the most central airport to fly in and out of Turkey from. You’ll start with a 569km drive down to the charming seaside town of Alaçatı where you’ll spend two nights. Then you’ll continue down another 414km to the town of Ölüdeniz for two nights where you’ll explore the Blue Lagoon and Butterfly Valley. You then have a short 111km drive to Kaş where you’ll spend 3 nights soaking up this gorgeous section of coastline before driving 287km up to Pamukkale for a one night stopover before your final 573km drive back up to Istanbul to return your car rental.

Alaçatı ( 2 nights)

Alaçatı was a total surprise for us. We had been looking for a good halfway stop on the drive from Istanbul down to Ölüdeniz and I found one Pinterest post about this cute little town on the coast. There weren’t many other options in the area so I decided to book 2 nights and hope for the best. It turned out to be most amazing stop along our journey.

Where to stay in Alaçatı

We stayed at Maison d’Azur Alaçatı which was the most gorgeous boutique hotel. They served up the best breakfast we had in Turkey. Definitely recommend staying here!

What to do in Alaçatı

The town of Alaçatı is so quaint with cobbled streets, charming buildings with colourful shutters and cascading bougainvillea. Spend your evenings strolling around and getting lost in these streets taking photos of the charming beauty.

There are also plenty of lovely dinner spots in the town to choose from. We loved our dinner at Azize Alaçatı Meyhanesi.

There was a stunning beach, Ilıca Beach, a 5 minute drive away where you can spend a few hours relaxing on the beach with views of the Greek islands and swimming in the bluest water. There are also a number other gorgeous beaches along the Çeşme peninsula which you spend a day visiting in a beach hop along the coast.

Ölüdeniz (2 nights)

Ölüdeniz, and Butterfly Valley in particular, were an absolute highlight in Turkey for me. Ölüdeniz is a small beach town located a 20 minute drive away from Fethiye. Once a hidden natural beauty, Ölüdeniz has since become very touristy, no longer hidden, but it still boasts the most incredible natural beauty.

Where to stay in Ölüdeniz

We stayed at Tonoz Beach Hotel which was the most affordable spot we could find in Ölüdeniz. It was super close to the beach and had a lovely pool.

What to do in Ölüdeniz

Spend time on Ölüdeniz beach

Voted the beach beach in the world in 2006, Ölüdeniz beach is stunning. The water is so incredibly blue and lovely to swim in. This is where you’ll find all the boats that go to Butterfly Valley beach.

Visit the Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon in Ölüdeniz is located at the far right end of Ölüdeniz beach. You can easily walk there from town. It is a national park and so you’ll need to pay a small entrance fee of 50 Turkish Lira pp. There are plenty of little bays along the lagoon with sunbeds and restaurants. You are also welcome to sit behind the sunbeds on your own towels, although there isn’t a huge amount of space so come earlier to guarantee a spot.

We brought along our masks & snorkels and were greeted by two turtles almost immediately after jumping into the water. Such a special encounter!

Drive to the Butterfly Valley Viewpoint

A 15 minute drive from Ölüdeniz along a very windy mountain pass will take you to the most stunning view you have ever seen. Viewing Butterfly Valley from above was an experience that quite literally took my breath away. The view was even more beautiful in person than what I’d seen in pictures. You can drive to this location on maps: Kelebekler Vadisi and when you get to the fork in the road park on the right hand side. Here you can go check out the viewpoint. Exercise extreme caution here as the rocky edge is slippery and it’s a looooong way down.

 

Take a boat to Butterfly Valley beach

After seeing the sheer beauty of Butterfly Valley from above, you’re going to want to go check it out from below. You can access Buetterfly Valley beach by boat. Either you can book a day trip which will include Butterfly Valley as one stop, along with a number of other little islands and bays along this gorgeous coastline, or you can take the shuttle boat. I would recommend taking the Butterfly Valley shuttle boat if you are keen to spend a longer time on the beach and explore at your own pace (and it’s cheaper!). If you’re wanting more of a day trip out on the boat then book this experience:

 

To take the shuttle boat to Butterfly Valley you can purchase your tickets on the day from the stand on Ölüdeniz beach. There is a big sign that says shuttle boat. The cost is 400Turkish Lira pp for return tickets (around R200). The boat leaves at 11am (meet at the stand at 10:45am) and takes a 30 minute drive to Butterfly Valley beach. The boat then returns at 1pm, 2pm and 5pm. You can pick your time slot according to how long you’d like to spend on the beach.

Taking the shuttle boat is super easy, a lot cheaper than a tour and allows you to relax and enjoy the beach in your own time. We took our masks and snorkels, packed a picnic lunch, our books and umbrella and enjoyed a few hours relaxing on Butterfy Valley beach.

Go Paragliding

We unfortunately didn’t have enough time but would’ve loved to go paragliding in Ölüdeniz. It is definitely one of the most spectacular places in the world to go paragliding and you’ll have gorgeous views of the Blue Lagoon and Ölüdeniz beach from above.

 

Kaş (3 nights)

Kaş is a must-see along Turkey’s Turquoise Coast. This seaside town has a charming old town with cobbled streets and bougainvillea lined buildings, a picturesque harbour, an ancient amphitheatre with the best views in town and a stunning coastline best explored via boat.

Where to stay in Kaş

We stayed at Larex Otel in Kaş and it was such a cute little guesthouse located within walking distance of all the must-see spots. The host was so kind and friendly and we had home cooked breakfasts each morning on the stunning rooftop terrace.

What to do in Kaş

Kaputaş beach

Kaputaş beach is a 25 minute drive from Kaş. Driving down from Ölüdeniz it is en route to Kaş (a short 2 hour drive day) so you may want to do this beach on your travel day. Kaputaş beach is an incredibly iconic beach in Turkey with a very famous view from the road. This beach was one of my favourites and I loved the stark contrast of the milky ice-blue water from the limestone cliffs, the white sand and the bright yellow umbrellas. You can park your car along the road and walk down the steps to the beach below. If you are travelling by public transport you can catch the local bus from Kaş.

Explore the Old Town

The Old Town of Kaş was incredibly charming and quaint with its cobbled stone streets, ornate buildings, cascading bougainvillea and garden restaurants. We had the most wonderful meal at Cinarlar pizza Garden restaurant in the Old Town and can definitely recommend it for a lovely dinner out.

Join a boat trip along the Kaş coastline

We swam in the bluest water in Turkey on our boat trip along the Kaş coastline. We joined a semi-private island hopping boat trip which was one of the best ways to spend a day in Kaş. You can snorkel, SUP and have countless Mamma Mia moments on board.

This particular trip is off the main tourist route and so you’ll spend an idyllic day exploring hidden coves, bays and islands of the Kaş coastline. This trip has a maximum of 6 guests so if you’re a family you could book out the whole boat and enjoy a private charter experience. The experience also includes a delicious lunch cooked on board by the staff. *This experience was sponsored by GetYourGuide in exchange for content.

 

If you’re looking for a cheaper way to experience the Kaş coastline by boat, check out this experience which takes you to the sunken city of Kekova as well as many other snorkeling spots and islands.

 

Watch the sunset at the Antiphellos Ampitheatre

A lovely way to spend an evening in Kaş is to go and watch the sunset at the Antiphellos Ampitheatre. This spot has the most stunning views of the coastline.

After an incredible week exploring Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, we drove the rental car back up to Istanbul with a stopover in Pamukkale, before flying across to the Greek island of Milos.

Turkey completely blew us away and we loved every second of our trip here! We also just loved how easy it was to travel here as South Africans.