Lycian coast in 10 days

Collect the car at Dalaman’s international-terminal meeting point and drive to Akyaka for the first two nights. The priced rental starts at 14:00 on 15 October; coordinate the meeting arrangement with the actual flight rather than treating it as a walk-up desk at any terminal. Keep the arrival afternoon for the town and its riverfront. Akyaka sits where the Gökova Gulf meets the steep, forested slopes behind the coast, so river, beach and mountain scenery belong to one small setting. Walk out for a meal after parking instead of beginning with another excursion. A room near the Azmak makes that first evening easy to use; a hillside address requires deciding how to get back after dinner. This is the Gökova opening, before the itinerary reaches the Lycian coast.

• Begin beside the Azmak after the airport pickup
• Day 1 base: Akyaka

Overnight: Akyaka

Use Akyaka’s complete day for the Azmak and town waterfront. The river’s spring-fed water and reed-lined banks give a different atmosphere from the open gulf. A riverside walk and a meal can form the morning, with the town beach later if conditions suit. An Azmak boat ride is an optional paid activity, not included in the core cruise budget below. The official destination guide describes afternoon winds, one reason to keep a water outing separate from any assumption of an all-day calm beach. Look also at the Ula-style houses, with dark timber balconies and deep eaves: the architecture gives the town more identity than another swim stop. Keep this day within town and designated visitor areas, rather than adding an unconfirmed forest excursion to the October plan.

• Riverfront, town architecture and one coast
• Day 2 base: Akyaka

Overnight: Akyaka

Leave Akyaka for Fethiye after breakfast and give the road a half-day planning window, including a proper stop and hotel arrival. The move is east toward the next base, rather than a return through a town already visited. A pause in a settled place is more useful than trying to turn every roadside view into an excursion. Once in Fethiye, park and use the harbour to establish the next three nights. The cruise leaves from this town, while Ölüdeniz lies beyond the centre; knowing that distinction helps choose tomorrow’s order. Central Fethiye also gives the evening restaurants and waterfront a walkable starting point.

• Settle near Fethiye harbour before the local days
• Day 3 base: Fethiye

Overnight: Fethiye

Give Ölüdeniz the land day. Its protected lagoon, Kumburnu and Belcekız shoreline are different parts of the same coastal setting; protected scenery does not make every beach facility free. Start with the resort and shoreline, choosing the walking and swimming hours around conditions rather than adding a mountain activity by default. Lagoon facilities, loungers and paragliding are optional expenses outside this example. A short forest section of the Lycian Way is not promised for the October dates: the forestry service announced 2026 entry restrictions through 31 October. The continuous walking route also involves steep, stony paths and needs its own access and exit plan. Keep this day on the coast and return to Fethiye for dinner; the next full day is for the gulf.

• Use shoreline walks for the October example
• Day 4 base: Fethiye

Overnight: Fethiye

Take the Fethiye harbour cruise on the better of the two local weather days. The current Fethiye Tours offer is €34 per adult, with a 10:30 departure and 17:30 return; it includes lunch and pickup from most Fethiye-area hotels. Confirm that the actual hotel is covered, or meet at the harbour under the operator’s instructions. Drinks and extra snacks are additional. The Twelve Islands name describes the gulf’s island scenery rather than twelve guaranteed landings: the operator normally makes five swim stops and adjusts their order to conditions. Guests can stay aboard instead of swimming, but steps between decks and the lower toilets make the boat unsuitable for assuming full wheelchair access. If the sailing cannot run safely, the stated policy is a new date or a refund when no suitable alternative exists.

• Lunch and most hotel pickups included in the stated cruise
• Day 5 base: Fethiye

Overnight: Fethiye

Drive from Fethiye to Kaş without turning the transfer into another full excursion day. Keep a half-day door-to-door allowance for the road, a meal and the hotel approach; this is a planning reserve rather than an operator’s journey time. Kaş then gets an arrival evening and one complete day. A harbour-area room makes the first evening easy to spend on foot, whereas a peninsula stay changes the return after dinner. Resolve the parking before walking down to the centre, especially at a property with only limited spaces. Save the main archaeological visit for tomorrow rather than adding Patara to this arrival. The harbour and hillside streets show why two nights can work here: the town supplies the evening experience, while the car provides access to a different landscape the following day.

• Keep the archaeological outing for the full Kaş day
• Day 6 base: Kaş

Overnight: Kaş

Use the Kaş day for Xanthos followed by Patara. Xanthos adds Lycian inscriptions and funerary architecture to the route; some celebrated original sculptures were taken abroad, so do not arrive expecting every named monument to retain its original reliefs. Patara then offers a different ancient-city layout, including its assembly building, theatre and harbour remains, with the long beach beside the site. Its current published hours are 08:00–19:00, with the last ticket at 18:30. The foreign-adult tariffs are €3 for Xanthos and €15 for Patara, giving €36 for two people. Keep the beach portion within posted visitor and turtle-protection rules. Kekova is the alternative boat-led day, replacing this road outing rather than joining it; its boat price and any transfer would need a separate calculation.

• €36 for the two-person Xanthos–Patara entries
• Day 7 base: Kaş

Overnight: Kaş

Leave Kaş for Antalya with Myra as the single archaeological stop. Its rock-cut tomb facades and Roman theatre provide a different kind of site from yesterday’s Patara, making the stop useful rather than another entry bought to fill the drive. The current visitor page lists daily opening from 08:00 to 19:00, with the last ticket at 18:30; the core foreign-adult entry is €13. Start early enough for the road, site and an ordinary meal before continuing to Antalya. Use the visitor route at the tombs rather than treating every facade as a place to climb. The coastal journey gets a full daylight planning window, and an additional ruin would change that pacing. Follow the hotel’s access instructions on arrival in Kaleiçi, then leave the wider city for tomorrow.

• Choose Myra as the single road-day site
• Day 8 base: Antalya

Overnight: Antalya

Keep the car parked and spend Antalya’s full day around Kaleiçi and the old harbour. The archaeological museum is currently closed, so this plan uses the free Ethnography Museum instead. Its historic-house setting adds local household and cultural context rather than the archaeological collection formerly promised here. The current opening information is 08:30–19:00, with the last entry at 18:30. Combine it with the lanes, harbour views and a long lunch, using the day for one coherent historic core. Steps and sloping approaches near the harbour are different from a level seafront promenade, so choose the walking extent to suit the traveller. The rental still runs today, but the vehicle adds little to this part of Antalya. Keep the final evening local and agree how tomorrow’s airport return will work.

• Visit the open local museum in the historic core
• Day 9 base: Antalya

Overnight: Antalya

Drive to Antalya airport and complete the rental return at the booked international-terminal T1 location. The quote ends at 14:00 on 24 October, so a flight from another terminal or at a different hour needs a matching return arrangement rather than an assumed connection. Allow time for fuel, vehicle inspection and the actual airline check-in before departure. No flight ticket is included in the cost example. This itinerary has nine hotel nights, ending with the second Antalya night; the tenth day is the return and flight day, not another overnight disguised as a short excursion. If the departure requires an additional hotel night or a longer hire period, recalculate both. A late flight may leave time for breakfast in the familiar centre, but does not create a new ancient-site day.

• Match T1 rental return to the actual flight
• Day 10 base: Antalya

Base: Antalya