routes

Spiritual Route

• Nicholas’s Home

 St. Nicholas, or as he is best known in the West, Santa Claus, was a native Lycian, a member of an ancient civilization of southern Asia Minor. He was born in the famous Lycian city of Patara and served as the miracle-working Bishop of Myra in the 4th century. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children, merchants, and sailors. One of his most famous miracles is saving three young girls from being forced into prostitution by secretly dropping gold, which their father used as their dowry, through the window of their house.

The church dedicated to him in the ancient city of Myra, today known as Demre, and his tomb are pilgrimage sites for many believers. Gemile Island by the shores of the city of Fethiye today hosts the ruins of several Byzantine churches built between the fourth and seventh centuries AD.

Trekking and Hiking Routes

• Lycian Way

The Lycian Way (Likya Yolu) is Türkiye’s first long-distance hiking trail, a 500 kilometres waymarked route from Fethiye (in eastern Muğla) to Antalya. It is the impressive achievement of Kate Clow, a Briton resident in Türkiye, and her crew of dedicated trailblazers.

Starting from the landscapes of turquoise waters, the path winds through the Taurus Mountains. On the route, you can see and visit many ancient cities. The Lycian Way offers an unforgettable adventure for trekking lovers!

The trek is rated as moderately strenuous to difficult, with the easier portion being nearest to Fethiye and Ölüdeniz. Among the most popular sections are the westernmost, from Fethiye via Ölüdeniz, Butterfly Valley and south-eastward toward Patara.

But you don’t have to do the whole hike. You can base yourself in towns like Kaş, Patara or Olympos and do various day walk.

• Paul Trail

 St Paul was responsible for the spread of Christianity to Western Europe. And this trail includes some of the paths that he walked in starting that mission.

The starting point is at Perge, close to Antalya Airport. The route ends at Yalvaç, near Lake Eğirdir in Isparta.  Eğirdir is a major transport and accommodation hub on the route. Trekking is best in spring and autumn.

On the way, you can find accommodation in village houses or small pensions, but on longer sections you will have to camp in plenty of good places.

• Pisidian Cultural Heritage Trail

 A trekking trail where nature and archaeology meet!

Pisidia is an ancient region located in the Taurus Mountain range and this long-distance 350 km trekking trail connects many archaeological sites in the region: Sagalassos, Termessos, Pisidya Antioch, Kremna, Adada, Selge, Pednelissos, Amblada, Anabura, Tymriada, Ariassos, Pityassus…

On this trail, we’ll walk through ancient and natural beauties of the Ancient Region of Pisidia and, at the same time, we’ll follow some parts of the St. Paul Way!

Rock Climbing Route

• Geyikbayırı in Antalya

 The largest developed rock-climbing area in Türkiye is around Antalya, and more specifically, the sport climbing at Geyikbayırı, which has over 700 routes across all grades. The crag itself is situated 25km from Antalya, with the only "tourists" being rock climbers! The main crag is 1.5 km long, plus several other buttresses. Geyikbayırı has excellent camping areas.

There are also four other rock-climbing areas close to Antalya, which are Olympos, Çitdibi, Akyarlar, and Karataşlar.

Cycling Routes

Antalya welcomes road bike and mountain bike lovers. The best routes for 2-wheels are found in beautiful Kemer.

Kemer has great opportunities for road and mountain biking due to its long seashores, routes which connect hinterland Anatolia with the Mediterranean, and Tahtalı (Olympos) Mountain where you can arrive at the top by one of the longest cable car lines in Europe and overlook the whole Mediterranean Sea. There are waymarked paths and there are opportunities to build a couple of days cycling into a holiday or cultural trip.

You can see all the road bike, mountain bike and e-bike routes of Antalya Province by clicking here. (https://gocyclingturkiye.com/antalya)