{"id":71443,"date":"2026-07-25T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/?p=71443"},"modified":"2026-07-15T16:17:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T14:17:05","slug":"sailing-the-lycian-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/blog\/sailing-the-lycian-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"Sailing the Lycian Coast: Turkey\u2019s Sunken Cities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sailing the Lycian coast<\/strong> is a journey through living history. Stretching east from Fethiye towards Antalya, this rugged, mountainous shoreline was once the heart of the ancient Lycian civilisation &ndash; and its ruins still tumble down to the sea. You anchor above a sunken city, swim over submerged staircases, moor beneath cliff-top tombs and tie up in villages reachable only by boat. Add turquoise water and dramatic mountains, and it's one of the most magical cruising grounds in the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The magic of the Lycian coast<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What sets this coast apart is the sheer density of <strong>ancient history right at the waterline<\/strong>. Whole cities, harbours and tombs from 2,000+ years ago sit among the bays &ndash; many only accessible from the sea. It's a place where a morning swim can take you over the walls of a sunken Roman town, and an evening anchorage sits beneath a Lycian sarcophagus. The scenery is wilder and more dramatic than the sheltered gulfs to the west.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tuerkei3-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A sailing yacht along the dramatic mountainous Lycian coast of Turkey\" class=\"wp-image-61387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tuerkei3-scaled.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tuerkei3-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tuerkei3-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tuerkei3-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tuerkei3-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights of a Lycian coast cruise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Kekova &amp; the Sunken City<\/strong> &ndash; the unmissable highlight: an ancient town half-submerged by earthquakes, its staircases and walls visible beneath the surface.<\/li><li><strong>Simena (Kalek\u00f6y)<\/strong> &ndash; a car-free village crowned by a crusader castle, with sarcophagi standing in the shallows.<\/li><li><strong>Ka\u015f<\/strong> &ndash; a charming harbour town of bougainvillea-draped lanes and a Lycian tomb in the high street.<\/li><li><strong>Kalkan<\/strong> &ndash; a pretty, upscale town cascading down to a small harbour.<\/li><li><strong>G\u00f6kkaya Bay<\/strong> &ndash; a maze of islands and sheltered anchorages near Kekova.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Dreaming of anchoring above a sunken city?<\/strong> Discover our <a href=\"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/countries\/turkey\/\">Turkey sailing trips<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"666\" src=\"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Tuerkei-B.jpg\" alt=\"Aerial view of a sailing yacht in a turquoise bay on the Turkish Lycian coast\" class=\"wp-image-61382\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Tuerkei-B.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Tuerkei-B-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Tuerkei-B-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A classic Lycian route<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many trips run between <strong>Fethiye and Ka\u015f\/Kekova<\/strong>, combining the sheltered coves near <a href=\"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/blog\/sailing-fethiye-gocek\/\">Fethiye and G\u00f6cek<\/a> with the wilder, history-rich anchorages further east. It links naturally with the <a href=\"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/blog\/sailing-gokova-gulf\/\">Gulf of G\u00f6kova<\/a> and the wider <a href=\"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/blog\/sailing-turkish-aegean\/\">Turkish Aegean<\/a> for a longer voyage. Distances are a little greater here than in the gulfs, but every leg brings a new ruin or hidden bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Best time to sail the Lycian coast<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The season runs from late April to October. <strong>May, June, September and October<\/strong> are ideal: warm water, comfortable temperatures for exploring ruins ashore, and lighter winds. High summer is hot and the afternoon breeze can be brisk on the more exposed stretches &ndash; a good skipper times the passages accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">With or without a skipper<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No experience or licence is needed to join a shared trip &ndash; a professional skipper handles navigation and mooring, and often knows the history of every bay. It's a spectacular place to learn, too, on a <a href=\"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/sailing-trips\/skipper-training\/\">skipper training week<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the sunken city of Kekova?<\/h3>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An ancient town partly submerged by earthquakes centuries ago. From a boat you can see its walls, staircases and foundations beneath the clear water &ndash; the highlight of the Lycian coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where does a Lycian coast sailing trip go?<\/h3>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Typically between Fethiye and Ka\u015f or Kekova, taking in Simena, Kalkan and the many ruins and bays along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When is the best time to sail the Lycian coast?<\/h3>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">May, June, September and October &ndash; warm water and comfortable temperatures for both sailing and exploring the ancient sites ashore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ancient ruins, a sunken city and dramatic turquoise bays make the Lycian coast one of the Mediterranean's most unforgettable sailing routes &ndash; no experience required. Ready to set a course through history? Explore our <a href=\"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/countries\/turkey\/\">Turkey sailing trips<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sailing the Lycian coast is a journey through living history. Stretching east from Fethiye towards Antalya, this rugged, mountainous shoreline was once the heart of the ancient Lycian civilisation &ndash; and its ruins still tumble down to the sea. You anchor above a sunken city, swim over submerged staircases, moor beneath cliff-top tombs and tie<a href=\"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/blog\/sailing-the-lycian-coast\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"sr-only\">\"Sailing the Lycian Coast: Turkey\u2019s Sunken Cities\"<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":61387,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"hide_extended_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71443"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71444,"href":"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71443\/revisions\/71444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailwithus.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}