Kaş

Kaş is a harbour town with a rare balance: enough restaurants, diving schools and boat trips to keep you busy, but small enough that you recognise the waiter on the second night. The Lycian tomb above the harbour and the little amphitheatre are free, quiet and easy to miss. Mornings are for the market and a swim; afternoons for a boat, a dive or the walk to the Hellenistic theatre; evenings for meze on the waterfront.

Best time to visit: May to June and September to October for warm sea without peak crowds.

Kalkan is a whitewashed hillside town above a small harbour, built around steep streets and roof-terrace restaurants. It is more polished and more expensive than Kaş, and it works best if you want a slow week: boat trips, beach clubs, Patara and Kaputaş, and the Lycian Way. The old town is small enough to walk, but the hills are real, choose your hotel by the walk back, not just the view.

Best time to visit: May to June and September to October; July to August is hot and busy.

Kaputaş is the beach in the postcard: a narrow strip of sand at the bottom of a gorge, with water that shifts from turquoise to deep blue. The staircase is steep, the car park is small and the beach is often packed. Go early, take water, and check the current before swimming.

Best time to visit: Early morning or late afternoon; avoid weekends in July to August.

Patara is a long sandy beach backed by dunes and the ruins of a Lycian city. The beach is protected because sea turtles nest there, and the site has a theatre, baths and a reconstructed lighthouse. It is a place to slow down: bring shade, walk the ruins in the morning and save the beach for the afternoon.

Best time to visit: April to June and September to October; turtles nest in summer.