The Lycian Way

is what you'll get if you jump onto 'the Lycean Way'! We jumped on the trail* at the east end of Fetihye bay and walked up the road for about 1/2 hour, then curled onto a dirt road/wide hiking path and started seeing: big pines, small tortoises and fresh air.
A while later (2 hours?) we made it to the quaint village of Karakoy where we saw: the famed ruins, nice little cafes & restaurants, and ostriches!!
Hiking up and over the ruins invited us onto 'the Lycean Way' proper and that's where it got really nice! From here you start to get those postcard photosplus a glorious hiking trail. Beware the trail isn't always clearly marked as you pass over the hill and down into Olunediz, but if you're aware (i.e. NOT fully distracted by those beauty views!) you'll be okay.
Highly recommended for those who enjoy 4+ hour hikes.
*NOTE: There is some debate where exactly the official "way" starts, but regardless this is a very nice walk with a great reward at the end!

Not a real trail, but rather a hastily made up one that is barely taken care of
A mix of goat and wild boar path, an approximate maze between stone and rocks barred by bushes, sometime over signaled every 2 meters and sometime not at all for 2 kilometers or more. definitely not the Lycean Way you would expect it to be. A shame on the Ministry of Turism and all the people that make revenues from hikers without caring to maintain or better yet, make this trail a decent one.

Now on the positive side, Turkish people are kind, helpful and welcoming. The historical artifacts on the way are often spectacular, and many places and villages are stunning.

We walked the Lycian Way (Likya Yolu) end-to-end, a 500 kilometre walk around the Teke Peninsula. See our blog Our-Wanderlust for a full account of our experience.

We walked on old roads and tracks, past traces of Lycian, Greek and Roman civilisations, following turquoise fringed beaches, through coastal villages and high up into the rugged Taurus Mountains.

The trail is nearly well marked and Kate Clow's guidebook and the associated app ensure that we didn't ever stray too far from the trail. Some sections are relatively easy with very good tracks, although there are always hills to climb, and there are also more challenging sections. The guidebook provides clear advice on the level of difficulty as well as transport options for those wanting to walk a few days of the trail.

Highly recommended for those interested in culture, nature, great beaches and having an adventure away from the crowds. The locals are very welcoming, the weather was perfect for walking and the food delicious.

I walked for 2 hr starting off from the hill going down to OluDeniz. The views were outstanding and breathtaking. Its not a hard walk but there are lots of stones. Bring walking shoes is my advice especially for those of us who have flat feet.

We went with no expectations and were pleasantly surprised to find that on the whole the tour was very good. Our coach did have a few problems and was very old-we guessed it was because we were the last group to book and all the rest of the groups with RSD Travel had much newer vehicles.
Even when we worked out that you really need to take the additional package which includes fees and dinners in hotels and allowed for some tips and spending money, it is still remarkably good value for a winter break. Be warned, that if you do not do not want the lunch package , you may be stranded with nowhere to eat as an alternative -take some bread, cheese and fruit etc from your breakfasts . Some foil and a small sharp knife in your suitcase could come in handy.
We found the locals friendly and eager to please,our guide very knowledgeable and all our fellow travellers made the holiday such fun and so interesting.

What a fantastic hiking experience! Spectacular Scenery, history, friendly people, great budget accommodation and of course the food. Great mix of remote then tourist coastal towns.
We are in our mid 60s, fairly fit ( though wouldn’t say super hikers) who were keen to do a multi day hike without camping and without spending big money. The Lycian Way exceeded our expectations of an all round experience. Be warned though, it’s tough! Lots of ups and downs with rocky paths.
We walked for about 25 days plus had several rest days en route and a couple of shorter days to make a following day a bit easier. Many days were 8 hour days covering 15kms- so we were slow and careful.
We chose April for weather but it was still quite hot- we were drenched in sweat each day. No way would I do it in summer!
Although the track is generally well marked ( better the eastern section), we couldn’t have done the walk without the Trekopidia/TrailSmart app giving GPS location plus track and a whole lot of other useful information. Also walking poles!
Stayed at pensions all the way- there were some really helpful people who arranged other accommodation further on. Sometimes we stayed several days and did day walks so only carried one pack (we had substantial day packs with the bare essentials-around 6 kgs but water increased load). We were also some times able to get a lift out of town so the stretch was more doable for us eg the LightHouse section.

We managed to do about 350 kms. Missed the middle bit which requires camping plus final two days as accommodation thin on the ground plus I couldn’t face another hill!
Did the coastal alternative route to Tekirova ( yea finally some forest roads instead of rocky tracks). Then next day caught cable car up to Tahli Dagi And spent 7 hours walking down to next pension.

Is there any easy sections? I actually can’t remember many!
A friend joined us from the Fethiye to Kas section. He’s done a lot of walks in the UK and Europe and rates it highly- in fact is planning to do much of the walk in the future.

We spent 5 days in early October hiking the Lycian Way from Oludeniz to Gavuragili and here're our top tips:
1) Instead of basing yourself in one place and making day trips, hike from village to village and make a real journey of the whole walk.
2) We passed a lot of campers struggling with heavy rucksacks in the heat. Instead you could just carry day packs and stay at b&b pansiyons along the way, where breakfast and dinner are usually included in the price. Business is bad there too atm so every guest counts.
3) Carry plenty of water because it gets hot and sources of water can be unreliable.
4) You don't have to be super-fit, just take things slow and you'll be fine.
5) Don't go if you're terrified of bees or wasps - although they're harmless there are a lot of them around!
6) Get the Trekopedia app on your phone - it's got offline maps and GPS.
7) The route is generally very well marked so you'll not easily get lost, though you might end up dreaming of red-and-white way markings like I did!
8) Probably not good for kids unless they're older and like hiking.
9) Don't worry about the 'troubles' in Turkey - the people are very friendly and famous for their hospitality.
10) Learn a few phrases in Turkish before you go as it's harder than expected.
So go for it - it's a fantastic walk with spectacular scenery, friendly people, good food and lots of amazing historical sites to visit. We're already planning a return visit!

There are plenty of TA reviews on the Lycian Way hike itself, I thought I'd just add a quick note for anybody who is looking to either start from the Western end or to base themselves in one of the nearby towns and to do a few day trip hikes.
The nearest town to what seems to be the official start is Hisaronu, I'd advise not staying there for any length of time, it's pretty horrible to be honest, the curse of the Brits abroad is writ large here.
Beer bellies, tattoos and no shirts, and that's just the women.
It is however closest to the start.
If you were to stay in the nearby town of Fethiye, which is way more pleasant, it's a dolmus ride up to near the start, not that much of an inconvienience if you want to avoid the full English breakfasts and live soccer crowd in Hisaronu.
When you do eventually get to what looks to be the start, a large yellow arched sign proclaiming the start of the Lycian Way, don't get too excited, you're still a couple of kilometers from the path.
You'll need to walk along a paved at first road that soon turns into a dirt road and follow this for a 20 minutes of so.
Try and turn a blind eye to the piles of rubbish strewn along the road, why anybody would go up there and throw piles of rubbish around is a mystery that I will never solve.
The rubbish peters out after the trail proper begins, but sadly doen't end altogether, there's still plenty of plastic bottles, food tins, cigarette butts, tissues, yoghurt containers, it shouldn't distract you from the way though, the scenery is spectacular, the climb a bit difficult but well worth it.

Prepare to be amazed, however you will be one of approx 28 coaches doing the same tour at the same time. This means that there will be approx 10 coaches at each coffee stop, at each lunch venue and at most of the sites. Be prepared for long journeys on the coach, no tea making facilities in the hotels and most don't have plugs. If you go on the evening flight you get to your hotel about 4.30am and the first tour starts at 8.30.
These details are easily forgotten when you see what the area has to offer, the visits to Ephasus and Aphrodisias in particular are amazing, the boat trips were excellent with a lot if information. The hotels were good but in their 'Winter' mode so a few facilities weren't available. The meals were okay but very repetative and not sure if genuine Turkish fare but the entertainment night was very good.
We would recommend that you buy both packages, you miss out on good things if you don't and could get very hungry. The visits to the jewellery factory and leather factory are a waste of time as you can get very similar in the main shops in Antalya for a fraction of the cost.
All in all a very good trip and introduction to Turkish culture, good value for money and our guide Himli was wonderful

We used Inntravel for our trip to the Lycian way. We found the route directions very difficult to follow , despite being seasoned walkers, and we got into a serious situation on the first day which necessitated being rescued from the side of Mount Olimpos . Local services were fantastic at this point . Later we found walking substantially more challenging than expected because guide notes were vague and inadequate in our experience . We returned disappointed .