Overview
An eight day, self-guided cycling holiday along Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, of which you will see plenty as you ride between Fethiye and Dalyan. This stretch of Turkish delight is in the country’s south-western region known as Ancient Lycia, where you spend the first three nights in the bustling and beautiful Fethiye. From here you explore the foothills of the Taurus Mountains, pine forests, green valleys and small coves. The following two nights are in Dalyan, located on a river delta beside Lake Köyceğiz, from which there are trails to the ancient city of Kaunos and the famous İztuzu beach, a protected nesting site for loggerhead turtles. There is also time in Lake Sülüngür, where you can take an optional boat trip.
- Fethiye
- Paspatur Old Town
- Kaunos rock tombs
- Lake Köycegiz
- İztuzu Beach
- Dalyan
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Fethiye
Arrival at the airport and transfer to the hotel in Fethiye, located in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains. Depending on your arrival time, take a walk through Paspatur Old Town with its small shops and fish market, or head to Ölüdeniz for a swim at the Blue Lagoon (payable locally). Close to the harbour are the remains of Telmessos Theatre and the rock-cut Tomb of Amyntas, carved high into the cliffs above town.
- Accommodation: Kilim Apart Hotel or similar in Fethiye
Day 2: Fethiye peninsula circular route | 23km
After breakfast, your bicycles are delivered to the hotel if you have rented from us. Start out on the peninsula route which follows a quiet, coastal road with views across the Gulf of Fethiye. Ride through pine forest and to small coves such as Büyük Boncuklu, where we recommend stopping for a refreshing swim before looping back to the centre of Fethiye for the evening.
- Cycling for the day: 23km, ↑558m ↓558m
- Accommodation: Kilim Apart Hotel or similar in Fethiye
Day 3: Fethiye’s green valley | 45km
Cycle along the Turquoise Coast west of Fethiye, and continue inland through the valley and rural villages such as Kargı and Yanıklar, with the scenery shifting to orange groves and olive trees. On return to Fethiye, we recommend taking a stop at Çalış beach to rest your legs and have a drink on the promenade.
- Cycling for the day: 45km, ↑386m ↓386m
- Accommodation: Kilim Apart Hotel or similar in Fethiye
Day 4: Fethiye – Dalyan | 38-47km
Our driver brings you to the starting point of today’s route, just outside of Göcek (included, 30mins). Start with a descent through the Gokbel hills to Lake Sülüngür, where it is possible to take a short detour towards the coast to İztuzu beach, a protected nesting site for loggerhead turtles. Cycle across flatter terrain towards Dalyan, located on a river delta beside Lake Köyceğiz. Across the river are the remains of the ancient city of Kaunos, including a theatre and sections of city walls.
- Cycling for the day: 38km, ↑416m ↓443m
- Cycling for the day with optional extension to İztuzu beach: 47km, ↑416m ↓624m
- Accommodation: Hotel Riverside or similar in Dalyan
Day 5: Rest day in Dalyan
A full day at leisure to explore the Dalyan delta and surrounding countryside. Cycle through pomegranate plantations and along rural lanes, or take a boat trip (payable locally) along the river to İztuzu Beach and sail past mud baths and thermal springs on the shores of Lake Köyceğiz. Cross the river to explore the ruins of Kaunos, if you didn’t do so yesterday, or spend time in Dalyan town centre and waterfront, where you get views of the Kaunos rock tombs carved into the cliffs.
- Accommodation: Hotel Riverside or similar in Dalyan
Day 6: Dalyan – Köycegiz | 39km
Cycle through orchards and villages towards Köyceğiz, a rural town on the northern shore of Lake Köyceğiz. Ride along the lakeside promenade or visit the weekly market if your stay coincides with market day (Monday). A boat trip (payable locally) across the lake offers views of the surrounding Taurus Mountains. We recommend a visit to the remains of Kaunos rock tombs from a different perspective across the water.
- Cycling for the day: 39km, ↑269m ↓275m
- Accommodation: Tango Pansiyon or similar in Köycegiz
Day 7: Köycegiz – Dalyan | 32km
Cycle along the southern shores of Lake Köyceğiz on undulating roads through small villages like Sultaniye, where we recommend spending some time at the thermal springs and mud baths (payable locally). Ride towards the Dalyan strait river crossing and take a short river taxi back to the Dalyan side (payable locally). Cycle the final section to back to your hotel for the last evening in Dalyan.
- Cycling for the day: 32km, ↑344m ↓326m
- Accommodation: Hotel Riverside or similar in Dalyan
Day 8: Departure
After breakfast, transfer from the hotel to the airport for your departure.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation on this tour includes a mix of mostly small, locally-owned hotels and one hostel. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their location, warm hospitality, fine local food or commitment to responsible tourism. All rooms have en-suite or private bathrooms including at the hostel.
Click to view default hotels
- Kilim Apart Hotel (Fethiye)
- Hotel Riverside (Dalyan)
- Tango Pansiyon (Köycegiz)
Hotels are subject to availability. In case a particular hotel is fully booked for your desired dates we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will give you exact accommodation details upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Breakfast is included on each day. For lunch and dinner, there are many options for restaurants, cafes and grocery shops along the way. Once you arrive at your accommodation, you can also ask the hosts for a packed lunch option or for recommendations on where to eat locally.
Difficulty and terrain
This tour is graded easy to moderate, with cycling distances ranging from 23-47km, with some steep gradients on some days. The route mainly follows quiet roads (read more about difficulty grades).
When to go
This cycling holiday is available between March and November. Weather is best in the spring and the autumn, but it is also possible to cycle in the summer months as well. The flexibility of self-guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates and you can start your trip on any date during the season.
Winter temperatures are mild, with average highs around 15C, while in summer the maximum temperatures are hot, ranging between 30-35C. Rainfall is concentrated from mid-October to mid-April. For more information, see our blog on the Best time to go to Turkey.
Getting there
Click to view travel options
By plane
Our recommended airports for this tour are Dalaman Airport (DLM) or Fraport TAV Antalya Airport (AYT).
By train or bus
Inclusions
Included
- 7 nights accommodation
- 7 breakfasts
- Luggage transfers throughout the trip (maximum two pieces per person)
- Airport transfers from/to Dalaman Airport
- Private transfer on day four to start of cycling route
- Maps and GPX tracks that can be loaded onto your smartphone or GPS device
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- Flights
- Lunches, dinners, drinks and snacks
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable locally)
- Any items not explicitly listed as included
- eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)
Options, extras and supplements
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a room of their own
- This holiday is available for solo travellers. However, a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. Please note that solo travellers are always accommodated in their own room. For logistical reasons, we don’t offer an option for solo travellers to share rooms with other solo travellers
- Bike rental (standard trekking bike or e-bike)
- Helmet rental
- GPS device rental
- Extra nights
Bike rental
We can provide high quality rental bikes and additional equipment if requested, which are delivered to the first hotel and picked up from the final hotel. These bikes have been specially designed for our bike tours. They are comfortable, safe and sturdy bikes and therefore perfect for undertaking tours of several days duration. The bikes are regularly checked, however, basic knowledge on bike maintenance is highly recommended as you will be cycling independently. Bike rental includes one bike pump, one pannier per bike, repair kit, one lock per bike and spare inner tubes. Helmets can be added on request.
