Overview
The Saint Paul Trail is a long-distance footpath in Turkey, approximately 500km long. The trail begins in Perge close to Antalya, goes deep into the Taurus mountains and ends in Yalvaç, north-east of Lake Eğirdir. The trail’s name is derived from the fact that it loosely follows the route Saint Paul the Apostle took on his first missionary journey to Anatolia.
Our Saint Paul Trail itinerary takes in the best sections of the trail from Lake Eğirdir to Selge, once a major Roman city, and allows you to immerse yourself in the way of life of the inhabitants of the old stone and timber villages along the route. You will see the local handicrafts, watch cheese and yoghurt making and enjoy the tasty local food. The trail follows beautiful Roman roads in a spectacular land of forests, canyons, rivers and peaks.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Antalya. Transfer to Eğirdir
Arrive at Antalya Airport. Complimentary transfer to Eğirdir (2h) for your check-in at the accommodation. Eğirdir lies between Lake Eğirdir and Mount Sivri and contains a castle said to have been built by Croesus, king of Lydia. The Hittites founded the town before falling to the Phrygians in around 1200 BC and subsequently conquered by the Lydians, the Persians and Alexander the Great. Dinner and overnight.
- Accommodation: Fulya Pension or similar
Day 2: Mount Sivri (1,800m) | 9km
After an uphill transfer to Akpınar village (20min), you walk to the Prostanna ruins and continue to the top of Mount Sivri (1,800m). You return along the same route and enjoy a break in Akpınar at a cafe with lovely bird’s eye views across the lake. Transfer back to Eğirdir (20min). The rest of the day is free for swimming in the lake or visiting the local market or a hamam in town. Dinner and overnight in the same pension in Eğirdir.
- Accommodation: Fulya Pension or similar
- Walking for the day: 9km, 4h, ↑505m ↓515m
Day 3: Sipahiler – Serpil | 15km
Transfer from Eğirdir to Sipahiler (40min) and walk on the Saint Paul Trail to Serpil. Today’s walk goes over a pass in the forest, then across spectacular limestone ridges and through indigenous oak forest, passing shepherd huts and grazing lands with the possibility to observe cattle and wild horses. You meet with the transfer car in Serpil and drive back to the pension (20min). Dinner and overnight in the same pension in Eğirdir.
- Accommodation: Fulya Pension or similar
- Walking for the day: 15km, 5h, ↑400m ↓700m
Day 4: Saray Yolu Fountain – Adada – Sağrak | 14km
Morning transfer from Eğirdir to Saray Yolu Fountain (45min). You walk through a rural landscape with tiny hamlets, wild horses and century-old trees to the ancient city of Adada were three significant temples are still standing alongside the smallest ancient theatre in Anatolia. You then walk down along the Roman road where Saint Paul himself may have walked to Sağrak village, where you meet with the car for a transfer to Kasımlar and your pension (35min). Dinner and overnight.
- Accommodation: St Paul Yolu Pension or similar
- Walking for the day: 14km, 5h, ↑150m ↓650m
Day 5: Tota Pasture – Kasımlar | 18km
Transfer from Kasımlar to the Tota pasture (20min). The walk takes you from this pasture along a ridge-top to the ruins of a Byzantine church. The descent is through the forest. You will explore the woods with miniature wild tulips and other flowers in the right season and enjoy spectacular views towards the high mountain ranges. The walk finishes in Kasımlar. Dinner and overnight.
- Accommodation: St Paul Yolu Pension or similar
- Walking for the day: 18km, 6h, ↑330m ↓830m
Day 6: Fındık – Kesme | 14km
Transfer from Kasımlar to the start of the walk in the Fındık neighbourhood (10min). The spectacular route starts at a bridge across the river. It will take you over the rim of the canyon on old paved paths, down through mysterious rock formations passing rural huts, ancient ruins and meeting many goats along the way. You meet with the car in Kesme and transfer to the pension in Çaltepe (1h).
- Accommodation: Erdinç Barca Pension or similar
- Walking for the day: 14km, 6h, ↑710m ↓390m
Day 7: Kestanelik – Selge | 11km
Car transfer to the start of the walk at Kestanelik (20min). Today’s walk is not that long, so a leisurely start is possible. You follow an ancient route, at times beautifully paved, through a dreamy landscape of dark forest and stunning rock formations. Reaching Selge, you will have time to explore the many ruins of this vast ancient city. Afternoon transfer to the accommodation on the banks of the Köprülü river (25min).
- Accommodation: Perge Pension
- Walking for the day: 11km, 3h, ↑450m ↓390m
Day 8: Departure
You can enjoy an optional swimming or rafting excursion on the river (pay locally, if you book a rafting tour, a simple pasta lunch is included). Depending on your flight schedule, our car will collect you for your transfer to Antalya (1h 45min).
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation is in hand-picked and regularly monitored local, family-run guesthouses offering various levels of comfort with a personal touch. During this tour, you’ll stay in places that make you feel good and safe in lovely villages surrounded by trees and mountains. We have tried to choose accommodations that offer friendly service, clean and comfortable rooms and local flavour.
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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 the exact accommodation details upon booking confirmation.
Meals
All meals (seven breakfasts, six picnic lunches and seven dinners) are included. During the tour, you will enjoy natural, regional and rich Turkish food. Evening meals consist of soup or salads, a main course and fruit or sweet for dessert. Lunches will be picnics. Our packed lunches are wonderful, and we include plentiful trail snacks such as dried fruits and nuts.
Difficulty and terrain
This holiday is suitable for walkers of good fitness (read more about difficulty grades). The terrain is varying from steep rocky footpaths to cobbled paths. Routes are well signposted in most parts. We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never try to shorten the path through the unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with detailed road notes and maps, and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime. More detailed info on route navigation will be included in your holiday information pack.
When to go
We can organise this walking tour between April and November. The flexibility of self guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates and you can start your holiday on any date in the season – so please indicate desired beginning date when booking. Winter temperatures are quite mild, with average highs around 15C, while in summer the maximum temperatures are hot, ranging between 30 and 35C. Rainfall is concentrated from mid-October to mid-April, when it can be abundant, and can sometimes be torrential, particularly on the slopes facing west and southwest. For more information, see our blog on the Best time to go to Turkey.
Getting there
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By plane
Our recommended airport for this tour is Antalya (complimentary airport transfers from/to it are included).
Inclusions
Included
- Detailed pre-departure holiday information pack including GPS-checked and regularly updated route descriptions and road notes; maps with daily routes and optional hikes marked
- Accommodation for 7 nights in private rooms as listed in the itinerary
- 7 breakfasts, 6 packed lunches on walking days and 7 dinners
- Transfers to trailheads as detailed in the itinerary
- Luggage transport to next hotel
- Transfers to/from Antalya airport on days 1 and 8
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- Flights
- Airport transfers from/to airports other then Antalya
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable on-site)
- Optional rafting excursion (approx. 25 EUR per person, payable on-site)
- Any items not explicitly listed as included
- eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)
Options, extras and supplements
- A supplement applies to members of a group who require a single room
- 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
- Extra nights in Antalya
- On request, we can provide a private guide
