Walking & Cruising Lycian Shore

Walking & Cruising Lycian Shore Overview

An expert-led gulet cruise combining walks along the Lycian Way, rated by The Sunday Times as one of the ten best walks in the world, with archaeological, cultural and gastronomic adventures in Turkey.

Over the years, many guests travelling on our cultural and archaeological “Cruising the Lycian Shore” found themselves fascinated and enchanted by the occasional strolls we took on the Lycian Way, the oldest of Turkey’s growing system of long-distance hiking trails. Their frequent inquiries inspired us to create a cruise itinerary with a more substantial walking component. Thus, in 2006 Walking and Cruising the Lycian Shore became the first in our expanding and popular range of walking holidays.

The Lycian Way, rated by The Sunday Times (UK) as one of the ten best walks in the world, follows over 540km (335mi) of ancient roadways, mule tracks and shepherds’ paths along one of Turkey’s most remote and untouched coastlines, where it constituted the main network of communications before the coming of motorised transport. On this cruise, we follow some of its very best stretches, chosen for their beauty and interest, averaging about 10km (6mi) of walking per day. Our travelling offshore base is a traditional Turkish gulet, offering us elegant transport, delicious dining, comfortable accommodation and welcome leisure throughout the voyage.

An ideal tour for walkers and for lovers of the sea alike, the cruise also provides the cultural and archaeological experience that is the trademark of Peter Sommer Travels. Accompanied by an expert archaeologist, you will visit a whole series of ancient sites, stroll along Roman roads, trace the routes of 2,000 year-old aqueducts and follow in the footsteps of characters from the mysterious Lycians of antiquity via Alexander the Great to the nomadic herders of recent centuries.

Exploring on foot offers a uniquely profound and enjoyable engagement with the landscape and its history, including the opportunity to discover truly remote archaeological sites that cannot be easily reached otherwise. Thus, you will be able to admire Phellos, the “stony place”, an ancient citadel perched precariously on a pinnacle high above the Mediterranean Sea, wild and ancient Apollonia, with its grand necropolis and romantic theatre, or the extensive ruins of mountain-top Kyaneai, one of the most important cities of ancient Lycia.

Of course, we also visit Lycia’s famous archaeological highlights, such as the regional Lycian capital at Pinara with its “royal” tombs, the monumental Roman port city of Patara or the Ottoman castle of Kale, ancient Simena, surrounded by age-old Lycian sarcophagus graves.

The combination of walks through a succession of beautiful landscapes, expert-led visits to fascinating archaeological sites, cruising in the pristine waters of the Lycian Shore, delicious meals prepared freshly on board or in selected local restaurants, rounded off by time for swimming and relaxing, make this tour a perfect choice for the active and curious traveller. From footpaths by the coast to goat tracks high up in the hills, from age-old cemeteries to monumental ruined cities, it offers stimulation and relaxation for mind, body and soul.