Kaş was originally a small fishing village in the district of Antalya Province of Turkey lying 168 kilometers west of the city of Antalya. Since roads were developed along the coast from Antalya in the 1980's it has developed into a major resort while still retaining much of its charm. About 2 kilometers offshore from Kaş is the Greek island of Kastelórizo (Turkish: Meis Adásı). At the end of the nineteenth century Kastelorizo was still the only safe harbor along the route between Makri (today's Fethiye) and Beirut with an estimated 10,000 people residing there. Currently the number of residents has dropped to less than one thousand due to the population shifts in the 1920's. The tourist industry is centered on Kaş, but many other coastal towns and villages in the district have plenty of accommodation for visitors including Kalkan and Gelemiş. The district can be reached by flights into both Antalya and Dalaman airports.

Kaş has a Hellenistic theatre and many other sites of historical interest, a diversity of natural beauty - including excellent beaches, and a number of interesting caves, a number of them underwater. The mountains behind the coast offer ideal places for trekking, climbing and canyoning. The ruins of the ancient cities of Komba (in the village of Gömbe), Nisa, Kandyba, Phellos, Istlada, Apollonia, Isinda and Kyaenai. A popular trip from Kaş is to Kekova island in the neighbouring district of Demre. In the magnificent bays divers can see a vast variety of wrecks of ancient ships and ancient cities sunk under the sea by earthquakes over the centuries. The sea is so perfectly clear that the details of city buildings such as staircases or columns can be seen from a boat. In December 2006 Kaş was added to the specially protected Kekova marine area in order to preserve its rich biodiversity.

The charm of Kaş is its laid-back ambience due to its distance from the two Turkish Mediterranean major airports Antalya and Dalaman airports. For this reason it gets fewer visitors than tthe coastal resort destinations that are more easily and quickly accessible. The Kaş beaches are not much so visitors drive east to Patara or go to Kaputas Beach between Kaş and Kalkan. Visitors to Kaş spend their time in waterfront bars, cafes and restaurants or taking boat trips to nearby Üçağız, Kaleköy or the Blue Cave. Day trips to the neighboring village of Kalkan, walks up the mountain to the cliff tombs, or a boat ride out to the Greek island of Kastelórizo (Turkish: Meis Adásı).



Kaş is still a small town and you can walk anywhere you want to go within 10 minutes or scooters are available for rent. Minibuses run around the Peninsula of Çukurbağ, known in Turkish as Yarım Ada, which is a few kilometers away and where most hotels have their own terrace beaches open to the public as long as beverages or food are purchased from their beach bars. Transportation in Turkey is excellent. You can take a minibus (Turkish: dolmuş) up to the village of Çukurbağ situated about 10 kilometers directly above and behind Kaş and also to other resort villages such as Kekova or Kalkan on either side of Kaş. There is also direct overnight bus service between Istanbul and Kaş which is an inexpensive way of getting to and from Atatürk International Airport in Istanbul. Bus services in Turkey are very modern and generally excellent and should you want to go to Istanbul it may be preferable to spend the night on the bus and wake up in Istanbul the next morning rather than consuming an entire day traveling to the Antalya or Dalaman airports for a local flight.