Stage 18 · Routes 17–18 (2017 reroute via Kapaklı and Çayağzı)
Kaleköy to Demre: headlands, Andriake and the tombs of Myra
Updated: 2026-09-07
The peninsula ends the way it began, with ruins. From Kaleköy the rerouted path climbs over the headlands past the small tomb sites of İstlada and Hoyran, drops to Kapaklı beach, and follows the shore to Çayağzı, where the harbour of Myra sits with its granary intact and a museum inside. An hour of flat walking brings you into Demre and under the cliff of house-shaped tombs.
The measured legs are Kaleköy to Kapaklı 6.5 km and Kapaklı to Çayağzı 11.4 km on the recommended coastal variant; the guidebook gives 6 km for Çayağzı to Demre. Call it 24 km and a long day, or two easy ones with a night at Kapaklı.
Want this walked with bags moved and beds booked? Plan it with us ↓
- Distance
- 24 km
- Time
- 6–7 h
- Grade
- Moderate
- Terrain
- Coast path over the headlands past İstlada to Kapaklı beach, then the shore to Çayağzı and the harbour ruins of Andriake, and a flat final hour into Demre. Several official variants.
- Sleep at the end
- Guesthouses at Kapaklı if you split the stage; camping at Çayağzı; hotels in Demre
- Water
- Spring at Çayağzı runs all year; carry for the headlands
- Getting there
- Demre otogar has buses to Kaş and Finike; taxi from Çayağzı to Demre
- From Kaş
- Demre is about 45 min from Kaş by bus
Ghost cities on this stage
- İstlada and Hoyran — small Lycian tomb sites on the headlands, reached by the 2017 rerouted paths.
- Andriake — the harbour of Myra at Çayağzı, with Hadrian’s enormous granary and the Lycian Civilisations Museum inside it. Entry about €4.
- Sura — the oracle sanctuary of Apollo by the river; the trail crosses the Sura on a footbridge near Andriake.
- Myra — the cliff of house-shaped rock tombs and the Roman theatre under modern Demre. Entry about €13; the Church of St Nicholas in town about €17.
Highlights
- Kapaklı beach, empty and roadless
- Hadrian’s granary at Andriake
- The tomb cliff at Myra at the end of the day
The variants
The Culture Routes Society rerouted this section in 2017 and there are now several official lines: over İstlada to Kapaklı, then either the coast via Çayağzı or inland via Gürses, and from there into Demre by Trysa and Gürses or directly. The coastal line via Çayağzı is the one reports recommend and the one with the year-round spring. If you are using the guidebook, check the edition: the 2022 book has the new routes, older maps do not.
Demre and the end of the section
Demre is a working agricultural town with hotels, buses and the two sites that bring the coaches: the tombs of Myra and the Church of St Nicholas. We describe both, and how to get there from Kaş, in our Demre day and the Antalya to Demre transport guide. For walkers it is a decision point. The next stage over the Alaca Dağ to Finike is the hardest on the trail and has no beds; most people take the bus from here and rejoin at Finike or Adrasan.
Plan this with us
Tell us your dates, how many of you there are and how far you like to walk in a day. We reply within a day with a plan and a price from a licensed local agency — guided or self-guided, luggage moved, beds booked. No payment on this site.
Questions people actually ask
How far is Kaleköy to Demre on the Lycian Way?
About 24 km on the coastal variant via Kapaklı and Çayağzı, six to seven hours. Splitting it with a night at Kapaklı makes two easy days.
Is there water on the way?
A year-round spring at Çayağzı near Andriake. Carry for the headlands between Kaleköy and Kapaklı.
Should I walk Demre to Finike?
Only with a tent, two days of food and full water capacity. It is a mountain crossing with no accommodation. Most walkers take the Demre–Finike bus.