How Much Does the Lycian Way Cost?
The honest answer: anywhere from £900 to £2,850 for a two-week trip from the UK, depending on whether you book a guided package, mix pensions and camping, or fly red-eye and walk hard. This page breaks every line-item out — flights, pensions, food, transfers, insurance, gear — with three fully worked example budgets at the bottom.
Three trip types at a glance
| Style | Total (14 days, from UK) | Daily on-trail | What's included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget self-guided | £900–£1,100 | £35–£45 | Flight, basic pensions, half-board village dinners, dolmuş, mostly your own gear |
| Comfort self-guided | £1,200–£1,700 | £50–£65 | Direct flight, mid-range pensions, restaurant dinners, occasional taxi, packed lunches |
| Guided week | £1,450 + flights | (included) | Highlights Trek package: 7 walking days, luggage transfer, English-speaking guide, breakfasts, group dinners |
| Full thru-hike guided | £2,850 + flights | (included) | Classic Full Trail: ~25 walking days, all logistics, all pension nights, breakfasts, guide |
Flights from the UK
The biggest single cost variable. Direct flights to Antalya (AYT) or Dalaman (DLM) from London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol and Birmingham swing wildly with season:
| Window | London → Antalya/Dalaman return | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shoulder (Apr, late Sep–Oct) | £180–£280 | Best value; trail is also at its best |
| Peak (Jun–Aug) | £350–£550 | Full beach-season pricing; trail is too hot anyway |
| Off-season (Nov–Mar) | £140–£220 | Cheapest, but trail is wet/cold; many pensions closed |
| Connecting via Istanbul | £150–£250 | Saves money in low season; adds 3 hours each way |
See Getting to the Lycian Way for airline-by-airline breakdown, transfer options, and which airport to fly into for which trail section.
Accommodation — 14 nights
The pension network is the cheapest serious-trail accommodation in Europe. Half-board (room + breakfast + dinner) is the standard rate quoted by every pension on the route:
| Type | Per person, half-board | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Village pension (basic) | £20–£28 | Bel, Gey, Karaöz, Adrasan, Beycik, smaller villages |
| Village pension (well-run) | £28–£40 | Faralya, Alınca, Çıralı, Olympos pensions, Kalkan villages |
| Town hotel (3-star) | £40–£70 | Kaş, Kalkan town, Fethiye centre, Antalya old town |
| Boutique / villa | £70–£150 | Kalkan villas, Olympos boutique treehouses, Çıralı bungalows |
| Camping (your own kit) | £0–£10 | Wild camping free; village camps £8–£12 incl shower |
| Treehouse hostel (Olympos) | £15–£25 | Classic backpacker option; bed in a wooden cabin + 2 meals |
Most self-guided hikers split their nights: a couple of comfort nights in Kaş and Çıralı for rest days, the rest in £25–£35 village pensions. Average 13 nights × £30 ≈ £390 on a comfort-leaning self-guided trip. Budget it at £25 average and you're at £325.
The accommodation directory lists current rates and contacts for 200+ pensions.
Food — £15–£20 per day
Pension half-board covers breakfast and dinner. Lunch is the variable. Three options:
- Pension packed lunch — £4–£7. Bread, cheese, tomato, olives, fruit. Order it the night before.
- Village shop (bakkal) — £3–£6. Tinned tuna, sucuk sausage, biscuits, instant coffee.
- Trail-side restaurant lunch in towns (Kaş, Kalkan, Çıralı) — £8–£15.
Coffee and tea (çay) are typically included with breakfast and free at almost every pension stop during the day. A bottle of Turkish wine at dinner adds £8–£15. Beer is £3–£5.
Average daily food spend (lunch + drinks + the occasional ice-cream): £15–£20 per person. Two weeks ≈ £210–£280.
Transfers and local transport
| Leg | Cost (per person) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dalaman airport → Fethiye (shuttle bus) | £14 | Havaş; runs to coincide with most flights |
| Antalya airport → city / Olympos (dolmuş) | £3–£10 | Tram + dolmuş; cheap and reliable |
| Pre-booked private transfer airport → trailhead | £30–£60 | Worth it after a 4 am London flight |
| Dolmuş between trail towns | £2–£8 per leg | Fethiye → Kaş, Kaş → Demre, Olympos → Antalya, etc. |
| Inter-city coach (e.g., Antalya → Fethiye) | £12–£16 | Pamukkale or Kamil Koç; comfortable, with toilets |
| Pension luggage forward | £8–£15 per day | Bag carried by motorbike to next pension |
For a typical 14-day self-guided trip you'll spend £40–£80 total on local transport, mostly arriving and leaving plus two or three skip-stage dolmuş hops if you're tight on time.
Travel insurance
This is one place not to economise. Generic travel cover often excludes hiking above 2,000 m or "trekking with overnight wild camping." Two providers UK hikers reliably use for the Lycian Way:
- BMC Travel & Activity Insurance — built for hill-walkers, covers up to 3,000 m altitude (you'll go up Mt Tahtalı at 2,366 m), ₤25–£50 for 2 weeks
- True Traveller — backpacker-style, with a "Trekker" upgrade that includes hiking under 4,000 m, £35–£60 for 2 weeks
Add £25–£60 to the budget. Worth every penny — a heat-stroke evacuation from the trail to Antalya hospital is £600–£1,200 if you pay yourself.
Gear — one-off, not per-trip
Gear is the only major cost most UK hikers can either skip entirely (already owned) or amortise over years. If you're starting from zero:
| Item | Budget | Mid-range | Top-end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiking boots (mid) | £70 | £130 | £220 |
| 30 L pack | £60 | £120 | £200 |
| Lightweight rain shell | £40 | £80 | £200 |
| Trekking poles (pair) | £25 | £60 | £140 |
| Sleeping bag (3-season, if camping) | £60 | £120 | £300 |
| Tent (1–2 person, if camping) | £100 | £200 | £500 |
| Headtorch + power bank | £25 | £50 | £100 |
| Pension-only kit | £220 | £440 | £860 |
| Camping kit | £380 | £760 | £1,660 |
Don't buy gear specifically for the Lycian Way unless you'll use it again. Borrow from a friend, hire from outdoor shops in the UK, or rent on arrival in Fethiye — Decathlon Fethiye stocks basic packs and stoves for a fraction of UK retail. Full list and recommendations: packing checklist.
Three worked budgets — 14 days from London
Budget self-guided £900–£1,100
| London → Antalya return (shoulder) | £220 |
| 9 nights village pensions @ £25 | £225 |
| 4 nights wild camping | £0 |
| 1 night Olympos treehouse (incl 2 meals) | £20 |
| Lunches × 14 @ £6 | £84 |
| Dolmuş + transfers | £60 |
| Travel insurance (2 weeks, BMC) | £35 |
| Drinks, snacks, tips, contingency | £100 |
| Pre-trip SIM card | £20 |
| Total | £764 |
| + buffer for the unexpected | £100–£300 |
Comfort self-guided £1,200–£1,700
| London → Dalaman direct return (shoulder) | £280 |
| 2 nights Kaş town (mid-range hotel @ £55) | £110 |
| 11 nights well-run pensions @ £35 | £385 |
| 1 night Çıralı bungalow @ £55 | £55 |
| Lunches × 14 @ £10 (mix of restaurant and packed) | £140 |
| Pre-booked airport transfers (both ways) | £80 |
| Pension luggage transfer × 8 days | £80 |
| Travel insurance (True Traveller, Trekker) | £55 |
| One Kekova boat trip + Olympos cable car | £75 |
| Drinks, ice cream, dinner upgrades, tips | £180 |
| SIM card | £20 |
| Total | £1,460 |
Guided Highlights Trek £1,450 + flights ≈ £1,700–£1,900
| Highlights Trek package (per person) | £1,450 |
| London → Antalya direct return | £250 |
| Pre / post nights extra (typically 1–2) | £60–£120 |
| Lunches not in package × 7 | £70 |
| Travel insurance | £45 |
| Tips, drinks, optional excursions | £100–£200 |
| Total | £1,975 ± £200 |
The most popular package and the easiest first trip: see the current tour catalogue for live availability.
Where to save
- Fly shoulder season. The single biggest lever. Apr or Oct beats Aug by £150–£300 per ticket.
- Book pensions direct, not via OTAs. Owners save the 15 % Booking.com commission and pass it on. WhatsApp is universal.
- Mix camping with pensions. Half-and-half saves £200–£300 over a fortnight. See wild camping guide.
- Skip pre-booked airport transfers if you arrive by daylight. Havaş bus to Fethiye is £14; a private transfer is £40.
- Eat where the pension owners eat. The £6 village kebap stand is better than the £18 marina restaurant in Kaş.
- Use dolmuş for skip-stage hops instead of taxi. Kaş → Demre is £4 by dolmuş, £45 by taxi.
- Buy your SIM in town, not the airport. Airport rate is double; same coverage from a Türkcell shop in Fethiye.
Where NOT to save
- Travel insurance. Skipping or downgrading is the riskiest £30 you can save.
- Boots. The trail is rocky limestone — blister-prone and grip-critical. Worn-in boots from a friend > new cheap boots.
- Water capacity. A 1 L bottle in summer is dangerous. Two 1 L bottles + a filter is £20 well spent. Water sources guide.
- The Patara to Demre stretch. Pension owners on the central coast are the heart of the trail community — skipping their hospitality to camp on the dunes saves £100 and misses the experience.
- The offline app + GPS. Free anyway, but make sure your phone has the offline map cached and a power bank with you. The trail has long signal-dead zones.
How the Lycian Way compares to other long-distance trails
| Trail | Length | Typical 14-day cost (UK) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lycian Way (Turkey) | 540 km | £900–£1,400 | Cheapest of the four; pension half-board £25–£35 |
| Camino Francés (Spain) | 780 km | £1,100–£1,700 | Albergue €15 + meals €15–€25/day; Spain is pricier than Turkey |
| West Highland Way (Scotland) | 154 km | £1,300–£2,000 | UK B&B prices £80–£140; pricey for the distance |
| Tour du Mont Blanc (Alps) | 170 km | £2,000–£3,000 | Mountain refuges €60–€90 half-board; Alpine premium |
Money in Turkey — practical tips
- Most pensions, restaurants and dolmuş are cash-only (Turkish lira). Withdraw a few days' worth at a time from TEB, İşbank, Garanti, or Yapı Kredi ATMs in any town.
- UK debit cards usually work at ATMs without notification. Some banks charge a £3–£5 non-sterling withdrawal fee — Starling, Monzo and Chase don't, and give the mid-market exchange rate.
- Avoid the airport bureaux de change. Rate is 8–12 % worse than ATM withdrawals.
- Card payment works in tourist towns (Kaş, Kalkan, Çıralı, Antalya, Fethiye) but not in trail villages. Keep £100 of lira on you at all times for emergencies.
- Tipping is not expected the way it is in some Mediterranean countries. 5–10 % at restaurants is appreciated; round up dolmuş fares; £2–£5 for pension dinners cooked specially for you is generous.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to walk the Lycian Way?
Self-guided from the UK: £900–£1,400 for two weeks all-in. Guided package: £1,450 for the popular 7-day Highlights Trek, £2,850 for the full ~25-day thru-hike. Daily on-trail spend self-guided is £35–£65.
Can I do the Lycian Way on £500?
Tightly. £500 covers either a one-week section in shoulder season with mostly camping, or two weeks if you fly off-season, camp half the nights, and skip transfer hops. Most first-time hikers find £900 the realistic minimum for a comfortable two-week pension trip from the UK.
Is the Lycian Way cheap compared to European trails?
Significantly cheaper than the Camino, the Tour du Mont Blanc, or the West Highland Way. Pension half-board on the Lycian Way is £25–£40 (vs €60–€90 in the Alps). Flights are the main cost variable — book Antalya direct in shoulder season and the trip drops below most equivalent European treks.
Is a guided tour worth the premium?
Yes if you want logistics handled (luggage transfer, daily bookings, English-speaking guide, group company), or if you have less than two weeks. The convenience premium over a fully self-guided trip is £400–£900. The £1,450 Highlights Trek is the most popular package: a week of walking, all logistics, breakfasts, luggage transfer, English-speaking guide. See the tour catalogue for live dates.
What does an average day on the trail cost?
£35–£65 self-guided, including pension half-board, lunch, and the local dolmuş. £35 is a basic village pension day; £65 is a rest day in Kaş with a restaurant dinner.
Should I bring euros or pounds?
Neither — change to Turkish lira at an ATM on arrival. Pounds and euros are accepted in some tourist hotels at poor rates. Don't rely on them.
Are credit cards widely accepted?
In towns yes, in trail villages no. Plan for ATM withdrawals every 3–4 days. Use Starling / Monzo / Chase or another fee-free debit card to avoid 3 % conversion charges.
What's the cheapest possible trip?
Off-season flight (£140), full wild camping with own gear (£0 accommodation), village shop food (£8/day = £112), no transfers beyond the airport bus (£28), no insurance (don't), no SIM (use pension Wi-Fi). Total £280–£300 — but you'd be miserable, cold, potentially in trouble, and missing the entire pension culture that makes the trail what it is. Don't.
What about hidden costs?
Honest list: Olympos archaeological park entry £6, Kekova boat trip £20, Mt Tahtalı cable car £18 return, occasional pension Wi-Fi or shower fee £2, the inevitable extra round of beers at Kalkan harbour £20–£40. Add £80–£150 for these across a fortnight.