With RyanAir flights starting to pick up speed, bus tours starting to explode and pub crawls starting to ramp up, tourists are now flocking to most of their favorite haunts.
Speaking of which – and although it may seem strange to say – the Mediterranean has an image problem. From Malaga to Magdaluf, when you think of the Mediterranean, many people think of parties, sunburnt Englishmen, Airbnb Warsthe long-suffering locals… and Barcelona.
But there is much more to the Mediterranean than that. You don’t have to go to a distant place like the Maldives or a monastery in Tibet to escape the masses. The Mediterranean has, to name a few cool hideaways, the Aeolian Islands, Camogli, Punta Ala; the list goes on…
Regarding this “quietly amazing” list, we would like to make another suggestion: Kaş, Turkey. Kaş is so cool (and so far so little known) that we think it could be one of Europe’s last havens from over-tourism.
RELATED: Venice discovers the true nature of its overtourism problem
Kaş is the premier scuba diving destination in Turkey. But it is much more than that. It is a refuge from over-tourism. Why? Mainly thanks to its geography.
Kaş benefits from a raw charm and the absence of a nearby airport.
Like CNN Travel wrote yesterday: it is a seaside town which remained relatively unknown to foreigners until the early 1980s. It was at this time that sailors settled there, mooring their yachts in the port to restock.
According to CNN Travel“Backpackers from Europe and the Antipodes soon followed.”
In a lucky twist of fate for foodies and music lovers, “Meanwhile, exiled sons of wealthy Istanbul families have made Kaş (a word meaning eyebrow in Turkish) their home, bringing with them the love of music, good coffee and nature”. CNN Travel reports.
Kaş gives you the flexibility to do as much or as little as you want. You can snorkel, swim or sunbathe on its beaches, take a boat trip to its Blue Grotto, snorkel on the island of Assi, see the Hellenic architecture of the ancient city from Antiphellos, shopping at the bazaar of Kas, kayaking over a sunken city in Kekova and seeing the Lycian rock tombs.
You can also go paragliding. Or go bar-hopping in the Old Town (or visit the nearby beach, Kaputaş Plajı). The town is also famous for its bougainvillea-covered houses and Ottoman-style balconies.
A beautiful preserved paradise In effect. Let’s just hope it doesn’t turn into Sunny Beach in Bulgaria anytime soon.
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