Driving the Antalya coast: D400 from Kemer to Kaş and Alanya

What the Antalya coastal drive D400 actually is

The Antalya coastal drive D400 is the stretch of a single east–west state road that follows Turkey's southern shore past the province's beaches, ancient cities and harbour towns. It is not a scenic detour bolted onto the region — it is the artery the coast is built along, and almost every stop between Kemer and Alanya sits on it or a few minutes off it.

The state road that strings the whole coast together

D.400 is a 2,057 km east–west state road running from Datça in the southwest corner of the Anatolian peninsula to the Iranian border at Esendere, passing through Marmaris, Fethiye, Antalya and Alanya on the way. In Antalya Province it threads Kalkan, Kaş, Demre, Finike, Kumluca, Kemer, Antalya, Serik, Manavgat, Alanya and Gazipaşa, so the same numbered route serves both the western leg towards Kaş and the eastern leg towards Alanya. According to 2026 KGM data cited by Turkish Wikipedia, 1,414 km of the road is divided. That matters for a driver: on divided sections a passenger car may run at 110 km/h rather than the 90 km/h of a two-way intercity road — and the signs on the spot always override the table.

Which towns the Antalya coastal drive D400 passes in the province

In Antalya Province the road passes Kalkan, Kaş, Demre, Finike, Kumluca, Kemer, Antalya, Serik, Manavgat, Alanya and Gazipaşa. Their distances from Datça, in kilometres, read as a rough map of the province:

• Kalkan — 275 km: the westernmost town of the province on this road, closest to Fethiye.
• Kaş — 301 km: the diving and marina town, 187.6 km by road from central Antalya.
• Demre — 348 km: the Myra and Saint Nicholas stop on the western leg.
• Finike — 376 km: the orange-growing harbour between Demre and Kumluca.
• Kumluca — 394 km: the end of the Antalya–Kumluca highway, on whose 57th kilometre Phaselis lies.
• Kemer — 446 km: the first resort south of the city, 47.7 km from Cumhuriyet Meydanı.
• Antalya — 488 km: the midpoint of the provincial stretch, and where Rent-Trip cars are based.
• Serik, Manavgat, Alanya, Gazipaşa — 530, 566, 626, 670 km: the eastern run, with Side 74.5 km and Alanya castle 137.1 km from the centre.

The numbers show the western half of the province is the longer one — Kaş sits nearly 190 km out, while the eastern resorts are reached faster. In our experience that asymmetry decides the shape of a trip: the west rewards an overnight, the east can be a long day out.

Distances and times from central Antalya on the coastal drive D400

Every figure below is measured by road from Cumhuriyet Meydanı in the centre of the city, on an OSRM driving route logged on 30 October 2026. Times are quoted without traffic, so add your own margin for the summer queue out of town and for the photo stops you will inevitably take.

West from the city — Kemer, Olympos, Demre, Kaş, Fethiye

Kemer is 47.7 km and about 40 minutes from the square; Kaş marina is 187.6 km and about 154 minutes. The jump between Kemer and Olympos is 37 km by these figures — 47.7 km to Kemer against 84.7 km to Olympos, both from the square. Past Demre the drive to Kaş adds another 44.5 km and about 41 minutes, while Fethiye is measured separately at 196.2 km — the two routes are not a chain, so the figures do not add up. On our own runs we treat Demre as the natural halfway point: it leaves about 113 minutes of driving each way without traffic, which keeps a day trip comfortable rather than rushed. Check the fuel gauge before Kemer and fill up in town if it is low.

East from the city — Side and Alanya

Side is 74.5 km and about 65 minutes; Alanya castle is 137.1 km and about 111 minutes. The eastern run is the faster of the two: the coastal plain past Serik and Manavgat is open going, and the 137.1 km to Alanya castle covers only 62.6 km more than the 74.5 km to Side. That makes Side a half-day outing and Alanya a full one, with the castle itself sitting above the town at the end of the drive. The eastern leg to Alanya is about 50 km shorter than the western leg to Kaş, so if you have one free day and cannot decide, the east gives you more time at the destination and less behind the wheel. Fuel, not tolls, is the running cost in either direction.

Stops worth planning on the Antalya coastal drive D400

The D.400 threads past ancient cities in Antalya Province — Patara, Demre, Olympos, Phaselis, Perge, Aspendos and Side all sit near the route. Two of those stops work best on the western leg, and both are worth planning before you set off rather than deciding on the road.

Phaselis and Olympos on the western leg

Phaselis lies 16 km south of Kemer, north of Tekirova, on the 57th kilometre of the Antalya–Kumluca highway. The ruins sit between the Bey Mountains and the forests of Olympos National Park, which makes it an easy first stop: the site is only 16 km south of Kemer. Olympos is further out: 84.7 km from Cumhuriyet Meydanı, about 77 minutes without traffic. In our experience, drivers who try to fit Phaselis and Olympos into one afternoon end up rushing the second stop — the gap between them looks small on a map but the drive takes longer than it reads. Plan Phaselis as a morning stop and Olympos as a separate day, especially if you want the beach at the end of the Olympos valley.

Myra and Saint Nicholas near Demre

Myra was a Lycian city on the river Myros (Demre Çay), and one of its early bishops was Saint Nicholas. Demre sits 143.1 km from central Antalya, about 113 minutes without traffic, which puts it roughly in the middle of the western run — a natural turning point if you are not going all the way to Kaş. The Myra rock tombs and the church associated with Saint Nicholas are both in the town, so one stop covers both. On a day trip from the city, Demre is the sensible farthest point west: beyond it the road continues to Kaş at 187.6 km and Fethiye at 196.2 km, and those are better done with an overnight stay than as a return run.

How we would order the stops

• Phaselis first: 57th kilometre of the Antalya–Kumluca highway, 16 km south of Kemer — the earliest stop on the western leg and the easiest to reach before the day heats up.
• Olympos second: 84.7 km and about 77 minutes from the city — give it its own day if you want the beach and the ruins together.
• Demre third: 143.1 km and about 113 minutes — Myra and Saint Nicholas in one town, and the practical turnaround for a day trip.
• Side on the eastern leg: 74.5 km and about 65 minutes — the eastern ancient city with a measured route here, and the one that fits into a short half-day.

Distances are measured from Cumhuriyet Meydanı by road, and the times are what the route takes without traffic — a summer afternoon on the coastal stretch adds to every one of them.

Speed limits and rules that apply on the Antalya coastal drive D400

Traffic in Turkey keeps to the right, and the leftmost lane in your direction is not a place to sit: the law says drivers must not occupy it continuously. Beyond that, the coastal D400 runs on the ordinary rules of Turkish state roads, not on motorway rules.

90 and 110 — what a passenger car may do

• In settlements: 50 km/h for an M1 passenger car, the limit that applies as you thread through Kemer, Kumluca, Finike, Demre or any other town the road passes.
• Two-way intercity road: 90 km/h, the figure the KGM table gives for the undivided stretches between towns.
• Divided road: 110 km/h — and 1,414 km of the whole 2,057 km D.400 is divided road; the signs show which stretch is which.
• Signs on the spot: the posted sign beats the table, so read it at every entry to a town and at every roadworks zone.
• Motorway figures: 130 km/h on KGM motorways and 140 km/h on build-operate-transfer motorways do not apply here, because the D.400 is a state highway.

A divided stretch ends quietly at the edge of a town and the sign drops to 50, so the first kilometres after leaving a settlement are the ones worth watching, not the open middle. The table is a ceiling, not a target: the posted sign at the roadside is what a camera reads.

Documents to carry on the coastal drive

A foreigner may drive in Turkey on a licence issued abroad for at most six months from the date of entry; after six months it must be exchanged for a Turkish licence. Drivers must carry the licence while driving and show it whenever officials ask, and the vehicle registration document and number plate must be kept on the vehicle in proper condition. Photographic ID is compulsory in Turkey and police checkpoints stand on main roads, so keep your passport to hand. Call 112 for police and emergency services.

Fines, and why the first month matters

A fine that is not paid on the spot must be settled within one month of notification; after that 5% interest is added each month, up to twice the amount of the fine. The 2026 traffic fine guide of the Turkish police lists a 25% reduced amount beside each figure — 1,246 TL becomes 934.50 TL — so paying early is the cheaper route. Who settles tolls and penalty notices on a hired car is agreed when booking.

Tolls and fuel on the Antalya coastal drive D400

There are no motorways in Antalya Province in the KGM 2026 inventory, so no HGS toll applies on the Antalya coastal drive D400. The KGM inventory of completed otoyollar, year by year from 2000 to 2026, has no line for the province at all: the nearest motorway stretches sit in Denizli, 148 km of them, and Aydın, 350 km. HGS — Fast Pass System, the KGM's electronic payment tag for motorway gates and bridges — therefore has nothing to charge you for along this coast. The Antalya–Alanya Otoyolu, 122 km between Serik and Konaklı, is under construction at roughly 30% completion as of August 2026; whether it will be tolled has not been announced. Our advice for the Antalya coastal drive D400: budget for fuel, not for gates, on this route.

What fuel costs in late October 2026

• Petrol (95): Petrol Ofisi listed ₺78.60 per litre for Antalya on 30 October 2026.
• Diesel: ₺99.30 per litre on the same date — diesel runs dearer than petrol here.
• LPG autogas: ₺41.40 per litre, the cheapest option at the pump.
• Price movement: Turkish pump prices shift often and in jumps — petrol stood at ₺86.10 on 19 October 2026, before the drop to ₺78.60 eleven days later.

One price applies across the whole province, from Muratpaşa and Konyaaltı to Kemer, Manavgat and Alanya, so a fill-up costs the same wherever you stop.

Fuel planning for the long western leg

The western run is the longest: Kaş sits 187.6 km from Cumhuriyet Meydanı and Fethiye 196.2 km, and the return makes a full day of driving. With petrol at ₺78.60 a litre, fuel is the cost to budget for on this route rather than any toll. Fill up before leaving the city rather than hunting for a station past Kemer. The fuel rule of the rental agreement is what keeps the arithmetic simple, and any missing fuel plus the refuelling service fee is settled as set out in the rental agreement. If you plan to cross into the mountains around Olympos or run out to Demre and back on the same afternoon, fill up in the city first and treat the coastal stations as a top-up, not a rescue.

Which car class suits the Antalya coastal drive D400

The D400 coastal drive asks one thing of a car above all else: comfortable hours at a steady 90 or 110 km/h with two people and a bag each. Economy covers that on the shortest legs, Comfort and Crossover on the long western run to Kaş and Fethiye, and a Minivan or SUV when the group is larger than four.

Classes on this page and their starting daily rates

Matching the car to the leg you plan

• Economy for Kemer and Side: 47.7 km to Kemer and 74.5 km to Side are short hops, and a 1.0–1.5 L hatchback or sedan keeps the day simple; the class starts at ₺1,456 with 23 cars available.
• Comfort or Crossover for Kaş and Fethiye: 187.6 km to the Kaş marina and 196.2 km to Fethiye mean about 154 and 169 minutes of driving each way without traffic, so the 140 hp Kia XCeed at ₺1,893 or a Crossover from ₺2,183 earns its keep.
• Minivans for a family or a group: 17 cars with 7, 8 and 9 seats, from ₺2,240 — the nine-seat Toyota Proace Verso is the practical pick when everyone travels together.
• SUV for luggage and the Demre run: 143.1 km to Myra with four people and cases sits better in a 17-car SUV class from ₺2,523 than in a hatchback.

What we would book ourselves

In our own bookings the western leg to Demre and Kaş is where class matters most: it is the longest single stretch of the route, and a taller seat and a bigger engine turn it from a chore into a pleasant morning. Automatic gearboxes dominate what Rent-Trip holds — 119 of the cars on this page against 16 manual — and 112 of them are five-seaters, so a standard car covers most coast trips. Petrol accounts for 80 cars, diesel for 42, hybrid for 10 and electric for 3. The fuel rule is in the rental agreement; the delivery address and time are agreed with a manager when you book.