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Luzon

Luzon is the largest and the most populous island of the Philippines. This article also covers a number of nearby smaller islands.

The region has a variety of attractions, from the cobblestone streets of the colonial town of Vigan to the bustling metropolis of the national capital Manila to the rice terraces and pine forests of the Cordillera Region. As anywhere in the country there are also many fine beaches and plenty of good diving.

Regions
Luzon is composed of the mainland area and numerous smaller islands, and is split up into regions.

Mainland
The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) is named here as Luzon Cordilleras, but can be simply referred to as the "Cordilleras".

A common and simplistic method of dividing mainland Luzon creates three geographical regions, Northern Luzon (Norte), Southern Luzon (Timog) and Metro Manila. This guide, however, follows the boundaries of administrative regions, which themselves have distinctive cultures and geography, with the exception of Batanes, which is its own region due to its distinct culture and relative geographical isolation.

Outlying islands
Luzon also includes smaller islands that are grouped with the province they are associated with, but there are small outlying islands and archipelagic provinces considered as smaller regions for Wikivoyage purposes:

 * − Group of islands off the northern coast of Luzon, and home to the Ivatan people. While administratively part of Cagayan Valley, it is treated separately here.

 * − Heart-shaped island south of Quezon.
 * – Large and sparsely populated island south of Batangas. Popular as a diving destination.
 * − Archipelago province with a culture and language closer to those in the Visayas.

MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marindique, Romblon and Palawan) is an administrative region under Luzon, but its islands are treated as separate regions and destinations in this guide.

In the Philippine administrative system, Palawan is treated as part of Mimaropa and therefore of Luzon. Wikivoyage treats it as a separate fourth region of the country, where the other three are Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Masbate and Catanduanes lie off the coast of Luzon, and are grouped with Bicol geographically. Catanduanes has a Bicolano culture, but Masbate has a culture and language that is significantly closer to the Visayas than to Bicol.

Cities

 * Metro Manila is the country's largest metropolitan area; it includes many cities. We list the three most important here:
 * - the national capital, known for its blend of urban development and historical character
 * - the financial and cosmopolitan capital of the Philippines. Home to towering skyscrapers, five-star hotels, posh shopping malls and upscale restaurants
 * - the country's largest city

 * - one of the fastest growing cities in the Philippines. Home to the Clark Freeport Zone, a 4,500-hectare business and leisure hub, and to Clark Airport
 * - popularly known for being the Christmas Capital of the Philippines. The city holds the annual Giant Lantern Festival every December which draws a lot of tourists
 * - the regional center of Calabarzon. The birthplace of the country's national hero Jose Rizal and also home to hot spring resorts.
 * - the Pilgrimage Capital of the Philippines which is known for its old churches and scenic views of the bustling metropolis of Manila.
 * - the City of Fun and Adventure, renowned for its beautiful natural scenery dominated by the iconic Mayon Volcano.
 * - known as the summer capital of the country due to its cool climate. Also known as the City of Pines.

Other destinations

 * - location of the "Hundred Islands". Home to a total of 123 small islands with pristine beaches
 * - home of the almost perfectly-cone shaped volcano Mayon volcano
 * and Batad - famed rice terraces
 * - beach activities, diving sites, old Spanish churches and the scenic Taal lake and volcano
 * - ruins, historical shrines and World War II military installations
 * - creamy white sand and pristine waters with abundant marine resources
 * - white sand beaches with crystal clear waters
 * - beautiful hikes, majestic caves, hanging coffins and serene mountains
 * - resorts, beaches and a special economic zone
 * - cool climate, lush terrain and scenic views of Taal Lake with its volcano
 * - cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages and heritage houses. This Spanish colonial town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Understand
Luzon is the Philippines' largest and most populous island, occupying 110,000 km2 (43,000 sq miles), a bit over a third of the Philippines land area, but it has more than half the country's population. It is the fourth most populated island in the world, behind Java, Honshu, and Britain.

The island is divided into three major cultural regions. Ilocano and Igorot cultures dominate the northern side. Tagalogs consider central and southern Luzon (which includes Metro Manila) their homeland, alongside smaller ethnic groups including the Kapampangan and the Pangasinan, while the Bicolano people inhabit the southeastern tip and outlying islands of Catanduanes and Masbate. There are other indigenous peoples that form sizeable minorities like the Aeta (Negritos) of mainland Luzon and the Mangyan of Mindoro.

Luzon's climate varies from east to west, with the western part facing the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea being dry and wet, and the east facing the Pacific being wet all year. Most of Luzon experiences a cool season, a hot season, and a wet season, while the wetter parts having no clearly defined seasons.

By plane
Luzon is served by four international airports.

 * Ninoy Aquino International Airport or NAIA in Metro Manila is the Philippine's premier gateway, the busiest airport in the country and the 44th busiest in the world. It is operating beyond its designed capacity. There are four terminals and transport between them is not convenient.

 * NAIA is a major hub for Philippine Airlines, the country's flag carrier, and for Cebu Pacific, the country's main low-cost airline. Both of those plus Air Asia have many flights, both international and domestic. Many other international airlines also fly to Manila.

 * Clark Airport is the other main international airport serving central and northern Luzon; it is in the Clark Freeport Zone of Angeles City, about 80 km from Manila. Many budget airlines fly here, partly because landing fees are lower than Manila; there are good connections to many destinations in Southeast Asia and East Asia, plus some to the Middle East.

There are good roads and good bus services between the two airports; see the Clark article for details. Both airports also have good land connections to more-or-less anywhere on Luzon.

The remaining two are minor international airports, which only have domestic flights:

Get around
It can be a hassle getting around but if you know your way, it is not really a big problem. Taxis are common in major cities such as Manila and Baguio. In most cities and provinces, the public jeepney is a way of going around the main roads and routes while tricycles are better for specific destinations in minor roads. There is a fixed rate in jeepneys and fares can be found on a table pasted behind the driver.

By bus
Luzon and most outlying islands are served by an extensive network of provincial buses, which are a cheap and popular mode of transportation. Services are most frequent for routes between Manila and nearby regions.

The bus network in Manila is centered around Manila, and traveling across Luzon by bus will require a transfer there. There are three central bus terminals, but some companies continue running their own terminals.

Only Metro Manila has a city bus network, which also runs to suburban areas on adjacent provinces; other cities would have jeepneys instead for local transportation due to the roads being too narrow.

There is also a network of luxury express buses around Manila, with some routes to the provinces and major cities.

By train
The Philippine National Railways (PNR) <!--Bicol Express reconstruction won't happen until 2021 at the earliest, so this can be commented out until then: two overnight intercity services on Luzon Island: the Bicol Express between Manila and Naga, Camarines Sur, and the Mayon Limited between Manila and Ligao in Albay. Additional services are expected in the future as the rehabilitation of the PNR network progresses. Train service is comparable to (or slower than, due to delays) buses in terms of speed, but is more comfortable owing to the use of donated Japanese coaches for the service.

The Bicol Express and Mayon Limited are not non-stop services: from Tutuban, Manila's main train station, the train calls at several points in Metro Manila, Laguna, Quezon and Camarines Sur before arriving in Naga (and Albay before arriving in Ligao for the Mayon Limited). It is possible to travel between any two points served by the services, and fares are distance-based. Children under tall may travel for free.

There are four classes of service on the Bicol Express:

 * Executive sleeper class features individual air-conditioned cabins. Each cabin has a bed, pull-down armrests so that a portion of the bed can be used as a chair, and a small table.  Washrooms are available inside the coach.
 * Family sleeper class features four-bed air-conditioned cabins: two beds on each side, with one stacked on top of the other. Access to the top bunk is via a foldable ladder between both sides of the cabin, and cabins are separated from the aisle with a curtain.  The PNR promotes this class for the use of families traveling together, although it is possible to book an individual bed.
 * Reclining air-conditioned economy class (or deluxe class) features air-conditioned reclining chairs, two on each side of the cabin. On some coaches, it is possible to rotate the chairs so that passengers may face each other.
 * Economy class (or ordinary class) is the cheapest class of service, featuring upholstered benches on each side which can sit up to three people. Ventilation is provided via overhead ceiling fans.

On the Mayon Limited, only reclining air-conditioned economy class ("deluxe") and regular economy class are offered. However, unlike the Bicol Express, the Mayon Limited provides service using two different trains: the "deluxe" service operates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while the "economy" service operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Passengers on PNR intercity services are entitled to a free baggage allowance of 20 kg.

It is possible to book seats on intercity trains by calling the PNR at +63 2 319-0044. Booking seats is recommended during peak travel seasons (especially during Holy Week and in September, during the Peñafrancia Festival in Naga), where trains can be full. However, the PNR does send a second, all-economy supplementary overnight train on certain days during peak season if traffic demand warrants it. Timetables and fares for all services, including supplementary services, are announced on the PNR's website and also on its official Facebook page.

The PNR also operates -->fell into disrepair in the 1980s. This has resulted in all intercity and overnight services being suspended.

Luzon has two commuter services remaining. The Inter-Provincial Commuter runs between Calamba, San Pablo and Lucena, while the Bicol Commuter runs between Sipocot, Naga and Legazpi.

Metro Manila has one metro service and two light rail services available. Newer lines are under construction, including the first subway line in the Philippines.

By car
Luzon has tolled expressways, grade-separated highways with at least two lanes per direction separated by a median barrier, and interchanges. There are about 12 expressways in operation as of 2019, with more under construction. A crosstown elevated highway through Manila has opened in 2021; previously, crossing Manila by car north to south (and vice versa) would take hours with the metro's infamous traffic. Tolls are fairly cheap, for example, driving at the North Luzon Expressway from Manila to Angeles (and vice versa) costs about (roughly US$3.60-3.95). The roads are well signed and marked, but driving habits are sometimes unnerving even with stricter traffic law enforcement, and night driving can still be challenging even with guideposts and reflectors.

All the other major roads in Luzon are national roads, generally two-lane highways, though many have been expanded to four lanes, and some urban sections may have six or more, and may have a median. Lower level roads maintained by the local governments may be better or worse depending on economic conditions; in general, roads around Manila and surrounding provinces are maintained well, while conditions are worse elsewhere in Luzon.

Streets in most cities and town centers date back to Spanish times, so expect narrow streets and blind corners. Houses and buildings tend to encroach the road due to the high population density, especially on residential streets.

Roads in the Cordillera region are curvy and winding to negotiate the rugged terrain, and landslides can cause road closures during rainy season. Driving between Central Luzon and Cagayan Valley also involves mountain driving.

By plane
Flying within Luzon is expensive and less common, as long-distance buses have good coverage of most cities and large towns, but they beat buses in speed. In addition, a flight across the region requires transiting at Manila.

Some places within Luzon that have commercial flights from Manila are:

 * Basco - Cebgo, PAL Express, SkyJet Airlines
 * Cauayan - Cebgo
 * Laoag - PAL Express
 * Legazpi - Cebgo, PAL Express
 * Marinduque - Cebu Pacific
 * Masbate - Cebgo
 * Naga - PAL Express and Cebgo
 * San Jose - Cebu Pacific
 * Tablas Island - Cebgo
 * Tuguegarao - Cebu Pacific
 * Virac - Cebu Pacific

Most flights to those mentioned airports are on a medium-size jet like the Airbus A320 family, with the remainder on turboprops like the ATR 72 (by Cebgo) or a Bombardier Dash 8 (by PAL Express).

By boat
Ferries connect the outlying islands with mainland Luzon, and also between other islands. The ports of Batangas and Manila have boats and ferries connecting with other islands off Luzon and elsewhere in the Philippines.

Roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) ferries connect mainland Luzon with Mindoro (from Batangas), Masbate (from Pio Duran in Albay and Pilar in Sorsogon), and Catanduanes (from Tabaco).

Around Metro Manila, anywhere along the Pasig River can be reached by a ferry ride, and Cavite City can be reached by boat from Pasay.

Eat
Lechon kawalli - fried pork belly

Lumpia - egg rolls

Adobo - beef, pork, or chicken with noodles

Pancit -noodles and veggies dish

Drink
San Miguel or Red Horse beer

Lamba nog - coconut liquor

Pappa's rum from Negros Occidental

Stay safe
Luzon is mostly fairly safe, but it is always good to pay keen attention to your surroundings. Common crimes include pickpocketing, other small thefts, and various common scams used mainly against tourists.

While the region has tolled expressways that are good quality, traffic, and local driving habits are nerve-racking. While many drivers obey pedestrian crossings and traffic lights, always watch out, especially in the countryside, where traffic enforcement is virtually non-existent. Raising a hand before you cross is advisable, as not all drivers, especially motorcyclists and truckers, respect pedestrian crossings.

Go next
The main nearby destinations are Palawan to the west and the Visayas to the south.

title: Luzon


text:
Lviv

Lviv (also spelled L'viv; Ukrainian: Львів; Polish: Lwów, German: Lemberg, Russian: Львов), formerly known as Lvov after its Russian name, is in Western Ukraine and used to be the capital of East Galicia. It's the biggest city of the region and a major Ukrainian cultural centre on the UNESCO World Heritage List. There is useful website for tourists visiting Lviv: lviv.travel.

Understand
The city has a multicultural history but little of the evidence of this has survived until today. It was founded in 1256 by King Daniel of Galicia (Ukrainian: Король Данило Галицький - Korol' Danylo Galyckyy) and fell under Polish control in the 14th century. Poles, Jews, Ukrainians, Germans and others lived there together for centuries. This multicultural experience virtually came to an end during and after WWII. Germans, with the help of Ukrainian collaborators, killed most of the Jews (about one third of Lviv's population at that time) and Poles. At the end and in the direct aftermath of the war, the remaining Polish population (about 65% of the population) was then "repatriated" to Poland in its new borders by the Soviet government. The Polish and Jewish heritage is hardly preserved, but one can find some inscriptions on former shops in Polish, Yiddish and German.

Because of Lviv's proximity to the EU and its openness to foreigners, the city's multicultural feel has experienced a resurgence. Even today, walking through the city centre, a traveller can hear Poles laughing and taking pictures of the beautiful old buildings, Germans walking through the city on guided tours, Ukrainian or Russian tourists and students joking about this or that, and American or British businessmen chatting in cafes. There is even a small Jewish community in the city. The many universities in Lviv attract students from every continent on the globe, and its old architecture draws tourists from various parts of the world, including Ukraine.

The Polish king John II Casimir founded the Lviv University in the 17th century and Lviv (known as Lwów) was by that time one of the most important cities in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, along with Kraków, Warsaw, Gdańsk and Vilnius.

In 1772 the city was taken by the Habsburgs, and in Austrian times it was known as Lemberg, the capital of Galicia. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, it was returned to Poland.

As a result of World War II, Stalin moved the Soviet frontier westward so Lviv became part of the USSR under its Russian name Lvov (still widely used by supporters of Russia, but very offensive to most locals). After Ukrainian independence in 1991, the Ukrainian name of Lviv was gradually adopted in English.

Lviv is the region of Ukraine with the strongest sense of Ukrainian identity. Even when it was part of the Soviet Union, most signs were only in Ukrainian, and only a few also in Russian. Because of its history as part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Lviv has a Central European flair in its architecture that makes it one of the most beautiful cities in Eastern Europe, and also has a Catholic majority, unlike most of majority-Eastern-Orthodox Ukraine. Lviv has even been called "the capital of Ukrainian culture". The people there are very warm, although somewhat direct (which is very common in eastern Slavic cultures).

Since slightly before the Euro 2012 soccer tournament, the city has become more and more tourist-friendly. All downtown street signs are now in both Ukrainian and English, and the staff of the Information Center on Rynok Square speak many different languages. Maps, schedules of local events, and tourist guides can be obtained there for free in English, German, Polish, and Russian. There are even small information kiosks beside some monuments (small touch-screen TVs that offer maps and information about the city). Visiting Lviv is very rewarding for the pioneer traveller, as living is extremely cheap here and the place has a truly authentic feeling, unlike places like Kraków or Prague, which are swamped with tourists.

By plane
The closest operating airport is in Rzeszów:

By train

There are multiple daily trains, including several overnight options, from Kyiv, Odesa and many other Ukrainian cities with Ukrzaliznytsia. International trains arrive from Polish cities such as Gdansk, Kraków, Przemyśl and Warsaw. There are also trains from Chop, at the border with Hungary. For more information see here.

By car
For more information see Western_Ukraine

From Poland: take the, this will end at the city centre. Formalities at the border take at least one hour. There will be a long line for trucks, which you can pass if you travel by car. Don't expect the border police to treat you respectfully, or speak any language other than Ukrainian, Polish or Russian. In fact, expect the very opposite regarding both.

It is also illegal to drive in the city centre (including Prospekt Svobody) on Sundays and holidays. This is signposted in Cyrillic only, and there are always police present to catch some unsuspecting foreigner.

By public transport
Lviv has a convenient public transport system:

 * 8 tram routes
 * 10 trolleybus routes
 * 18 bus routes
 * 31 marshrutka routes

Single ride tickets in trams, trolleybuses, buses and marshrutki cost 20 грн if paying by cash, 15 грн if paying with an NFC-enabled credit card or smartphone, or 13 грн if paying with a public transport card.

Monthly travel passes are available for 420 грн.

Passes can be used in trams and trolleybuses.

Schedules are available on the map and on rozklad.in.ua (in Ukrainian).

You can also check information about public transport on DozoR (in Ukrainian), EasyWay and Google Maps.

By taxi
Taxi is the easiest way of getting around the city. Some popular taxi companies include:

By scooter
Kick scooter is a funny way to shorten your time while getting around the city.

By bike
There are more than 100 km of infrastructure for bicycles in Lviv. While you can use your own bike, you can also rent one using one of the following companies:

Do

 * Attend a concert or festival. L'viv has been called the "Queen of Festivals" as a city, because there is often a different festival every other week. Some festivals with many free activities are the Chocolate Festival, the Coffee Festival, and the Alpha Jazz Festival. Stop by the Tourist Information Center on Rynok Square to find out more about what festivals are happening during your stay in L'viv.
 * Visit the Bania, a Russian-style sauna for men and women (non-communal). There are a few in L'viv and well worth the trip. The experience can be mildly confronting for the prudish Westerner, as all activities are conducted in the nude but don't worry, it is a highly civilized environment.
 * Visit the Bania, a Russian-style sauna for men and women (non-communal). There are a few in L'viv and well worth the trip. The experience can be mildly confronting for the prudish Westerner, as all activities are conducted in the nude but don't worry, it is a highly civilized environment.
 * Visit the Bania, a Russian-style sauna for men and women (non-communal). There are a few in L'viv and well worth the trip. The experience can be mildly confronting for the prudish Westerner, as all activities are conducted in the nude but don't worry, it is a highly civilized environment.
 * Visit the Bania, a Russian-style sauna for men and women (non-communal). There are a few in L'viv and well worth the trip. The experience can be mildly confronting for the prudish Westerner, as all activities are conducted in the nude but don't worry, it is a highly civilized environment.
 * Visit the Bania, a Russian-style sauna for men and women (non-communal). There are a few in L'viv and well worth the trip. The experience can be mildly confronting for the prudish Westerner, as all activities are conducted in the nude but don't worry, it is a highly civilized environment.
 * Visit the Bania, a Russian-style sauna for men and women (non-communal). There are a few in L'viv and well worth the trip. The experience can be mildly confronting for the prudish Westerner, as all activities are conducted in the nude but don't worry, it is a highly civilized environment.
 * Visit the Bania, a Russian-style sauna for men and women (non-communal). There are a few in L'viv and well worth the trip. The experience can be mildly confronting for the prudish Westerner, as all activities are conducted in the nude but don't worry, it is a highly civilized environment.

Money
For more information on currency see here

ATMs (known as "bankomats") and currency exchanges ("obmin valyuti") are ubiquitous throughout Lviv, particularly in the city center. Most ATMs will accept Visa and MasterCard. Currency exchanges will often only accept foreign currency in pristine condition. Travellers' checks are not very useful in Lviv; however, there are still a few hotels and banks that will cash them for you.

Credit cards are now widely accepted in many of the city center restaurants, cafes, hotels and some hostels. Also at the main bus station and long distance train station. Surprisingly, lots of small grocery stores now also accept plastic.

Attempting to pay for something inexpensive with a large denomination (50 грн and above) will often at the very least annoy the shopkeeper; salespeople may even refuse to sell to you if you do not have any smaller denominations. Grocery stores and other high-volume shops are an exception to this rule.

Budget
Life in Lviv is very cheap. It's not difficult to find a place where you can have a full meal for 80 грн. The challenge is rather ordering if you don't speak Ukrainian.

Splurge

 * Veronica, on the Shevchenko Prospect is both a French style cafe (upstairs) and stylish restaurant downstairs.
 * Veronica, on the Shevchenko Prospect is both a French style cafe (upstairs) and stylish restaurant downstairs.
 * Veronica, on the Shevchenko Prospect is both a French style cafe (upstairs) and stylish restaurant downstairs.

Bars

 * Franz Josef The twilight zone. 24-hour outdoor freak show. See the local intelligentsia acting rather unintelligent.
 * Franz Josef The twilight zone. 24-hour outdoor freak show. See the local intelligentsia acting rather unintelligent.
 * Franz Josef The twilight zone. 24-hour outdoor freak show. See the local intelligentsia acting rather unintelligent.
 * Franz Josef The twilight zone. 24-hour outdoor freak show. See the local intelligentsia acting rather unintelligent.
 * Franz Josef The twilight zone. 24-hour outdoor freak show. See the local intelligentsia acting rather unintelligent.
 * Franz Josef The twilight zone. 24-hour outdoor freak show. See the local intelligentsia acting rather unintelligent.
 * Franz Josef The twilight zone. 24-hour outdoor freak show. See the local intelligentsia acting rather unintelligent.

Clubs
The club scene in Lviv is thriving; with many options ranging from the cavernous clubs Metro and Millenium to the intimate and upmarket Zanzibar. There are usually entry charges but drink prices more than make up for this. In most clubs you are able to buy bottles of vodka for a reasonable price and simply chill at a table all evening.

Sleep
Lviv has a variety of hotels, hostels and apartments to suit all budgets and needs. The best deals for budget travellers (2-3 people) are found with the lovely apartments for rent all over town. These can be found online (preferably in Russian) or on arrival at the train station. Expect to pay around 6,000-8,000 грн/month for a nice studio apartment with a kitchen, TV and a nice warm-water bathroom.

Budget
The hostel scene is quite new in L'viv so be sure to check reviews of hostels using well known booking agents and forums.

Connect
The dialing code for Lviv is +380 32(2). The telephone system has been modified; thus, to dial 6-digit numbers, use the city prefix 322, but for 7-digit numbers, use only 32.

All calls to and from cell phones are treated as long distance calls. The telephone system was modified one more time, thus, you must not dial an 8 followed by the city/mobile prefix, followed by the phone number. Some frequent mobile prefixes are 050, 067, 066, 096, and 097. The main mobile operators are Kyivstar, MTS, and Life. You can buy a SIM card or a balance replenishment card at many stores throughout Lviv.

Internet cafes are plentiful. Centrally located is Chorna Medeia on Kryva Lypa.

Almost all restaurants and cafes provide free Wi-Fi, staff will typically provide a password on request.

Consulates

 * Consulates-General:
 * 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
 * 🇵🇱 Poland

 * Honorary consulates:
 * 🇦🇹 Austria
 * 🇧🇾 Belarus
 * 🇧🇪 Belgium
 * 🇧🇷 Brazil
 * 🇧🇬 Bulgaria
 * 🇨🇦 Canada
 * 🇫🇷 France
 * 🇩🇪 Germany
 * 🇭🇺 Hungary
 * 🇮🇱 Israel
 * 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
 * 🇱🇻 Latvia
 * 🇱🇹 Lithuania
 * 🇲🇩 Moldova
 * 🇳🇱 Netherlands
 * 🇰🇷 South Korea

Stay safe
Ukrainian cities are not dangerous, though a bit more precaution is required. Common tricks include impersonating a police officer. In doubt ask an officer or tell him you're not following him. The first thing they try is to get you out of the tourists places in to areas where they can 'acquire' a fine.

Open robbery happens less as the risks are bigger. However, pick-pockets operate in the historical center, so keep an eye on your belongings.

Cope
It can be very helpful to learn some Ukrainian before visiting, or at least the Cyrillic alphabet. Everyone can also read, speak and write in Russian, although they'd appreciate that you learnt a few basic phrases in Ukrainian as well. German and, especially, Polish (as Lviv used to part of Poland) is spoken well among people with mature memories of the interwar era. Especially if you speak Polish surviving in Lviv shouldn't be a problem, as many people understand it since it's quite close to Ukrainian.

People selling you tickets at the train station might not speak anything other than Ukrainian or Russian and may not have any patience or sympathy for you. Queues in Ukraine tend to be a chaotic mess, especially at stations. Assert your place with an elbow and mean stare, because everyone else will, including the 15 babushki pushing you to the side. Make sure you get in the line for foreigners when you want to buy train tickets. The cashier might not speak English, but if you know the details of the train you want, just write them down!

Go next

 * Kyiv
 * Odesa
 * The Carpathian Mountains and their accompanying ski resorts are good for a day trip
 * Lutsk
 * Rivne
 * Transylvania, Romania: To go south, take a bus to Chernivtsi (a bumpy 6½- hour ride, or you can take one of overnight trains). Near Chernivtsi, you can visit the lovely Kamianets-Podilskyi with its ancient castle. The bus to Suceava takes around 4 hours with border formalities. The buses from Suceava to Bacau and finally to Braşov take about 4 hours apiece on very bumpy roads.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Lviv


text:
Lycia

Lycia (Turkish: Likya) is the westernmost section of Mediterranean Turkey. Lycia is also popularly known as the Turquoise Coast, and forms a substantial part of the Turkish Riviera. With clear waters and beautiful Mediterranean coastline, the region is great for divers, swimmers and yachting.

Cities

 * has the region's airport and an accidentally built railway station.
 * is a resort town with rock tombs, sea turtle nesting beaches, and wetlands.
 * near the Lycian ruins of Myra was the home of St Nicholas, better known as Santa Claus.
 * in the western Taurus mountains is the starting place for hikes onto Mt Kızlarsivrisi.
 * is the main city of the region, with verdant mountains, Lycian ruins, and a turquoise sea.
 * is renowned for its "Blue Lagoon".
 * a tourist resort is the site of ancient Phoenicus.
 * is a centre for yachting and cruising.
 * is a coastal town with whitewashed Mediterranean architecture.
 * is a coastal town with some well-preserved traditional architecture.
 * is a coastal resort.
 * is the hub for visiting the Lycian cities of Xanthos and Letoon.
 * is a town up in the Taurus Mountains.
 * is very touristy, but a pleasant resort and start point for the "Blue Voyage".
 * is the main village on the peninsula south of Marmaris.
 * is the town at the end of the long peninsula west of Marmaris.

Other destinations

 * — a deep seaside canyon with some rare butterflies species: the only access from the sea or a hard climb down
 * — a coastal canyon similar to Butterfly Valley, but remoter, although accessible overland
 * — an abandoned village with hundreds of partially ruined houses south of Fethiye
 * — the island and nearby villages of Kaleköy and Üçağız are the sites of the ancient towns of Simena, Aperlae, Dolchiste and Teimioussa. Kaleköy, which is dominated by a hilltop Byzantine castle, is only reachable via a path running from Üçağız or by sea
 * — a backpacker destination full of wooden tree-houses with a rich nightlife
 * — a dreamlike beach with a great archaeological site in the middle of a dune landscape
 * — a stunning inland gorge, great for a leisurely hike
 * is a ruined ancient city at the foot of Mount Babadağ.

Understand

Rugged and forested, pine-clad mountains in Lycia descent right to the coastline heavily indented with gulfs and coves, making the region the top yachting area in the country.

Geographically, Lycia occupies the Teke Peninsula, a large U-shaped expanse of land between the Gulf of Fethiye to the west and the Gulf of Antalya to the east, in the southwestern corner of the country. In modern political terms, Lycia forms the southern half of Muğla Province and the western third of Antalya Province, which divide Lycia into roughly equal halves along the Eşen Çayı, or the ancient Xanthos River, which flows to the south.

Ancient Lycia was a democratic federation of city states, which is thought to have influenced the United States constitution. Today, most towns in the region have some remnants from the ancient Lycian civilization, in the form of sarcophagi, distinctive rock tombs, or city ruins.

Unlike its neighbour to the east, Pamphylia, which welcomes its visitors in large all-inclusive resorts, Lycia is more of an independent traveller destination, and tourism in the region revolves around small guesthouses and fairly pleasant coastal towns, some of which such as Olympos still preserve a hippy-like atmosphere. However, some large resorts—not up to the scale that is found in Pamphylia, though—are present here too, in the western (around Marmaris, and Fethiye) and eastern (around Kemer) ends of the region, as local topography permits.

Talk
The local dialect of Turkish is highly divergent from the official standard (which is based on the Istanbul dialect), and with much of its vocabulary being totally incomprehensible to even non-local Turks, it can even be objectively regarded as a language on its own (some half-jokingly prefer to call it Muğlaca, i.e. the "Muğla language", instead of the usual term of Muğla şivesi, i.e. the "Muğla dialect"). However, all people in the region, except perhaps older ones living in remote villages, can speak standard Turkish (albeit with a slight accent usually), and, thanks to heavy tourism in the region, if you don't intend to hike between mountain hamlets, English will likely be sufficient to communicate anyway.

By plane
Dalaman Airport is the main airport for this region, with seasonal budget flights from Europe, and daily domestic flights from Istanbul and Ankara. For convenience use Dalaman to reach Kaş and any point west of there.

has more flights from Europe and from other Turkish cities plus Northern Cyprus. It's closer to Demre and any destination east of there, but the twisting coastal road makes for long transfer times.

Both airports have car hire, which you'll need if you're not being bussed direct to your hotel.

By bus
Most towns in the region have direct bus connections to the major cities of the country, such as Istanbul, Izmir, and Ankara.

By car
Highway D400 connects the region with Pamphylia in the east along the coast, with a connection to D330 in Gökova towards north (Muğla, Kuşadası, Izmir).

By boat
There are ferries between some towns in Lycia and the nearest Greek islands.

Get around
Towns in the region are connected to each other with frequent minibus (dolmuş) services.

By thumb
Hitchhiking, while possible if you don't mind waiting for a lift up to two hours, is not really an easy way to travel around the region. Hitching from around Olympos in the east is definitely better, though.

On foot
The Lycian Way (Turkish: Likya Yolu), a marked hiking trail which is a collection of ancient paths and forest trails, starts from south of Fethiye and connects most of coastal towns and villages in the region, and extends beyond the regional boundary to Pamphylia in the east, towards Antalya.

Do

 * Hiking — Hiking is a great option to get more in touch with the history and nature of the area. There are lots of waymarked hiking trails (most of which does not exceed 10 km in length) with varying levels of hardness in the region, in addition to the grand Lycian Way. One place surrounded by a dense (relatively speaking) marked trail network is Kayaköy.
 * Lycian Way Ultramarathon is run in September. Even these hardy athletes baulk at the full 540 km, but you can run 20 km, 37 km or 57 km eastern sections.
 * Cruising — Lycian coasts are some of the most spectacular and rightly popular sections along a Blue Cruise.

Drink
Free cold water dispensers, or sebils as they are locally known, are abundant in the region, more so than in the rest of Mediterranean Turkey.

Go next

 * Pamphylia to the east, though it has much in common with Lycia due to also being on the Mediterranean, has a fairly different character as far as travellers are concerned, due to mass tourism and package tourists there.
 * In the Southern Aegean to the north, Greek ruins substitute for Lycian ruins, and olive groves replace pine forests.
 * Rhodes and some other smaller islands in the Dodecanese group lie just off the Lycian coast, to the southwest and south, with ferry connections from the nearest Turkish harbour towns.

title: Lycia


text:
Lycian Way

The Lycian Way (Turkish: Likya Yolu) is a 540-km, waymarked hiking trail in southwestern Turkey, connecting Fethiye in the west with the vicinity of Antalya in the east (more precisely the village and climbing centre of Geyikbayırı up on the mountains) along the Lycian coast.

The Lycian Way is a great way to get a sense of the true Turkish Mediterranean, away from crowded beaches, expensive resorts, and non-native palm trees.

Understand
The route was researched by Kate Clow, a British expat living in Turkey, with the help of a few volunteers. It was waymarked with the support of Garanti Bank and the permission of the Turkish Ministry of Culture in 1999. The Lycian Way connects a number of villages, mountain hamlets, Lycian and Roman sites on its route and ranges in elevation from sea level to the 1,800 m pass near Mt Tahtalı (one of the several mountains known as Olympos around the ancient Eastern Mediterranean). It's not a single footpath that has been intact since times immemorial, rather it's a series of ancient paths, mule and caravan trails, forest and backcountry roads. For many sites, it's the most convenient way to reach them, and for many others, they can be better appreciated by arriving over the original old road.

Although some hikers do the whole trail in one go, most people prefer to do it in sections. Some segments are inevitably more popular than others, and those near the main towns can be considered suitable for day walks.

The trail is mostly without litter, except for areas used by the Lycia Marathon which were not subsequently cleared. Once rubbish-strewn, it is very hard to clean the trail up, as it mostly lies in remote and rugged territory. Therefore, following leave-no-trace guidelines is important. Also, think ahead carefully about what you will need and what you won't, as anything that is regarded as "trash" will need to be carried to the nearest garbage bin – a convenience even some of the mountain hamlets completely lack, let alone the trail itself.

The Turkish Culture Routes Society maintains and supports the route and sells the official guidebook from its website.

Signs and waymarks

The standard waymark of the Lycian Way is a half white, half red rectangle. The recommended standard distance between marks is 80 m, but when the trail starts to twist and turn, they are more frequent and when the trail extends on a straight line, as an easy-to-follow path, they are farther apart. They are mostly painted on rocks along the route, though you can also spot some on utility poles, garden walls, or on the actual path itself.

Side paths straying from the main trail – and usually arriving in very off-the-beaten-path sites (in a literal sense!) – have marks similar to the standard rectangles, just yellow replaces white.

Other waymarks include an angled mark which precedes a turn; the angle points in the direction of the turn. A "red cross" is marked on "wrong" trails and roads, usually accompanied by the standard rectangle painted on the "correct" way.

Once every five or so years, a number of volunteers renew the waymarks. However, in the meantime some local villagers repaint the marks on some sections and this may cause the new marks shifting a few (hundred) metres on either side of the actual trail. In some cases, villagers have diverted the trail to pass their accommodation or cafe. However, the "new" marks join the "old" marks somewhere in some way, so you will not get lost even by following these "accidentally" painted marks.

Signs, easily-recognizable, distinctive yellow arrows with the header Fethiye'den Antalya'ya Likya Yolu, "the Lycian Way from Fethiye to Antalya", are nowhere as frequent as the waymarks, but still can be seen, and indeed are useful, on most junctions (where for example trail branches off from a main road) and at village exits. They name the next destination on it with the distance in kilometres. The distances on signs are approximate, so don't worry if you see the distance going up or down by 1 km on the next sign.

Prepare
April–June and September–November are the best and most popular months to hike the trail, as you escape both the infernal summer heat, and chilly, rainy and in general dreary winter weather.

There are no fees or permits required for hiking or camping along the Lycian Way.

You may consider bringing in:
 * Maps — Maps are not absolute necessities to follow the trail as waymarks are sufficient to do that. Kate Clows guidebook "The Lycian Way" contains a map of the Lycian Way. It's useful to get an overview, but difficult to use for orientation or spontanious route changes (no scale, grid, contours or north directional information). In March 2015, the maps "Lycia East Hiking Map 1:50.000" and "Lycia West Hiking Map 1:50,000" were released (MapSite Verlag). Together they cover the entire area of the Lycian Way and contain all important topographical features and informations on accommodation, catering, water sources, sightseeing and so on. Some years ago, three more maps were released (east, west, and middle) which are based on the old Soviet military maps (by EWP). The maps of ancient Lycian sites (can be found in the Internet) could be useful in order to understand better the locations of ancient Lycian cities with respect to modern Turkish cities and villages. Interactive, detailed maps are available for each route section and each community, showing accommodation, attractions, services, waypoints, and other useful locations in the Lycian Way Wiki.
 * Tent and camping gear — While you'll find some kind of accommodation (mostly family-run guesthouses) in some villages (usually separated from each other by a distance of an average daily walk) along most of the route, there are two sections where wild camping is your only choice for two nights in a row. Even if you don't plan to hike such a section, camping is a great way to reduce your accommodation costs and having camping gear at hand gives much more freedom: Who wants to walk the further 5km to the guesthouse you plan to overnight while you are totally exhausted and are standing against a gorgeous view? But this choice, of course, has a toll: The lighter your backpack, the happier you will be.
 * A torch — To have a torch or some other source of light is a must as no part of the trail, except where it traverses the villages, is illuminated at night, and it quickly becomes a nightmare to follow the waymarks once the night sets.
 * A phrasebook — Bring in a Turkish phrasebook as the trail goes through really remote mountain hamlets and most villages along the route hardly sees any non-locals, let alone foreigners, other than the hikers – although sometimes only a few kilometres (and a good deal of elevation) separates these remote villages from mass tourism.
 * Bottles and bottles and bottles of water — Hot and dry Mediterranean climate reigns the area, and you'll need lots of water. If you have the misfortune of hiking the trail in summer, be ready to walk under the scorching sun for 3-4 hours straight without ever seeing a source of water in some areas. In general, you are recommended to add rehydration salts and water if you go during the summer, but check with your doctor for advice on this before you go.
 * Cash and change — there are some unmanned kiosks selling bottles where you put the money in a strong box.Olympos - Çıralı. Footbridge over Ulupınar river - panoramio.jpg
 * Wikivoyage print-outs — In addition to the actual trail details below, there are separate Wikivoyage articles for relatively larger communities along the trail (indicated by blue links when viewed online). Make sure you check them out for more details on what to see and do and where to eat and sleep while passing through before setting out.

Get in
Fethiye and Antalya are well-connected to most cities in the country by inter-city buses. The nearest international airports are at Dalaman for the western trailhead and at Antalya for the eastern.

It's fairly easy to get to the western trailhead by minibuses (dolmuş): take those heading for Ölüdeniz, and get off just south of the Ovacık/Hisarönü roundabout, at the large sign of 'Montana Resort Hotel'; the trailhead sign is just past that hotel.

The eastern trailhead at Geyikbayırı is 20 km west of Antalya and can be reached by local buses or taxi. It is not signposted.

If you are not on a through-hike, you can always go back to larger towns such as Fethiye or Kaş by taking a minibus along the main road.

Walk
While the official start of Lycian Way is in Ovacık, the northern suburb of Ölüdeniz, you can hike it all the way from Fethiye (about 15 km away from Ovacık, and the hub of the region), thanks to the officially separate but connecting side trails. In 2014, the trail has been extended northwards from its former eastern terminus, adding an extra two days of hiking, and finishes at Geyikbayırı, where you could chill out and do some rock-climbing.

Fethiye-Kayaköy
Total distance: 8-9 km

A waymarked, cobbled and wide medieval trail through a pine forest link to Kayaköy, the "ghost town" on the hills, providing a quite easy hike between these locales, with the only hardish section, particularly if it's summer and you are carrying a large backpack, being the first or so km out of Fethiye (ascending and no shade). Some sections of this path is surfaced with tarmac though, so your peaceful walk will be interrupted a few times by the road, but these sections are short fortunately.

The waymarks of this trail are sometimes yellow&red, suggesting that this is a side trail, while some other marks are white&red, meaning that this is the main trail. Yellow defaced with white and white defaced with yellow are also common. But no matter what, they are frequent and visible enough as not to let you get lost. The signs bear the title Likya Yolları, "the Lycian Ways", rather than the usual Fethiye'den Antalya'ya Likya Yolu and Kayaköy is referred to as Kaya (Levissi) on them.

From downtown Fethiye, start by following brown "Kayaköy" (sometimes "Kaya" or "Karmylassos") road signs. From the corner of the mosque, turn right (towards the hills and rock tombs), and pass by the minibus stop for Kayaköy. Then you will come to a T-junction, turn left and then about a couple of hundred metres later, right (look for the street sign saying "Kaya"). This will take you to the tarmac road out of Fethiye, heading for Kayaköy, after passing by a Lycian sarcophagus right in the middle of the road before you left the built-up area. At first the road follows a valley bottom, with rock tombs small and big carved on both sides. After having a bird's eye view of Fethiye to the right, the road will bend left, still ascending. After passing by a few cottages to the left, you will see the first sign of the trail pointing that way. The path enters the forest after passing a small stone bridge over a dry creekbed, but it isn't waymarked, nor clearly visible. This is actually a shortcut and rejoins the tarmac road a couple of hundred metres ahead. After a short walk on the side of the road turning left, the actual trail begins next to a fountain with cold water (the sign also confirms the way): refill your bottles here because this is the last fountain until Keçiler, about 6 km away. Initially the trail is a dirt road with loose pebbles scattered about. After a short ascent, and before the trail turns towards right, there is a beautiful view of the Gulf of Fethiye on your left. A hundred metres along, the very-well designed cobbled path begins and gently ascents towards the ridge, where you will once more join the tarmac road. After keeping on the side of the road for about 1 km, and having the first distant view of the ghost town between the trees, there is another sign saying Kaya (Levissi) 5 km, pointing left which the road bends. It may look like it's showing the tarmac road, but it's not! It's showing the (re)start of the good ol' cobbled path, not clearly visible at this point, because of its lower alignment but actually just next to the road. The 'cobbled' trail at this point is not nearly as wide, or level, or as much of a defined trail as its earlier sections, so is easy to miss. The cobbled trail quickly turns right into the forest afterwards, while the road keeps running straight ahead. After a gentle descend in the forest, the path is once more intersected by the road. This time, there is no sign or nearby marks to show the way. From where you exited the forest, you'll need to go to the right for a few metres and you will quickly see a rocky path, soon turning into a wide cobbled path, leading down to the right from the tarmac road. The trail will keep descending, and will cross the tarmac road again, at which found you need to walk a short ways to the right on the tarmac road and you will again see the wide cobbled path. Soon the forest disappears with the first buildings since you left Fethiye. This is the village of Keçiler, officially a neighbourhood of Kayaköy 2 km south. A coffeehouse will welcome you into the village, take the path to the left at the crossroad in front of it. From this point on, you will walk on dirt roads with no descends or ascents. After walking for a while, the road winds right and passes by a Lycian sacrophagus on the hillside to your left. After the sacrophagus, you will, for the last time, join the tarmac road that descends from the hill to the left. This is the main road that's been following you from a distance from Fethiye. After walking on its side for a little bit, you'll arrive at the village square with a large fountain to the left (very warm water!). You should take the straight road for Kayaköy, and a sign points towards the road to the right leading to Afkule and Gemile (14 km on a combined hike). After a quick walk between some restaurants, you will arrive at the centre of Kayaköy proper, the ghost town.

Kayaköy-Ovacık
The ancient town of has a number of guesthouses, restaurants, a grocery store (cash only; on the left of the road turning right in front of the church, ask for market), and an old fountain. The water from the fountain doesn't taste wonderful but is drinkable as many people, even non-locals, drink from it with seemingly no problems. There is also a stand-alone map of the village, an illustration, on the side of the road between the fountain and the church. It's posted reversed: anything that shows up on the right of the illustration is on your left and vice versa.

From Kayaköy, you have two different trails to choose from to get to the in Ovacık: either the one that gets you to the beach next to the Blue Lagoon at Ölüdeniz, or the one that takes you right to Ovacık over the hills. If you choose to take the route via the beach, then you will have to walk on the side of the ascending road with somewhat heavy traffic (in high season) between Ölüdeniz and Ovacık for about 3 km. An alternative is to take a minibus (dolmuş) to avoid that section.

The route via beach to Ölüdeniz
Total distance 4-5 km

This route is reported to be one of the easiest hikes in the region (always descending, after the brief initial ascent passing over the ridge behind Kayaköy) and can comfortably be taken in 2 hours. The waymarks are the usual red&white or red&yellow rectangles.

The route starts near the St Taksiarhis Church (Upper Church) in the centre of ghost town. The trail partially runs through pine forest and offers impressive views of the sea below and St Nicholas Island off shore. At one point the trail connects to the road next to the beach clubs and leads to.

The route that leads straight to Ovacık
Distance: 7 km

As does the trail to the Blue Lagoon/Ölüdeniz, this path begins in front of the Upper Church.

Ovacık-Kozağaç
Total distance: about 8 km, elevation: 250-750 m

and nearby are on the main road between Fethiye and Ölüdeniz. They are both fairly developed resorts typical in the area, with all kinds of tourism infrastructure: Lots of hotels and guesthouses, restaurants and bars, grocery stores which accept credit cards and which offer a large selection of foods and drinks.

The official start of the Lycian Way is east of the road southwards from Ovacık to the sea. From Hisarönü roundabout, walk towards the direction of Ölüdeniz, and in about 1 km later, you'll see the first yellow sign of the Lycian Way on the left; or on the right side of the road 3 km uphill from Ölüdeniz, if you have walked the coastal route. The sign says Kirme 10 km, and all signs along this section drop Kozağaç in favour of Kirme as the first village on the route. However, this small sign is obscured by the adjacent and much bigger signs of Montana Resort Hotel (easily visible) and some other signboards informing about the Lycian Way project put up by local charities.

For this section, take along at least 5 litres of water per each person as this is a hard walk almost always ascenting with no descends or level grounds, there is almost no shade and there is no water source for 8 km straight other than three rainwater cisterns with buckets recruited from old cooking oil tins. However, the cisterns are of no use unless you have purifying tablets or filters, and perhaps not even then, as the water inside is full of mosquito larvae and stinks to high heaven. Take this note seriously before attempting the trail especially in summer.

After passing by the Montana Resort Hotel and a smaller guesthouse, the tarmac road gives way for a dirt (but still wide) forest track. You'll pass under the start sign of the Lycian Way at this point. From this point on, all waymarks are the standard white and red.

Trail begins in a pine forest, but the trees will disappear eventually in favour of Mediterranean scrub, the maquis, and the forest track will turn into a narrow footpath, sectionally cobbled but mostly covered with loose gravel. With some fantastic views of the Blue Lagoon to your right, you'll start ascending along the trail which turns and twists on the side of the mountain. This mule trail was the only connection of the inhabitants of the hamlets of Kozağaç and Kirme to the rest of the world until 1983, when a much wider dirt road was bulldozed from the other side of the mountain. It's still rarely used by local shepherds and their flocks. Be extra careful in this section as there is sometimes literally nothing between you and high cliffs. There are also some branching trails that should not be taken, so watch out for those red crosses at the junctions. At some point of the trail, green dots join in; however, they are not to be followed. They rather show the way for the trail climbing up from the Ölüdeniz beach direct to the summit of, 1,970 m. The green dots accompany white and red rectangles until near Kozağaç.

Along most of this section, occasional screams you'll hear are nothing to be worried about. Just look above and you'll see those are just paragliders having fun on their way from the summit of the mountain to the beach.

After a sometimes-heavy and shadeless ascent which feels like forever, and passing through the occasional gate carved into rocks blocking the trail, you'll arrive at the last cistern and a large tree which offer lots of shade – a great spot to rest. However, be careful about scorpions and other possibly dangerous arachnids in this area. At this point, you have taken about two-thirds of the trail to Kozağaç with about a third more to go. If your water has started to go low, start water saving measures: Drink only when you are really thirsty, drink only one or two gulps, and stop eating snacks. The first (drinkable) water source is in Kozağaç.

The trail once more starts ascending immediately after the cistern. About 1 km away from Kozağaç, it will suddenly level off into a ground covered with larger gravel, surrounded by some new constructions, including a castle-like house. Its large stone-covered towers will welcome you back to civilization here. The trail afterwards joins a wide dirt road. After turning left, you will have full view of Kozağaç. Here is the first fountain, with very cold and good-tasting water to the left of the road. However, do not use soap in this fountain to avoid sud build-up as the long trough below the fountain is where local goats drink from. You can use soap, however, at the lower fountain coming from the trough as the wastewater there goes directly down the drain.

The green dots branch off to follow their way near the fountain, but as mentioned, you don't follow them.

Kozağaç-Kirme
Distance: about 4 km, elevation: 750-650 m

is a mountain hamlet with only a few houses sandwiched between the towering granite body of Mt. Babadağ above and the high cliffs of the Kıdrak Valley below. It's just under the route of the paragliders. There is no accommodation or a shop here.

The trail starts to descent slowly as it leaves Kozağaç, where you will pass by another fountain with cold water. After passing by the abandoned school building you'll arrive in a section covered with fine grey sand. This is where a part of the mountain slided in an earthquake in 1957, and still tens of big rocks fall daily and some pass through here. About 100 metres after the grey sands, you'll pass next to a source of water. It's not easily visible as it's not a fountain really, only a blue hose with no sink or through, but according to locals, the tasty water there comes from the very summit of the mountain and has no possibility of contamination. At this point, you'll enter a pine forest. Most guidebooks and maps speak of a shortcut immediately on the edge of the cliffs through the forest here, however, there were no waymarks in the forest as of July 2009, and the waymarks along the wide dirt road were persuasive enough that the Lycian Way is coterminous with the road. Regardless, walk into the forest to the edge of the cliff to enjoy the stunning view of the Kıdrak Valley below, a much more grandiose version of the more famous Butterfly Valley (7-8 km further ahead on the Lycian Way). The resort lying on the edge of the bottom of the valley is Club Lykia World, a name you should remember in case you want to view the valley from the reverse angle.

After a short and gentle ascent, the view of the Kıdrak Valley disappears, as does the pine forest, and the dirt road winds towards the left. After passing by another abandoned school building and a fountain full of bees, you'll arrive in a junction. As the waymarks confirm, turn left into Kirme. The other roads lead to Karaağaç, a village still higher in the mountains, and Ölüdeniz via Faralya (this is the road used nowadays by local people and vehicles to reach Kozağaç and Kirme).

Kirme-Faralya
Distance: about 4 km, elevation: 650 mt to 350 mt

is, like Kozağaç, a mountain hamlet with no accommodation or shops, but is slightly bigger than Kozağaç.

The trail immediately starts to twist and turn as soon as it enters the village, so watch the waymarks carefully. From this point on, you will always be descending until Faralya. After finding the right exit at the little maze between the garden walls in the village, you'll walk along a little valley with a dry creekbed in the middle and surrounded by fields and orchards. After passing two fountains in the valley, in addition to one inside the village, you'll start to quickly lose elevation towards Faralya on the side of a hill covered with shrubs. After climbing down some rocky terrain, with rocks lined like a gentle stair, you will suddenly arrive in a stream with a little waterfall which will welcome you to Faralya. Next to the waterfall is the hotel Die Wassermühle, converted from the old watermill of the village. You can quickly refresh yourself with the water, however it's best to keep adhering to leave-no-trace guidelines out of respect for the visitors of the waterfalls at the Butterfly Valley downstream.

Faralya-Kabak
Distance: 8 km

is the village on the cliffs above the. This is the first village on Lycian Way since Ovacık which has a number of guesthouses, a restroom (albeit a squat type primitive one, though they have running water and liquid soap; next to the mosque of the village - don't look for a Blue Mosque, it's a green little building. It's for free), a grocery store (Faralya Market; cash only, a very meager selection of vegetables, drinks, and snacks; it's located at the exit of the village, on the road to Kabak, though you will have to stray away from the Lycian Way as it's located after where Lycian Way forks from the road), and garbage bins (there is one in front of George's House, about 200 m off the trail towards the cliffs of Butterfly Valley). There is a fountain in front of the mosque, but the water doesn't taste very good and it comes out of a moss-covered marble wall.

After arriving to Faralya at the side of Die Wassermühle, the Lycian Way joins the tarmac road that is coming from Ölüdeniz. For a view of -or climbing down to- the Butterfly Valley, walk to right towards the direction of George's House opposite the mosque. This is a small village, so after passing away the mosque and a Lycian or Greek sacrophagus on the hill near it to left, the village ends. The Lycian Way quickly turns left into the forest after the exit of the village, abandoning the tarmac road towards Kabak, which is referred to as either Faralya (Kabak) or Kabak on signs from the point you entered Faralya on (Die Wassermühle).

Climbing down to Butterfly Valley
The climb is comparatively steep and there are ropes to use in several parts. Nevertheless the well trained locals can do the climb up form the valley in 15-20 minutes. Not suggested to climb in rainy weather since the rocks become slippery. One can stay there in the bungalows or tents for rent (35-40 TL), go to visit the natural park with the waterfall or take a ferry to Ölüdeniz.

For some more details and safety tips on climbing down to the Valley, see Faralya article.

Kabak-Alınca
Distance: 7 km

, consisted of an upper village proper and a number of bungalows below on the, has a number of guesthouses and a small grocery store (cash only; at the upper village).

There are 2 ways to go to Alınca — via the beach of Kabak (descends down to the beach and connects to the hill road later) or via the hills around the valley with the fabulous sea views from the up. On the way one can find nice wild camping places.

From Kabak on, until Kınık (which is about three days walk away), there are no running water sources except the notable exceptions of the mosques at the hamlets of Bel and Dodurga, and most villagers rely on rainwater cisterns around this area. While you will not have problems regarding water for drinking or having a shower in the guesthouses along this section, be ready to filter your water from sparsely located cisterns in the countryside out of the hamlets. Some cisterns that were noted at outdated guidebooks might have fallen out of use in the meantime, so plan ahead and pack along accordingly.

Alınca-Gey
Distance: 9 km

However, a villager, named Bayram, rents rooms for 500 TL a night. There is another guesthouse in the village, housed in a stone building:

From Alınca, there are two ways — either the (non-waymarked) paved road used by vehicles or the actual Lycian Way route, which traverses a section which went through a landslide badly deformed the hillside, as well as some very narrow paths with deep cliffs just the length of a feet away from your steps.

Between Alınca and Gey one can find a running water source if one continues hiking on the road (around 3 km away from Alınca after passing few farm houses on the left).

Close to Alınca, an alternative trail leads away as well, which goes through the village of Boğaziçi (4 km).

Gey-Bel
Distance: 6 km

The village mayor (muhtar) Bayram (not to be confused with the other Bayram in Alınca) rents a room and open-air patio of his two-story wooden house to hikers for overnights stays. Bayram can also reportedly arrange transfer of your excess luggage to your final destination with his pickup.

There are 2 ways to continue to Bel — direct route that continues from Lycian market to the right or you may take the side trail through the ruins of Sidyma near the modern village of Dodurga, which is a little longer.

Gey-Sidyma-Bel
Distance: about 10 km

Continue from the Lycian market in Gey to the left taking the road that starts to ascend, if around 20 min later you will pass the water source building on your left then you are on the right path. Continue until you will reach crossroads with few households from where you need to take the ascending road again. There on the top you should find the Lycian road signs again. Continue to Sidyma — the road will start to descend, first you will see the castle wall on the left, but your way continues to the modern village Hisar first (drinkable water sources available) and after that you will find the ruins of. The ruins that survived until these times are mainly the tombs though and few other ancient house ruins sometimes hidden in the bushes and the trees.

To return to Bel you will have to come back to the Lycian Way sign 'Bel 3 km' and from there the road is descending all the time, you will pass also the few households visited before from where you will continue using the descending road to the left (not taken before). After a while on your left you will see a village down in a valley with a mosque which is Bel.

Bel-Gavurağılı
Distance: 10 km

The signposts along the trail in this section indicate a settlement named Belceğiz between Bel (4 km away) and Gavurağılı.

The way from Belceğiz to Gavurağılı descends down from the mountain.

Gavurağılı-Pydnai
Distance: 6 km

Pydnai-Letoon
Distance: 8 km

The Lycian Way enters the city wall from one gate, and exits from another one after traversing the ancient town from one end to the other.

Pydnai (also spelled Pydnee on non-Lycian Way road signs) is situated close to the modern village of Karadere municipality where one can find a shop and several drinkable water sources, but it is around 2.5 km extra walk one way to the shop from Pydnai. In Karadere municipality one can find also shuttles to the nearby villages and towns including Kınık (Xanthos).

After traversing Pydnai, the trail descents towards the coast (if the way marks are lost one can just continue in the direction of the beach) and crosses River Özlen (Özlen Çayı) close to the river's mouth on a narrow, flimsy-looking wooden bridge at the western edge of Patara beach.

Most of this section lies on the level ground of a coastal plain, through an uninspiring "sea" of greenhouse plastics.

Letoon-Kınık
Distance: 4 km

You will pass Eşen Çayı, known in ancient times as Xanthos River on a modern road bridge immediately at the entrance of Kınık, a relatively big-ish town on the route (at the very least, it's the biggest one since you left Faralya, or even Ovacık behind), and the hub for visiting both Letoon and Xanthos.

Kınık-Xanthos
Distance: 1 km

Passing Xanthos and continuing the road a little bit forward away from Kınık one can find a nice camping place next to the grain field and olive trees.

Xanthos-Çavdır
Total distance to Üzümlü: 17 km

At the beginning of this section you will cross D400, the main highway between Fethiye and Kalkan.

Çavdır-Üzümlü
The trail runs on the top of an ancient aqueduct for quite a while in this section.

İslamlar-Akbel
Here, there is a branching side trail (16 km) with a loop at the eastern edge of Patara beach (and the ruins of ancient city of Patara).

Akbel-Bezirgan
Distance, to Bezirgan 10 km.

At this section of the route, a side trail leads to the modern town of Kalkan, 3 km away.

The trail follows the main highway of the region for part of this section, passing by the town of Kalkan.

On the open plateau before arriving at Bezirgan, you will pass along a number of wooden granaries with corrugated metal roofs. These structures are said to be centuries old and the very same design is purported to be used by Romans or even Lycians.

Bezirgan-Sarıbelen
Distance: 7 km

Sarıbelen-Gökçeören
Distance: 13 km

Gökçeören-Hacıoğlan Deresi
Distance: 8 km

Hacıoğlan Deresi-Phellos
Distance: 14 km

Phellos-Çukurbağ
Distance: 3 km (But Lycian Way signposts drop Çukurbağ in favour of Antiphellos, which lies 11 km away from Phellos)

Çukurbağ-Antiphellos
Distance: 8 km

Antiphellos-Apollonia
Distance: around 19 km

The Lycian way continues from Büyük Çakıl Plajı to Limanağzı (about 3km), but be careful at one point the way branches into 2 - one continues over the hill forward and the other one descends to

From Limanağzı you can continue the Lycian way and reach the point where the two paths connect again, but one should be careful not to take the path back to Kaş since the Lycian way marks disappear for a while on the correct path and appear only later on. The path goes also through the fenced garden area and arrives later on to the uninhabited beach. In the next inhabited area there was a construction of a beach club (as of June 2011) where it was possible to buy water from the workers. The Lycian way from here continues on the road and then next to the seaside again passing several nice wild camping sites and the beach near Üzümlü. Later on the way is well marked until ancient ruins without particular name known. From this point the Lycian way marks might be faded and difficult to notice (as of June 2011). At the last Lycian way mark when facing the ruins the path continues behind you and does not follow the road down. Time to time there are also some stone made marks by people next to the faded Lycian way marks to attract attention of the trekkers. If the way marks are hopelessly lost one can try to reach the road which is on the left if the ruins passed before are behind you. On this road further you will arrive also to the Lycian yellow arrow with the direction to Kılınç (Apollonia). The first inhabited place which one will reach is Boğazcık. It is a little hamlet without any shops or drinkable water sources apart from Ali Kızmaz's pension where one can stay also over night or have a lunch, but one should take into account that in the hottest season the people are migrating to highlands. From here one can continue to the ruins of Apollonia or pass by the modern village Kılınç with a mosque and a little shop. The shop though might be closed at the hottest season because the owner might move to highlands, too.

Apollonia-Aperlae
Distance: around 7 km

Üçağız-Myra

Total distance: 21 km

Major localities and sights in this section are:

Myra-Goncatepe
Total distance: 12 km

 * Belören
 * Zeytin
 * Alakilise — ruins of a basilica which dates back to sixth century.
 * Goncatepe

At Goncatepe, the trail reaches its maximum elevation of about 1,800 m above sea level.

Goncatepe-Finike
Total distance: 18 km

 * Belos
 * Belen
 * Finike

Finike is a modern major town and Lycian Way merges with the major highway D400 (or, rather ceases to exist) here, until near Mavikent, which is about 20 km away in the east. Taking public transport (or even hitchhiking) is the obvious sensible choice to cross this uninteresting coastal plain, covered by nothing else but greenhouse plastics.

Mavikent-Gelidonia
Total distance: 8 km

 * Gagae
 * Karaöz
 * Cape Gelidonia (Gelidonya Burnu) — the cape with the lighthouse. There is a well next to the lighthouse with reportedly drinkable water. It's possible to camp on the level ground beside the lighthouse, even on a platform by the yard, however be extra careful about scorpions in this place, as many hikers report them.

Gelidonia-Adrasan
Distance: 16 km

It takes at least 5 hours to hike this section which is one of the remotest parts of the trail. Inexperienced hikers are generally advised not to attempt this section alone, even by Kate Clow herself.

Some maps show a single source of water in this section, about a quarter of the way short of Adrasan, but most hikers report of not noticing it, so have extra water supplies when attempting this section.

Adrasan-Çıralı
Total distance: 20 km

 * Upper Olympos (Bakacak) — the ancient city up on the hills.
 * Lower Olympos — ancient city on the beach, next to a heavily travelled backpacker destination.
 * Çıralı

At Çıralı, Lycian Way branches into two: one of the routes closely follow the coastline (if sometimes actually a little away from the beach), and the other via the mountains inland. The routes merge again in Gedelme up in the mountains and keep running towards north.

Çıralı-Phaselis
Total distance: 22 km

 * Tekirova
 * Phaselis — the ruins of an ancient city south of Kemer.

Phaselis-Gedelme

 * Aşağıkuzdere
 * Gedelme

Between Aşağıkuzdere and Gedelme, there are some mountain gorges, as well as a Roman bridge over a creek to pass.

Çıralı-Beycik

 * Chimaera (Yanartaş) — the "burning stones", natural bonfires on the side of the mountain caused by a natural gas seep
 * Beycik

Beycik-Gedelme
Total distance: 29 km

 * Yukarı Beycik
 * Yayla Kuzdere
 * Gedelme

Between Yukarı Beycik and Yayla Kuzdere, you'll pass just east of 2,300 m-high summit of Mt Tahtalı, one of the mountains known as "Olympos" to ancients.

Gedelme-Göynük Yaylası
Total distance: 24 km

Göynük Yaylası-Hisarçandır
Total distance: 22 km

Hisarçandır-Çitdibi
Total distance: 8 km This section was opened in 2014 and, with the exception of the first part on the road, was waymarked in May 2014.

Çitdibi-Geyikbayırı
Total distance: 18 km. This section was opened in 2014 and was waymarked in May 2014. Both this section and the one above appear in the new edition of the Lycian Way guidebook (2014). The route now finishes at Geyikbayrı, where there is accommodation at several pensions which are used by rock-climbers on the bolted routes of the climbing walls around the valley.

Sleep
There is a variety of lodging (mostly family-run guesthouses and some campgrounds) in some of the villages along the route, usually 10 km in between. However at some remoter sections, wild camping is your only option. Plan ahead to see whether you will be needing camping gear or not. There is a list of accommodation on the official website.

Stay safe
You'll be mostly fine and safe by following the marks and keeping on trail, but there are certain things that one should be wary of.
 * Do not take shortcuts. Waymarks will lead you where you should be going. In fact, what may seem as a shortcut may take you to a very different direction than where you should be heading.
 * Scorpions thrive in this hot region with rocky areas, and their habitats are under the rocks in particular. So never remove a rock unless you absolutely have to. Keep zips of your backpack and tent always locked. Check and shake your shoes before wearing them. Snakes are less of a concern, however be wary of them near streams.
 * By sweating, you don't only lose water, but you also lose sodium, which is just quite as serious as dehydration – and you will sweat a lot on the Lycian Way. Pack along sports drinks (usually available in Turkish supermarkets) or fortified powdered drinks (generally not available in Turkey). Having a salty soup at the end of the day will also balance some of your sodium loss.
 * If you camp at the foot of Mt. Babadağ (around Kozağaç and Kirme), be wary of the very strong katabatic wind that suddenly comes out of the blue around midnight and keeps blowing until the early morning. Make sure all your stuff is neatly placed away from the cliffs, and the tent is wind-proof and secured to the ground. Also don't camp on the course of the falling rocks near Kozağaç (the grey sands area).

Connect
Most of the trail has a satisfactory GSM signal – the exceptions are around the lighthouse and in the bottom of canyons. The best service is from Turkcell.

Go next
So your legs are not tired enough yet?
 * The Saint Paul Trail is a wilder and remoter counterpart to the Lycian Way with a trailhead at Perge just east of Antalya. It loosely retraces the steps of Paul the Apostle during his first missionary journey across Asia Minor, heading inland over the Taurus Mountains to Yalvaç, ancient Antioch of Pisidia, in the Lakes District to the north.
 * The Carian Trail is an extensive collection of hiking trails following the convoluted coastline north of Fethiye. It has sections extending over the Datça and Bozburun Peninsulas, along the Gulf of Gökova between Akyaka and Bodrum, and inland to Muğla, Milas, and Lake Bafa.

title: Lycian Way


text:
Lydenburg

Lydenburg (Place of Suffering) is a town of 37,000 people (2011) in Mpumalanga. Lydenburg has become the centre of the South African fly-fishing industry and is an agricultural and mining hub.

By car

 * From Johannesburg and Pretoria, follow the N4 via Schoemanskloof and take the R36 to Lydenburg.
 * From Sabie, take the R37 over the Longtom pass.

Get around
As with most of South Africa, it is best to have a hired car.

Do
There are a number of trout fishing lodges in the area.

Sleep
There is a number of accommodation options available within Lydenburg, but you can also find sleeping place in the surrounding areas if you prefer a more country feeling.

The Kwena Basin, 20 km out of Lydenburg on the R36 towards Bambi offers plenty of accommodation and serves as an excellent stopover on your way to the Kruger Park.

Go next
There are many natural and geographic features within an hour's drive, Sudwala Caves, Echo Caves, Blyde River Canyon, plenty of waterfalls and the Drakensberg Escarpment.

title: Lydenburg


text:
Lydney

Lydney is a town in Gloucestershire on the north bank of the Severn estuary, 9 miles from the Welsh border at Chepstow. It grew up as a small port in the 18th and 19th century, and in 2011 its population was 8766. The main reason to visit is to explore the Forest of Dean to the north.

Get in
By train from London Paddington take the hourly Cardiff and Swansea train and change at Newport for the train to Gloucester. Westbound from Gloucester that train trundles on from Lydney to Chepstow, Newport and Cardiff then winds up the Llynfi Valley to Maesteg.

Trains run hourly across the Midlands from Nottingham via Birmingham New St, Cheltenham and  Gloucester to Lydney, continuing to Newport and Cardiff.

is a mile south of town centre.

Stagecoach West Bus 23 runs hourly from Gloucester to Lydney (50 min) and continues to Coleford. Don't take Bus 24 which ambles through Cinderford, Soudley and Blakeney, almost two hours to Lydney then on to Chepstow.

Bus 27 runs three times M-Sa between Lydney, Whitecroft and Cinderford.

is just a draughty square on Hams Rd east side of town centre.

By road follow A48, which hugs the north bank of the Severn. Cross the river either to the south by M48, or to the north at Gloucester.

Get around
Walk around town, but you need wheels for the Forest of Dean.

There are several taxi companies operating in Lydney. It is advisable to book in advance as, especially during peak times, supply is limited.

Bus 24 from Gloucester ambles through Cinderford, Soudley and Blakeney, taking almost two hours to Lydney, then on to Chepstow.

Bus 27 runs three times M-Sa between Lydney, Whitecroft and Cinderford.

Holders of English concessionary bus passes may use these as far as Chepstow in Wales, conversely Welsh pass holders may use them as far east as Lydney.

See

 * was built in 1810 at the outflow of the River Lyd - its lower mile is a canal to allow boats to reach the village. In 2020 the lock gates broke so the harbour has silted up and is unusable.

Do

 * is in Tidenham west on A48, see Chepstow.
 * Study maggots on corpses: Lydney was the scene of one of the first murders solved by forensic entomology. Flies quickly alight on dead bodies and lay eggs, which hatch into maggots, which go through a series of moult cycles before buzzing off as mature flies. The stage of the maggots indicates when the body came to lie there. In 1964 the notable pathologist Prof Keith Simpson in this way identified the date of death of a rotting corpse in Lydney, which helped identify the victim and bring the culprit to justice. However it wasn't the very first example, as in 1247 AD Song Ci (宋慈) of Fujian, China, documented a murder solved by blow-flies.

Connect
As of June 2021, Lydney has 4G from EE and O2, but a poor signal from Three and Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

 * Forest of Dean is an ancient woodland, meaning it was a hive of industry in them there days. Medieval folk depended upon forest trades such as charcoal-making, and law and hoary custom fosters individual mining for coal and iron ore.
 * Chepstow is across the border in Wales, where it's known as Cas-gwent. Go to the races, and explore the scenic Wye valley. The river defines the border.
 * Gloucester is a fine old cathedral city.

title: Lydney


text:
Lyme Regis

Lyme Regis is a seaside town in south-west Dorset in the West Country of England.

Understand
Lyme Regis is a historic unspoiled seaside resort and fishing port on the world-famous Cobb Harbour. Surrounded by beautiful coastlines and countryside, the area has now been awarded World Heritage Site Status; famous for its geology and fossil finds.

The town is famous for "The Cobb", a large harbour wall, that has been featured in novels by Jane Austen (who was a frequent visitor to Lyme Regis). It was used as a location in Persuasion, a film of Jane Austen's novel, and in the film The French Lieutenant's Woman, starring Meryl Streep, based on the book of the same name by local writer John Fowles.

Lyme Regis was the location for the film Ammonite, based on the life of local 19th-century pioneer fossil-hunter Mary Anning, starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan.

The town's name was just "Lyme" until it was granted a Royal Charter in 1284 by King Edward I. This charter is so old that the original Latin word "Regis" is used instead of the usual "Royal" prefix as with Leamington Spa, Tunbridge Wells and Wootton Bassett.

Visitor information

 * Visit Lyme Regis website

By rail

South Western Railway has two off-peak services:
 * 1 train per hour to London Waterloo via Salisbury
 * 1 train per hour to Exeter St. David's

Lyme Regis is on bus service routes X51, Axminster-Dorchester, and X53, Axminster-Weymouth, both of which run from Axminster station.

By bus
In addition to the X51 and X53, services include the 9A Seaton to Lyme Regis

Parking

 * Charmouth Road Long Stay Car Park, Charmouth Road, DT7 3DR. has Toilets, Motorhome spaces and steps down to the seafront.
 * Holmbush Car Park, Charmouth Road, DT7 3DR. Has no height barriers.
 * Monmouth Beach Car Park, DT7 3JN. Has no height barriers but tends to be unsuitable for large vehicles. http://www.lymeregistowncouncil.gov.uk/our-town/services/car-parking

Get around
One very good way to get around is to walk. Lyme Regis is on the South West Coast path and there are many circular routes from and around Lyme Regis - the area is very steep in places.

Damory Coaches operate a town bus service.

Buy
Fish on the Cobb.

Crab fishing equipment for fishing off the Cobb.

Eat
Local seafood specialities include Lyme Bay crab, which is available at any fishmonger in the wider region, and is on the menu at several local restaurants as a starter or the centrepiece of a crab salad.
 * There are also a few fish and chip shops, and a wide choice of pubs serving food.
 * There are also a few fish and chip shops, and a wide choice of pubs serving food.
 * There are also a few fish and chip shops, and a wide choice of pubs serving food.
 * There are also a few fish and chip shops, and a wide choice of pubs serving food.

Pubs

 * Cobb Arms: see Sleep.
 * Cobb Arms: see Sleep.
 * Cobb Arms: see Sleep.
 * Cobb Arms: see Sleep.

Connect
As of May 2022, Lyme Regis has 4G from all UK carriers, though the signal is patchy with Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

 * Jurassic Coast
 * Charmouth
 * Bridport
 * Weymouth
 * Dorchester
 * Seaton and Beer
 * Sidmouth
 * Honiton
 * Exeter

title: Lyme Regis


text:
Lymington

Lymington is a small port in Hampshire in the South East of England. It is adjacent to the New Forest and faces across the Solent to the western end of the Isle of Wight.

Lymington is a major yachting centre, with several yacht clubs and a large marina, as well as a ferry port serving Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight.

Historically, Lymington was a centre of the salt-drying industry, where salt water was admitted to shallow lagoons and dried out. These abandoned lagoons (called saltings) have now become major sea bird reserves, and the area attracts ornithologists.

By train
Lymington is the terminus of a branch rail line from Brockenhurst in the New Forest, where it connects with direct main line service from London Waterloo and many other parts of the country. Train times can be found on the National Rail Planner or by calling from anywhere in the UK.

There are two stations in Lymington:

By car
By road, Lymington can be approached from the west along the coast road (the A337 from Bournemouth. Any other direction requires a crossing of the New Forest with its sometimes congested roads. There are two alternatives; take the M27 to junction 1 and then the A337 through Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst, or leave the M27 at junction 2 and follow the A326 to Dibden Purlieu and then the B3054 through Beaulieu.

By bus
A few bus services connect to Lymington: the three main services are the X1/X2 (operated by Morebus) which go to Bournemouth and the 6 (operated by Bluestar) which goes to Southampton. All three are quite long journeys end to end, the 6 takes around 1 hour and 20 minutes, while the X1/X2 takes around 1 hour 50 minutes to reach Bournemouth. You can buy an Explorer ticket costing £8.60 for one day, which will be valid for both services, (the companies have the same owner). A few less frequent bus services also start/terminate in Lymington -- the two-day-a-week 112 to Hythe and the Monday to Friday 119 to New Milton.

Get around
Lymington is a small town, and most things of interest are within walking distance. Nonetheless, that doesn't stop you from boarding the train at Lymington Town to get down to the pier station for the ferry service, or using the bus services above to get to local areas.

Eat
Town centre parking is difficult and on market day (Saturday morning); it is almost impossible. If you shop in Waitrose you are allowed 2 hours parking (please check at the enquiry desk things do change). This will allow you enough time to be have a meal in town.

Go next

 * — Wightlink offers a 40-minute ferry to Yarmouth.

title: Lymington


text:
Lympstone

Lympstone is a former fishing village in East Devon, between Exeter and Exmouth. It has become a home mainly for commuters and tourists.

Understand

 * Local council website

By car
A376 from Exeter to Exmouth passes through the village at the top end away from the Estuary.

By train
is on the Exmouth to Exeter line.

Lympstone Village station should not be confused with that is only open to visitors of the nearby Royal Marine Commando Training Centre.

By foot

 * There is a footpath from Exmouth

Get around
The village is walkable.

Do

 * Walking on Woodbury Common.
 * Sailing
 * Water skiing
 * Bird watching
 * Bird watching

Go next

 * Visit Powderham Castle on the opposite side of the Exe Estuary.
 * Bicton Park botanical gardens.

title: Lympstone


text:
Lynchburg

Lynchburg is an independent city of 79,000 (2020) in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It lies east of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Central Virginia.

Understand
Lynchburg began in 1757 as a ferry town, fording traffic across the James River. The city is built on centuries of history, boasting strong connections to Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and other early American patriots. Because of the city's use by the Confederacy as a supply and hospital center, it served as a battlefield in the American Civil War. Lynchburg has been designated a portion of Virginia's Rail Heritage Region. Lynchburg's historic districts contain many beautiful homes from the 19th century.

Lynchburg's name is derived from its founder, John Lynch, who, at the age of 17, began a ferry service across the James River to facilitate travel to and from New London. He would later be responsible for the bridge which would make his ferry service obsolete. Despite common misconceptions, neither John Lynch nor Lynchburg is associated with the origination of term, "lynching," though it may have originated with John's brother, Charles.

Geography and climate
Lynchburg's nickname, the "City of Seven Hills," is very descriptive of the geography of the city. Though it refers most directly to the hills near where the city was founded, these hills extend far beyond the riverfront at the James River. The area includes much of Candlers Mountain.

Spring in Lynchburg is short-lived, often it is simply a period of wide fluctuation between mid-late winter and early-mid summer temperatures. Summers are humid and hot with temperatures generally reaching 90°F. Autumns are mild; temperatures stay somewhere between 40°F and 55°F. Once winter hits, temperatures will top out near freezing until February and, perhaps, beyond. Winters can bring lots of snow to the Lynchburg area: about three one-foot snowstorms each winter.

Generally, storms will pass through over the course of a few hours, but rain systems without lightning and thunder will stick in Lynchburg for days at a time, lending to the nickname "Drenchburg." When there is wind in Lynchburg, it tends to be a very high wind. Unlike nearby areas, the warmest part of the day in this part of Virginia is generally 5PM.

By car
Lynchburg does not have direct interstate access. Instead, you can get to Lynchburg by one of three major U.S. Routes: U.S. 29 North and South, U.S. 460 East and West, and U.S. 501 North and South. U.S. 501, however, is generally only convenient for travel from the immediate northwest and southeast.

U.S. 29 merges with U.S. 460 at a three-way junction. When traveling to Lynchburg via U.S. 29S, a right exit is required to continue along U.S. 29S / U.S. 460W.

After US 29 and US 460 align together, they mostly bypass all of Lynchburg. To really enter Lynchburg from US 460, one can take US 460 Business (Timberlake Rd) and to enter Lynchburg from US 29 one can take US 29 Business (Wards Road).

By train
Lynchburg is a stop on the Northeast Regional offering twice daily service between Roanoke and the Northeast with stops in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston. Lynchburg is also a stop on the Crescent offering daily service between New Orleans and New York City. Both of these services are operated by Amtrak. is located at 825 Kemper St, about one mile southwest of downtown.

By bus

 * Greyhound offers bus service to Lynchburg. The buses stop at the Greater Lynchburg Transit Company transfer center adjacent to Kemper Street Station.
 * Megabus services Kemper Street Station and provides service from Danville to the south and from New York City via Washington DC to the north.

By car
Driving is perhaps the most convenient way to get around Lynchburg. Apart from the Downtown area and the area on and around the campus of Liberty University, most of the city is not very friendly to pedestrian traffic.

The Lynchburg Expressway connects most of the major roadways in Lynchburg, intersecting and merging with the business segments of U.S. 29, U.S. 460, and U.S. 501.

While the city limits are very clearly marked, they are drawn in such a way that some places within the city are inaccessible without first traveling outside the city. For instance, the planned community at Wyndhurst can only be accessed via Enterprise Dr, which terminates in two different counties.

Newcomers can find the roads in Lynchburg highly confusing. A few major roads change names with no clear indication as to where these changes take place. For examples, Lakeside Dr becomes Forest Rd, Fort Ave becomes Timberlake Rd, and Memorial Ave becomes Fifth St. Further, the highway alignments can be confusing as there are multiple places where the "Northbound" lanes of one highway are aligned with the "Southbound" lanes of another. Also there are multiple sets of unrelated roads with confusingly similar names. One example is Langhorne Road, Langhorne Lane, Langhorne Avenue which are all totally separate roads in different parts of the city.

Several lots and limited on-street parking are available in Downtown Lynchburg. Two lots, the Midtown and Clay Street Parking Decks, are metered, operating on the mPARK system used in several other cities in the United States and abroad.

During the afternoon rush hour (4:45PM - 5:45PM), Candlers Mountain Rd, Wards Rd, and Timberlake Rd experience significantly increased traffic.

By taxi
Several dispatch taxi services operate in Lynchburg.

By bus
Greater Lynchburg Transit Company (GLTC) offers bus services to the area. Single-segment trips are $2.00, and day and multi-day passes are also available. Most routes run to the central transfer center on Kemper Street and operate on 1 hour schedules. Because of this layout, however, travel from some points in the city to others may take in excess of an hour in spite of being only a few miles away. Liberty University operates an intra-campus bus service as well. This service is free to students, faculty, and visitors.

By bike
While Lynchburg has a number of bike lanes and bike trails, they are disjointed and do not always provide an easy way to get around the city. The Blackwater Creek Trail and the Kemper Station Trail provide bike access from downtown to the Langhorne Rd area and train station/bus transfer center respectively. Bike lanes along (most of) Rivermont Avenue allow cyclists to access Rivermont from downtown. Near the train station/ bus transfer center, there are bike lanes on a few roads but they are connected poorly. There are a few other bike lanes and mixed use walking/biking paths around the city but they do not connect to form a coherent cycling network. All buses by GLTC provide bike racks so cyclists can bring bikes on the buses.

Do
Lynchburg's hills make the city great for hiking and recreational biking. Percival's Island Trail, which connects with the Blackwater Creek Trail, forms a 13.5-mile paved trail that travels through Lynchburg. The trail can be accessed at three major points off Washington St, Jefferson St, and Langhorne Rd. The trail follows both the James River and the Blackwater Creek. Off of the trail there are several hiking and mountain biking opportunities. Liberty University also maintains a system of mountain biking and hiking trails on Candlers Mountain.

Sports
Lynchburg hosts a minor-league professional baseball team as well as several colleges with active athletics departments.

Stay safe
For emergencies occurring on the campus of Liberty University, call the

Go next

title: Lynchburg


text:
Lynchburg (Tennessee)

Lynchburg is a small community in Tennessee. It is contained within Moore County, with which it forms a consolidated government.

By plane

 * , +1-615-459-2651, is a reliever airport for BNA about from Lynchburg, a 1-hour and 15-min drive.
 * , +1-256-772-9395, is a commercial airport about from Lynchburg, a 1½-hour drive.
 * , +1-615-275-1675, is a commercial airport about from Lynchburg, a 1½-hour drive.
 * , +1-615-350-6551, is a general aviation airport about from Lynchburg, a 1½-hour drive.
 * , +1-423-855-2200, is a commercial airport about from Lynchburg, a 2-hour drive.

By car
Lynchburg is located between two interstate highways, I-65 (north–south) and I-24 (northwest–southeast). Lynchburg can be reached from I-24 via Tennessee State Route 55 (Lynchburg Highway) through Manchester and Tullahoma or from I-65 via U.S. Route 64 (Pulaski Highway) through Fayetteville to Tennessee State Route 55.

Get around
As no public transportation is available, getting around by car or on foot is your best bet. Free parking is readily available at local businesses. The distillery is along the main highway going through town, so walking there is not advised, but you can explore the square and surrounding buildings on foot.

Do
Look at the historic downtown buildings, and explore stores around the town square.

Drink
Moore is a dry county even though the Jack Daniels Distillery is here, so you have to drive to Tullahoma to get alcohol by the drink. Bottles of Jack Daniel's can be purchased at the distillery gift shop.

Go next

 * Nashville - Music City U.S.A., Country music capital of the world, and the State Capitol
 * Winchester is 30 minutes away and there is Tims Ford Lake, a huge mecca for water sports.

title: Lynchburg (Tennessee)