The town of Kas is on a hill running down to the Turquoise Coast of southwestern Turkey. The district has a typical Mediterranean climate of hot, dry summers and warm, wet winters, which allows the growth of oranges, lemons and bananas. The lowland areas are also planted with cut flowers and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Many are grown all year round under glass. The hillsides produce honey and almonds, while at high altitudes there are extensive pine forests. The weather is drier at high altitudes. Although agriculture is still important, tourism is the main source of income in the district, which has many hotels and guest houses.

About 6 km (4 mi) offshore from Kas is the Greek islet of Kastelórizo (in Turkish Meis Adasi) served by a Turkish ferry daily with the option of same day returns.

The tourist industry is centered on the pleasant town of Kas, but many other coastal towns and villages in the district have plenty of accommodation for visitors including Kalkan and Gelemis. The district can be reached from both Antalya and Dalaman airports.

Kas itself is a quiet pleasant town with its turquoise blue sea and narrow streets scented with jasmine flowers. There are plenty of little guest houses, quiet cafes serving home cooking, or small bars to relax and listen to live music after a day's scuba diving. Kas has an annual arts festival, jazz concerts in the Hellenistic theatre and the Kiln Under the Sea arts collective have held underwater ceramics exhibitions here.

Kas is one of the leading spots for scuba diving in Turkey. Its visited by beginners as well as advanced divers. There are more than 15 dive centers and diving schools, mostly located at the local port. They offer guided diving trips to the 50 dive spots in the vicinity. Diving in Kas offers an array of fish and other sea creatures like octopus and sea turtles.

Besides the biological diversity, Kas offers a vast variety of underwater cultural heritage. Among various wreck sites, six artificial wrecks are worth visiting. These wrecks are submerged to create artificial reefs and touristic diving spots. There are two historically important wreck sites, an airplane from World War II and a cargo ship from the 1950s sunk near the small islands in the extremities of Kas. One last important diving spot is the "Kas Archaeopark Site", an experimental archaeology project conducted by the Underwater Research Society (Sualti Arastirmalari Dernegi-SAD) in 2006. In this scientific project, an interpretative reconstruction of the Uluburun wreck and its cargo is placed underwater.

Outdoor sport activities attract the more adventurous visitors of Kas, especially small group holidays from Europe and independent travellers. Popular adventures include:

• Sea Kayaking at Kekova
• Mountainbiking the backcountry
• Trekking the Lycian Way
• Canyoning in the Kibris Canyon

On Fridays, Greek visitors from Kastelorizo visit the markets of Kas, including the central city market full local products and produce grown in the surrounding villages.