This post covers the stretch of the Western Mediterranean coast west of Kalkan. This stretch is equally beautiful to the coastline between Kalkan and Antalya and is also full of great beaches, ancient ruins and charming towns.
Patara
Patara beach, just 15 kms west of Kalkan, is the longest sandy beach in all of Turkey. The main beach access is at the far east end of the beach, past the small village of Patara and adjacent to the Lycian ruins of Patara. To access the beach you will need to buy an entrance ticket for 15TL that gives you admission to both the ruins and the beach. If you plan to spend significant time at Patara you can buy a weekly pass. You can rent umbrellas and beach chairs at the beach for a small fee. Patara has a nice covered café where you can get drinks and lunch. It also has surprisingly nice bathrooms, changing facilities, and outdoor showers. Patara (like many beaches in this area) is one of the nesting areas for the caretta caretta sea turtles. You will see signs asking you to keep off the beach after hours to leave it free for the turtles. Patara is completely open to the Mediterranean sea (there are no barrier islands obstructing the path of the water) which means that it gets great waves. Swimming here doesn’t involve much actual swimming – you really just surf the waves (which is super fun). In the dead of summer the sand at Patara gets very very hot. Don’t forget your flip-flops: you really don’t want to walk on that sand in your bare feet!
Xanthos / Letoon
Together the Lycian cities of Xanthos and Letoon are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are well worth a visit. Xanthos was the capital of the Lycian Federation and Letoon was its spiritual center.
Xanthos
Xanthos is 19kms west of Kalkan, just off of the main highway. The city has an impressive amphitheater that is fun to climb around and explore. Be sure to visit the area behind the amphitheater where you will find a stone platform that overlooks the Xanthos River (the Eşen çayı). The citizens of Xanthos once committed mass suicide by jumping into the river from this spot rather to avoid being conquered by invaders. Aside from appreciating this brutal history, you can also enjoy nice views of the river and the surrounding valley.
The other side of the site (to the right of the ticket booth) has an old paved road, a basilica and a necropolis. On my recent visit here I didn’t hike all the way up to the necropolis (we were told it would take about 30 minutes and it was hot) but we encountered some other tourists who said it was worth the walk.
There is an older gentleman who hangs around Xanthos and attempts to latch onto tourists and give tours of the site. He worked on the excavations of Xanthos so is pretty knowledgeable about the site (for example, he showed me some floor mosaics in the basilica I otherwise would not have discovered). He speaks pretty good English and is helpful, particularly since the signage at the sight is awful (the English translations will give you a good laugh). I personally get annoyed when someone gives an unsolicited tour in hopes of receiving a tip. However, he is helpful and you could pretty easily shake off his services if you don’t want his help.
Visitor info: Xanthos is open from 8:30am-6:30pm during the summer and closes at 5pm in winter. Admission to the site is 10TL. There is a small café and decent bathrooms adjacent to the ticket booth.
Letoon
Letoon is just 6kms down the road from Xanthos although the winding roads through the village can make finding the site a bit confusing (despite signs pointing the way). Letoon is a smaller site than Xanthos but has some impressive structures. The amphitheater here is very well-preserved. You will also find remains of three temples: to Leto (hence the city name), Apollo, and Artemis. The temple of Apollo has a very impressive mosaic on the floor.
One curious feature of Letoon is that parts of it are typically submerged in water and have become a home to frogs and turtles. You will be serenaded by the unmistakable croaking of frogs while you explore the site.
Visitor Info: Letoon is open from 9am to 8pm during the summer season and from 8am to 5pm during the winter. Admission to the site is 8TL. Like most ancient sites in Turkey, Xanthos and Letoon are open, sunny, and dusty. Visit in the morning before it gets too hot and bring water / sunscreen / a hat when you visit.
Karadere Beach
If you keep driving along the village roads past Letoon and follow signs for the beach you will eventually find yourself at Karadere Beach – the far western end of Patara Beach. When I visited, this beach was nearly deserted: we only encountered a few locals sticking their feet in the waves. Karadere doesn’t have the same infrastructure as Patara, but there was a small café, restrooms and a changing area. The beach was much more wild and natural than at the Patara end, with some driftwood and grasses washed up on shore. The near-empty, natural quality of it was very alluring, however. It would be a lovely place to come for solitude with the Mediterranean Sea or to enjoy the beach without the crowds (and without paying a fee to enter).
Tlos
Tlos is another ancient Lycian city, 40 kms west of Xanthos and 35 kms east of Fehtiye. This is an interesting site to explore because it contains both Lycian ruins (including rock tombs) and the remains of a more-recent Ottoman fortress. You can climb to the top of the fort where you will experience lovely views of the surrounding countryside: fields and rolling hills in the foreground and taller mountains in the background. Unlike other sites where the rock tombs are inaccessible, you can explore the interior of some of the rock tombs at Tlos. One tomb here is known at the Tomb of Bellerephon because it is decorated with a relief of Bellerephon riding Pegasus. Tlos was the mythical home of Bellerephon (who is famous for slaying the Chimaera). You will also find the ruins of other buildings here including a stadium, baths and a market.
Visitor info: Tlos is open from 9am to 8am in the summer season and from 8am to 5pm in winter. Admission is 5TL.
Saklıkent
It is easy to combine a visit to Tlos with a trip to the nearby Saklıkent Canyon: the sites are just a 15 km drive from one another. At 300 meters deep and 18 kms long, Saklıkent is one of the deepest canyons in the world. After April (once all the melted snow from nearby mountains has cleared the canyon) it is possible to hike 4 kms through the canyon. (You will be hiking through the river at the bottom of the canyon – wear appropriate clothes and shoes). The current can be rough at times; it is recommended that you use a guide if you plan to hike through the canyon. You can also just visit the entrance to the canyon without doing the full hike (or getting wet). You enter via an elevated wooden walkway which will take you to the entrance to the rest of the canyon. There is a tea garden outside the entrance along with some souvenir stalls.
Kayaköy
This haunting abandoned city is well worth a visit. In 1923, the governments of Greece and Turkey agreed to do a population exchange: “Turks” living in Greece were shipped to Turkey and “Greeks” living in Turkey were shipped to Greece (with an exception made for Greeks living in Istanbul who were allowed to stay). In most cases, Greeks living in Turkey had ancestors who had lived in Turkey for centuries, spoke Turkish at home, and were identified as “Greek” only because they were Christian. The reverse was true for Turks living in Greece – most were expatriated to a country they had never before set foot in. You can imagine that this forced swap resulted in a great deal of upheaval. Kayaköy is a living monument to this upheaval.
The city was populated by Turkish-speaking Greeks until 1923 when the inhabitants were deported to the island of Crete and were forced to leave behind their homes and most of their possessions. For years the houses sat vacant until an earthquake in the 1950s reduced them to the stone rubble and shells you see today. The exchange still lingers on the minds of the people who were impacted by it. If you chat with the women selling souvenirs at the entrance to the site she will tell you that her family came from Selanik (modern day Thessaloniki in Greece). There is an excellent book by Louis de Bernieres called Birds Without Wings that was inspired by Kayaköy and gives a fictional account of the village during WWI and leading up to the population exchange. I highly recommend it.
The interior of the site is not well marked, but ask the aforementioned woman selling souvenirs for an English map before you enter (it is hand-drawn but is better than nothing!). Once you enter the site you will encounter hundreds of abandoned stone shells of homes covering the hills, some with traces of paint on the walls. There is a gravel path but you pretty much have free reign to climb around the hills and enter the abandoned homes. The site also contains two abandoned churches (the big church was undergoing restoration when I was there).
There is one “original” house near the exit to the site. This home has been preserved and contains the original woodwork on top of the stone foundation. You can enter the house and get a sense of how the people lived here 100 years ago. There is a nice man who tends the house and can give you more information in English or Turkish. He refuses to accept tips for sharing his time and information but does have a little stand outside the house where he sells jewelry that he has made.
Visitor info: Kayaköy is 8kms southwest of Fethiye. There is also a 6km marked walking trail from Kayaköy to Ölüdeniz. The site is open from 9am-8pm in the summer season and 8am-5pm during the winter. Admission to the site is 5TL.
Ölüdeniz
Ölüdeniz is full of natural beauty: it consists of a pristine lagoon next to a sprawling beach overlooked by Babadağ mountain. This beauty has led to a tourist invasion which has made me avoid Ölüdeniz at all costs. On my one visit several years ago I was overwhelmed by restaurants, hotels, and shops catering to tourists that didn’t even retain a hint of Turkish character. Clearly the entire Mediterranean coast is geared towards tourists, but something about Ölüdeniz just felt stripped of its Turkish-ness (in contrast to other towns on the coast). However, as I mentioned above, Ölüdeniz is beautiful and has abundant facilities so I’m sure you could spend a lovely beach vacation here.
The beach at Ölüdeniz is a pebble beach but is very pretty and the water is crystal-clear turquoise. The stunning blue lagoon is a protected national park so you will pay an entrance fee to swim here. A popular activity in Ölüdeniz is to go paragliding from the top of Babadağ mountain. You will be strapped to an expert, jump off the mountain together, open your parachute and glide down to the beach enjoying killer views along the way. Ölüdeniz is just 14km south of Fethiye.
Fethiye
Fethiye is a sizable seaside Turkish city with a population of 140,000. It feels like a real Turkish city (as opposed to a resort town geared towards tourists) and has all the amenities that go along with that. Fethiye is also the site of the ancient Lycian city of Telmessos. Rock tombs from the site cling to the side of a cliff overlooking the city. You can find some other ruins of Telmessos in town, including an amphitheater. Fethiye has a nice harbor and paved promenades along the marina and sea coast. It has a sizable downtown area with plenty of shops, restaurants and businesses. There are nice beaches outside of the city, the most famous of which is Çaliş beach where you will find many hotels and amenities for tourists.
Göcek and The Blue Voyage
Göcek is primarily known for one thing: yachting. This small town, 30kms west of Fethiye, is where many of the Blue Voyage cruises (Mavi Yolculuk) leave from and where many Turks keep their private yachts. As far as I know, there is little in Göcek that isn’t a marina or geared towards yachting! The Blue Voyage is a popular tourist activity, particularly for those who love to be out on the water. A typical Blue Voyage cruise takes place on a gulet (a two-masted sail boat that also has a motor), has about 10 passengers, and lasts 1 week. Depending on the duration, the boat will head east or west from Göcek and explore coves and beaches, some of which can only be reached by boat. Passengers usually sleep on the boat deck at night (although the boats have beds below deck as well) and take every opportunity to swim off the boat. Meals are provided on board. You can also pick up a Blue Voyage cruise in Bodrum, Marmaris, or other towns along the coast.
Dalyan
The sleepy village of Dalyan is a true delight. This tiny town is nestled on the banks of the Dalyan River which connects Köyceğiz Lake to the Mediterranean Sea. There are two major highlights in Dalyan: the Caunos ruins and Iztuzu beach.
Caunos
Caunos is yet another ancient Lycian city with, you guessed it, impressive rock tombs carved into the cliff face above the site. Getting to the ruins requires taking a small row boat across the river from Dalyan village and then walking 2kms down the river to the ancient site. Once there you will find a number of structures, including an ancient harbor and an amphitheater. The walk to the ruins is charming in its own right – you will weave past farms, orchards, and chicken coops. It is a hot, sunny walk to the ruins though so plan accordingly! There is a small family-run café near the boat dock which is a good place to stop for some refreshment after you have visited Caunos.
Visitor info: Caunos is open from 9am-8pm during the summer season and closes at 5pm during the winter. Admission to the site is 10TL.
Iztuzu Beach
Getting to Iztuzu beach is also a fun adventure. The typical route to reach the beach is to take a public ferry from Dalyan village. The ferry makes its way through the winding Dalyan River, which as you approach the Mediterranean becomes overrun by reeds that are sometimes taller than the ferry. You will also get to experience great views of the rock tombs at Caunos during the boat trip. Once you get to Iztuzu beach you will see that it was well worth the 30 minute boat ride. This sandy beach is stunning, pristine, and has incredible turquoise water. There are some facilities at the beach including lounge chairs, umbrellas, restrooms, and a café. Like Patara, Iztuzu is also one of the main breeding grounds for the caretta caretta loggerhead sea turtle. For this reason the beach is open only during daytime hours and no vehicles are allowed on the beach. There are also some protected areas of the beach where you are not allowed to put up beach chairs and umbrellas. If you don’t want to take the public ferry, you can also reach the far eastern end of Iztuzu beach by bus where you will find facilities and a turtle sanctuary.
