Travel bucket list idea:
Patara Beach & Ancient Ruins
Kalkan, Mediterranean Region, Turkey
Last updated: 05 April, 2024
The pristine sand beach at Patara, at the mouth of the Xanthos (Esen) River delta, runs for some 15 kilometres from Karadere in the west to the superb ancient port ruins at Patara.
The main approach is through the low-key village of Gelemiş, where Ibrahim’s Durak Restaurant offers a superb lunch spot, to the ancient site.
Prioritise visits to the theatre and the adjacent parliament building; the energetic may continue as far as the lighthouse, currently under restoration, before cutting through the dunes to the beach.
The alternative is to return to the road and follow it for a hundred metres beyond the ancient site to where duckboards lead to the beach.
Be mindful of the restrictions: Patara is an important nesting site for endangered loggerhead turtles, and closes after sunset between May and October to allow the turtles to come onto the beach and lay their eggs free of any disturbance. For this reason, sightings of turtles are uncommon, as they rarely venture onto the beach by day.
Logistics
Price: Free
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 0+
When: All year around
Getting there & doing it
Patara is just fifteen minutes from Kalkan by car, or a bit longer by regular dolmus (minibus). The beach is about 200 metres from the end of the road. An entrance fee is payable, either for access to the beach or both the beach and ruins. Drinks and snacks are available at the beach bar; there are changing rooms, freshwater showers, and loungers and umbrellas for rent. The only section of the beach that can get busy is the Patara end; but walk just 100 metres west and the crowds soon dissipate.
The ancient site of Patara is largely unshaded, though the going is easy: allow an hour, or more if you want to include the lighthouse.
There are no night-time tours to see the turtles and visiting the beach after dark is actively discouraged, to allow the turtles to lay their eggs in peace.
When to do it
Patara is just fifteen minutes from Kalkan by car, or a bit longer by regular dolmus (minibus). The beach is about 200 metres from the end of the road. An entrance fee is payable, either for access to the beach or both the beach and ruins. Drinks and snacks are available at the beach bar; there are changing rooms, freshwater showers, and loungers and umbrellas for rent. The only section of the beach that can get busy is the Patara end; but walk just 100 metres west and the crowds soon dissipate.
The ancient site of Patara is largely unshaded, though the going is easy: allow an hour, or more if you want to include the lighthouse.
There are no night-time tours to see the turtles and visiting the beach after dark is actively discouraged, to allow the turtles to lay their eggs in peace.
Both the ruins and the beach are open all year round. Patara can be fearfully hot in high summer when either end of the day makes excellent sense. Otherwise, both the beach and ruins can be enchanting at any time of year.
Entrance to the beach is forbidden at night to prevent disturbing nesting or hatching turtles.
