Patara

Overview

At Patara, the ruins of a great Lycian city stand half-buried in sand, and just beyond them stretches a long, wild beach of dunes, pine trees and open sea. Here the Lycian League met in its parliament, Saint Nicholas was born, and Saint Paul changed ships on his way to Jerusalem. Every summer night, loggerhead turtles crawl up the same sand to lay their eggs.

Patara was a great port of Lycia and the meeting place of the Lycian League, and its assembly hall has been restored. Nero’s lighthouse also stands near the old harbor. The beach is protected for sea turtles, so it stays wild, with no hotels on the sand. Our Xanthos Letoon Patara tour stops here.

Patara, Ruins Behind a Turtle Beach

Patara lies on the coast of Antalya province, near the village of Gelemiş, between Fethiye and Kalkan, not far from Kaş. The ancient city sits on a plain surrounded by hills, just behind the dunes. Its long beach is part of the Patara Special Environmental Protection Area, and it is one of the rare shores where loggerhead turtles lay their eggs.

The Capital of the Lycian League

A capital of Lycia

Patara was one of the leading cities of ancient Lycia and, for a time, also its capital. Its council chamber served as the assembly hall of the Lycian League, a federation of cities that sent representatives in proportion to their size. In Roman times, the city was also famous for its oracle of Apollo.

Saints and emperors

Saint Nicholas, the bishop who inspired the legend of Santa Claus, is honored as a son of Patara, and he later served in nearby Myra. The Acts of the Apostles also mention Patara as the port where Paul and Luke changed ships. Rome left its mark in monuments: a lighthouse built under Nero, a vast granary built when Hadrian visited in 131 and a theater rebuilt in 147 after an earthquake.

The milestone of the Roman roads

Archaeologists also found a remarkable monument here: the Stadiasmus Patarensis, a pillar dedicated to Emperor Claudius that lists the roads built across Lycia and their distances. So it is, in effect, an ancient road map carved in stone. Today, however, it belongs to the Antalya Museum.

From the Assembly Hall to the Dunes

The assembly hall of the Lycian League

The restored bouleuterion, the council chamber where delegates of the Lycian League met, is the highlight of the site. Sit on its stone benches, then imagine the representatives of a dozen cities debating together two thousand years ago.

The theater

Next to the assembly hall, the theater leans against Kurşunlu Hill. It was rebuilt under Emperor Antoninus Pius in 147 after an earthquake, and for centuries it lay half-buried by the drifting sand of the dunes. From its upper rows, you look over the whole site toward the sea.

The main street and the lighthouse

Further on, a broad colonnaded street once linked the harbor with the agora. Near the former harbor, the remains of the lighthouse built under Nero rise again after modern restoration. Since the harbor silted up long ago, the lighthouse now stands among the reeds rather than by the water.

Patara beach

When you walk through the dunes from the ruins, the beach opens in both directions as far as you can see. There are no hotels on the shore, so expect only simple facilities near the entrance. The sand is fine and golden, and the sea shelves gently.

The turtles of Patara

In the nesting season, loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) come ashore at night to lay their eggs. Every summer, teams protect the nests and then count the hatchlings. To keep the beach undisturbed, it is closed to visitors from 20:00 to 08:00. So please respect the marked nests and never leave umbrellas or rubbish on the sand.

Gelemiş and the Turtles

Gelemiş, the village of Patara

You can stay in Gelemiş, a village of family guesthouses and small restaurants, a short walk or drive from the ruins. Unlike other parts of the coast, it has no big resorts. Instead, its evenings are simple.

Village Food in Gelemiş

• Village cooking in Gelemiş: grilled meat, salads and gözleme in family restaurants.
• Fresh fish: in Kalkan and Kaş, further along the coast.
• Bring water and a picnic for the beach and the ruins; facilities are limited.

How to Visit Patara

Visiting Patara

• Entry: the main road to the beach passes through the ticketed archaeological site, and we arrange it on a Patara day.
• Beach hours: closed from 20:00 to 08:00 to protect the turtles.
• Time needed: half a day for the ruins and a swim; a full day with the dunes.
• Getting there: Gelemiş lies between Fethiye and Kalkan, west of Kaş, and dolmuş minibuses run from Kaş and Kalkan. The Lycian Way also passes Patara, and our Lycian Way trek walks in from Akbel on its fourth afternoon.

Local tips for Patara

• See the ruins in the morning before the heat, then go to the beach.
• Bring shade and water; there are few trees on the beach.
• Walk into the dunes for the best views, especially in the late afternoon.
• Combine Patara with Xanthos and Letoon, two UNESCO-listed Lycian sites nearby.
• Respect the nests and the night closure, since both protect the turtles.