2 Best Sights in The Turquoise Coast, Turkey

Beyond the ruins of Patara is a superb 18-km (11-mile) sweep of sand dunes, surely one of the finest beaches on the Turquoise Coast. Despite its popularity with Turkish families and tourists from Kalkan and Kaş, you don't have to walk far to find solitude here. Note that umbrellas should only be planted within 20 yards of the sea to prevent disturbing the nests of Caretta caretta turtles. In summer, be prepared for intense and unobstructed sun. Amenities: food and drink; parking (free); showers, toilets. Best for: walking; swimming.

The ancient city of Patara is slowly emerging from the sands near Patara Beach under an ongoing excavation by Antalya's Akdeniz University. The heavy stones that make up the front of the monumental bathhouse are impressive, and a triple arch built by a Roman governor in AD 100 seems a tenth of its age. Beyond is a theater, the assembly hall of the Lycian League, several churches, and an impressive section of a colonnaded street. Follow the path west and you'll see the Roman lighthouse, which is being reconstructed from stone blocks unearthed in 2000. Still waiting to be found is the Temple of Apollo; Herodotus wrote that its oracle worked only part-time, as Apollo spent summers away in Delos (probably to escape the heat).