92 Best Sights in The Turquoise Coast, Turkey

If you didn't know that Mermerli Beach was there, you'd never guess it. This tiny strip of sand and pebbles outside the harbor wall is reached via the Mermerli Restaurant, halfway up the hill east of the harbor. If you're staying in Kaleiçi, this is the ideal way to escape the bustle. The admission price to this quiet oasis in the heart of town includes loungers and umbrellas. Lovely as it is, do be aware that the beach is accessible only by several flights of stairs. Amenities: food and drink; toilets. Best for: swimming.

The monuments of ancient Myra—a very well-preserved Roman theater and a cliff face full of Lycian rock tombs—sit just north of Demre. The theater dates from the 2nd century AD and was one of the largest in the region; for a time it hosted gladiator spectacles and wild animal hunts. Some of the tombs are decorated with reliefs, and there are expressive theatrical masks carved into stone blocks throughout the site. When you arrive, you'll see plenty of vendors hawking Orthodox Christian votives to Russian tourists, to tie in with the nearby church of St. Nicholas.

Remnants of ancient Antioch uncovered accidentally during construction of the Museum Hotel Antakya have been preserved in situ underneath the hotel as a museum, with walkways above impressively large and detailed Roman mosaics, the remains of a Roman bath, and sections of the old stone streets. A small display area contains a handful of the 30,000 artifacts found here, and video depictions of the history of the site, the excavation, and the construction of the museum and hotel.

This large cave dappled with stalactites and stalagmites is tucked away in the forested hills of Yıldız Adası (Star Island), which is linked by a causeway to the mainland south of Marmaris town. To reach the cave, follow the signs off the road to a rocky path and then up a set of wooden stairs. Most of the “island” is part of Marmaris National Park and can be explored via a variety of steep but scenic hiking and biking paths.

Another way to enter the old town is via the Old Harbor, now overflowing with yachts, fishing vessels, and tourist-excursion boats; stroll up and take your pick, but be prepared for heftily inflated prices. If you're in a car, follow the signs to the yat limanı (yacht harbor), and you'll find a convenient parking lot behind the quaysides. From here you can head up any of the lanes leading north and east from the harbor to reach the heart of the old town. On foot, wander down from the Saat Kulesi, forking to the right past the T-shirt and perfume shops, until you reach the bottom of the harbor.

On the way to Knidos, a road heads south past many small villages and to the tiny Palamutbükü Beach, a nice place to stop and take a dip in the sparkling blue (but sometimes chilly) waters. Behind the beach are several restaurants, each serving their own zone of pebbled shorefront. Amenities: food and drink; parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

Although Perge isn’t beautifully situated like Termessos or an A-list attraction like Aspendos, it is an ideal place to get an overall impression of a Roman city. It's also only a 25-minute drive from central Antalya. The first thing you'll see is the splendid restored theater, followed by a stadium that is one of the best preserved in the ancient world. The vaulted chambers under the stadium bleachers held shops (marble inscriptions record the proprietors' names and businesses).

The rest of the site is about 1 km (½ mile) north. After parking just outside the old city walls, you'll enter near sturdy 3rd-century-BC garrison towers. Directly ahead is a fine, long-colonnaded avenue, unique for the water channel that ran down its center, starting at a fountain at the far end. This street was trodden by St. Paul as he passed by on his way to Pisidian Antioch in the mountains. Beside the entrance is the old agora; the slender, sun-bleached columns lining the street once supported a covered porch filled with shops. Opposite is the well-preserved bathhouse, similar to the hammams still popular in the region today. Follow the main street to the end, and then climb the hill for a literal overview of the site. The outskirts of Perge are rather overgrown, but the keen-eyed can hunt down several churches and a gymnasium.

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).

At some point, one of the city's Roman towers gained a clock and was dubbed the Saat Kulesi (Clock Tower). Several of the old town's cobbled lanes pass through the wall here. The area, also known as Kalekapısı (Castle Gate), serves as one of the interfaces between the old town and the new.

On the banks of the Seyhan River sits Adana's most prominent building, the Sabancı Merkez Camii. Very similar in style to the 16th-century Selimiye Mosque of Edirne, it was the largest mosque in Turkey when it was completed in 1998, but it has since been surpassed by the Çamlıca Camii in Istanbul. The large Merkez Parkı (Central Park) spreads north along the river from the mosque, with walking paths, fountains, and gazebos making for a pleasant green respite in the city center.

If you continue south from Tlos, you'll reach this spectacular gorge. It's a popular spot for picnicking and a wonderful place to cool off on a hot summer's day. Children especially love wading up through the icy stream at the bottom of a deep rock crevasse. The first section goes over a walkway above the torrent to a pleasant leafy tea garden, beyond which the adventurous can cross the glacial water and continue up the canyon. The first 30 minutes are straightforward; then the wading gets deeper and the rock scrambles more difficult, so know your limits—and expect to get wet. The road here heads south to Çavdır, which is just across the highway from Xanthos. If you don't have your own car, plenty of tour operators offer day trips. You need water shoes for this adventure; you can buy an inexpensive pair for 30 TL near the tea garden.

The Samandağ district of Hatay province, located between Antakya and the Mediterranean Coast, is rich in historic sites and natural beauty and makes for a worthwhile day trip with a guide or in your own car. On a windswept hill east of Route 420 sit the ruins of the Monastery of Symeon Stylites the Younger (free, about 20 km/12.5 miles southwest of Antakya, look for the modern windmills), an important pilgrimage center in early Christianity named for an ascetic monk who lived atop a pillar. On the other side of the highway, a winding road leads into the green foothills of Musa Dağı (Mt. Musa), home to Turkey’s last Armenian village, Vakıflı, a bucolic little spot with breakfast cafés; a small museum; and a shop selling local jams, spices, olives, and fruit liquors. The cafés in the shade of Musa Ağacı (Moses Tree), a giant plane tree said to be 3,000 years old, are another popular place to stop.

From Kapısuyu, the last village before the road heads down to the coast, there’s the scant remains of the ancient temple site Dor Mabedi and a panoramic viewpoint from which you can see where water running off the mountains once entered the Titus Tunnel. The tunnel itself, an eye-poppingly massive piece of Roman engineering, is part of the Çevlik Archaeological Site along with the rock tombs of Beşikli Cave (15 TL admission, about 6 km/4 miles north of Samandağ town). You can easily stop off in Harbiye on the drive back to Antakya.

The city's best achievement is a 10-km (6-mile) seafront promenade that stretches all the way from the easternmost marina known as Netsel, past the old castle, along the palm-lined main boulevard of town, out between the beach and the fancy hotels that line the coast, and then all the way west to the outlying resort of Içmeler. Along the way are cafés and bars at which to pause for refreshment or to take in fine views of sea and mountains. For 15 TL, you can ride back in one of the deniz taksi (shared water taxis) that run up and down the coast in season (usually April–October).

Remains found throughout the town of Silifke, in the vicinity of the castle, indicate that there was a settlement here as far back as the Bronze Age. Most of what can be seen today are from the Roman city known as Seleukeia Trachea, or Calycadnos Seleuceia, and include Corinthian columns from the 2nd-century-AD Temple of Zeus, a stone bridge, and an ancient water cistern. A few kilometers out of the village, you'll find the remains of a basilica dedicated to St. Thecla, St. Paul's first convert and the first female Christian martyr. Most interesting is the cave church below it where Thecla lived—the Patriarchate in Istanbul now organizes services here occasionally. There is a 6th century cistern at the site as well.

Just east of Aspendos, a turnoff leads north to Köprülü Kanyon (a popular spot for white-water rafting) and the ruins of Selge. Just before Beskonak (30 km/18 miles), the road splits, and one branch crosses the river, passing a couple of pleasant riverside restaurants. After 10 km (6 miles), the two roads meet again at the start of the canyon proper—you'll drive over a remarkably well-preserved Roman bridge.

From here you head another 15 km (9 miles) up a steep road through rock formations to the village of Zelve, the site of the Roman city of Selge. Just before you reach town, take the left turn, and the impressive Roman theater will soon come into view. Most visitors are happy to clamber over the theater, but from the top you can see the ruins of the city itself on the hill opposite.

There are dozens of raft operators on the river, which runs through the 14-km (8.5-mile) long canyon. The area is also part of the St. Paul Trail long-distance trekking route. If you'd like to explore with a local guide, call Adem Bahar ( 535/762–8116).

On the northern edge of town is Sen Piyer Kilisesi, or Saint Peter Church—a tiny cave high up on a cliff, blackened by centuries of candle smoke and dripping with water that seeps out of the rocks. According to tradition, this is where the apostle secretly preached to his converts and where they first came to be called Christians. Now operated as a museum, it is one of the oldest churches in existence; the facade you see, however, was added by the crusaders in the 11th to 12th century. The area around it was a cemetery in classical times, and there are numerous rock-cut tombs and tunnels.

A scrambly path leads up to the giant carved face of Charon, the legendary boatman who took the dead across the River Styx. Adventurous visitors can follow the valley just south to view a large section of the Byzantine walls, which also served as a bridge and dam. The church was declared a site of pilgrimage by Pope Paul VI, and the Catholic Church traditionally holds a religious service here on the 29th of June.

Across the street from the theater, the Side Museum is housed in a restored 2nd-century AD Roman bath that was expanded in the 5th or 6th century. The collection of Roman statuary and other artifacts is small but interesting, featuring a gorgeous group of marble torsos that includes the Three Graces; various cherubs; a brilliant satyr; a bust of Emperor Hadrian; a Roman sundial; and the usual smattering of inscriptions, amphorae, columns, and sarcophagi. The sculpture garden behind the museum is larger than the museum itself and overlooks the Mediterranean.

Local finds, some dating as far back as the Bronze Age, are displayed in the small Silifke Müzesi, just on the edge of the city center towards Anamur. The specimens of Roman jewelry are particularly lovely, and there is also a folkloric exhibit.

Also known as Sura, this was ancient Myra's most important pre-Christian holy site. Priests of Apollo would release fish into the sacred pool here, and then "read" the future from their movements. It still has Lycian tombs and a small acropolis, from which the temple of Apollo is visible in the overgrown valley below.

The grave of Myra's famous 4th-century bishop—St. Nicholas (aka Santa Claus)—quickly became a pilgrimage site shortly after his death. A church was built around his tomb in the 6th century but later destroyed in an Arab raid. In 1043, St. Nicholas Basilica was rebuilt with the aid of the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX and the empress Zoë. It was, in turn, heavily restored in the 19th century courtesy of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. (To this day, most visitors to the church—now operated as a museum—are Russian.)

It's difficult to distinguish between parts of the original church and the restorations, although the bell tower and upper story are clearly late additions. The colorful, evocative frescos are reminiscent of the early churches of Cappadocia. The reputed sarcophagus of St. Nicholas is in the southernmost aisle, though his remains were stolen in 1087 and taken to Bari, Italy, where the church of San Nicola di Bari was built to house them. A few bones remained, so the story goes, and these can be seen in the Antalya Museum.

A service is (theoretically, at least) held in the church every year on December 6, the feast day of St. Nicholas. Among his good deeds, the saint is said to have carried out nocturnal visits to the houses of local children to leave gifts, including gold coins as dowries for poor village girls; if a window was closed, said the storytellers, he would drop the gifts down the chimney.

Fifty yards inside Hadrian's Gate, turn left to find this small museum, an oasis in a group of restored buildings with an unusual painted exterior that experts say reflects the way most Antalya houses looked in Ottoman times. The main display area has interesting pictures of old Antalya and a couple of rooms with costumed mannequins that re-create Ottoman wedding scenes and other traditions. The best part of the museum is the restored church in the garden, where there are rotating displays about different aspects of local history. The museum is part of a privately funded research institute and has an excellent library (accessible with special permission), plus a shop that sells a good range of guidebooks.

Opened at the end of 2020, Tarsus’s impressive archaeological museum makes a fine first stop for understanding the history of the city, which has been settled for 9,000 years, and putting together the jigsaw puzzle of relics scattered around town. A video reconstruction shows what the stone platform that remains of the Donuktaş Temple might have looked like with the temple building on top. Other videos tell the stories of figures both historical and mythological that are important to the region. The artifacts on display range from prehistoric pottery and tools from Gözlükule Höyüğü (Mound) to the 1st-century AD Roman mosaic in the entry atrium depicting a banquet scene and from small but well-preserved Hellenistic terracotta figures to traditional Yörük (nomad) textiles.

South along the river from the Merkez Camii is another civic symbol: the impressively long Taş Köprü, or "stone bridge," built by the Emperor Hadrian in AD 125 and restored by later rulers.

If you follow the hustling main street filled with shops selling jewelry and cheap clothes until you reach the water and then turn left, you'll reach the picture-postcard ruins of Side's Roman Temple of Apollo, its gleaming white marble columns set off beautifully by the blue ocean behind it. Millions of visitors a year visit the sun god's ruined temple; come at first light to avoid the crush. Beside it lie the ruins of the temple of Apollo's half-sister Athena, goddess of wisdom and war.

Opposite the Side Museum is the city's large theater. It was built in the 2nd century AD, though the design is more Greek than Roman. There are views out over the agora, which is closed for excavations. Other remnants of the ancient city can be seen along the road (Side Caddesi/Liman Caddesi) leading from the bus stop to the old harbor, including the marble columns of the grand fountain identified as the Nymphaeum.

From the acropolis of Tlos, you can glimpse the Xanthos Valley to the west—a rich agricultural area both in ancient times and today. Mountains cradle Tlos's Roman theater, with an 18th-century Ottoman mansion at the summit, reached via a narrow path that goes past a cluster of rock tombs. Below the acropolis is a large flat stadium, with seats on one side from which spectators watched footraces. Just up the road are the remains of Tlos's agora, basilica, and Roman bath.

This pleasant resort town is only about 19 km (12 miles) from Marmaris. Come for the bustling Monday market where you can shop for local produce and trinkets or lounge on the free sun beds at the pretty Blue Flag beach. With a car, you can reach the little-known ruins of Amos, about 4 km (2.5 miles) up into the hills, with sweeping views over the bay. A water taxi will take you to Turunç from the Marmaris seafront promenade in season; a 20 TL dolmuş also runs from central Marmaris.

The pretty, 16th-century Ulu Camii is more Arabic than Turkish in style, and its patterned stonework has been well restored. Behind the mosque is a former madrassa, now a peaceful tea garden, and a small park. Beyond that is Adana's lively market area, where there are also several other old mosques, including the Yağ Camii (Oil Mosque) on Alimunif Caddesi, built in 1501 and incorporating a Byzantine church.

As historic and lively as the city itself, Antakya’s Uzun Çarşı (Long Bazaar) is a feast for the senses, a maze of covered and open streets full of shops piled high with spices, handmade soaps, clothes, kitchenware, jewelry, and much more. Tucked among them are multiple small mosques, quiet little courtyards, lively eateries, snack vendors, and traditional wood-oven fırıns (bakeries). The restored Kurşunlu Han near the center of the bazaar houses cafés and more tourist-oriented stores selling local handicrafts. At its northern end, the bazaar spills out into Antakya’s open-air produce market.

The small village of Uzuncaburç, in the mountains north of Silifke, makes a nice day trip. It's dotted with the ruins of Diocaesaria Olba, a town run by the priests of Zeus Olbios. Along the ancient main street you'll see a theater, a curious columned structure that once marked the main crossroads, a fountain, a temple of Tyche, and another temple dedicated to Zeus. This temple is one of the earliest surviving Corinthian-style buildings, whose score of upright columns make for an evocative sight. North of the temples is the impressive North Gate, and to the northeast is a well-preserved five-story watchtower. The most straightforward road here is signposted from Silifke: after about 8 km (5 miles), you'll pass ancient Imbriogon (Demircili), where there are four temple tombs.