Xanthos–Letoon
Two key centres of Lycian civilisation. Xanthos was its cultural and trading capital; Letoon a sanctuary of Leto. Multilingual inscriptions found at both helped decipher the Lycian language.
Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lycia
Ancient cities
Kalkan lies in the land of the Lycian League, one of the earliest forms of representative democracy. Its capital Patara, largest city Xanthos and sanctuary Letoon are all within an hour.
Ancient Sites
In the heart of Lycia
Kalkan sits at the very centre of ancient Lycia. In the 2nd century BC the Lycians joined more than twenty cities in a single league. Cities carried one, two or three votes according to their size, a system counted among the earliest examples of representative democracy. The league’s assembly met at Patara.
Lycia is easiest to recognise by its tombs: temple-fronted tombs cut into cliffs, sarcophagi with pointed lids, and tall pillar tombs. Xanthos and Letoon are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Patara, Xanthos and Letoon fit together into half a day; there is little shade, so go early.
UNESCO
UNESCO heritage
The area around Kalkan holds one UNESCO World Heritage Site and three entries on the Tentative List.
Ancient Cities of Lycian Civilization
Serial nomination: Patara, Xanthos, Pinara, Myra, Tlos, Kyaneai, Teimiussa, Simena, Aperlai and other cities of the Lycian League.
Kekova
The coast between Kaş and Finike; Teimiussa and Simena are its main Lycian settlements, with sunken remains.
St Nicholas Church, Demre
In ancient Myra, built for the city’s bishop in the 4th century AD.
Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen · CC BY-SA 4.0Ancient~30 min
Patara
Capital of the Lycian League, a great port city with its assembly hall, colonnaded street and lighthouse.
- Distance
- ~30 min
- Getting there
- Car or minibus
- Entry fee
- €15 · Müze Kart valid
UNESCO
About this site →
Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen · CC BY-SA 4.0Ancient~30 min
Ksanthos / Xanthos
UNESCO World Heritage. Lycia’s largest city, with pillar tombs and a theatre above the river.
- Distance
- ~30 min
- Getting there
- By car
- Entry fee
- €3 · Müze Kart valid
UNESCO
About this site →
Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen · CC BY-SA 4.0Ancient~30 min
Letoon
The League’s sanctuary: temples of Leto, Apollo and Artemis beside a sacred spring.
- Distance
- ~30 min
- Getting there
- By car
- Entry fee
- €3 · Müze Kart valid
UNESCO
About this site →
Photo: Dosseman · CC BY-SA 4.0Ancient~45 min
Pinara
Hundreds of honeycomb rock tombs cut into a cliff on Mount Babadağ, with a quiet theatre.
- Distance
- ~45 min
- Getting there
- By car
- Entry fee
- Free
Photo: Toksave · CC BY-SA 3.0Ancient~50 min
Tlos
City of the Pegasus legend; rock acropolis, stadium and Roman baths.
- Distance
- ~50 min
- Getting there
- By car
- Entry fee
- €3 · Müze Kart valid
Photo: Dosseman · CC BY-SA 4.0Ancient~45 min
Kyaneai
Hilltop city above Yavu, called the ‘City of Sarcophagi’ for its 380+ tombs.
- Distance
- ~45 min
- Getting there
- By car
- Entry fee
- Not on the official fee list; open site
Photo: Tanya Dedyukhina · CC BY 3.0Ancient~45 min
Kekova · Batık Kent
Stairways and walls of a city sunk by a 2nd-century earthquake, visible under the sea.
- Distance
- ~45 min
- Getting there
- Car + boat
- Entry fee
- Group tour from Üçağız from 3,000 TL pp
By boat
About this site →
Photo: Seynaeve · CC BY-SA 3.0Ancient~45 min
Simena · Kaleköy
A roadless village reached by boat: a castle above, a half-sunk sarcophagus in the sea.
- Distance
- ~45 min
- Getting there
- Car + boat
- Entry fee
- Castle €4 · Müze Kart valid
By boat
About this site →
Photo: Gisela s · CC BY-SA 4.0Ancient~40 min
Aperlai
Roadless Lycian harbour in Asar Bay, once famed for purple dye.
- Distance
- ~40 min
- Getting there
- Car + boat
- Entry fee
- Not on the official fee list; open site
By boat
About this site →
Photo: Itai · Public domainAncient~45 min
Teimiussa · Üçağız
Kekova’s sheltered fishing harbour, its tombs woven between village houses.
- Distance
- ~45 min
- Getting there
- By car
- Entry fee
- Not on the official fee list; open site
Photo: Saffron Blaze · CC BY-SA 3.0Ancient~75 min
Myra · St. Nikolaos
Rock-cut tombs, a Roman theatre and the Church of St Nicholas, the original Santa Claus.
- Distance
- ~75 min
- Getting there
- By car
- Entry fee
- Myra €13; St Nicholas Church €17 · Müze Kart valid
Photo: rheins · CC BY 3.0Ancient~25 min
Antiphellos · Kaş
In central Kaş, a Hellenistic theatre for about 4,000 facing Kastellorizo.
- Distance
- ~25 min
- Getting there
- Car or minibus
- Entry fee
- Not on the official fee list; open site
Photo: Alexkom000 · CC BY 4.0Ancient~35 min
Phellos
A silent mountain city 850 metres above Kaş.
- Distance
- ~35 min
- Getting there
- By car
- Entry fee
- Not on the official fee list; open site
Prices are for the 2026 season and may change. Ancient-site prices are the Ministry of Culture and Tourism rates for foreign visitors; Turkish citizens pay a different rate and can use the Müze Kart.