Patara

Patara is in Lycia on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. In ancient times it was an important city, birthplace of St Nicholas, but was abandoned and lost under sand dunes until rediscovered in the 1980s. Its 8 km-long beach is a nesting site for loggerhead sea turtles. Accommodation and other facilities are in the nearby village of Gelemiş, which in 2022 had a population of 859.

Understand
Patara in mythology was a son of Apollo, and the city had a cult and oracle of Apollo to rival that of Delphi. It was at the mouth of the Xanthos River, with a sheltered harbour and large tracts of good level farmland a few km inland, rare along this rugged coast. Its heyday was from about 180 BC as a principal city of the Lycian League, and it was a provincial capital under the Romans. St Paul passed through, changing ships in Patara on his return towards Jerusalem. However its most famous son, born here in 270 AD, was Santa Claus: St Nicholas was Bishop of Myra (nowadays Demre, 80 km east) and supposedly worked various wonders, but none more amazing than his metamorphosis from scholarly cleric into the rubicund deity of Christmas merchandising.

The city compacted in the 5th century AD, taking down outlying buildings to build walls around a smaller centre. It waned in importance as the harbour silted up and sand dunes engulfed it, until about 1340 AD it was abandoned and forgotten. The site was only rediscovered during excavations in the 1980s around the village of Gelemiş, and these continue.

Patara's other claim to fame is its 8 km-long beach, a nesting ground for the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). This species is endangered throughout the Med and all sorts of protections and regulations were announced for Patara, but are poorly enforced. A rash of holiday homes is engulfing protected areas and creating greater human pressure on the habitat, the east end of the beach is strewn with cigarette butts and other trash that the turtles eat and choke on, and jocks in jeeps practise skid-turns scrunching everything beneath their tyres.

Get in
The nearest airport is Dalaman, 115 km northwest. The airport bus can take you as far as Fethiye.

D400 is the coast highway from Bodrum and Fethiye to Antalya and away east. After Kınık heading towards Kalkan, take the turn-off for Patara / Gelemiş. This is Adnan Menderes Cd, which after 2 km winds through village centre, where all the accommodation and restaurants are found. Continuing 1 km south brings you to the toll gate, and another 2 km passes the ancient city to end at the beach.

Long-distance buses run several times a day down D400 to Kalkan, and can drop you at the turn-off. You might negotiate a pick-up from your accommodation, else await a dolmuş plying to the village from Kalkan, Kaş or Fethiye.

The Lycian Way is a long-distance hiking trail which bypasses Patara to the west on its approach to Letoon from Pydnai. A 16 km side-trail links the east end of the beach and ancient Patara to the main trail between İslamlar and Akbel.

Get around
Walk: from Gelemiş via the ancient city to the beach is 3 km, which might take 30 min.

See

 * A temple tomb ruin stands by Adnan Menderes Cd going south from the village, just before you reach the toll gate for the ancient city and beach.
 * is an 8 km sandy beach backed by dunes. You access via Adnan Menderes Cd and must pay the same toll (and keep the same hours) whether you're seeing the ancient city or going to the beach. There's a parking lot at the bottom then a boardwalk onto the beach. This first area has a cafe and sunbed / parasol rental shop, and can be grubby even if not crowded. The further west you walk the quieter and cleaner it gets, and restricted areas for turtles are clearly signed. The far west end can also be accessed from Kumluova near Kınık.

Do

 * Beach activities are simple strolling, sunbathing and swimming. There's no landing area for boats.
 * Hike the Lycian Way, which ambles through the coastal hills from Bodrum to Antalya.

Buy

 * The AVM (which means "shopping centre") is on Merkez Sk 28A, open daily 8:30-22:30.
 * Ekonomi Market just south is smaller but stays open past midnight.

Eat

 * Eating places in village centre include Sailing, Tlos, Carpe Diem, Ayse Pancake House, Buse Gözleme Evi, Durak Lokantası, Patara Inn and Gipsy Ocakbaşı.
 * Faik Usta is a cafe on the main highway D400 at the junction for Gelemiş, open daily 07:00-00:00.

Drink
No free-standing bars, the cafes serve alcohol.

Sleep

 * Large hotel blocks are not permitted. Lots of small family-run hotels and pansiyons; otherwise try Kalkan east along the coast.


 * Patara Viewpoint Hotel is 100 m south of the Delfin.
 * Patara Viewpoint Hotel is 100 m south of the Delfin.
 * Patara Viewpoint Hotel is 100 m south of the Delfin.

Respect
Do your best to protect the turtles, even if it looks like no-one else much cares:


 * Don't enter any area signed as restricted. If in doubt, stay within 5 m of the high-water mark.
 * Don't be on the beach out of hours, and don't show any static light (such as car headlights or barbecue fires) behind it. The hatchlings crawl towards the brightest light source, which ought to be the moonlight reflected on the water.
 * Never touch newly hatched turtles.

Connect
The village, beach and approach roads have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of May 2024, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next

 * Kınık nearby is the service village for the ruins of Xanthos and Letoon.
 * Saklıkent Gorge is a dramatic but touristy canyon to the north.
 * Fethiye is a large bustling resort further north.
 * Kalkan is a pleasant small resort 20 km east.