Villa Yildiz

Located 25km north of Kas, Kalkan is a vibrant town known for its charming character, stunning architecture and striking natural scenery. With a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere and plenty of things to do and see it is an ideal choice for families and couples alike.

Kalkan is set at the foot of the Taurus mountains and so there are plenty of fantastic walking, biking and hiking routes. Most people use the old fishing village, turned popular holiday destination, as a base to visit the nearby Lycian ruins – exciting ancient sites – or engage in the many local activities. You can’t come to this beautiful part of Turkey without exploring Xanthos, Patara and Myra.

In the town you can visit one of the bustling markets where you’ll find everything from spices to hand-made rugs, produce and jewellery or browse the boutique shops. Look out for stalls selling fresh gozleme (savoury pancakes). Stop off for a drink and bite to eat at one of the waterfront cafes or famous roof-top restaurants, offering fantastic food and unrivalled views of the bay.

In Kalkan, you can also take your pick from a selection of stunning golden beaches. There’s Kalkan beach near the marina, and Kaputas, a scenic sandy cove about 7km east of Kalkan or Patara Beach, which is also a National Park. Most of the beaches have beach clubs which offer sports like sea kayaking, scuba diving and parasailing, and have decking for lounging and restaurants.

For more aquatic adventures, you can jump on a traditional boat from Kalkan harbour to explore the surrounding bays and coves. Boats also leave Kas (a 30-minute drive away) to the island of Kekova where there are half-submerged ancient 2nd-century ruins. The whole family can discover them via swimming, snorkelling or sea kayaking. From historic sites to serene beaches, and plenty of places to enjoy water sports or hiking routes nearby, Kalkan is the perfect destination for holidaymakers of any age. 

Read more about Kalkan

Kalkan has become boutique resorts, with cobbled streets and converted Greek houses, which belonged to the Greek merchants before the exchange of population in the 1920’s. Once quiet fishing harbours these days you are more likely to see traditional wooden gulets taking tourists to soak up rays on the sparkling turquoise Mediterranean. A boat trip is a must do, from the boat you can snorkel and usually a delicious lunch is prepared on board. Keen walkers should check out the Lycian way for designated walking paths in the area.

You cannot come to this area without spending  some time exploring the many Lycian sights, such as Xanthos, Patara, Myra or the sunken city of Kekova.

Patara is said to be where democracy started (they excavated stone voting block) and is also said to be the birthplace of St Nicholas, who became bishop at nearby Myra. The ruins here include an ancient theatre, city walls, government build and agora. The lighthouse on the site is said to be the earliest of its kind. Visit Patara in the late afternoon and finish the trip with a drink on the sandy beach watching the amazing sunset.

The Salikent Gorge is a great place to visit, especially if you want to cool off in the fresh waters whilst walking up the gorge. For the more energetic there are rafts and rings to ride the flowing waters. Further down you can enjoy a day canoeing toward the beach.

Islamlar sits 8 km above Kalkan. Once the place Kalkan folk went to cool off at one of the trout farms built to make use of the mountain’s springs. Today Islamlar houses many a villa, enjoyed by Istanbul Turks who prefer a holiday in slightly cooler and cleaner air. Here the locals grow grapes and pomegranates, but you’ll mainly see the men sat gossiping next to the local teahouse. The trout farms remain a place to come for a wonderful fresh meal, or a breakfast consisting of fresh local fare. The rocket will be the freshest & most tasty you’ve ever had; and the fresh chips cooked in olive oil take some beating.

By night both Kalkan and Kas come alive. Kas has more of a bohemian feel, people ambling through the cobbled streets, passing the ancient tomb in the street, haggling for textiles, carpets and other goodies, maybe stopping for the traditional Turkish ‘maras’ ice cream, a tulip-shaped glass of tea or a wonderful kebab in the shadow of the mosque. Most of the villas in Kas are just out of town on the Cukurbag Peninsula. A reasonable (5km) taxi or Dolmus (local bus) ride into town. Be sure to try the Piyaz, a white bean salad with tahini sauce.

Travelling along the coast, towards Kalkan you pass the modern marina, the children’s beach park (run by the local hotel school) and halfway to Kalkan the stunning Kaputas Beach, cut in a gorge with all different shades of turquoise in the sea.

Kalkan is a more sophisticated resort, with the villas built onto the mountainside. Evening are spent enjoying the rooftop restaurants, perched on the top of the old ‘konak’ houses. Then wandering to a seaside bar for a cocktail, after shopping for glass lanterns, Iznik pottery, handbags or pestemel towel. Do visit the ‘pastane’, local patisseries which do the most delicious morning pastries and you must try the ‘Gozleme’ pancakes at the Thursday market.

Other things to do in the area include scuba diving as the visibility is excellent, paragliding, horseriding on Patara Beach or kayaking around the sunken ruins at Kekova.