Patara is a nature reserve, an ancient ruined city and a small village with the official name Gelemiş im Turkish part of Aegean. Patara is best known as the birthplace of St. Nicholas. But there is also an endless lonely beach that is also a nature reserve. Therefore, it has so far been spared from large hotel buildings. And so 8km of endless fine sandy beach pour into a bright blue sea without being bothered by large crowds of tourists. And if that's not enough, one of the great archaeological sites in the middle of a dune landscape remains.
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| Patara | |
| province | |
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| Lycia and Pamphylia has no parent region. | |
| Residents | 900 |
no value for residents on Wikidata:  | |
| no tourist info on Wikidata: | |
background
The oldest settlement finds go back to the 7th century BC. BC back. The strategically good location at the mouth of the Xanthos River in the Mediterranean ensured steady growth. In addition, Patara was the seat of an oracle of Apollo, which in ancient times was associated with oracles in Delphi or Didyma competed. Here they worked with the Apollo Oracle in Delos together. Only in the winter months, when the gods were silent in Delos, was an oracle here. No later than the 4th century BC. The city also gained military importance when the Persians expanded the place as a sea base. When in 334 B.C. Alexander the Great advanced, the city was surrendered without a fight. From then on, the city played a decisive role in the Lycian city union. Patara was one of the first port cities to have a lighthouse. When the Romans founded the province "Lycia et Pamphylia", Patara became in 42 BC. Provincial capital. In the first century AD Paul stayed here and in the 3rd century AD. Nikolaus von Myra was born here. He is said to have performed some of his early deeds here. But Patara always had to struggle with dunes and the increasing siltation of the Xanthos River. That battle was lost in the 14th century and the place was abandoned. All that remains is the small town of Gelemiş. In 1988 environmental associations, archaeologists and the tourism industry discovered the place almost at the same time. A building ban was imposed in Ankara; only that which had already been erected was allowed to remain. The beach has been declared a protection zone for the loggerhead sea turtle and its use has been clearly regulated. Since then, excavations have been going on in the archaeological zone and sensational things have been discovered again and again, such as the Patara lighthouse in 2004. The oracle of Apollo, for example, is still being searched for. The residents of Gelemiş have adapted and converted their houses into pensions and hotels. There are around 1500 beds available for every 900 inhabitants. But on an 8 km long and up to 400 meters wide beach, this number of bathers gets lost.
getting there
By plane
The nearest airport is in Dalaman. A little further away is the airport of Antalya. From here the road continues.
In the street
There is of course a bus connection between Fethiye and Cheese. If you specify the destination Patara when buying your ticket, you will receive a discount and will be let off the bus at the height of Patara. There is usually a dolmuş here that will bring you into the village. In an emergency, a short call to a guesthouse is enough to be picked up from here. There are also direct Dolmuş connections Kalkan, Cheese and Fethiye.
If you come by car, take the D400 to / from Fethiye to / from Antalya. Between Kınık and Kalkan if you leave the main road in the direction of Patara or Gelemiş. After two kilometers you will reach Gelemiş, where the guest houses can be found. After a further two kilometers you will reach the archaeological site and the beach. Parking is available both in Gelemiş and on the beach.
mobility
Dynamic cardsThe beach, the archaeological site and the village practically merge into one another, but they have their lengths. The beach alone is 8 km long and the ancient port stretches 2 km inland. So it makes sense to think about the different mobility options beforehand.
On foot
Still the most beautiful variant. Since it is only a 20-minute walk from Gelemiş to the beach, you should not miss this, as the path leads through the middle of the archaeological site. You also have the opportunity to visit the outer parts of the beach, which you then have to yourself.
Shuttle services
Those who stay in a guesthouse in Gelemiş usually have access to a free travel service to the bus stop on the D400 and to the beach.
In the street
Parking spaces are available in Gelemiş, on the beach and at the junction from the D400 towards Patara. On the beach itself and in the ruins, you can only get around on foot.
If you don't have your own car but don't want to do without the comfort here, you can rent a car from Kirca Travel:
Tourist Attractions
- 1 Patara Plajı. Patara Beach is the highlight here. Many tourists only come here for a day trip. 8km of dream sandy beach, some up to 400 meters wide, pour into blue water. It is not for nothing that the Sunday Times recently named this beach the most beautiful in Europe, even though it is already in Asia. The beach is shared with the loggerhead sea turtles. But the laying areas are clearly defined and with the length and width of the beach there is enough space for people and turtles, especially since there are only about 1500 bathers here even in the high season. These are mostly concentrated directly on the beach section from the access road from Gelemiş. There is a beach café and a parasol or sun lounger rental. But it doesn't get really crowded there either. If you are looking for more peace and quiet, you should visit the northern part (Kumluova Plajı). Not only is it quieter here, the dune landscape has much more to offer.
- Heroon
- pottery
- Funerary monument
- Granary
- Agora
- city wall
- 2 Thermal bath
The Metius Modestus Triumphal Arch in Patara - 3 Metius Modestus Triumphal Arch. This imposing triumphal arch with an arch width of up to 3.6 meters is one of the best preserved from antiquity. It is believed that this was the central city gate. Remnants of the city wall were found on the sides, but no paved road has yet been proven. The triumphal arch was built in the name of C. Trebonius Proculus Mettius Modestus around 100 BC, the governor of the Roman province of Lycia-Pamphylia. Six busts of the governor's family used to be seen on each side of the arch.
- Corinthian temple
- 4 Vespasianus thermal baths
- 5 Kolonadenstrasse
The ancient lighthouse in Patara - 6 lighthouse. Patara quickly became famous for having a lighthouse in ancient times. For a long time this was only known from ancient sources until the foundations of the lighthouse were discovered in 2004 under a sand dune. 4,000 truckloads of sand allegedly had to be removed to expose the foundation and some stones of the lighthouse with lettering that enabled identification.
- 7 Bouleuterion. The meeting house in Patara was the official meeting house of the Lycian league of cities for over 500 years. This is where representatives of over twenty cities like met Xanthos, Tlos or Myra. Seen in this way, the bouleuterion is from the 1st century AD. the oldest democratic parliament building in the world. The 43 meter long and 30 meter wide building was excavated as early as 1991. 400 MPs once had space here. Extensive restoration work began in 2010. Around 7.5 million Turkish lira were available. The work was completed in 2012.
- 8 theatre. The theater originally dates from the 3rd century BC. In the 2nd century AD, the theater was extensively redesigned under Emperor Hadrian. The stage house dates from this time. Furthermore, the auditorium was extended so that 15,000 people could find space. A sun sail and a small theater temple were also part of the renovation work. In AD 141 the theater was badly damaged by an earthquake. But it was found in Opramoas Rhodiapolis a rich donor and with this money the damage could be repaired. In the 3rd century AD This theater was finally converted into an arena. In 2002 the excavation work began here as well. The theater has been completely cleared of sand since 2002. The theater is very well preserved and is considered to be one of the most beautiful in all of Lycia.
- 9 cistern
activities
- Swimming
- Discover
- hike
- horse riding
- canoeing
shop
kitchen
nightlife
accommodation
Due to the structural regulations imposed by the archaeological and environmental protection zone, large hotel buildings have not yet been permitted. Only in Gelemiş are there a few small family hotels and pensions. Here is a small selection.
- 1 Flower Pension, Gelemiş Köyü Merkez Mah. 11 - 11 / b. Tel.: 90 242 843 5164, Fax: 90 242 843 5279, Email: [email protected].
- 2 Patara Delfin Hotel, Delfin Hotel 07965 / Patara - Kaş - Antalya / TÜRKİYE. Tel.: 90 242 843 51 20, Fax: 90 242 843 50 24, Email: [email protected].
- 3 Zeybek 2 guest house, Patara-Kaş / Antalya Turkey. Tel.: 90 242 843 50 86, Email: [email protected]. Feature: pension.
health
Practical advice
There are clear guidelines for using the beach and protecting the loggerhead sea turtle:
- It is forbidden to enter the restricted areas for the turtle to lay eggs. If these are not available, you should avoid stretches of beach that are more than 5 meters away from the shoreline.
- You should definitely keep to the opening times of the beach. (In summer 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and in winter 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.)
- It is disastrous to create any sources of light behind the beach. The newly hatched turtles crawl to the brightest light source (usually the reflected moonlight in the water). If a campfire or car headlights look brighter, they crawl in that direction and dry up.
- It is forbidden to touch newly hatched young animals.
The 1 post is located in the city center near the parking lot.
