Olympos (Turkey)

Olympos (or Olimpos) is a small village in Lycia on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, next to the ruins of the Lycian / Roman city of Olympos. That in turn was named for the nearby mountain now called Tahtalı - the ancients gave the name Olympos to some two dozen prominent mountains in Turkey alone. Çıralı is another small village just north, and Adrasan is a straggle of inland development further south. == Get in == Olympos and Çıralı are 80 km south of Antalya, a 90 min drive. Buses along the main highway D400 run hourly, heading for towns further west such as Finike and Demre. These drop you at the head of the access roads. Dolmuşes wind down the last 10 km to the main settlements on the coast - these run hourly in summer but are sparse in winter. == Get around == Olympos and Çıralı have separate access roads, so it's 20 km to go around by road, but a 2-3 km walk along the beach. This means paying the fee to enter the ruins, unless you slip through out of hours. == See == 1 Olympos ruins, ☏ +90 242 892 1325. Daily 08:00-20:30. This was a substantial city from the Lycian era (300 BCE) through Roman times into the 3rd century AD. In the Middle Ages the Genoese and Venetians fortified it, but the problem was always the lack of a hinterland and routes into the interior, and it was abandoned by the 15th century. The ruins are scrappy and spread out, best are the mosaics and the tombs near the former harbour, but mostly you just enjoy the forest and beach setting without any great buildings or monuments. Adult €10. (updated Oct 2024) 2 Çıralı beach is pebble and lacks shade. It stretches for 1 km from Çıralı village down to the ruins, and to access this south end you have to pay admission to the ruins even if you're just passing. 3 Çıralı mosque is an attractive traditional building along the road towards Mount Chimaera. 4 Flames of Mount Chimaera gush from the rocks, a marker for mariners since antiquity. A first group is reached by a 1 km hike from Çıralı village and a second less-crowded group is another 1 km uphill. They're best seen just after sunset, so you'll be descending in darkness, bring a torch. Their strength varies with the weather and you can extinguish them, but they spontaneously reignite, fueled by methane escaping from the Yanartaş gas field. Half of this is carboniferous fossil fuel as in larger oil / gas fields but half is "abiotic" - at the right pressure and temperature, methane is generated when water comes into contact with minerals such as olivine. 5 Suluada is a 1.2-km long rocky islet off Cape Gelidonya, often the destination of boat trips. The name means fresh water, which surprisingly it has, but it's uninhabited. Towards its south end is a "blue grotto" where boats vie to enter the way passengers scrummage to board a crowded dolmuş. See Kemer for the cable car to ascend Mount Tahtalı, accessed by a lane from Tekirova. == Do == Boat trips launch from north end of Çıralı beach. Lycian Way' is a long-distance hiking trail passing through the village. It goes via the beach, so hikers have to pay admission for the ruins. == Buy == In Olympos, Migros and Carrefour are halfway down the access road. Olympos Supermarket near Bayram's and the ford is open daily 08:00-23:00. In Çıralı, Bereket Market is open daily 08:30-22:00. == Eat == No free-standing restaurants in Olympos, accommodations may serve non-residents. Çıralı has a cluster at its south end, including Karakuş, Yörük Cafe, Likya Cafe and Simge Gourmet Kitchen. == Drink == Accommodation bars serve non-residents. == Sleep == The signature accommodation in Olympos is "tree houses" - wooden rooms on stilts, ranging from two-person cabins to entire hostels. Most close up Nov-March. 1 Batu Holiday Village, Kiliseyakası Sk 185/3, Olimpos, ☏ +90 507 148 6594. Opened in 2023, these are modern chalets for short or long lets. B&B double 2000 TL. (updated Oct 2024) 2 Saban Tree Houses, Olimpos Sk 25, ☏ +90 242 892 1265. Clean friendly place with 2 / 3-bed tree cabins, larger bungalows and dorm. B&B double 2500 TL. (updated Oct 2024) Bayram's Tree Houses, Olympos Sk 31 (200 m down road from Saban), ☏ +90 242 892 1243. Rooms are more like cabins set among the trees. Good reviews for comfort and cuisine. B&B double 2500 TL. (updated Oct 2024) Orange Camping, Olympos Sk (opposite Bayram's), ☏ +90 532 693 5770. Clean well-run site. (updated Oct 2024) Turkmen Tree Houses are basic, but it's a large place likely to have rooms when others are booked out. It's at Olimpos Sk 21, uphill across the ford from Bayram's. Hasan's, Olympos Sk (200 m above ruins). Simple but comfy cabins, the closest accommodation to the ancient city and beach. B&B double 3000 TL. (updated Oct 2024) Çıralı village also has accommodation. == Connect == As of Oct 2024, Olympos / Çıralı and the approach road off the main highway have 4G from Türk Telekom but no signal from Turkcell or Vodafone. 5G has not yet rolled out in Turkey. == Go next == Kemer and its associated villages are larger resorts north towards Antalya. Finike is a resort village along the coast west, with the ruins of Limyra and other ancient towns.