A day at Patara and Xanthos

Xanthos and Patara are two ancient Lycian cities in the valley of the Eşen River, west of Kaş in Antalya province. Xanthos was the capital of ancient Lycia. Patara, on the coast near the river mouth, was for a time the capital of the Lycian League. Both fit into one day: Xanthos in the morning, Patara and its beach in the afternoon.

Morning: Xanthos

The ruins stand on a hill above the Eşen River, the ancient Xanthos River, near the village of Kınık. UNESCO listed Xanthos together with the nearby sanctuary of Letoon as a World Heritage Site in 1988. The longest texts in the Lycian language were found at these two sites, carved in rock or on large stone pillars.

North of the old Lycian acropolis is a Roman theatre that looks over the agora. Beside it stand Lycian pillar tombs, among them the Harpy Tomb. Its reliefs on site are replicas. The originals, along with the Nereid Monument and the Tomb of Payava, were taken to England in the 19th century and are now in the British Museum.

Optional stop: Letoon

Letoon lies about 4 km south of Xanthos, near the village of Kumluova in Muğla province. It was the federal sanctuary of the Lycian League, with three temples for Leto, Artemis and Apollo. A stele from 337 BC found here carries the same text in Lycian, Greek and Aramaic; it is now in the Fethiye Museum. Ground water rises over parts of the site in some seasons.

Afternoon: ancient Patara

Patara lies at the village of Gelemiş. Saint Nicholas was born here. The road to the beach passes the city gate, a triumphal arch built around AD 100 for a governor of Lycia. Further on are the theatre, rebuilt in AD 147 after an earthquake, and the council house where the Lycian League met. West of it stands a lighthouse from the time of Nero that has been re-erected.

Late afternoon: the beach

The beach starts right beside the ruins. Official sources give its length as 12 to 18 km, with sand dunes behind it. Loggerhead sea turtles nest here between May and August. The beach is part of a Special Environmental Protection Area and is closed to the public from 20.00 to 08.00.

Practical notes

Opening hours and entry fees for Xanthos, Letoon and ancient Patara were not confirmed by an official source for this article. Check them on the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's museum website (muze.gov.tr) before you set off, and plan to reach the beach well before it closes at 20.00.