City Guide · Mediterranean

Kemer Travel Guide

Olympos, Phaselis, and Mount Tahtalı

Show Me Türkiye May 2026 8 min read

Field notes

Kemer: tips for first-timers.

01 Stay in Çıralı or Beldibi, not central Kemer. Çıralı puts Olympos and the Chimaera ten minutes away; central Kemer is all-inclusive territory.
02 Rent a scooter or car. The coast road between Olympos, Phaselis and Kemer is the entire point. Tours don’t stop where you want.
03 Book Tahtalı cable car online. The queue at the gate is brutal in season. Pick a clear-weather slot in advance.
04 Olympos beach has no shade. Bring an umbrella or arrive before ten. The walk through the ruins to the sand is the highlight, not the sand itself.
05 Temperature drop at Tahtalı. You will ascend from sea level to the 2,365m summit. It is noticeably cooler and windier up there than on the coast, so carry a windbreaker even in August.
06 Chimaera / Yanartaş. The hike to the eternal flames is dark and rocky. Bring a flashlight and wear proper sneakers, no sandals.

In this story

Kemer is what Antalya tourism became when it filled up. The town itself is comparatively new, a planned tourism centre built in the 1980s, but the geography around it is ancient, and the location works as a base for the western Antalya coast.

If you are looking for resort hotels, full-board family weeks, and beaches that come with umbrellas, this is your stop. If you are looking for the country's most accessible Lycian-coast experience without leaving a coastal base, Kemer also delivers that.

After a quick note on getting there from the airport, five chapters cover the rest: the town, the cable car up Tahtalı, the Olympos valley, Phaselis, and Göynük Canyon. Three or four days here covers all of it.

01Arrival

Getting there.

From Antalya Airport to the resort coast.

2 min read

Kemer is served by Antalya Airport (AYT), which sits on the far side of the city, around sixty kilometres up the coast. In light traffic the drive takes about an hour, though the city stretch can slow you down in summer and at peak hours, so it is worth leaving a little margin either way.

The simplest door-to-door options are a taxi from the airport rank or a pre-booked private transfer. Both take you straight to your hotel in a single ride, which is the easy choice if you are arriving with luggage, with family, or late at night. A taxi is quick and always available; a booked transfer trades the wait at the rank for a fixed pickup.

If you would rather travel like a local and keep costs down, public transport works too, but it means changing vehicles. The airport tram (the T1A line) runs into the city and out to the main bus station, and from there frequent coaches and minibuses make the run down to Kemer through the day. It is the most economical way in, though with heavy bags and summer heat the transfers can be tiring, so weigh comfort against budget before you commit.

Coming straight off a long flight, the transfer or taxi is usually worth it. Save the local buses for day trips once you have settled in and travel light.

02Resort base

Kemer Town.

The base, not the destination.

1 min read

Kemer is a planned tourism town built on a stretch of coast that had been mostly fishing villages before the 1980s. The result is a clean, modern, and slightly soulless town centre, but with excellent beach infrastructure and hotels in every category.

The town beach is pebble, the marina is small but pleasant for evening walks, and the night market on the main pedestrian street has the standard tourist mix of carpets, ceramics, and Turkish-delight stands.

Don't expect heritage. Expect a comfortable base from which to explore the actual heritage that sits at five-to-thirty minutes' drive in any direction.

03Cable car · 2,365 m

Mount Tahtalı.

A cable car to a summit with a long view.

1 min read

The Olympos Teleferik runs from sea level near Tekirova up to the summit of Mount Tahtalı at 2,365 metres. The ride takes about ten minutes and the elevation change is dramatic, you start in subtropical pine forest and finish in alpine rock.

On clear days the view from the summit covers the entire Antalya bay, the Beydağları range stretching east, and the Lycian coast running west. There is a small restaurant and viewing terrace at the top.

Go on a clear day. Cloudy days at altitude can leave you inside a fog with no view at all. Check forecasts before booking.

Bring a jacket. Even in summer the temperature at the summit can be 15 to 20°C cooler than sea level. The wind matters more than the temperature reading suggests.

04Lycian ruins

Olympos and the Chimaera flames.

Ruins in a river valley and natural gas vents that catch fire.

1 min read

Olympos is a partly-excavated Lycian city in a river valley about forty-five minutes from Kemer. The ruins are spread along the river that runs down to the beach, Roman temple foundations, partly intact sarcophagi, the remains of a small theatre. You walk along the river to reach the beach, and stone walls appear in the trees as you go.

The beach itself is a long pebble strand, popular with day-trippers and the wooden-bungalow backpacker scene in the upper village. Note: Olympos is historic and famous for its treehouse culture; Çıralı is the adjacent bay, offering more private bungalows and a quieter beach experience. Choose your base based on your preferred vibe.

Above Olympos, on the slope, the Chimaera flames, natural methane vents that have been burning continuously for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks tied them to the mythological Chimaera. Walk up at dusk, watch the flames against the night sky, walk back.

The Chimaera flames have been burning since antiquity. Pliny mentioned them. They are still burning. You walk up at dusk to see them, the way travellers have done for two thousand years.

05Ancient harbour

Phaselis.

A Lycian port where you can swim through the ruins.

1 min read

Phaselis is between Kemer and Olympos, a Lycian and Roman port city with three small harbours, partial Roman aqueduct, agora, theatre, and an unfenced site you can wander freely. There is a modest entrance fee.

The selling point is that you can swim. Roman columns lie partly in the water at the smaller harbours. Pine trees grow over the ruins. The whole site has the kind of unforced atmosphere that fenced-off, ticketed sites lose. Bring your swimsuit and a towel; swimming among Roman ruins is an experience you won't get elsewhere on this route, and the swimming at Phaselis is among the best on this coast.

06Canyon · Adventure

Göynük Canyon.

Cold water, narrow walls, optional zipline.

1 min read

Göynük Canyon is the obvious adventure half-day from Kemer. The canyon walls are narrow, the water is cold (it comes off the mountains) and clear, and the route through the canyon involves wading, swimming, and a bit of light climbing on roped sections.

Most operators run guided trips with helmets and life jackets. Independent walking is possible at the lower entrance for a calmer alternative.

There is a zipline running across the canyon for those who add adrenaline to their swimming. Combine the canyon with a stop at one of the trout restaurants on the access road.

The Kemer seashore at the foot of the Beydağları, where the Lycian coast begins.

Watch the film

See Kemer in motion.

A short cinematic film from our journey.

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Kemer: tips for first-timers.

6 chapters, one story.

See Kemer in motion.

Plan your Antalya trip.

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