Fethiye Castle

Although there is no exact date for the construction of Fethiye Castle, it is suggested in some sources that the Knights of Rhodes may have repaired and rebuilt it in the 15th century. In the castle, there are walls, a few old inscriptions with no information about its history, and a cistern. The castle, which offers a magnificent view of the city from above, is also worth visiting. We recommend that guests who rent a boat in Fethiye go to the castle, which is only 3 minutes away by car from the port and offers a panoramic view of Fethiye Gulf.

Tlos Ancient City

Tlos is a 35-kilometer drive from Fethiye. The historical Tlos ancient city is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List and is one of the oldest settlements in the Lycian Region. It is located within the borders of Yaka Village to the east. The acropolis at the ancient city’s entrance, known as Tlawa in Hittite documents dating from the 14th century BC and Tlawa in Lycian inscriptions, impresses visitors with its naturalistic appearance. The acropolis hill’s environment is surrounded by fortifications from place to place, naturally sheltered by its steep slopes of approximately 500 meters in height. The temple tombs carved into the rocks on the slope can be seen as you ascend to Tlos castle. The most magnificent of these tombs is Bellerophontids’ tomb monument, which depicts Pegasus, the winged horse, fighting the three-headed monster Chimera. At the entrance, there are two columns, a three-part wall, a door with ornaments in the middle, and doors on both sides leading to the burial chamber. There are benches, a stadium, a bath, theatre ruins at the foot of the Acropolis. The ruins of a 9-meter-wide Lycian wall can be found on the plain at the bottom of the castle. The city walls from the Roman era can still be seen in the south of the city, with a 6-arched gate. The theatre is the most important structure in the ancient city of Tlos that is still standing. In terms of archaeological, cultural, religious, and economic significance in the historical process, the city is extremely significant in the region. In the Hittite written sources, the city is mentioned as a country, with traces of continuous settlement from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. The city is one of the most important episcopacy centres in Lycia, and its religious significance lasted until the 12th century. In the 18th century, the ancient city of Tlos, which also bears Ottoman traces, served as a crossroads for the region’s trade routes. Views of the city intertwined with nature and the majesty of its ruins are breathtaking. Summer hours are 10:00 to 19:00, winter hours are 08.30  to 3.30.

Ancient City of Araxa

The date of foundation of the ancient city of Araxa, which is located within the borders of Ren Village, 32 kilometres from Fethiye, is unknown, but it is known that it is a very old Anatolian city like other ancient cities. B.C. The fact that he fought with the ancient city of Kibera in the year 2000 gives us an idea of when Araxa was founded. In Luwian and Carian languages, the name Araxa means ‘temple with an altar.’ In Lycian inscriptions, the city is referred to as ‘Araththi.’ When discussing the Lycian League, ancient historians noted that the ancient city of Araxa was one of the 36 towns and cities that made up the union.

The city is built in a valley surrounded by mountains, with its natural walls and walls that protect it from external influences, and you can see baths, water channels, tombs, sarcophagi, and houses among the ruins.

Rock Tombs of Amintas

These mausoleums, which are symbols of Fethiye and are located within the city’s urban fabric, were built in the 4th century BC in the name of Aminthas, Son of Hermapias. Three of these tombs, which were carved into a steep rocky slope, are temples, while the others are civil architecture examples. A door divided into four main panels, a flat and rough-hewn ceiling, and three lines in the interior of the room are depicted in the section opening to the burial chamber. The tombs, which have arched entrances, are decorated with various frescoes that are thought to reveal information about the deceased’s life. These tombs, which are located in the district with the most beautiful view, are easily accessible via steps.

If you’ve booked a gulet charter from Fethiye, the mausoleum, which you can reach in 5 minutes by car while waiting for your boat, will allow you to add a touch of history to your blue voyage vacation. We recommend that after you visit Fethiye Castle, you take the same route to the mausoleum to avoid getting stuck in traffic. As a result, you will have the opportunity to see historical ruins along the way. Summer hours are 09.00-20.00; winter hours are 08:00-17:00.

Ancient Theater of Telmessos

The theatre, which was built in the early Roman period and was repaired in the 2nd century AD, is Turkey’s oldest theatre close to the sea. As it was unearthed, the theatre, which underwent cleaning and excavation work after 1991, is suitable for 1500 people. Before boarding your rental yacht, we strongly advise you to visit the marina’s ancient theatre.

Pinara Ancient City

Pinara is a 33-kilometer drive from Fethiye. The city’s foundation dates back to 330-334 BC, and it is located at a distance. The city, which was also conquered by the Kingdoms of Alexander the Great and Pergamon, survived as a Roman settlement later on. The city was known to have suffered significant damage due to earthquakes in the region in the 8th century and was thus abandoned.

The bath, theatre, agora, odeon, rock tombs, upper and lower acropolis, and upper and lower acropolis make up Pinara ancient city. As the upper acropolis became insufficient in a short period of time, the lower acropolis, which was also easier to reach, was made available for settlement. Structures such as the Odeon, agora, temple, and pile tombs can be found on the lower acropolis. The fact that the majority of the rock tombs are in the shape of houses provides insight into Lycian Civil Architecture. Despite the impossibly steep slopes of the lower acropolis, it was supported by a fortification wall for both terrace construction and defence. When entering the city through the gate in the south of the city wall, it is seen that the Odeon with its back against the hillside and the agora on the flat area in front of it form the city centre. Around the water source in the lower part of the lower acropolis, piled tombs and many tombs carved into the rocks, which were largely destroyed as a result of the earthquakes experienced by the city in Antiquity, draw attention.

Visiting hours: 10.00-19.00 in summer; Winter period 08.30-17.30

Letoon Ancient City

This ancient city is the religious centre of Lycia, and it is located in the Kumluova District of Seydikemer, 63 kilometres from Fethiye. According to legend, the Goddess Leto, who was pregnant by Zeus, gave birth to her twin children Artemis and Apollo in Delos, then walked along the Xanthos river until she reached the source, where the Leto temple now stands. The goddess, who wishes to wash her children at the source but is prevented by the locals, turns the locals into frogs because they refuse to allow her, and this mythology is the basis for the ancient city of Letoon. The first settlement dates back to the 7th century BC, according to findings unearthed during 30 years of excavations in the city. Letoon was a political and religious centre during the Lycian unity period, as evidenced by the ruins and inscriptions found here. In the ancient city centre, three temples are lined up side by side. The Mother Goddess Leto owns the westernmost of these, which is in the ion order. The temple dedicated to Artemis in the middle is smaller than the temple dedicated to the god Apollo in the east. The first settlement dates back to the 7th century BC, according to findings unearthed during 30 years of excavations in the city. Letoon was a political and religious centre during the Lycian unity period, as evidenced by the ruins and inscriptions found here. In the ancient city centre, three temples are lined up side by side. The Mother Goddess Leto owns the westernmost of these, which is in the ion order. The temple dedicated to Artemis in the middle is smaller than the temple dedicated to the god Apollo in the east. In the southwest west corner of the temples, there is a fountain dedicated to the Nymphe cult, and on the eastern edge of this fountain is an early Christian church. Among the ruins worth seeing in the ancient city are a stoa and a Hellenistic theater. The Lycian walking path also includes the ancient city of Letoon, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988.

Visiting hours: 08.00-20.00 every day.

Kayakoy

13 km from Fethiye. Kayakoy, located in the south and known as Karmylassos in the Ancient Period, dates to the 3rd century BC according to the available data and lived in the city until it was evacuated in 1923 as a result of the rights granted to minorities in the late Ottoman Empire. All the buildings that we watched based on the slope in the abandoned city were built by the Greeks, and after the destruction it suffered over time and natural factors, it took on the image of a ghost city.

There are 350-400 residences at the time of the city’s use, each of which is no larger than 50 m2 in terms of view and light, with two floors, the lower floors of which are usually used as cellars, and underground cisterns on the roof rainwater water are collected. There are numerous chapels, two large churches, one school building, mills, and a customs house in addition to the residences.

Fethiye Archeology Museum

Fethiye Museum, where artefacts from the region are exhibited, consists of two sections, archaeology and ethnography. The museum, where the artefacts collected from the city environment after the 1957 earthquake were stored, has been hosting its visitors since 1987. In Fethiye Museum, where numerous works from the Byzantine, Roman, Hellenistic, Archaic and Bronze Age periods are exhibited, the order is arranged chronologically. While ceramic works are exhibited to a large extent in the archaeology section, there are various hand-woven samples, handicrafts and caftans unique to the region in the ethnography section, and large stone-block artefacts, sarcophagi and the Izraza Monument are exhibited in the garden.

Visiting hours: 08.00-17.00 in winter, 08.00-19.00 in summer, Location

Monastery of Afkule

It is 17 kilometres from Fethiye’s city centre, 5 kilometres from Kayakoy. Then you can walk through the pines to get there. M.S. Afkule Monastery was carved into a 10-meter rock in the form of a two-story building and is thought to have been built in the 5th or 6th century. This monastery, which you can climb using the same natural methods that were used to carve the stairs, was built as an ordeal for a monk named Eleftherios. Even though we do not know the weather conditions on that day, the monastery, which is located at an elevation of 400 meters above sea level, appears to be unaffected by the magnificent view.

Saklikent Canyon

44 km from the city centre. It is estimated that the canyon, located at a distance, was formed by geological cracking thousands of years ago. The Saklikent canyon, which was declared a national park in 1996 and protected, has a length of approximately 18 km and a height of between 200 and 600 meters. It is almost impossible to see the sky from here, as the rock gap narrows to 2 meters at some points. At the entrance of the canyon, Esen Stream greets you first. By walking on the wooden pier laid on iron bars, you reach the clean spring that springs from under the rocks. In the canyon, you can sit on the sofas built on the rushing waters, on which the local rugs and pillows are laid, and you can eat pancakes and trout while cooling your feet in the ice-cold water. If you want, you can explore the hidden paradise by walking through the canyon. It takes about 30 minutes to traverse the 5-kilometre rafting track in the canyon, where you can also raft.

Gemile (St. Nicholas) Island

20 kilometres from Fethiye’s centre. Gemile Bay near Kayakoy provides transportation to Gemiler Island, which is located at a distance. Gemile or St. Nicholas Island M.S. is located in the Oludeniz, which was known as Smybola in the Middle Ages. It has risen to prominence in the 5th century as a result of the formation of mostly religious settlements. The island became a popular destination for European and Eastern Mediterranean trade and travel ships, and it became a centre of pilgrimage for Christians. Aside from numerous churches and chapels, religious education schools were also established. There are houses on the island that serve as shelters for people who work and live outside of the religious buildings. The foundations of churches and houses were carved into the rock due to the island’s rocky nature.

While our guests from Gemile Island are on a blue cruise vacation, we can use the gulet type yacht they have rented to take an air-conditioned vehicle tour of the ancient city of Afkule Monastery, Kayakoy, Saklikent Canyon, Tlos, and Xanthos.

Cadianda Ancient City

It is 25 km from the centre of Fethiye. The ancient city of Cadianda, located at 4 km, was founded on a hill on Geyran Mountain, 400 meters above the town of Uzumlu. This city, which was used as an athletics centre in ancient times, is the last city to join the Lycians. The ancient city, which dates to 3000 BC and makes a difference with its historical texture spread over a wide area, is surrounded by pine trees today. Some of the city walls surrounding the city, rock tombs and some inscriptions are among the remains dated to the earliest periods.

In addition, the Hellenistic theatre, bath, jogging track, agora, temple ruins, tombs, cisterns and dense civil architectural structures, which were repaired and used in the Roman Period, have survived to the present day.

Visiting hours: Summer period 9.00 – 19.00; Winter period 08.00 – 17.00

The Ancient City of Xanthos

The ancient city is 63 kilometres from Fethiye’s centre, on the Fethiye – Kas highway. The administrative and religious centre of the Lycian region was the ancient city of Xanthos, which is the oldest and largest city in the mountainous Lycia province. The city was founded in BC8. a century and dates back to BC. Until the Persian invasion in 545, it was an independent city-state. When the people of Xanthos, who had heroically defended their city during the Persian invasion, realized they couldn’t stop it, they killed all their women and children, set the city on fire, and committed mass suicide in the flames. Eighty families who survived the massacre, as well as immigrants from other places, rebuilt the city. A fire that erupted 100 years later wreaked havoc on Xanthos once more. Despite this, the city, which was re-established, remained an important centre for a long time as a result of its positive relations with the western world. When the Athenians objected to their tax demands in 429 BC, they were dragged into a war that would destroy their city.

Following Alexander the Great’s arrival in the region in 333 BC, the largely Hellenized city of BC. The Ptolemies invaded in 309. BC will come later. Syria’s King III was born in the year 197. The city that Antiochus conquered enjoyed a prosperous period. II. B.C. In the 19th century, Xanthos became the capital of the Lycian League. In 42 BC, the city was conquered by the Romans, the Lycian Acropolis to the west was destroyed, and the city’s inhabitants were put to the sword. Markus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor, rebuilt the city a year after the event. With the start of Arab raids, Xanthos, which was the centre of the bishopric during the Byzantine period, became a part of the region. Unfortunately, the city has devolved into a disaster hotspot in the truest sense of the term. In the ancient city of Xanthos, the two acropolises are surrounded by fortifications with different knitting systems. The Roman Period Theatre is located to the north of the Lycian acropolis. To the west of the theatre, the city’s most interesting ruins can be found. The first features the deceased’s family on a high rectangular monolithic pedestal, as well as Harpy reliefs, which are female-bodied, bird-winged creatures believed to carry the souls of the dead to the afterlife. A Lycian sarcophagus from the 4th century stands next to this monumental tomb. The Roman Age agora is a large square-shaped area at the end of the theatre, surrounded on three sides by shops. An inscription written in Lycian and Greek on its rectangular body, similar to the Harpy Monument, can be found in the northeast corner of the agora. The mausoleum from the fifth-century rises. It is possible to see many rock tombs and pedestal tombs side by side in the Roman acropolis. Except for the pedestals of the Lion Tomb, Pavaya and Merehi sarcophagi on the southern skirts of this area, all of them are exhibited in the British Museum. On the right side of the ramp leading to today’s ruins, only the foundations of the BC. The Nereid Monument with a temple plan belonging to the 4th century is one of the famous monuments of Xanthos, which is exhibited in the British Museum. Summer Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 19:30 p.m., Winter Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 17:30 p.m.

Are the prices of the blue cruise inclusive of land tours and ruins tours in Fethiye?

No, it is not included in the price of the boat rental. Within our company, we also provide this service through guletcharter.org. Your sales representative who provides yacht charter service can provide you with the price and details of the land tour.

Our guests who choose a blue voyage starting from Fethiye and continuing their vacation on the boat they rented along the Gocek Bays route will have enough time to visit Kayakoy, Saklikent Canyon, and Tlos by taking a tour from Gemile Island or Gocek Port.