Kalkan
Boutique hotels and turquoise coves
A calm, elegant town with bougainvillea-clad stone houses, boutique hotels and stylish restaurants. Known for its turquoise coves and the vast nearby Patara Beach.
About the region
Kalkan is a small, elegant town between Kaş and Patara, built on a slope that drops steeply to the sea. Whitewashed stone houses, bougainvillea and narrow stepped lanes give it its character. It is the choice of travellers looking for something quieter and more boutique.
The town is famous for its terrace restaurants: almost every rooftop has a table looking over the harbour and the sea, and planning dinner around sunset is something of a local tradition. Accommodation leans towards private-pool villas and boutique hotels rather than large resorts.
Just west of Kalkan stretches Patara Beach, an unbroken 18 kilometres of sand — one of the longest in Türkiye and protected as a nesting site for loggerhead turtles. Immediately behind it lie the theatre, parliament building and lighthouse of Patara, capital of the Lycian League.
Highlights
- Bougainvillea-lined stone lanes and terrace restaurants
- Patara Beach, 18 km long
- Patara Ancient City and one of the world's oldest lighthouses
- Boutique hotels and private-pool villas
Good to know
- Good for
- Couples and quiet, boutique holidays
- Distance from Antalya
- About 210 km
- How long
- 2–4 days
- Best time
- May–October