A small wooded island a short boat ride off the Lycian coast west of Oludeniz, Gemiler is one of the more atmospheric stops on the Twelve Islands cruises that leave Fethiye and Oludeniz harbours every morning in season. It was an important early-Byzantine pilgrimage site, with the ruins of at least four basilicas and a long covered processional walkway scattered across its slopes. Visitors can land at the beach on the leeward side and walk a marked path to the summit, where the largest of the churches still stands at chest height.
The island is most easily visited as part of a full-day twelve-island boat trip from Fethiye or Oludeniz, but small boats also shuttle across from the mainland village of Gemiler Bay if you want to spend longer ashore. Bring water, a hat, and decent shoes — the path is rough and there is no shade once you start climbing. Snorkelling in the channel between the island and the mainland is excellent.