Ancient Olympos

Lycian–Roman ruins scattered through a wooded canyon down to the sea

The ancient city of Olympos lies in pieces along a stream that runs down a deep, forested canyon to the sea. There are no signs or roped-off paths — you wander past Lycian sarcophagi half-buried in brush, Roman baths with collapsed vaults, a marble temple gate, the small theatre, and a Byzantine basilica, with the cliffs of Mount Omurga rising on both sides. The setting is half the attraction.

A short, modest entrance fee gets you in (combo with Çıralı Beach access). Allow at least two hours; bring water and decent walking shoes. The site reaches its loveliest light in late afternoon when the sun angles down through the plane trees onto the marble.

things to do sight
A story
Olympos was a stronghold of Cilician pirates in the 1st century BCE — Roman naval campaigns under Pompey eventually cleared them out in 67 BCE. The city later joined the Lycian League and, much later, became a Genoese trading post before being abandoned in the 15th century.