It is located approximately 28 kilometers away from Kemer (Antalya), in the west, within a 5-10 minute walk away from the famous Çıralı holiday village.
Olympos is an ancient Lycian city which is one of the most important resorts and ruins that should be seen in Antalya Kemer with its wonderful natural beauties, history, and beaches. It is an ancient city built on both sides of the Akçay stream and its foundation dates back to the Hellenistic period. Olympos is one of the biggest cities in the Lycian region and its name is taken from the Tahtalı Mountain at 2375 meters high just beside it.
Olympos is the common name of mountain peaks in Anatolia and the Aegean. In the 1st century BC, the city, along with Phaselis, was under the control of pirates and became impoverished due to pirate attacks. The city, enriched in Roman times, was used by Genoese and Venetian pirates after the 3rd century AD and was abandoned in the 15th century during the Ottoman period.
Places to visit in Olympos? What can you do in Olympos?
The ancient city of Olympos has two gates, one by the sea and the other by land. It is located at the end of Çıralı’s 3.5-kilometer beach. When you start to visit the ancient city of Olympos by the sea, i.e. the south gate, you will first see the Acropolis and a monumental tomb on a hill on the right of a steep slope.
It is possible to see many historical remains in the wetland of Olympos. To visit the left by the sea, there is a stream bed. On the stream, there is a historic bridge from ancient times. On the opposite side of the building, it has a basilica belonging to the Byzantine. When you follow the road until the end, you will arrive at the other entrance gate of Olympos ruins.
When you go back from here and follow the path, you will be faced with a Roman temple. So, you will see the pedestal. The left side of the path is covered with water.
The path links the ancient waterway after a while. At the end of the waterway, you will see a monumental grave and two rock tombs. At the end of the path, you arrive at the Acropolis, where you started to point. Since the Acropolis is a hill area, we recommend you to come out here and enjoy the spectacular scenery.
The beach of Olympos is also very beautiful. The short beach is full of vacationers who lie on the beach, sunbath and swimming all day long.
It is worth seeing with Çiralı, right next to Olympos, its natural beauties, orange gardens and a 3.5 km beach. Yanartas, located next to Olympos with a 250 meter high famous for its fire burning with the gases coming out of the rocks, is also worth seeing. Here, the fire burning between the rocks is associated with a fire-breathing creature in the ancient times. A half-hour nature walk is possible to go there from Yanartas to Çıralı.
Accommodation in Olympos, Where do you stay?
Since Olympos is located in the protected area, it is forbidden to build the house in the area. For this reason, tree houses and wooden bungalows have become famous in Olympos. Vacationers who want to stay in Olympos can stay here. The region is especially preferred by young holidaymakers. Especially Kadirs Tree Houses are the most famous place of the region. Vacationers who do not want to prefer wooden houses and wooden bungalows are able to find many hotels and hostels in Çirali, a holiday town right next to Olympos.