The beautiful Patara Beach Turkey

Patara beach is beautiful and is a lovely place to visit along with the nearby ancient site of Patara along the Lycian coast, offering lovely landscapes and swimming. Part of the national park it has an abundance of birdlife and it is the breeding ground of the endangered turtles. For this reason the beach will never be redeveloped as these turtles are nearing extinction thus protection of their breeding sites on the Turkish coast is paramount. The beach closes after sunset from May to October to allow the turtles to lay their eggs in peace, as this is the 2nd largest turtle-nesting beach in Turkey. 

The beach with mountains each end spans 12km with sand dunes and marshes, which was once the harbour of Patara. It is about 15 minutes walk to some of the ruins and a place that never seems to get crowded even at the height of the season. Due to the restriction on developments there is no water sports allowed and all you will find is perfect peace. There is a single cafe at one end of the beach where you can hire sun beds and umbrellas. 

The nearest resort other than Patara is Kalkan and dolmuses (local taxi minibuses) make frequent trips to Patara stopping off near the beach. Situated 75km south of Fethiye this is definitely one of the best beaches that Turkey has to offer and as such has won many accolades.  

There is accommodation available in Patara village which is situated about 3.5km south of the coast but this is very limited, so if you are thinking of staying close by you should ensure that you have booked it early to avoid disappointment. 

The entrance to the beach is near the village of Gelemis, just follow the road and you will reach a barrier. There is a charge of 5TL per person per day, but this provides you with entrance to the national park, ruins and the beach. The beach is open from 9.30am and closes at 7pm there is no access allowed after this to protect the Loggerhead turtles. 

The sea is not that deep so you will be able to walk out a fair way but do beware of the waves as these can be really strong. If after a morning by the sea, you fancy a change then the ruins are impressive and a great way to while away a few hours. One must see is the newly renovated Assembly Building. If you have visited before it is worth going back as the ruins are being excavated all the time. The ruins provide little shade and can get very hot so make sure that you have water and a hat. There is a small museum shop near the entrance where you can buy a souvenir should you wish. 

The beach is barren and devoid of shrubbery so be prepared to get a tan on a visit here! This secluded beach is the ideal place if you simply want to get away from it all. Take a day to do nothing, just lie on the soft sands with nothing but the sounds of the waves lapping at the shore and not a soul in sight. Now doesn’t that sound idyllic?

This gorgeous beach can be right on your doorstep, take a look through our Kalkan villas and see what suits home you.