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Patara is known as
the birthplace of Santa Claus, and
also because of its l-o-n-g and uncrowded sand
beach.
Santa Claus? Am I kidding?
Not at all! Santa Claus, otherwise
known as St. Nicholas, was born in
Patara in the 3rd century, and moved
to Demre (Myra)
where he became a bishop and did his
many good works. (See the Demre
page for more.)
Patara village, 3.5 km (2.2
miles) south of the coastal highway,
is well-suited to low-budget
travelers with numerous little
pensions and simple hotels charging
very reasonable rates for double rooms:
Patara beach is 20 km (12 miles)
long, 50 meters/yards wide, and never
crowded, because the small village
inland from the beach has only a few
hundred tourist beds. The ruins of
ancient Patara are just inland from
the beach, and no big hotels can be
built in an archeological zone, so
the beach should be protected from
heavy development.
If the beach has one drawback, it's
that there are few trees and thus little
shade, so be prepared for a day
of sun.
The Patara ruins are interesting:
a sand-swept theater, a triple-arched triumphal
gate, a necropolis (cemetery)
with Lycian tombs, a ruined basilica and
a public bath, among others.
Car,
or bus and taxi,
are the ways to get to Patara.
Any bus will drop you on the Fethiye-Kas highway
at Ovaköy, whence
it's a 3.5-km (2-mile) taxi ride (or
hitch) to the village that's officially
named Gelemis (GEHL-eh-meesh),
but which everyone calls Patara.
The ruins of ancient
Patara are a further 1.5 km (1 mile)
south of the village, and the beach yet
another kilometer (6/10 mile) through
the ruins.
Distances & Travel Times
Antalya: 376
km (234 miles via coast) NE, 8.75 hours
Dalaman Airport: 120 km (75 miles)
NW, 2 hours
Demre
(Myra): 90 km (56 miles)
E, 2 hours
Fethiye: 81
km (50 miles) NW, 1.75 hours
Kalkan: 15
km (9 miles) E, 25 minutes
Kas: 45
km (28 miles) E, 1 hour
Marmaris: 251
km (156 miles) NW, 4.75 hours
Maps
of Mediterranean Turkey
Mediterranean
Turkey
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