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Kemer is
a made-to-order resort carved from Turkey's pristine
pine-shaded Mediterranean
coast 35km (22 miles) southwest
of Antalya (map).
Though
not as large or elaborate as Mexico's Cancún,
the principle at Kemer (keh-MEHR,
pop. 25,000) is the same: pick a favorable
seaside location with little
habitation and build a modern resort
town of white concrete buildings in
it.
With
virtually nothing to offer in the
way of quaint old buildings, photogenic
winding streets or archeological
ruins, people come to Kemer for sun
and sea.
The beaches are
mostly of large pebbles and stones,
although the ones near the yacht marina and Yörük
Parkı (an anthropological
park with a Turkish nomad theme)
are of sand.
Shops and restaurants have signs,
ads and menus in Russian, Arabic, German
and other foreign languages for the
benefit of international visitors.
Kemer
can be a base for exploring nearby
sites like Olimpos, Phaselis, Termessos, Perge and Aspendos,
but Antalya is
more centrally located and, overall,
has more to offer.
Transport
Minibuses for Kemer, Phaselis, Olimpos and Çıralı depart Antalya's Otogar, and also from the bus stop on Dumlupınar Bulvarı (D400) just north of the Antalya Aquarium on the western side of the city (map). There are Seabus water shuttles between Antaya's Old (Roman) Harbor and Kemer in summer as well.
Distances & Travel
Times
Kaş: 150
km (93 miles) SW, 3.25 hours
Antalya: 35
km (22 miles) N, 45 minutes
Olimpos: 45
km (28 miles) S, 45 minutes
Phaselis: 23
km (14 miles) S, 25 minutes
Termessos: 69
km (43 miles) N, 1.5 hours
—by Tom Brosnahan
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