Cirali: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Çıralı is a village of orchards behind a long beach, with no road along the shore. At its southern end lie the ruins of Olympos, a Lycian city that was once a pirate stronghold; above its northern end the rock has burned for thousands of years. This walk links the two along the beach and finishes up the hill at nightfall. Plan an afternoon and a torch; the beach walk to the ruins takes about 30 minutes.
A short history of Cirali
Çıralı is a small village at the mouth of a stream, next to the ruins of Olympos, a Lycian city that fell to pirates in the 1st century BC until the Romans captured it in the 70s BC. On the mountain above the village, flames of natural gas escaping from the rock have been burning for thousands of years, a place linked to the myth of the Chimaera. The long beach is a nesting site for sea turtles, so there are no large hotels along it, only small guesthouses among citrus orchards.
The ten best sights in Cirali
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1Çıralı Beach
Three km of pebbles with no high-rise hotels; in summer it is a turtle nesting beach, so no lights or umbrellas near the nests
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2Olympos Beach
Walk south along the shore to reach it; the ruins are just behind the beach
3Olympos ancient cityLycian ruins among oleanders and a stream; the ticket also covers the beach
4Chimaera flamesGas fires burning from the rock above the village; go up after dark, 20–30 minutes of steep path
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5Tahtalı Dağı cable car
Up to 2,365 m in about ten minutes; it can be cold and windy at the top even in July
6PhaselisRuins with three harbours and a paved street to the sea, 20 minutes north; swim between the stones
7UlupınarA shady gorge with spring-fed trout restaurants, 10 minutes up the road; cool on hot days
8Olympos valleyThe old backpacker valley of tree-house pensions, on the other side of the ruins
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9Adrasan
A quiet bay 25 minutes south; boats leave from here for Suluada
10SuluadaAn island of white rock and turquoise water, by boat from Adrasan only
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Cirali →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Cirali:
Free walking tours in Cirali
Fire and pirates
Çıralı is a village of orchards behind a long beach, with no road along the shore. At its southern end lie the ruins of Olympos, a Lycian city that was once a pirate stronghold; above its northern end the rock has burned for thousands of years. This walk links the two along the beach and finishes up the hill at nightfall. Plan an afternoon and a torch; the beach walk to the ruins takes about 30 minutes.
- Çıralı Beach · Loggerhead turtles come ashore here at night from May to August to lay eggs, and the hatchlings head for the sea by the light of the horizon. That is why the village kept its lights low and its buildings small.
- Olympos Beach · The stream that runs out here kept the harbour of Olympos alive; boats were pulled up at its mouth. Today the stones of the old quay can still be seen along the stream bank.
- Olympos ancient city · Strabo lists Olympos among the six largest cities of the Lycian League, each with three votes. In the 1st century BC the pirate chief Zeniketes ruled it; when the Roman general Servilius Isauricus took the city around 78 BC, Zeniketes set fire to his own house and died in it.
- Olympos valley · In the 1990s this valley became a legend among backpackers for its cheap tree-house pensions. Kadir's was the best known; many of the huts still stand on stilts among the orange trees.
- Chimaera flames · The flames feed on gas, mostly methane, seeping through cracks in the rock, and they have burned since antiquity. Greeks set here the myth of the Chimaera, the fire-breathing monster killed by Bellerophon on Pegasus, and sailors used the fires as a landmark.
- Ulupınar · The name means 'great spring', and cold water pours from the mountain into the gorge all year. Restaurants keep their trout in pools fed by it, and tables stand right over the channels.
Mountain and harbours to the north
North of Çıralı the Taurus mountains drop almost straight into the sea, and the old Lycian coast meets the resort strip of Kemer. In a short drive you can stand on a 2,365 m summit in the morning and swim in an ancient harbour in the afternoon. The route runs about 30 km each way on the D400. Take the cable car early, before cloud builds on the peak.
- Tahtalı Dağı · In antiquity this peak was itself called Olympos, and the city on the beach took its name from it. From the top, on clear days, the whole Gulf of Antalya is spread out below.
- Tahtalı cable car · The cable car climbs from about 700 m to 2,365 m in a single span of cars, one of the longest such lifts in Europe. The temperature at the top is often 15 degrees lower than at the beach.
- Phaselis · Colonists from Rhodes founded Phaselis around 690 BC. Alexander the Great spent the winter of 334–333 BC here on his way east, and the city gave him a golden crown.
- Olympos-Beydağları National Park · The coast from Kemer to Adrasan, with Tahtalı, Phaselis and Olympos, was declared a national park in 1972. Its pine forests of Turkish red pine and cedar climb from sea level to the high peaks.
- Yörük Park · The Yörük are the nomadic Turkish herders of the Taurus, who moved flocks between the coast in winter and the high pastures in summer. The park shows their black goat-hair tents, looms and kitchens.
- Kemer Marina · Kemer was planned as one of Turkey's first big tourism projects in the 1970s, with state backing. The marina is its centre, with the evening promenade around it.
South to the cape
South of Olympos the road climbs away from the sea and the coast becomes coves and capes that are easier to reach by boat. This is the end of the Lycian Way, the long-distance trail that finishes near Antalya. The route reaches Adrasan, takes a boat to an island, and walks to the lighthouse where underwater archaeology began. Allow a full day; boats leave Adrasan around 10.
- Adrasan · Adrasan lies in a bay closed in on three sides by forest, with a stream reaching the sea at its southern end. It was a forestry and farming village long before it took guests, and its pensions still sit among orchards rather than on the sand.
- Suluada · Its name means 'watery island': despite being a bare rock, it has a freshwater spring, which made it a stop for sailors. The water around it is shallow over white sand.
- Porto Ceneviz bay · Ceneviz means 'Genoese' in Turkish; local tradition says Genoese ships sheltered here in the Middle Ages. Cliffs cut the bay off from any road.
- Gelidonya Lighthouse · Off this cape a ship sank around 1200 BC carrying copper ingots. In 1960 George Bass excavated it, the first ancient wreck dug entirely on the sea floor by archaeologists diving themselves.
- Kumluca market · The plain around Kumluca is covered in greenhouses, and it is one of Turkey's main sources of winter tomatoes and vegetables. In the covered market the growers sell their own crop.
- Çıralı Mosque · Back in the village: Çıralı stayed a farming place of citrus and pomegranate orchards, and much of it lies inside a protected archaeological and natural site, so big hotels were never built. The little mosque marks its centre.
Getting to Cirali and getting around
- Çıralı dolmuş stop · Minibuses up to the highway junction, where coastal buses stop
- Kemer Bus Station · Buses along the coast to Antalya; Çıralı itself is reached by car or a dolmuş from the highway junction
- Antalya Airport · About 1 hour 15 minutes by car; the last part is a winding road down to the coast
Cheap eats in Cirali
Çıralı eats from its own orchards and the sea: gözleme from village women, fresh-squeezed orange and pomegranate juice, and grilled fish at the beach. Up the road in Ulupınar the speciality is trout from the spring pools. There is no real town centre, so most eating is at the pensions and the little places along the beach road.
- Paşa Gözleme · Gözleme off the griddle with cheese or spinach; about 150-250 lira
- Nehir Gözleme · Gözleme on the way to the Olympos ruins; about 150-250 lira
- Hayriye's Home Cooking · Home-style dishes of the day; a plate about 250-400 lira
- Mr. Smoothie · Fresh orange and pomegranate juice and smoothies; about 100-180 lira
- Asmaaltı Café · Cakes, coffee and ice cream under the vine; about 100-200 lira
- Dondurma ice cream · Ice cream by the scoop; about 40-70 lira a scoop
- Havuzbaşı Restaurant · Trout from the spring pools in Ulupınar; about 400-550 lira
Museums in Cirali
- Olympos ancient city · Ruins along a stream down to the beach
- Phaselis · Three ancient harbours and a paved main street
- Yörük Park · Open-air museum of the Taurus nomads in Kemer
- Gelidonya Lighthouse · The cape of the 1200 BC shipwreck; a walk on the Lycian Way
Nature and day trips near Cirali
- Chimaera flames · Go after dark; the path is steep and rocky
- Tahtalı Dağı · Summit at 2,365 m by cable car; take a jacket
- Suluada · White rock island by boat from Adrasan
- Çıralı Beach · Turtle nesting beach; respect the cages over the nests
- Ulupınar gorge · Cold springs and shade, 10 minutes inland
Things to do in Cirali with kids
- Chimaera flames · Real fire from the rock; marshmallows are a classic
- Olympos stream · Splash in the stream among the ruins
- Tahtalı cable car · A ride into the clouds; snow at the top until late spring
- Ulupınar trout pools · Watch the fish in the spring pools before lunch
- Adrasan Beach · Shallow water at the stream end
Where to eat in Cirali
- Karakedi Restaurant · Meat, lamb and fish on the beach road
- Orange Restaurant · Turkish cooking in the orchards behind the beach
- Yakamoz · Grills and seafood; Yakamoz is the sea glow at night
- Village Garden · Dinner in a garden on the beach road
- Botanik · Big trout restaurant in the Ulupınar gorge
Frequently asked questions about Cirali
What is there to see in Cirali?
The top sights in Cirali are Çıralı Beach, Olympos Beach and Olympos ancient city. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Cirali?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Cirali without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Cirali?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Cirali, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Fire and pirates.
How do you get to Cirali and get around?
The main ways are Çıralı dolmuş stop, Kemer Bus Station and Antalya Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Cirali, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Cirali that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Cirali for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.