Daily Patara, Xanthos & Letoon Tour from Kalkan – Three Lycian Cities

Daily Patara, Xanthos & Letoon Tour from Kalkan — A Day in Ancient Lycia

This day trip from Kalkan takes you to three of the great cities of ancient Lycia, Patara, Xanthos and Letoon, all within a short drive of one another in the fertile Esen valley. After an early pickup from your hotel, a professional English-speaking guide leads the way through ruins that once formed the political and religious core of the Lycian League, with every entrance fee already covered.

The first stop is Patara, a rich trading port and one of the six principal cities of Lycia. In antiquity its oracle of Apollo was spoken of in the same breath as Delphi, and legend held that the god spent his summers on Delos and his winters at Patara, where omens were read during the cold months. The temple itself has never been found, but a large bust of Apollo uncovered on the hill beyond the city gate hints that it lies somewhere nearby. Patara is also known for Patara Beach, one of the longest sandy shorelines on the Turkish coast, which stretches beside the ancient city.

A few minutes away lies Xanthos, the capital of the Lycian Union and, according to tradition, the seat of King Iobates; Greek myth credits its founding to Sarpedon of Crete. Today visitors come to see its striking pillar tombs and rock-cut Lycian tombs. The excursion ends at Letoon, the sacred sanctuary of the Lycians, rediscovered in 1840 and now inscribed together with Xanthos on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the afternoon you are driven back to Kalkan, having covered three ancient cities in a single, easy daily excursion.