Turkey Holiday Packages – Patara – Ruins in the Sand

On this page, you too can discover Patara, a mystical place with a truly stunning beach and an ancient city part-buried in the sand.

Stunning Beach

Turkey holiday packages Patara beach, by flickr.com user "jries"

The ancient city of Patara was the major port of Lycia, and the extent of the ruins here gives a clue to the past importance of the place. The ruins really are partially buried in the extensive dunes behind the beach – and what a beach!

World-famous and rightly so, this nine-mile stretch of golden sand is safe for swimming whatever your age. Backed by sweeping dunes, the dunes that partially cover the ancient ruins, Patara beach is exceptional and not something that many Turkey holiday packages can offer. Beach lovers could quite possibly end up spending every minute of every day here, such is the beauty of this place.

Unspoilt Environment

The beach is not one of those buzzing hang-outs that you might find on some of the more lively Turkey holiday packages. Here, there is little to blemish the outstanding natural beauty, and it seems that the authorities want to keep it that way. There is one small café at one end of the beach, and you can hire sunbeds and umbrellas, and you’ll also find toilets and showers, but that’s about the extent of development here.

If you want paragliding, banana boats, pedalos and a disco-on-the-beach scene, this is not the beach for you.

Patara in Ruins

Turkey holiday packages Patara ruins, Wikimedia, author: Pataramyra

How many Turkey holiday packages can offer a beach backed by a genuine ancient ruined city to explore? It’s the one thing that makes Patara truly unique. If you need a change from the sun-bathing, you can walk to the back of the beach and up into the dunes for a journey back in time amongst the ruins of this once-glorious ancient city. The half-buried stone buildings, many of which even today are still to be rediscovered, are popular with holidaymakers, some of whom can be seen poking around in the ruins for hours on end while the rest of the family frolic in the waves.

Walk in the Woods

Patara is backed by the Taurus mountains, and if you stay in the village itself you can wander past the greenhouses filled with tomatoes and cucumbers, through the olive groves, under the fruit trees heavy with lemons, figs and pomegranates and up one of the many wooded tracks into the hills of this National Park. The scenery in this part of Turkey is breathtaking – a real eye-opener if Turkey is new to you.

The Patara National Park has more energetic activities than walking on offer too – canoeing is a popular part of Turkey holiday packages to the area and horse-riding trips over the dunes and through the forest makes for a very pleasant diversion.

Where to Stay

The present-day village of Patara, also known as Gelemis, is but a shadow of the ancient city, and accommodation here is low-key. There are a few hotels, and a smattering of bars and restaurants that have improved considerably in recent years, but if you want a more in the way of stylish bars and high-class eateries in the evenings, then you may be better visiting Patara during the day and taking one of the Turkey holiday packages to the classy and also very beautiful Turkish resort of Kalkan, just six miles to the south. But, if you prefer homely evenings filled with old-world Mediterranean charm in a friendly village atmosphere, then staying in Patara could suit you very well.

Note that the village is about two miles inland from the beach, about 30-40 minutes’ walk – or you can easily catch the dolmus (minibus) which ferries people to and from the beach. In fact, several of the hotels run their own free minibuses for this purpose.

Verdict

Personally, I love Patara beach and it’s a struggle to give up a day here to do something else. It is truly unique and stunningly beautiful. Staying in the village of Patara is great if you want relaxation rather than sophistication, but if you want the opposite, one of the Turkey holiday packages to nearby Kalkan will suit you better, and you can come to Patara in the day-time.

There has never been a better time, thanks to the Euro etc. to take a holiday to Turkey, and if you have never been before, it’s places like Patara that will have you hooked on the place for good.

Need a holiday? You can check prices and availability here: Turkey holiday packages.