Çıralı and Olympos Holiday Guide: Turtle Beach, Ruins and Eternal Flames
Çıralı is what many people imagine the Turkish coast looked like before the big resorts arrived: a long beach, orange groves, family-run pensions and mountains rising straight behind. At the end of the shore lie the ruins of Olympos. This guide explains how to spend a holiday here, what to see, when to come and how to get there from Antalya Airport.
A Village That Stayed Small
Çıralı lies in a valley south of Kemer, reached by a side road that winds down from the D400 to the sea. The village is part of Ulupınar and sits within the Beydağları Coastal National Park, created in 1972, which helps explain why it has kept its low-rise, green character. Pensions, bungalows and small hotels stand among citrus gardens, and many of them are family-run. There are no high-rise hotels and no nightclubs, and the evenings are quiet. Days are slow and simple: a swim, a long breakfast, a walk, a nap in a hammock. The Olympos valley, at the southern end of the beach, has its own pensions along the river near the ruins.
A Beach Shared With Turtles
The beach runs for a little over 3 km, a mix of sand and pebbles with the mountains behind, and the water deepens quickly, so keep a close eye on young children. Çıralı is one of the loggerhead turtle nesting beaches of Turkey. Females come ashore at night to lay their eggs, and hatchlings make their way to the sea over the summer; one local cooperative counted thousands reaching the water between May and September in a single season. To protect them, the beach is kept dark and quiet at night in the nesting season, and activities such as fires, tents and driving on the sand are not allowed. Respect any marked nests, fill in holes you dig, and leave no lights on the sand.
Olympos, the Chimaera and the Lycian Way
At the southern end of the beach, the ruins of ancient Olympos lie half-hidden in a green river valley, with walls, tombs and a theatre emerging from the trees. Above the northern end of the village, the Chimaera, known in Turkish as Yanartaş, is a hillside where small flames fed by natural gas burn straight out of the rock; many people walk up in the evening to see them at their most striking. The Lycian Way, a long-distance footpath, passes through, so you can walk sections of it along the coast. On the D400 near Ulupınar, riverside restaurants serve trout, and on the way back towards Kemer the ruins of Phaselis stand among pines beside three small harbours.
Who It Suits and When to Go
Çıralı is for travellers who want nature and quiet rather than entertainment: couples, walkers, families with older children, and anyone who would rather eat at a family table than at a buffet. Those who want nightlife, big pools or a wide choice of shops will find it too sleepy, as the village has only small shops and restaurants. Late spring and early autumn are ideal for walking and sightseeing, when the hills are green and the heat is gentler. Summer is the season for swimming, and also the turtle nesting season. Several small hotels quieten down or close outside the summer months, so confirm your dates with your accommodation before booking flights.
Getting to Çıralı and Olympos
Antalya Airport (AYT) is the airport for this coast. Çıralı is 96 km away by road and the Olympos valley pensions 98 km, about 1 hour 35 minutes in either case. The route follows the D400 coastal highway south past Kemer and then a side road down to the sea; Çıralı and Olympos each have their own turn-off, so tell us which of the two you are staying in. Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport is far to the east and not a practical option. Our transfer is private, with the vehicle reserved for your party alone. Your driver will be in arrivals holding a sign with your name, we keep an eye on your flight, and child seats are free if you ask. Because places here are spread out, you are driven to your own gate.