A forgotten archaeological treasure
While most of Turkey’s greatest archaeological sites receive more than their fair share of visitors, lovely Arykanda is on the road to nowhere (well, only Elmalı anyway) and so goes virtually ignored. This is a great shame since the views from its lofty theatre are almost matchless. Here, too, you`ll find a vast bathhouse, a basilica, and a wonderful terrace that may have served as an outdoor council chamber with a small odeon tucked away behind it. Right above the theatre there`s even a stadium with seats along one side only so that spectators could soak up the view in between events.
While you’re driving back down to the coast at Finike you may also want to pause at Limyra where the ruins of a temple bestride a marble plinth above the waters of a mountain spring. It’s an unexpectedly bucolic setting, the perfect counterpoint to rocky Arykanda.
Sleeping
There is accommodation in Elmali and Finike although for more of a choice you may want to press on to Antalya.
Transport info
To get to Akryanda without your own car you first need to get to Finike on the road from Fethiye to Antalya.
From outside Finike’s small otogar you can pick up minibuses heading north to Turunçova. There you switch to a second minibus to get to nearby Limyra and then to Arykanda. Ask to be put off at the junction with the path to the ruins. You’ll need to walk the last km uphill to the site.
