Situated on Turkey’s beautiful south west Mediterranean coast, between the towns of Fethiye and Kaş, the small town of Kalkan is nestled at the foot of the Taurus Mountains in a beautiful bay.

The heart of Kalkan is its Old Town, a maze of small cobbled streets winding down to the harbour. The streets are lined with many old Greek and Turkish buildings covered with bougainvillea, occupied by small boutique shops, restaurants and a few bar/cafes. Today the town is expanding out from this traditional centre, but the character of the Old Town and harbour remains unchanged.

Kalkan itself has a man made pebble beach, but is better known for its beach clubs and proximity to the famous beaches of Patara and Kaputas cove. The beach clubs are private rock bathing platforms with intimate café/restaurants, just a 5 minute water taxi ride round the bay. The waters around Kalkan bay have a Blue Flag award for cleanliness and are ideal for all forms of water sports. Learn to dive at one of the diving schools or simply charter a small boat and its crew for the day.

Like much of Turkey, Kalkan is surrounded by historical and geographical sites. Pinara, Patara, Xanthos, Thlos and Myra cover ancient settlements from the Byzantine, Roman and Lycian periods to name but a few. The river gorge at Saklikent and famous beach at Ölü Deniz are all less than an hour away.

Above all Kalkan is most famous for its high quality but reasonably priced restaurants. With over 100 to choose from, there is something for everyone. Most popular are the roof terrace restaurants of the Old Town where you can sit and watch the sun set overlooking the sea but there is a range of restaurants to suit all budgets and tastes.

It is no surprise therefore, that Kalkan, once the favourite summer resort for wealthy Turks has now become internationally renowned and is developing as a cosmopolitan town. The beauty of the location, the weather and the friendliness of the local people attract visitors back time and time again.

Does Kalkan have a beach?

Kalkan has a pebbly man made beach to the east side of the harbour, but is more renown for its beach clubs around the bay and its proximity to Kaputas Beach and the famous 16km sandy Patara beach. Beach clubs can be found in the harbour, at Club Patara, Komurluk and Kisla on the east side of the bay as well as in Kalamar Bay to the west. A number of small private sea front hotels such as Villa Mahal, Yali and Caretta Pensions also offer bathing from their sea landings and sun bed hire.

If lounging around the pool is more your style, then you will be pleased to know that most villas and apartments have private or shared pool facilities. A number of hotels will also allow non hotel guests use of their pools and sun beds for a small daily fee. Hotels with particularly large swimming pools are the Harpy Hotel in Kalamar Bay and the Samira Deluxe Hotel in the Ortaalan area of the town.

How can I travel to Kalkan?

Many well known tour operators offer holiday packages to Kalkan throughout the tourist season which runs from late April to the end of October. Operators specialising in Kalkan are Exclusive Escapes, Simply Travel and Travel Zest/Tapestry Holidays, although Anatolian Sky, Cachet Travel, Sunquest and Thompson Holidays have a small number of Kalkan hotels in their brochures. Most of them also offer the alternative of flight only.

If you plan to travel independently, you can fly to Dalaman or Antalya airports and then transfer by private car, taxi or local coach services to Kalkan. For further information on holidays or flights only to Kalkan please see our viewing trips web page.

If you are travelling independently you can arrange a private transfer or car hire to travel from Dalaman airport to Kalkan. A local bus service is also available via Fethiye.

Is Dalaman the airport I should fly to?

Yes Dalaman is the nearest airport and in July 2006 the new International Terminal opened at Dalaman thereby increasing the capacity and service for flights all year round. The old international terminal has now been converted to cater for domestic flights.

Charter flights are therefore now available into Dalaman airport all year round, although a full service from all major departure airports starts from April through to the beginning of November. Alternatively, direct scheduled flights are available with Kibris airlines from Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester airports and with Turkish Airlines from Heathrow and Stansted. You can also fly with Easy Jet to Istanbul and Dalaman direct.

Charter and scheduled flights are also available all year round to Antalya airport. In winter the availability of flights and prices may be more appealing into Antalya but the transfer time to Kalkan is considerably longer.

How far is it from Dalaman and Antalya airports to Kalkan? What transport is available and what will it cost?

It is possible to travel from Dalaman and Antalya airport by bus, taxi or private transfer. Private transfers are usually the preferred route with costs from as little as 90GBP return from Dalaman and 120GBP return from Antalya per car. Mini bus transfers are also available for larger parties. Many holiday makers are now also hiring a car at the airport and driving themselves.

Dalaman to Kalkan transfer time is typically 1.5 hours

Antalya to Kalkan transfer time is typically 2.5 hours in summer and 3.0 hours in winter.

The opening of new Gocek tunnel in July 2006 has considerably shortened and improved the airport transfer time from Dalaman. The long awaited new relief road into Kalkan from Fethiye is predicted to reduce the transfer time further to around 1 hour and 15 minutes and is due to open end of June 2008.

What is the weather like in Kalkan throughout the year?

Kalkan is one of the hottest locations on the southern coast in summer and mildest in winter. Summer temperatures peak from the beginning of July into the middle of August and can reach into the 40's. From as early as March and until as late as November Kalkan enjoys day time temperatures in the 20's. From November until April the weather is less predictable, but cooler temperatures are generally accompanied with sunshine, making it an ideal time to explore the area. The wettest period is usually January into mid February when heavy but short lived rain storms can be expected.

Do I need a visa to enter Turkey?

For many foreign nationals including the UK the tourist visa (currently £10) is purchased on arrival in Turkey and is valid for up to 3 months. If you wish to stay in Turkey for longer periods it is possible to apply for a residents visa - please see our Living in Turkey FAQ's section for more information.

Alternatively, the standard tourist visa can be renewed by a day boat trip from Kas to the Greek Island of Maize. This is a convenient way to extend the visa for another three months and also provides an opportunity to purchase duty free and foodstuffs not available locally.

What healthcare is locally available?

Kalkan has a number of private doctors and dentists and Fethiye a variety of private hospitals. Health care is not covered under the E111 as in the European Union and private health cover is necessary. However the standard of private care is excellent and generally significantly cheaper than European private hospitals. Doctors in Kalkan and in Fethiye are used to dealing with foreign patients and some hospitals have a special foreigner liaison officer to help with any communication problems and insurance paperwork.

Where can I get more information about Kalkan as a holiday resort?

We would recommend you take a look at the website kalkanholidays.com

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What is Kalkan like as a Resort?