Sightseeing in Kemer

Kemer differs from the rest of the coast in that the mountains come right down to the water and the beaches are pebble rather than sand. Directly above the town stands Tahtalı, about two and a half thousand metres high, with a cable car running to the summit — one of the longest in the world. At the top it is some fifteen degrees colder than below, and in July you meet people wearing jackets over their beachwear.

Ancient cities are scattered along the shore. Phaselis lies half an hour away: three harbours with a street of fallen columns between them, and you can swim right beside the ancient mole. Further south is Olympos, and above it Mount Yanartaş, where gas has seeped from cracks in the rock for millennia and burns in open flame; these are the fires that ancient writers described as the breath of the Chimaera. They are best seen after dark.

For longer trips, Kemer sends coaches to Pamukkale with Lake Salda in a single day and to Cappadocia over two days with an overnight. Both roads are long and departures early. Practical notes: Tahtalı calls for warm clothing whatever the season, and Yanartaş for a torch and closed shoes, because the path is stony and the climb is made in the dark.