Kekova and Kaleköy: Turkey's Sunken City and the Village With No Road

Nowhere else on the Turkish coast does your boat glide over an ancient city. At Kekova, earthquakes long ago tipped a Lycian harbour town beneath the surface: walls, stairways and quays now shimmer just below your keel. Across the strait, Kaleköy — ancient Simena — climbs a hillside with no road to its name, crowned by a small castle, with a half-sunken Lycian sarcophagus standing in the shallows as the region's signature image.

Where is Kekova?

In the Demre district of Antalya province, next door to Kaş. The pieces: Kekova Island (the Sunken City lies along its northern shore), the mellow road-accessible village of Üçağız (ancient Teimiussa), and boat-or-footpath-only Kaleköy. The whole seascape is a protected area.

The Sunken City

The ruins run just below and along the waterline of Kekova Island's north shore. To protect them, swimming and diving over the Sunken City are forbidden — boats pass slowly at a set distance, and glass-bottom boats fill in the details. Flat morning light and calm water give the best visibility; afternoons often bring a breeze that ripples the view away.

Kaleköy — ancient Simena

No road reaches Kaleköy. You arrive by boat from Üçağız in a few minutes, or on foot along the shore path in about half an hour. The climb to the castle rewards you with a tiny rock-cut theatre inside the walls and the finest panorama in the region; below, sarcophagi stand among the gardens and lanes drop steeply to the water. Homemade ice cream on the way down is the village's unwritten rule.

Getting there and getting afloat

By land, come via Demre or Kaş to Üçağız; tour boats leave from there and from Demre's Çayağzı jetty, and Kaş day tours cover Kekova too. Sea-kayak tours are the loveliest low-level way to see the shallows. These waters lie beyond our Göcek–Fethiye home area; to sail them on your own keel, the independent company Göcek Yachting takes charter enquiries for all of Turkey here. For the Lycian coast's walking side, start with our Lycian Way guide.

Tips

Take the early boats in summer — cooler, calmer, clearer. The castle path is short but steep: sandals or shoes, not flip-flops, and carry water. It's a protected zone: follow anchoring and swimming rules and take nothing from the ruins. And stay for the late light at Üçağız if you can; it's the day's quiet reward.