Kekova Sunken City and Simena (Kaleköy)

Kekova is a long, uninhabited island lying 500 m off the coast between Kaş and Demre, and its north shore is lined with the walls, steps and quays of an ancient town that slipped partly into the sea. Swimming over the ruins is banned, so you see them from a boat. Across the channel lies Kaleköy, the Lycian town of Simena: a village with no road, a castle on the hilltop and a stone sarcophagus standing in the shallows. The usual way to see both is a boat trip from Üçağız, often on the same day as Myra; our Kekova Sunken City, Demre and Myra day trip does this from Antalya.

Key details at a glance

A short history

Grave inscriptions and coins show that Simena existed by the 4th century BC. It belonged to a small union of towns led by its neighbour Aperlai, together with Apollonia and Isinda, and remained a city in its own right under Rome. The town on Kekova Island, called Dolichiste in antiquity, was wrecked by an earthquake in the 2nd century AD, and part of it ended up below the waterline. It was rebuilt, lived on through the Byzantine centuries and was abandoned after Arab raids.

On 18 January 1990 the Kekova region, 260 km² of sea and shore taking in the island, Kaleköy, Üçağız and four ancient towns, was declared a specially protected area. Swimming and diving were banned across the area at first; the ban was later lifted except over the sunken city. In October 2026 Culture Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced an Early Bronze Age wreck found near the island by an Akdeniz University team, its jars put at about 4,700 years old, and called it the world's oldest shipwreck.

What you see from the boat

• The sunken city. Along the island's north shore, house walls, stone stairs and the remains of a quay sit half in and half out of the water, reaching down 4 to 5 m. Boats run slowly beside the rocks so you can look down through the clear water.
• Tersane Bay. A cove at the island's north-west end (the name means "dockyard") with the ruins of a Byzantine church, where swimming is allowed.
• The Kaleköy shore. A Lycian sarcophagus stands in the shallows below the village, and the remains of a Roman bath, whose inscription names Emperor Titus, lie at the waterline.
• Üçağız. The harbour village stands on the site of ancient Teimiussa, whose ruins lie to the east. The name means "three mouths", after the three channels to the open sea.

Simena castle and Kaleköy village

From the waterfront a steep path, partly on ancient steps, climbs to the castle, passing two sarcophagi, one inscribed to Mentor, son of Idargus. Inside the walls is Simena's surprise: a theatre cut into the bedrock, with seven rows of seats for about 300 people. Around it are cisterns, rock tombs and the traces of a building used as a temple, then a church and finally a mosque. North-east of the castle a necropolis of sarcophagi and rock tombs covers the slope.

Down at the water, Kaleköy is a row of stone houses and restaurants with their own jetties. The Ministry describes it as one of the few settlements in Türkiye that can be reached only from the sea. GoTürkiye suggests goat's milk ice cream, or Turkish coffee made with carob, in a village café.

How to get there

From Antalya. Üçağız is 162 km from central Antalya by road. Routing software puts the drive at about 2 hours 20 minutes without stops, but our coaches allow two and a half to three hours to Demre, 20 km short of Üçağız. From Antalya, Kemer or Belek, an organised day that adds Myra and lunch is the practical choice.

From Kaş or Demre. Üçağız is 32 km from Kaş (about 45 minutes) and 20 km from Demre (about 30 minutes). GoTürkiye notes that Kekova is reached by boat from Üçağız, where boats run to the sunken city, Tersane Bay and Kaleköy.

By gulet. Blue cruises sailing east from Fethiye and Kaş anchor in the bays around Kekova; see our blue cruise tours.

When to go

The boat trip is at its best from April to October. Antalya's long-term average high is 34.2 °C in July and 31.2 °C in September, with almost no summer rain, so the castle climb is hot work in July and August; May (25.7 °C) and October (26.6 °C) are easier. Day tours from Antalya reach the boats in the early afternoon, after Myra and lunch; if you stay in Kaş or Üçağız, you can go out by boat in the morning instead. In December and January Antalya averages about 12 rainy days a month.

Combining Kekova with nearby places

• Myra and St Nicholas Church. Twenty kilometres east in Demre, the rock tombs and theatre of Myra and the church of St Nicholas are the natural pairing; see our Myra and St Nicholas Church page. The Ministry's e-ticket list gives €13 for Myra and €17 for the St Nicholas Museum.
• Kaş. The harbour town 32 km west, which GoTürkiye calls one of the most significant diving spots in Türkiye.

Practical tips

• Wear shoes with grip: the path to the castle is steep and uneven.
• Pack swimwear and a towel for the swim stops, and stay out of the water where the no-swimming signs stand.
• Bring a hat and water in summer, when Antalya's average high tops 34 °C.
• A calm, sunny day gives the clearest view of the stones under water.

Tours that visit Kekova and Simena

• Kekova Sunken City, Demre and Myra Day Trip with Lunch: from $120 per person, 8 hours, with St Nicholas Church, Myra, lunch, about two hours on the boat and a swim stop.
• Demre, Myra and Kekova Tour from Antalya: from $103 per person, 06:30 to about 19:00, with an English-speaking guide, lunch, the boat cruise and entrance fees.
• Demre, Myra and Kekova Private Tour: from $140 per person, about 8 hours, with your own guide and van and entry tickets included; meals are extra.
• 7-Day Turkey Highlights Tour with Fethiye Gulet Cruise: from $2,660 per person. On day 7 the gulet sails past the sunken city, you climb to Simena castle and leave the boat at Demre.

On the day tours you see Kaleköy and its castle from the boat; if the climb matters to you, ask us before booking whether there is time ashore on your date. Our Antalya day trips and things to do in Antalya guides, the Antalya tours list and the Antalya destination guide cover the rest of the coast.

Frequently Asked Questions