Places / Towns

Kalkan Old Town, the Cobbled Hill Above a Greek Harbour

Kalkan's lanes climb from a small, deep harbour between whitewashed stone houses. The shops line the way up, and the bay shows itself at every gap.

By Lycia Journal4 min read
Small boats moored along the quay in Kalkan harbour

A shutter bangs open on an upper floor, a woman sweeps her step, and at the bottom of the lane a gap between two walls holds a slice of blue bay. The cobbles are cool underfoot and the air smells of soap, thyme and coffee.

Kalkan has one hill, and the old town covers it. Whitewashed stone houses step up from the water, bougainvillea hangs over the walls, and the lanes are cobbled and closed to through traffic. About 3,900 people live here, so the town can be walked from end to end, but the hill sets the pace.

Kalamaki, before it was Kalkan

Kalkan began as Kalamaki, a settlement of Greek Orthodox families, many of them trading with Meis across the water. The Greek community left in 1923 under the population exchange, and Turkish families from Greece took over the houses. Many of those who left settled near Athens, where they founded a new town and called it Kalamaki too. The harbour worked as a port into the 1970s and declined after the road to Fethiye opened. Tourism brought it back from the 1980s.

The history is easy to see in the streets themselves: thick stone walls, lanes cut for feet rather than cars, and houses that all face the water.

The Çarşı climbs with the shops

The Çarşı starts at the harbour and climbs through narrow streets, and the shops climb with it. Local craft leads: olive oil soaps, leather goods, jewellery in traditional patterns, loose herbs and spices. Boutiques sell Turkish-made and imported clothes. Many of the houses are restored Ottoman-era buildings with wooden balconies and shutters, now shops, guesthouses and restaurants, and some on the upper streets date from the Greek community. In the evening, stalls and street food fill the lanes.

A stone house with blue balconies and bougainvillea on a Kalkan lane
A quiet Kalkan street with potted plants and a blue bench

Where the bay shows

The lanes tilt, so the sea turns up at every gap between the roofs. Roof terraces turn the same view into a seat. Below, the harbour is a small, deep horseshoe, one of the few sheltered anchorages between Kaş and Fethiye, and the town beach lies beside it.

Evenings are the best argument for staying in the old town. The shops keep late hours, the restaurants spill onto the cobbles and the harbour lights come on one by one below the roofs. Nothing here requires a plan. Walk up for dinner, walk down for the last drink, and the hill takes care of the rest, usually with a short pause on a step halfway to look back at the bay.

Ten minutes to Kaputaş, seventeen kilometres to Patara

Kaputaş is about ten minutes by car, at the foot of a long staircase from the coast road. Patara is about 17 km away, with an ancient city and a long beach, and Kaş is a dolmuş ride along the coast. The old town works as a base because everything else is a short drive from it.

Editor's picks

  • Start at the harbour and climb.The Çarşı makes sense uphill, with the bay behind you.
  • Stop at every gap.Each break between the houses frames the bay differently.
  • Buy the small things.Olive oil soap and loose herbs and spices pack flat and travel well.
  • Come back after dark.The stalls and street food fill the lanes in the evening.
  • Swim off the town beach.It sits beside the harbour, a short walk from the lanes.
  • Drive to Patara for half a day.Bring your Müze Kart for the ancient city.
Straw parasols on a pale beach beside a turquoise bay

Insider notes

The Thursday market is the local one: fruit, vegetables, cheese, olives and loose tea, with stalls of souvenirs and clothes beside them. It is the quickest way to see what the town actually eats.

The Kalamaki near Athens exists because of Kalkan's families. Few visitors know that the two names belong to the same story.

The cobbles are uneven and the hill is steeper than the map suggests. Leave the heels at the hotel.

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How to get to Kalkan Old Town

Dalaman is the closest airport, about 1 hour 45 minutes by road. You can book a private VIP transfer or a seat on a shared shuttle minibus, and hiring a car at the airport is easy. The old lanes are for walking, and dolmuş minibuses run between Kalkan and both Kaş and Fethiye. Flights from Europe and Istanbul are covered in Getting there.

At the foot of the lane the small harbour light comes on.

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