We thought we'd be here for 30 minutes, but were still exploring after 3 hours. The place is fascinating. it is still being uncovered and catalogued. Wear study shoes. The beach is nearby, and the sea breeze kept it from being too hot.

It is a wiggly drive through the mountains to Olympos, an ancient port city. Much work is being undertaken here and so many parts are out of bounds for now, but there is still much to see. City walls from Roman times to the Ottoman era, tombs, mosaics etc. The city was abandoned in the 15th century. The Akçay stream runs through the city and much of the dyke to keep it at bay is intact. Spectacular mountain scenery surrounds the site. The mountain above the port is one of the many named Olympos. It is thought Olympos may have meant mountain in ancient times. This Olympos was a famous mountain because of the eternal flames burning on it's slopes. Olympos can be entered from the village of the same name or by walking across the beach from Çıralı. There are pay kiosks at either entrance. The perpetual gas fires at Yanartaş are found a few kilometers to the northwest of the Çıralı. The car park in Olympos village is closed for renovation so for now there is only street parking. In the main holiday season there is a regular dolmuş (minibus) service from the main D400 coast road about 10km from Olympos. Entrance fee was 220TL.

A short walk along Cirali Beach and the last thing I was really expecting was a well preserved 2nd Century BC Lycian City set amongst lush vegetation overlooking a beautiful Bay. Very quiet, the marked walkways lead you to surprise after surprise before arriving back at a small river that offers a refreshing walk to cool overheated tootsies. This place well worth a couple of hours and so glad we went. A ten from Len or even Yorkshire Lad.