Turkey's Mediterranean Coast

Overview of Holidays on Turkey's Mediterranean Coast:

The Mediterranean coast is Turkey's top holiday destination. The Mediterranean region of Turkey is a narrow strip of land nestled between the pine covered Taurus Mountains (Toros) and the Mediterranean Sea. It covers the entire southern coast of Turkey and enjoys one of the sunniest climates in Europe. In addition to sun-drenched beaches, Turkey's Mediterranean coast also offers visitors a wealth of art and a rich history.

Turkey's Mediterranean Climate:

Mediterranean Turkey enjoys the typical Mediterranean climate. During the summer temperature can soar above 40 degrees centigrade, even durting winter the mercury rarely drops below 5 degrees centigrade. Snowfall is virtually unknown on Turkey's Mediterranean coast; but it is found on the mountain peaks and inland, in Turkey's Lakes District, where winter can be quite snow-filled. The Mediterranean sea temperature around the coast of Turket is usualy around 28 degrees centigrade during summer, so it's ideal for a refreshing dip after all that sun bathing or site seeing.

Our Mediterranean Turkey Holiday Resorts:

Kalkan is an enchanting historic town and enjoys one of the most beautiful locations along Turkey's gorgeous Lycian Coast. It has so far escaped mass tourism and so remains a delightful and unspoiled secret holiday destination. It offers an abundance of lush natural scenery, crystal clear turquise sea, sandy coves and beaches, ancient history, fascinating architecture and traditional warm Turkish hospitality.

We offer a fabulous range of holiday accommodation in Kalkan, ranging from magnificent villas with private pools to stunning coastal apartments; all hand-picked for their splendid locations and great facilities.
More information about the holiday resort of Kalkan View our holiday villas & apartments in Kalkan

Turkey's Mediterranean Regions:

Mediterranean Turkey has six main regions:
The Cilician Mountains: A rural paradise with beautiful verdant mountain scenery dotted with ancient citadels and close to hundreds of kilometres of almost totally deserted beaches.
The Cilician Plains: An historic Biblical region with rocky hills topped by Crusader citadels.
Hatay: An area of Middle-eastern influenced culture and cuisine, it lies in the south-eastern area of the Mediterranean region, extending towards Syria.
The Lakes District: This inland region is very different from the coastal Mediterranean area; with a lush green backdrop intesrpersed with large and small lakes.
Lycia: Known as 'blue voyage' country Lycia is a rugged and heavily wooded landscape with numerous picture-postcard turquoise coves backed by majestic Lycian ruins. It lies within an area of outstanding natural beauty which is steeped in ancient history. It is home to the resort of Kalkan where many of our beautiful holiday villas are located.
Pamphylia: An established and popular tourism destination, it has some of the clearest waters and longest sandy beaches along Turkey's Mediterranean coast.

Mediterranean Turkey's History:

Mediterrean Turkey has been home to a number of ancient civilizations, namely Lycia, Pamphylia, and Cilicia west to east, Mediterranean Turkey was captured by the Romans about a 100BC. It was occupied by the Crusaders on their way to Jerusalem, and visitors can see a number of ancient Crusader citadels in the east of the region. Ancestors of most of the region's locals arrived from Central Asia as nomadic tribes. Some descendants still maintain the old settlers' traditions to this day by wintering on the warm coast and then heading inland or to the mountains during the sun-drenched summer months.

Mediterranean Turkey's Language:

Turkish is the official language and Turkey's Mediterranean region is home to a wide variety of Turkish dialects. However, thanks to popular tourism, English is understood in shops, hotels and restaurants in many of the popular holiday resorts, especially in the western parts of the region (eg: Pamphylia and Lycia).

Getting to Mediterranean Turkey:

International airports in Turkey's Mediterranean region are located in Dalaman, Antalya and Adana. Adana has daily direct train services from both Istanbul and Ankara stopping off at a number of other cities en-route. All cities and a good number of towns have direct bus connections from all big cities in the country.

The Mediterranean region is connected to the north of the country by a network of highways, although some of the roads are winding and narrow (especially those that pass through the Taurus Mountains.

Out & About in Mediterranean Turkey:

Local bus services are fairly frequent and quite comfortable, especially in the poular tourist areas of Lycia and Pamphylia. The train service is limited to the Cilician Plains with a branch line south to Iskenderun in Hatay. The Lakes District also has a branch line stretching north-west but this is little used.

There are no long-haul ferry routes along the coast, but boat trips area available from most major tourist towns so visitors can explore more remote parts of Turkey's Mediterranean coastline. Alternatively you can alsways hire a car to explore this fascinating, historic and beautiful region at your own leisurely pace.

View our Turkish Mediterranean Coastal Villas & Holiday Apartments