Olympos

These are the ruins of an ancient Lycian port city on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, in the province of Antalya near the village of Cirali. Once the city was part of the Lycian Union and had as many as three votes in it.

The most convenient way is through Antalya, and then to the village of Cirali or Olympos on the Turkish Riviera. The ruins themselves lie in a valley that goes directly to the sea, so the beach and archeology are here in one bottle.

Remains of Roman baths and temples, a bridge with three arches across the river that connected the two parts of the city, several early Byzantine basilicas with mosaics and necropolises with inscriptions on tombs. Chimera (Yanartash) is burning nearby - natural fires that break out of the ground by themselves.

The climate here is Mediterranean, so it is more comfortable to climb the ruins and the beach in the spring or autumn, before the summer heat is on full blast.

In ancient times, the city was famous for piracy, until the Romans under Publius Servilius Vatius quelled it around 76 BC. Later, in the 5th-6th century, it revived as a Byzantine bishopric and managed to acquire as many as nine churches before it was abandoned after the Arab raids.