# Tlos ancient city, Fethiye > Tlos is an ancient Lycian city on a crag above the Xanthos valley, 40–45 km east of Fethiye. Rock tombs line the cliff — among them the Tomb of Bellerophon with its Pegasus relief — below an Ottoman fort, with a theatre and Roman baths further down. Entry is €3 for foreign visitors; open daily, until 19:30 in summer. Allow 1.5 hours. Web page: https://yesgo.io/turkey/fethiye/tlos - City: [Fethiye](https://yesgo.io/turkey/fethiye), Turkey - YesGo score: 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 30 min - Opening hours: Daily; summer 8:30–19:30, winter 8:30–17:30 - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry (foreign visitors): €3 (age 8+) - Turkish citizens: 200 TL - Children: Foreign visitors under 8 free - Summer: 8:30–19:30, last entry 19:30 - Winter: 8:30–17:30, last entry 17:30 - Season change: Summer hours roughly April–October; exact switch date being verified - Closed: Never — open every day - Getting there: Car, taxi or tour, ≈ 50 min from Fethiye; no direct dolmuş to the ruins - Address: Yaka Mah., Seydikemer, Muğla - Coordinates: 36.55389, 29.42079 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **1 of 6** — leading cities of the Lycian League, each with three votes (source: English and Russian Wikipedia: Tlos (after Strabo)) - **Tomb of Bellerophon** — a temple-fronted rock tomb with a relief of the hero on Pegasus (source: English and Russian Wikipedia: Tlos; Archaeotravel) - **≈ 8,500 seats** — in the theatre, restored with its original stones (source: Hürriyet Daily News, 2025; Yeni Asır, 2026) - **Kanlı Ali Ağa** — the Ottoman strongman whose fort crowns the acropolis (source: English and Russian Wikipedia: Tlos) - **Dalawa** — the city's name in Hittite texts of the 2nd millennium BC (source: English and Russian Wikipedia: Tlos; Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism) - **2009** — added to UNESCO's Tentative List as part of the Ancient Cities of Lycian Civilization (source: UNESCO Tentative List of Turkey; Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism) - **40–45 km** — east of Fethiye, by the village of Yaka (source: Russian Wikipedia: Tlos; Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism) - **Xanthos valley** — the city overlooks the Eşen river below the Akdağ mountains (source: Akdeniz University, Tlos excavations; English Wikipedia) - **Akdeniz University** — runs the dig and restoration, led by Prof. Taner Korkut (source: Akdeniz University; Yeni Asır, 2026) - **AD 43** — Lycia, Tlos included, became a Roman province under Claudius (source: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism; English Wikipedia: Lycia) ## Tlos entrance fee and opening hours Foreign visitors pay **€3**; children under 8 go in free. Turkish citizens pay 200 TL. There is one ticket booth at the entrance and one ticket for everything — fort, tombs, theatre and baths. Tlos is open **every day**: 8:30–19:30 in summer and 8:30–17:30 in winter, according to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism's museums portal, which lists the site under the Fethiye Museum. The portal gives a garbled date for the winter switch, so from November to March plan on a 17:30 close. Carry some Turkish lira in cash — card machines at rural ticket booths are not always reliable. > **Bring water — there is almost no shade** The ruins sit on an open hillside, and the path down to the Tomb of Bellerophon is steep, rocky and climbs back up. In summer come at opening time or after 17:00, and wear proper shoes rather than flip-flops. ## How to get to Tlos from Fethiye 1. **By car or taxi** is easiest: from the Paspatur old bazaar take the road to Kemer (Seydikemer), then follow signs to Yaka village — about 40–45 km and 50 minutes. 2. **On a tour**: Tlos is almost always sold together with Saklıkent Gorge, with hotel pick-up included. 3. By public transport you can only get part of the way. Walk to Fethiye dolmuş station by the Yeni Cami mosque, five minutes from the harbour, and take a dolmuş signed “Saklıkent”. 4. Ask the driver for the Tlos (Yaka) turn-off. From there it is a few kilometres uphill — hard work in summer heat, so arrange a taxi from the village if you can. 5. From Tlos it is about 15 km by road to [Saklıkent Gorge](https://yesgo.io/turkey/fethiye/saklikent-gorge), so the two fit easily into one day. 6. Flying into Dalaman (DLM)? The Havaş or Muttaş shuttle bus takes about an hour to Fethiye; continue from there as above. ## Is Tlos worth visiting? Yes, if you are heading to Saklıkent anyway or you like ruins without the crowds. Few places put Lycian rock tombs, Roman baths and an Ottoman fort in one frame, and you may well have the hillside to yourself. Entry costs less than a coffee on the Ölüdeniz seafront. Not as a day trip on its own. The site is spread out, much is still unexcavated and signage is thin. If you only have time for one Lycian city, [Xanthos](https://yesgo.io/turkey/fethiye/xanthos) or [Patara](https://yesgo.io/turkey/fethiye/patara) make a fuller day. And if you've already seen the [Tomb of Amyntas](https://yesgo.io/turkey/fethiye/tomb-of-amyntas) in Fethiye town, Tlos shows you the same kind of tombs in a wild cliff, with a fort on top. ## What to see at Tlos - **The Tomb of Bellerophon** — a temple façade carved into the cliff and a relief of the rider on winged Pegasus. Reaching it means a steep scramble down from the fort; the view of it from below is good too if you'd rather not climb. - **The rock necropolis** — dozens of Lycian house-tombs cut into the sheer face under the acropolis, best lit in the morning. - **The Kanlı Ali Ağa fort** on the summit — the widest view over the Xanthos valley and the Akdağ range. - **The theatre** on the eastern slope — restored with its own stones, about 8,500 seats, lit at night by solar lamps. - **The Roman baths**, with big arched windows looking out over the valley — the most photogenic spot after the tombs. - **The stadium** — a long run of seating at the foot of the hill, with the market and a basilica nearby. ## Tlos and Saklıkent in one day This is the classic pairing and the best way to see Tlos. Do the ruins first, from opening time, while the hillside is still cool. Drive about 20 minutes to Saklıkent and wade into the icy river when the heat peaks. On the way back, stop in Yaka for lunch: the village is known for trout restaurants set over cold mountain streams — the “Yakapark” on many tour itineraries. Add Xanthos and sunset at Patara if you have a car and the energy. ## A short history of Tlos Tlos is among the **oldest cities in Lycia**. Hittite records of the 2nd millennium BC call it Dalawa in the “land of Lukka”, and the Lycians knew it as Tlawa. Persians, Macedonians and Ptolemies followed, and in AD 43 Lycia became a Roman province. It was one of the six leading cities of the Lycian League, each holding three votes, and in Roman times styled itself “the very brilliant metropolis of the Lycian nation”. Most of what stands today — theatre, baths, stadium — dates from that era. Legend tied the city to **Bellerophon**, slayer of the Chimera, which is how the finest rock tomb got its name; it belonged to a Lycian noble, not the hero. The last lord of the rock was the Ottoman strongman Kanlı Ali Ağa — “Bloody Ali” — who built his fort on Lycian foundations. Akdeniz University in Antalya leads the excavations. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Going early or late, not at midday - [ ] Water and a hat — shade is scarce - [ ] Shoes with grip for the rocky path - [ ] A little Turkish lira in cash - [ ] A plan for getting back: car, taxi or tour - [ ] Saklıkent or a trout lunch in Yaka the same day ## Tlos vs Xanthos vs Patara | | Tlos | Xanthos | Patara | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Hilltop city with rock tombs and a fort | Lycian capital, UNESCO site | Large city by the sea, plus a beach | | Highlights | Tomb of Bellerophon, valley views | Pillar tombs, theatre | Lycian League assembly hall, dunes | | From Fethiye | ≈ 50 min by car | ≈ 1 h | ≈ 1 h 15 min | | Time needed | 1–1.5 h | 1–2 h | Half a day with the beach | | Pairs with | Saklıkent | Letoon, Patara | Xanthos | Tlos is the one to fit in on the way to Saklıkent. If you'll see a single Lycian city, pick Xanthos or Patara. ## Historic sites around Fethiye compared Every historic site around Fethiye rated by YesGo. - [Tomb of Amyntas](https://yesgo.io/turkey/fethiye/tomb-of-amyntas) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · €3 for foreign visitors, under-8s free - [Kayaköy](https://yesgo.io/turkey/fethiye/kayakoy) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · €3 for foreign visitors - [Patara](https://yesgo.io/turkey/fethiye/patara) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ €15 (foreign visitors), ruins + beach - [Xanthos](https://yesgo.io/turkey/fethiye/xanthos) — YesGo score 23/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · €3 foreign visitors, under 8 free - [Tlos](https://yesgo.io/turkey/fethiye/tlos) — YesGo score 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · €3 for foreign visitors ## A Lycian day: Tlos, the gorge, Xanthos and Patara Tlos on its crag in the morning, the cool gorge at midday, Xanthos in the afternoon and sunset on Patara beach. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Tlos](https://yesgo.io/turkey/fethiye/tlos) — YesGo score 22/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · €3 for foreign visitors 2. [Saklıkent Gorge](https://yesgo.io/turkey/fethiye/saklikent-gorge) — YesGo score 20/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Entry 85–120 TL, verifying 3. [Xanthos](https://yesgo.io/turkey/fethiye/xanthos) — YesGo score 23/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · €3 foreign visitors, under 8 free 4. [Patara](https://yesgo.io/turkey/fethiye/patara) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ €15 (foreign visitors), ruins + beach ## Good to know In Turkish addresses Tlos belongs to Seydikemer district (Yaka village), not Fethiye — useful when you type it into a map or tell a taxi driver. ## Tips - Start at the fort on top — you see the whole site and can plan your way down. - The cliff tombs catch the morning sun; by late afternoon the façades are in shadow. - Don't leave the Bellerophon tomb until closing time — the path is steep and no fun at dusk. - Visiting Saklıkent? Stop at Tlos on the way rather than making a separate trip. - With small children, keep hold of hands near the drop below the fort — there is barely any railing. ## Questions ### How much is the entrance fee to Tlos? €3 for foreign visitors; children under 8 are free. Turkish citizens pay 200 TL. ### What are the Tlos opening hours? Daily from 8:30. It closes at 19:30 in summer and 17:30 in winter, with no closing day. ### How do I get to Tlos from Fethiye? By car or taxi, about 50 minutes via Kemer and Yaka village. There's no direct dolmuş: the Saklıkent minibus drops you at the turn-off, a few kilometres below the site. ### How long do you need at Tlos? About 1.5 hours for the fort, the tombs and the theatre — half a day including the round trip from Fethiye. ### Is Tlos worth visiting? Yes, on the way to Saklıkent or if you like quiet ruins. As a separate day trip, Xanthos and Patara give you more. ### How do you reach the Tomb of Bellerophon? It is in the cliff below the acropolis, down a steep, rocky path from the fort. Wear shoes with grip. ### Can you visit Tlos and Saklıkent Gorge in one day? Easily — they are about 15 km apart by road. Ruins in the cool morning, the river in the gorge at midday. ### Is Tlos good for kids? Children under 8 go free and there is plenty to climb, but little shade and few railings by the drops. ## How we checked Fees and hours come from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism's museums portal. It lists the same date range for summer and winter hours, so the switch date is marked as being verified. Older lira prices in travel blogs are not shown. Other facts are checked against at least two sources. English Wikipedia dates the Hittite mention to the 15th century BC and Russian Wikipedia to the 14th, so we say 2nd millennium BC. Distances from Fethiye range from 36 to 45 km across sources. The dolmuş drop at the turn-off and the walk uphill are not officially confirmed. Stadium capacity and the year excavations began rest on a single source, so they are left out. ## Sources - Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, museums portal: Muğla Tlos Archaeological Site — fees, hours, address, 30.10.2026 - English and Russian Wikipedia: Tlos; Wikidata Q1325973 - UNESCO Tentative List of Turkey: Ancient Cities of Lycian Civilization, 2009 - Akdeniz University: Tlos Ancient City Excavations - Hürriyet Daily News, 16.04.2025 — theatre restoration - Yeni Asır and Ekonomist, August 2026 — completed restoration and lighting of the theatre - Archaeotravel: Rock-Cut Tomb of a Hero in the City of Tlos --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.