# Phaselis ancient city, Kemer > Phaselis is the ruin of an ancient port city on a pine-covered headland 16 km south of Kemer, near Tekirova. Entry is €10 for foreign visitors; under-8s go free. It opens daily, 8:00–19:00 in summer and 8:00–17:00 in winter. Allow 1.5 hours for the ruins, or half a day with a swim. Web page: https://yesgo.io/turkey/kemer/phaselis - City: [Kemer](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kemer), Turkey - YesGo score: 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 30 min - Opening hours: Daily: summer 8:00–19:00 (last tickets 18:30); winter from 1 November 8:00–17:00 (last tickets 16:30) - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry (foreign visitors): €10 (age 8+) - Children: Under 8 free - Museum Pass The Mediterranean: Valid: €90, 7 days, 40+ museums and sites in the region - Summer: 8:00–19:00, last tickets 18:30 - Winter (from 1 November): 8:00–17:00, last tickets 16:30 - Closed: Open every day - Payment: Euros or Turkish lira at the booth's rate - Getting there: Dolmuş south from Kemer to the Phaselis turn-off, then ≈ 2 km on foot - Address: Çamyuva Mahallesi, Kemer, Antalya - Coordinates: 36.52361, 30.55222 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **7th century BC** — founded by colonists from Rhodes (the Ministry says from Lindos, around 690 BC) (source: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism; English and Russian Wikipedia) - **3 harbours** — North, Battle (Protected) and South — the South Harbour is still the main one (source: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism; Kemer Municipality; English Wikipedia) - **16 km** — south of Kemer, on the road to Tekirova (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Main street** — a paved avenue linking two harbours, the heart of the Roman town (source: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism; Kemer Municipality) - **333 BC** — the city welcomed Alexander the Great with a golden crown (source: Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander; Russian Wikipedia) - **Hadrian's Gate** — a single-arch gate by the South Harbour, built for the emperor's visit (source: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism; Kemer Municipality) - **468 BC** — the Athenian general Cimon besieged the city and it joined the Delian League (source: Plutarch, Life of Cimon; English Wikipedia) - **77–76 BC** — Roman forces under Servilius Isauricus drove out the pirate Zeniketes (source: Strabo, Geography; English Wikipedia) - **Aqueduct** — the remains of the water channel run beside the main street (source: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism; English Wikipedia) - **National park** — the ruins sit inside Olympos Beydağları National Park, among pines (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) ## Phaselis entrance fee and opening hours Foreign visitors pay **€10** from age 8; younger children are free. You pay at the booth on the access road, in euros or lira. One ticket covers the ruins and all three bays — there is no separate beach charge. The site is open **every day**: 8:00–19:00 in summer, 8:00–17:00 in winter (from 1 November). The ticket booth shuts 30 minutes before closing. Planning [Olympos](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kemer/olympos-ancient-city), the Antalya Museum, Perge or Aspendos too? The **Museum Pass The Mediterranean** — €90 for 7 days, over 40 museums and sites — is accepted here. For Phaselis alone it doesn't pay off. > **Go early** By midday cars queue at the gate and boat groups fill the main street. There is little shade on the ruins and the stone gets hot in summer. From the ticket booth it is another 10–15 minutes' walk to the ruins, so arriving after 17:30 in summer is pointless. Bring water and water shoes — the bay floors are rocky in places. ## How to get to Phaselis from Kemer 1. From the Clock Tower on Republic Square, walk about 10 minutes to Kemer bus station, or wait at the stop by the tower, for a dolmuş heading south towards Tekirova or Kumluca — look for a Phaselis sign in the window. 2. After 20–25 minutes, ask the driver to stop at the Phaselis turn-off on the D400. Some minibuses drive right up to the ticket booth — ask when you board. 3. From the turn-off it is about 2 km along a forest road: the ticket booth, then the aqueduct and the ruins, 25–30 minutes on foot. Take water in summer. 4. To return, flag a dolmuş on the opposite side of the D400 towards Kemer. A taxi from Kemer takes about 20 minutes each way. 5. No walking at all: many boat trips from Kemer Marina anchor in the Phaselis bays, or book a guided tour. ## Is Phaselis worth visiting? Yes, if you want ruins and the sea in one half-day. You swim a few steps from Roman masonry, under pines, in clear shallow water — that combination is rare even on this coast. The site is compact: it can't match Perge or Ephesus for scale, but it wins on setting. If you only care about ruins and have already seen the big ancient cities, 1.5 hours is plenty. Avoid the middle of a July day, when it is hot and busy; mornings, spring and autumn are the best times to come. ## What to see at Phaselis - **The main street** — a paved avenue between the Protected and South harbours, lined with baths, an agora and shops. - **The theatre** on the acropolis slope: pale stone tiers with Mount Tahtalı rising behind the stage. Climb to the top row for the classic shot. - **Hadrian's Gate** by the South Harbour, raised for the emperor's visit — today mostly its foundations remain. - **The aqueduct** along the path in — stone piers that once carried water into the city. - **Three bays**: the North Bay is the quietest, the South Bay the largest with sand and pebbles, and the Protected Harbour is shallow and calm. - Roman baths and a public latrine with a mosaic floor, just off the main street. ## A short history Colonists from Rhodes founded Phaselis in the 7th century BC. Its three natural harbours sat on the sea route from Egypt and Phoenicia to the Aegean, and the city lived on trade — timber, rose oil, wine. Mount Tahtalı made the overland approach hard, so most people arrived by sea. In 333 BC the city greeted **Alexander the Great** with a golden crown, as Arrian records. Pirates later seized it, Rome drove them out, and under the emperors Phaselis was largely rebuilt — almost everything you see is Roman, from the 2nd century AD. It isn't a castle or a covered museum but open ruins in a pine forest by the water, which is exactly why it is the classic history trip from Kemer. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] I'll reach the booth 30 minutes before closing, journey included - [ ] €10 in cash, or lira - [ ] Water and a hat — shade is scarce - [ ] Swimsuit, towel and water shoes - [ ] Sturdy shoes for the stone paving - [ ] I know where to catch the dolmuş back to Kemer ## Phaselis vs Olympos | | Phaselis | Olympos | | --- | --- | --- | | Where | 16 km from Kemer, by Tekirova | Further south, by Çıralı | | Ruins | Street, theatre, harbours — by the sea | Scattered through a river gorge, overgrown | | Sea | Three bays right by the ruins | A long pebble beach | | Entry | €10 | Separate ticket | | Time needed | 1.5 h, half a day with a swim | 2–3 h | | Without a car | Dolmuş + 2 km walk | Longer; easier by car | Phaselis is the easy half-day from Kemer. Olympos is wilder and moodier — pair it with the evening [Chimaera flames](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kemer/chimaera-flames). ## Kemer's historic sites compared Every historic site around Kemer rated by YesGo. - [Phaselis](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kemer/phaselis) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · €10, under-8s free - [Chimaera flames (Yanartaş)](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kemer/chimaera-flames) — YesGo score 25/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · 75–165 TL, sources differ - [Olympos](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kemer/olympos-ancient-city) — YesGo score 21/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · €10, under 8 free ## Southern Kemer in a day The cable car up Tahtalı in the morning, ruins and a swim at Phaselis at midday, then Olympos and the Chimaera flames at dusk. 1. [Mount Tahtalı](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kemer/mount-tahtali) — YesGo score 21/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ≈ 2,440 TL ($50) return 2. [Phaselis](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kemer/phaselis) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · €10, under-8s free 3. [Olympos](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kemer/olympos-ancient-city) — YesGo score 21/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · €10, under 8 free 4. [Chimaera flames (Yanartaş)](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kemer/chimaera-flames) — YesGo score 25/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · 75–165 TL, sources differ ## Good to know Several hotels in Tekirova use the Phaselis name — Phaselis Rose, Phaselis Bay, Phaselis Princess and others. They are not part of the ancient site. Inside the national park there is little food, so bring snacks. ## Tips - Walk the main street and the theatre while it's cool, then head to a bay for a swim. - The North Bay is usually calmer than the South Bay, where most boats drop anchor. - Combine it with [Mount Tahtalı](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kemer/mount-tahtali) — the cable car's lower station is next door in Tekirova. - On a boat trip, check whether you go ashore at the ruins or only swim in the bay. - Shoulder season — April to June and September to October — is the sweet spot for ruins and swimming. ## Questions ### How much is the entrance fee to Phaselis? €10 for foreign visitors aged 8 and over; younger children are free. The Museum Pass The Mediterranean (€90, 7 days) is valid. ### What are Phaselis opening hours? Daily: 8:00–19:00 in summer and 8:00–17:00 in winter, from 1 November. The ticket booth closes 30 minutes earlier. ### How do I get to Phaselis from Kemer by bus? Take a dolmuş south towards Tekirova or Kumluca to the Phaselis turn-off on the D400, about 20–25 minutes, then walk roughly 2 km past the ticket booth to the ruins. ### Can you swim at Phaselis? Yes — three bays sit right by the ruins and swimming is included in the ticket. Bring water shoes; the bottom is rocky in places. ### Is Phaselis worth visiting? Yes, for a half-day mixing ruins and swimming in a pine forest. If you have seen Ephesus or Perge and only want ruins, it is small — 1.5 hours is enough. ### How long do you need at Phaselis? About 1.5 hours for the ruins; half a day if you swim and relax in a bay. ### How far is Phaselis from Kemer? About 16 km south — 20 minutes by car or taxi, around an hour by dolmuş with the walk from the main road. ### Can you visit Phaselis by boat? Yes. Many boat trips from Kemer Marina anchor in its bays. If you go ashore to the ruins, expect a ticket check. ### Is Phaselis good for kids? Yes: under-8s are free and the bays are shallow and calm. In summer, come in the morning — the stone gets hot by midday. ## How we checked Fees, hours, seasons and the Museum Pass come from the official Ministry of Culture and Tourism page. Its summer-season dates contain a typo, so we only state that winter hours apply from 1 November. Other facts are checked against at least two sources. The theatre's capacity differs — about 1,500 seats per the Ministry, 3,000 per Russian Wikipedia — so we leave the number out. Alexander's visit follows Arrian; the story that he wintered in the city has no solid confirmation. The dolmuş route and the walking distance from the main road are marked “verifying”. ## Sources - Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Phaselis Archaeological Site page (turkishmuseums.com) — fees, hours, Museum Pass, history, 30.10.2026 - Kemer Municipality — Phaselis Ancient City - English and Russian Wikipedia: Phaselis; Wikidata Q595329 - Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander, Book I - Plutarch, Life of Cimon; Strabo, Geography, Book XIV --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.