While traveling from Dalaman to Antalya, I was smitten by the frustration of not being able to walk the Lycian Way, a long-held dream of mine. So I tried to visit as much as I could with the time I had. Various sources mention between 19 and 48 ancient Lycian cities. I only managed to see five of them. Here, I’m sharing videos summarizing the few hours I spent in each city. The videos offer no narration, information, or descriptions. They’re just snapshots and contain sounds of only the exciting moments I couldn’t contain myself, exclamations, or the voices of other tourists I encountered. It’s easy to find historical, geographical, or other information about any place you want. I thought this style better conveyed the feeling of one wandering among the ruins. Of course, the real joy is touching those stones, smelling the air and imagining what life once was like in these places.
Listing the cities of Lycia The wiki page is here.
Or this pageI think it provides more enlightening and compact information.
I am listing the cities in the chronology I visited and therefore logistically from west to east:
Xanthos Ancient City
Location Here…It’s a large, scattered, and somewhat wild ancient city, easily accessible but not yet extensively excavated. Still, its necropolis, with its geometric tomb structures, impressed me.
Letoon Ancient City / Sacred Site
In fact, it is very close to Xanthos, a point that functions as the sacred site of the region rather than a settlement. In Letoon the ruins of the temples of the mother goddess Leto, Apollo, and Artemis are impressive. Like every Apollo temple I’ve visited, this one was fed by fresh water, a sacred area where tortoises now bask on the ruins. It’s a compact and easily accessible site.
Myra Antique City
An ancient city hidden among the white-covered greenhouses of Demre is the ancient site of Myra.The rock tombs on the hillsides where it sits seem to overlook a theater, many of which still stand. The site is in a small area that suggests many unexcavated treasures lie beneath the surrounding greenhouses; it offers a quick tour.
Ancient City of Limyra
Ancient City of Limyra was a complete surprise to me… What fascinated me was not the wild feeling of the incomplete excavation and restoration, not the vast land the city spreads across, nor the impressive buildings still standing. I left my heart in the waters gushing through the city and enveloping it on all sides. The ancient road is now under water, where the stream winding around the monumental structure gently covers its huge stones. But the windings of the stream, sometimes flowing with excitement, sometimes calmly, and the ancient trees that grow around them, are equally beautiful.
Phaselis Ancient CityI’ve wanted to go to Phaselis since the first time I saw it in a documentary; I finally had the opportunity. It’s truly a unique settlement, with incredible beauty in its location, layout, and natural beauty. Its natural geography allows for three harbors overlooking three different directions, while the harsh winds blowing from one side are barely noticeable on the other. In addition to the many surviving buildings, the findings of the accelerated excavations in recent years have also been added. The adjacent public beach adds another dimension and visitors to the site during holidays; I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. But any kind of preservation is better than the constructing another five-star hotel in this magnificent spot. I swam in its waters and emerged in its essence; I was completely enchanted. If I had more time, I would have spent a full day there; I will go again.