DEMRE MYRA KEKOVA FROM BELEK

DEMRE MYRA KEKOVA TOUR FROM BELEK

• Our guests will be picked up from hotels
• Stop for 10 min.
• Visit to the icon shop
• Visit to the Church of St. Nicholas
• Guide's story about the church
• Free time in church so you can pray and take pictures.
• Visit the rock tombs of the Lycians and the Roman Theater in the ancient city of the World.
• Lunch at the restaurant
• Yacht trip through the sunken city of Kekova
• Swimming in the sea
• Our guests will be dropped off at the hotels

• Children who travel for free on the tour are not provided with separate seats on the bus. Children take places together with adults (sitting on their hands).
• If you would like your child to occupy a separate seat on the bus, please designate it at the time of booking as a child for which you need to pay or as an adult.

• The guide has the right to change the order of excursions without changing the program as a whole.

PICK-UP TIMES FROM HOTELS BY REGIONS (Approximately)

• At 05:30 from Kadriye hotels
• At 05:30 from Belek hotels
• At 05:30 from Bogazkent hotels

Please Note

• After booking, we will send you the exact time and details of the excursion via WhatsApp or Viber.

DROP-OFF TIMES TO HOTELS BY REGIONS (Approximately)

• At 20:00 - 21:00 from Kadriye hotels
• At 20:00 - 21:00 from Belek hotels
• At 20:00 - 21:00 from Bogazkent hotels

DISTANCE TO DEMRE MYRA KEKOVA

• Distance from Kadriye to Demre: 180 km - 3 hours 05 minutes
• Distance from Belek to Demre: 185km - 3 hours 10 minutes
• Distance from Bogazkent to Demre: 190 km - 3 hours 20 minutes

TOUR PRICE INCLUDES

• Hotel pickup and drop-off
• Transport by air-conditioned coach
• Insurance
• Guide
• Lunch
• Entrance ticket to Myra
• Entrance ticket to the Church

TOUR PRICE EXCLUDES

• Personal expenses (photos, souvenirs, etc.)
• Any drinks during the excursion

PLEASE BRING WITH YOU

• Money for personal expenses (photos, souvenirs, etc.)
• Camera, drinks
• Towel, swimsuit
• Sun care cream, sunglasses
• Spare shorts, t-shirts
• Order a lunch package (dry ration) the day before the tour at the reception

MORE ABOUT THE TOUR

• Modern Turkey is located on the territory where the greatest civilizations, states and empires once formed, developed and flourished. Excursion Demre-Mira-Kekova – this is a real journey into the world of ancient history, acquaintance with unique monuments of architecture and culture of such eras as the Lycian, Hellenic, Roman and Byzantine; this is an opportunity to walk through the lands where one of the most revered saints in the whole world once lived, preached and was buried – St. Nicholas – protector of children, the poor and sailors.
• 2-3 kilometers from the modern city of Demre are the ruins of Myra – once the largest and most important city of Lycia. It was here thatSt. Nicholas arrived with his educational mission.
• St. Nicholas was born in the ancient Lycian city of Patara (modern Turkey), which today is an open-air archaeological museum. At the age of 30, he arrived in the city of Mira and lived there until his death. The saint died on December 6, 343. 
• A temple was erected in his honor, where the body of the saint rested in a sarcophagus until 1087. And then sailors from the Italian city of Baria stole the relics and transported them to their city. When opening the sarcophagus, the fact was discovered that the relics of the saint exuded the fragrant oil of myrrh. Myrrh oil is used in various church ceremonies. But there are also oils that exude the relics of saints and icons themselves, it is believed that just such an oil can heal.
• It is this temple that you will visit first of all during the tour, touch the sarcophagus, and let there be no relics left in it; the holy place itself has the strongest healing power and has the most powerful energy.
• Fragments of frescoes have been preserved inside on the walls of the temple, the most famous is The Last Supper. The faces of the saints have also been preserved, you can see the face of St. George.
• You will have free time to look at everything, take pictures, but the use of a flash is prohibited. Those who wish can pray, attach their icons.
• To visit the church of St. Nicholas is open all year round, but the service is held only on December 6 and May 9. Anyone can visit it, but during the service, women must cover their heads with a scarf, the rest of the time it is not necessary.
• The second stop of our tour will be the city of Myra. Here you will walk through the ruins of the city, go down to the arena of the ancient theater, which was built in the 2nd century BC. and is designed for 10 thousand spectators, but most importantly you will see with your own eyes the tombs carved into the rock.
• The Lycian rock tombs have no analogue in the world. The exact date of their formation has not been established, but it is approximately the 4th century BC. In ancient times, people believed that the soul of the deceased turns into a winged creature and flies to heaven. The higher a person is buried, the easier it will be for the soul to get into another world. Naturally, rich and noble people were buried as high as possible, the poor – below. It is also interesting that the tombs began to be carved during their lifetime.Sometimes this process could take several years.
• The third part of the tour will allow you to relax and unwind a little – You will make an exciting sea voyage to the sunken city on the island of Kekova, which is sometimes called "Turkish Atlantis". As a result of the earthquake, part of the island of Kekova went under water, and the inhabitants left it around 1850. Today it is a protected area and tourists are not allowed to land on it.
• A small strait separates the island of Kekova from the peninsula with the ancient village of Simena (Kalakoy). Its main attraction – a fortress, inside which is the smallest amphitheater for 150 seats and houses carved into the rock.
• It is interesting that the waters around the island have not been fully explored. Among the houses, columns, household items, the French explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau found a ship, which, according to preliminary data, sank here in 1300 BC. The Mediterranean Sea is crystal clear here and you will definitely be able to see part of the city in the glass bottom of the yacht.
• The Demre-Mira-Kekova tour is designed for the whole day, its price includes lunch in a restaurant. Be sure to take a supply of drinking water, a hat, sunscreen with you. And choose clothes and shoes that are comfortable and practical.

Our buses for excursions in Demre Mira Kekova

• Mercedes
• Man
• Mitsubishi Safir
• Isuzu Turkuaz
• Novo lux
• Otokar Sultan
• Temsa Prestige
• Mercedes Sprinter
• Volkswagen Crafter

DEMRE WEATHER

Demre Average Temperature

• Weather in Demre in January : +15
• Weather in Demre in February : +16
• Weather in Demre in March : +18
• Weather in Demre in April : +21
• Weather in Demre in May : +25
• Weather in Demre in June : +30
• Weather in Demre in July : +35
• Weather in Demre in August : +35
• Weather in Demre in September : +31
• Weather in Demre in October : +26
• Weather in Demre in November : +21
• Weather in Demre in December : +16

What sights can be visited during the excursion in Demre Mira Kekova

St. Nicholas Church in Demre

• The Church of St. Nicholas in Demre was built in the 4th century. In the 6th century the temple was expanded, and in the 7th - 8th centuries the temple suffered from Arab raids. In the XI century, under Emperor Constantine IX and Empress Zoe, the church was restored and surrounded by walls. In the 11th century, the relics of St. Nicholas were transported to the city of Bari, and after that the church gradually began to be forgotten.
• This temple was found during excavations only in the middle of the 19th century. The first restoration took place under the guidance of Russian researchers. Excavations and restoration of the temple are still ongoing.

• The ancient city of Mira is a five-minute drive from the Church of St. Nicholas. Here you can see the Lycian burials, which date back to the fourth century BC. e.
• Inside these graves were precious things that were usually placed there with the deceased. And such a tomb was closed with stone or bronze doors. But, there are no more doors, no things inside. The tombs were plundered in ancient times.

• Lykia is translated from the Lycian language as « country of the sun ". The Lycians are one of the indigenous peoples of Asia Minor, and this suggests that the history of the region begins many millennia ago, or rather, in the fourth century BC. Lycia was a very small state, its territory occupied the area of today's Antalya.
• But it was a very democratic country. 2300 years ago, the first democratic parliament in the history of mankind was opened in Lycia. The Lycian Union consisted of twenty-three cities. Each city had the right to vote in parliament. But the big cities had three votes in parliament, and not one, like the rest of the cities. The head of parliament was elected every year from a different city, and even women could take this position.

• There are 206 Roman theaters in Turkey and the theater in Demre - Myra was built in the 2nd century AD and accommodated 10,000 spectators. The amphitheater of Demre is the fourth largest after Ephesus, Aspendos and Pamukkale.

• The name of the island - Kekova - comes from the Lycian language. The Lycians called him Kavakuva. Kekova Island used to be part of the mainland. Its length is seven and a half kilometers. The maximum depth between the shore and the island is 105 meters. And the maximum height of the island is 188 meters above sea level.
• As a result of an earthquake in the ancient period, most of the city of Kekova went under water. No one lives on the island of Kekova anymore. The only thing is that sometimes you can only see goats here, which the locals specially bring here.
• Restoration work is not going on in Kekova Island, because there is no way to restore it. On the territory of the sunken city itself, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism prohibits swimming and scuba diving.

• Opposite the island of Kekova is Simena Fortress (kaleköy). Kale in Turkish means « fortress », and köy - village . Kaleköy, because a fortress from the 13th century, from the time of the Ottoman Empire, has been preserved here. Inside the fortress, the smallest theater of the Roman period has been preserved. This theater could only accommodate 400 people. Previously, the inhabitants of the village of Simena were mainly engaged in fishing, but now they live off tourism.
• In Kaleköy you will see Lycian sarcophagi. The Lycians made the lids of the sarcophagi in the shape of an inverted boat. Since they were engaged in fishing, therefore every Lycian should have their own boat and they believed that in the afterlife they should also have their own boat.

What cities do you pass during the tour

Kumluca

• The population of the city of Kumludzha is 67 thousand people. 95% of the population is engaged in agriculture, growing various vegetables in greenhouses, but mostly tomatoes. The tomato is the symbol of the city. In addition, every year in May there is a tomato festival here, where the main entertainment is tomato battle!

• The population of the city of Fenike is 47 thousand people. Tourism in Fenik is not developed, the inhabitants of the city are engaged in fishing and farming. In this city, oranges are grown the most, it is also a symbol of the city.
• As you already know, oranges are grown in all areas of Antalya, but the most delicious oranges (and not only in Turkey, but all over the world) are grown in this small town. In 1994 in California (in America) at the competition « The taste of orange » Fenike won first place.

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