Demre

Mediterranean, Turkey 1 tours visit here

Demre is a small town on the Mediterranean coast of Antalya Province, on a fertile plain between the Taurus mountains and the sea, largely given over to greenhouse farming. It occupies the site of ancient Myra, one of the leading cities of Lycia, and is closely associated with St Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop of Myra whose reputation for charity grew into the Santa Claus legend. Two sites anchor a visit. The Church of St Nicholas, a Byzantine basilica now sitting below ground level after centuries of river silt, shelters patches of fresco and mosaic floor and the tomb from which the saint's relics were later taken to Bari in Italy. Close by, the ruins of Myra show a cliff face honeycombed with rock-cut Lycian tombs carved to resemble timber houses and temple facades, above a well-preserved Roman theatre scattered with carved masks and reliefs. Demre is usually seen as part of a day along the Lycian coast, often combined with the ancient harbour of Andriake or a boat trip over the sunken ruins at Kekova. The two sites take an hour or two between them. There is little shade at Myra, so mornings are easier in high summer, while spring and autumn are mild and much quieter.