The World at Your Fingertips

Kemer, Turkey

A view of the beach and marina of Kemer, Turkey.

Kemer is a coastal city with some beaches, as well as mountains (up to the elevation of 2200m) close by. Surrounded by large resort hotels on northern and southern sides, this city is a much preferred destination for Russians on package holidays—as well as Western and Northern Europeans—and one of the few towns in Turkey with a welcome sign in Russian (in addition to the usual Turkish, English, German, etc).

Kemer, Turkey. Kemer seems to be a seasonal town. Several hotels are closed during the winter. Food is more expensive than in Antalya: don't expect to get 3.5 TL kebab including Ayran here.

Kemer is a seaside resort and district of Antalya Province on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, 40 km (25 mi) west of the city of Antalya, on the Turkish Riviera. The coast has the typical Mediterranean hot, dry weather and warm sea.

One of the major attractions of Kemer is its natural beauty; sea, mountains and pine forest combine in harmony. The shore from Beldibi to Tekirova consists of unspoilt beaches in bays of various sizes, mostly stoney rather than sand. With easy transportation, good communication and other municipal services Kemer has a large proportion of the hotel bed capacity of the Antalya region, and is a comfortable and peaceful holiday coast with internationally accepted reputation, attracting large numbers of visitors from countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, and in recent years predominantly families from Russia.

Many of the visitors come as part of low-cost all-inclusive package deals but tourism is still the mainstay of the local economy. There are so many visitors that most shops in Kemer are set up to sell things like leather jackets to overseas visitors and trade in the euro as well as the Turkish lira.

Kemer's 320 berth marina offers several restaurants for the tourists as well as being an important wintering-over marina for liveaboard sailors from the USA, England and most of Europe.

Göynük (Goynuk) Canyon, Ulupınar, Olympos, Chimaera, Phaselis, Three Islands and Eco Park are the touristics sites of the Kemer area.

The town of Kemer is vibrant with clubs, bars and restaurants, blue flag beaches and a 320 capacity yacht marina. Popular coastal villages include Beldibi, Kiriş, Çayova, Aslanbucak, Kuzdere, Beycik, Çamyuva, Göynük, and Çıralı.

Annual events in the area include art exhibitions in Phaselis, boat races, WRC (World Rally Championship), Turkey Offshore Championship, Turkey Motocross Championship, Phaselis Art Festival, and Kemer Carnival. International pop stars and Djs, such as Tarkan and DJ Tiesto, give summer concerts on this coast.

The Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey (Cumhurbaşkanlığı Bisiklet Turu) is a professional road bicycle racing stage race held each spring. In the last years there is rising number of outdoor enthusiasts visiting Kemer for trekking the Lycian Way and for mountainbiking.

Get in

Kemer is 45 km far from Antalya International Airport where is located Göynük and Kiriş.

• By bus. There are 1-4 minibuses per hour from Antalya Otogar (small terminal) to Kemer Otogar. The trip takes 50-90 minutes. All buses stop at the clock tower in the center of Kemer. The trip costs 8 TL (as of April 2014), you can pay cash at the driver. Most drivers do not speak English.

Kemer otogar is a 20-30 minutes walking distance from Kemer center; just walk up up the hill the broad road at the clock tower, always straight on. On your way you'll pass the mosque and cross below the D400 street bridge. You will clearly see the modern otogar then, it is well labeled. Several bus companies run ticket counters at the otogar.

• By air. Antalya Airport, the nearest international one, is about 42 km to the north-east, about an hour away by car. There is no official airport shuttle service to Kemer, you can take the public bus from Antalya airport to Antalya otogar (30-60min, 4TL as of April 2016), then a minibus to Kemer (50-90 min, 8TL as of April 2016).

• By car. The wide highway D400 with seperated lanes per each direction, which passes by the town, connects it with north (Antalya) and south.

Get around

• Bus service (dolmuş) as usual. 1 TL. Route up to Arslanbucak and all the way down to the beach.

• Yellow taxis are common. The ~3km distance between Arslanbucak and downtown Kemer costs 13-16 TL.

• Some of the restaurants and beaches offers to pick you up, and return you home, for free.

What to see in Kemer

• Liman Street (Liman Caddesi in Turkish). The street is one of the main attractions in Kemer. There are various shops in this street, varying from cheap souvenir shops, clothing shops, et cetera. There is a police station in the Liman Street.

• Adrasan Bay - 2 kilometres of beach.

• The Çıralı village and pristine 4 km (2 mi) beach. Popular for nature walks and sections of the Lycian Way.

• Three Islands (Üç Adalar) - popular among scuba divers.

• The canyon of Göynük.

• Twin Rocks (İkiz Kayalar).

• The village of Ulupınar, with its mountain spring water.

• There are a number of interesting caves including Beldibi, and the Molla hole in the east face of Tahtalı mountain.

• The Taurus Mountains offer many places for hiking or a tour with SUVs.

• Chimaera - the natural burning rock of Greek mythology.

• The ancient cities of Phaselis and Olympos.

• The town of Kemer itself has some remains of antique Idryos, a Byzantine church and a Seljuk Turkish hunting lodge.

What to do in Kemer

• Swim at the sandy beach, close to the marina. There is a pebble beach, which belongs to the hotels, and a sandy beach at the other side of the marina. The sandy beach is wonderful, clear water, and a little bit caribbean-like.

• Sea to Sky/Olympos Teleferik ('Tahtalı Teleferiği' in Turkish), Yeni Mah. Atatürk Bulvarı 2/1, Kemer (their office in downtown) (access to lower station is from a 7-km surface road that branches off from the main highway between the towns of Çamyuva and Tekirova , 8 km south of Kemer; shuttles are also available). Every half an hour between 9AM-7PM daily in high season/10AM-5PM daily in low season. Cable car connecting to the 2,365 mt summit of Mt Tahtalı. A trip takes 10 minutes. 75 TL/€30.

• Outdoor Sports, A great Downhill Mountainbike Ride at Ovacik and a cool Canyoning Adventure through the Kuzdere Passage is offered in Kemer by Lukka Outdoor on a regular basis. Their shuttles pick you up at your hotel.

• Night Clubs, The town has got four night clubs. They are open for business during summer. Aura Night Club, Inferno Night Club, Klub Kristall, Club Salinas. The clubs are open from 22:00 PM until 04:00 AM every day of a week. Famous singers such as Inna and Alexandra Stan occasionally perform at Aura Night Club and Inferno Night Club. Tickets cost around 20-35 liras. They are located near the clock tower in centrum, just by the beach.

Go next

• Phaselis (Faselis) — the ruins of what once was the major harbour of the region, lost under a dense pine forest. Daily cruises from Kemer provide a fine way of getting there, but if you are on budget taking a minibus to Tekirova and asking to be dropped off at Phaselis will fit the bill just as well. (Wikitravel/Wikipedia)

Moonlight Beach near Kemer, Turkey.