Wander through the deserted streets of the ghost town of Kayaköy, a former Greek village near Fethiye in Lycian Turkey. Hundreds of houses and churches make up this huge outdoor museum, built on the site of the ancient civilization of Carmylessus. The city was established in the 1700s and its residents were mostly Greek Orthodox Christians, but its streets were abandoned in 1923 after an agreement was made between the Turkish and Greek governments.
Explore Kayaköy’s eerie streets and see row upon row of houses, all in varying levels of ruin and without windows or roofs. Step over the weathered stone stairs that lead up the village’s hillside streets. See the old fountain, which dates back to 1888. Explore the Lower Church and the Upper Church and see the Greek Orthodox churches’ flaking vaulted interiors. Hike up to the Little Chapel on the hilltop, approximately a 20-minute walk from the Lower Church along a trail marked by red dots. Take in magnificent views of the sea and the valley on the other side of the hill.
This ruined village was deserted when a mandatory population exchange between the Turkish and Greek governments was enforced, following the bloodshed and political tensions of the Greco-Turkish War. The village’s Greek population left. The only signs of life in Kayaköy’s streets are a couple of street vendors, restaurants and pension hotels.
Hike in and out of Kayaköy on one of two trails. Walk 4.9 miles (8 kilometres) north to Fethiye and Ovacık, the trailhead of the famed Lycian Way trail network. Another hike leads from the Upper Church toward Ölüdeniz, home to Turkey’s renowned Blue Lagoon.
Get in to Kayaköy by foot or rent a motorized scooter and take the winding roads through the valley from Fethiye and Hisarönü. Minibuses, known as dolmuş, regularly shuttle between the ghost town and Fethiye, as well as Ölüdeniz in the warmer months. There’s a fee to visit the ghost town.
