A Family Holiday on the Lycian Coast, Turkey

By Tracey Davies

A latecomer to the seductive charms of Turkey – which has now overtaken France as Europe's second favourite holiday destination, after the eternally popular Spain – I'm now rather smitten with Turkey family holidays after spending a week with my daughter exploring Demre and Kaş on the Lycian Coast.

A quieter and more cultural alternative to the buzzy beach resorts of Bodrum, Marmaris and Antalya – it's a good two hours' drive from Antalya and four hours from Marmaris – the Lycian Coast still has plenty of things to do with kids. And while it doesn't have the best beaches in Turkey – this section of coast is lacking in fine blonde sands – its topaz blue seas and temperate wind conditions are perfect for sailing, windsurfing, and other water sports.

'The glass-bottomed boat glides over the sunken ruins of Semina, the ancient city destroyed by an earthquake in the 2nd century, and we can see the outline of rooms and pots strewn across the ocean floor that date back to almost biblical times. Lola squeals when she spots turtles swimming alongside the boat.'

Within about 12 seconds of checking into the hotel, my daughter Lola has stripped down to her bathers, flung a bikini at me and announced that we're off to the pool. I've never been one for water sports but my girl is, and within minutes she’s signed us up for a kayaking tour of the bay.

Aside from the region's excellent water-sports facilities, one of the main reasons I chose Demre is its proximity to some of Turkey's most fascinating historic sites. One morning, I manage to drag Lola away from the pool to see some ancient wonders with me. Demre, formerly the Lycian city of Myra, is a 10-minute taxi ride away. and she's soon engrossed in the dusty foreign scenery, curious eyes sparkling as the sun bounces off silver mosque tops.

There are so many wonderful things to do in Turkey with kids. One of our highlights is a visit to the Church of Saint Nicholas, which is linked to the original Santa Claus. Saint Nicholas or Nikolaos of Myra, as he was known back then, is a fourth-century saint who had a penchant for leaving gold coins in the shoes of the poor.

On the other side of Demre are the Lycian rock tombs of Myra, a series of intricate tombs carved into the cliff that date back as far as the 5th century BC. Next to them is a rather impressive and intact Greco-Roman amphitheatre, where Lola and I sit and quietly imagine the gory gladiatorial battles that would have taken place.

We spend the latter part of the week in Kaş, a 45-minute drive from Demre and easily Turkey's most charming beach town. Banked by the sultry peaks of the Taurus Mountains, Kaş (pronounced cash) runs the full gamut of ancient ruins, golden beaches, and a charming cobblestoned Old Town.

Unlike in the sprawling resorts of Bodrum, Belek, and Antalya, there's a distinct lack of ritzy high-rise hotels and championship golf courses along the Lycian Coast. Instead Kaş, a former fishing village, has a gorgeous little harbour and a charming old town. At night, its tangle of narrow lanes are lit with fairy lights giving it a warm, bohemian vibe, and Lola and I enjoy platters of meze, grilled fish and shawarma in one of the cosy family-run tavernas.

Kaş is also Turkey’s top diving destination and there are plenty of shipwrecks and underwater canyons to explore if you have a PADI certification. However, with its colourful coral reefs and visible wrecks it's just as exciting to snorkel.

On our last evening, we take a sunset gulet cruise over to Kaleköy, a small hillside village reached only by boat. Passing teeny tiny houses decorated with the blue-glass discs of Turkish eyes, we wander round the ruins of a Byzantine castle. On the way back, the glass-bottomed boat glides over the sunken ruins of Semina, the ancient city destroyed by an earthquake in the 2nd century, and we can see the outline of rooms and pots strewn across the ocean floor that date back to almost biblical times. While I quietly wonder at the history of it all, Lola squeals when she spots turtles swimming alongside the boat – a dream finale to our exciting Turkey holiday.

Read more about family holidays in Mediterranean Turkey.