Olympos & the Chimaera at a glance
Tucked into a wooded valley on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, Olympos and the Chimaera (Yanartaş) form one of the most atmospheric double-bills in the country: a half-buried ancient city that spills out onto a long pebble beach, paired with a mountainside a few kilometers away where flames have burned continuously out of bare rock for thousands of years. Together they sit within the Olympos–Beydağları Coastal National Park, near the small village of Çıralı, and directly on the route of the Lycian Way long-distance trail.
Unlike the more manicured ancient sites further along the coast, Olympos has a deliberately unpolished, laid-back character. Ruins emerge from undergrowth rather than standing in cleared museum plots, the beach is unspoiled pebble and sand backed by pine-covered hills, and the accommodation of choice is famously the rustic tree-house pension — a Turkish backpacker institution since the 1980s. It's a place people come to slow down, not tick off a checklist.
Quick facts
| Location | Near Çıralı/Kumluca, Antalya province, Mediterranean coast |
| Coordinates | 36.398° N, 30.470° E |
| Protected area | Olympos–Beydağları Coastal National Park |
| Signature features | Eternal natural flames (Chimaera/Yanartaş), Lycian & Roman ruins, pebble beach |
| Best time to visit | April–October; flames best seen after dark |
| Nearest airport | Antalya (AYT), ~80 km |
| On the trail | Directly on the Lycian Way |
The Chimaera: fire that never goes out
Climb about 20–30 minutes uphill from the road above Çıralı and you reach a bare slope where dozens of small flames flicker directly out of cracks in the rock, fed by methane gas seeping from deep underground. There's no fuel to see, no pipe, nothing burning down — just fire coming out of stone, as it reportedly has for millennia. Ancient writers linked this uncanny phenomenon to the myth of the Chimera, a fire-breathing hybrid monster slain by the hero Bellerophon riding the winged horse Pegasus, and many scholars believe this exact hillside is the origin of that legend. Our dedicated Chimaera flames guide covers the walk, timing, and the myth in full.
Olympos ancient city
Below the flames, spread through a shaded river valley, lie the remains of Olympos: Lycian tombs, a Roman-era bath complex, city walls, a small theater, a Byzantine church, and a striking rock-cut tomb facade, all half-swallowed by fig trees and undergrowth. It was an important Lycian League city and later a Roman and Byzantine port, and its layout still traces the old harbor channel down to the sea. See our full ancient city guide for a walking route through the site.
The beach and Çıralı
Where the ruins meet the Mediterranean, a long stretch of pebble beach curves along the coast, backed by pine forest and the peaks of Tahtalı Dağı. This same beach continues toward the neighboring village of Çıralı, where it becomes a protected nesting ground for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) — building height is restricted here specifically to protect them. Details on swimming spots, turtle season, and facilities are in our beach guide.
Tree houses and where to stay
Olympos is inseparable from its tree-house pensions: simple wooden cabins, some genuinely built up in the branches, most now at ground level but keeping the name and the hammock-strewn, communal-dinner atmosphere that made the area famous with backpackers in the 1980s and 90s. Options range from basic and cheerful to increasingly comfortable boutique versions. Our tree-houses guide breaks down what to expect and how to choose.
Getting there and planning
Most visitors fly into Antalya (AYT), around 80 km away, then travel by minibus via Kumluca to Çıralı or Olympos village. Full transport options, timings, and flight tips are in our how to get there guide; for choosing the right season, see best time to visit. If you'd rather have transfers, accommodation, and the Chimaera night walk arranged for you, Safaryar Holidays offers guided tours covering Olympos, the ancient city, and the eternal flames as part of wider Antalya-region itineraries.
Why visit
Few places pack a myth, an archaeological site, a genuine wild beach, and a quirky style of accommodation into such a small, walkable area. Whether you're hiking a section of the Lycian Way, based in Antalya for a week and looking for a day trip, or building a slower coastal itinerary around Çıralı, Olympos and the Chimaera reward an unhurried visit — ideally with at least one night, so you can see the ruins by day and the flames by dark. For more on planning logistics, browse the map, photo gallery, and FAQ linked throughout this guide, or jump to our tours page for guided options.
A snapshot of a single visit
Picture a typical overnight stop: arriving by minibus in the late morning, checking into a wooden tree-house pension, then spending the afternoon wandering the shaded ruins down to the beach for a swim. As evening falls, you head up the access road above Çıralı, walk twenty to thirty minutes uphill through pine forest, and arrive at a bare rocky slope where dozens of flames flicker steadily out of the stone itself. That single day — myth, archaeology, sea, and fire — captures why Olympos and the Chimaera have held a place on Turkey's Mediterranean coast for both backpackers and more comfort-seeking travelers alike for decades.