Ancient City of Myra

Myra used to be one of the ancient cities of Lycian civilization and today, it is a famous historical site for tourists planning their holidays to Turkey. Thanks to its 2,500 years old history and the fact that it was the most developed city of Lycian civilization, it is one of the must-see places during your visit.

In general, sparing one full day for your visit to Myra ancient city will be more than enough. However, if you have a special interest for historical sites or the Lycian civilization, you can also book private tours. In these tours, you can learn all the details about the attractions in the area.

However, you do not have to wait until you visit Turkey to learn more about this beautiful historical site! In this guide, we have covered everything you may want to know. Although they are not in-depth information due to the limitations, you will still get satisfying information before your visit.

Where Was the Ancient City of Myra?

Myra is located in Demre District in Turkey. The district is located within the borders of Antalya and visitors can get to this ancient city by walk from the district center. This well-preserved ancient city is located in Teke Peninsula, and it is only two kilometers away from the center. In addition to this, it is 20 kilometers away from Kekova, 30 kilometers away from Finike, and 45 kilometers away from Kaş.

In other words, the ancient city is located right in the middle of many tourist destinations in the area. This is why you we highly recommend you paying a visit to this area and witness the history with your own eyes.

Lycians are one of the most important civilizations. They are the ones who invested the currency and still known for their amazing trading skills. Here, in this ancient city, you can witness the beauties this civilization built in the past.

The History of Myra

Myra used to be one of the most important cities of the Lycian civilization. In one of the historical records, a historian notes that Myra is one of the 23 cities, what have the right to vote. These cities used to have different amount of voting rights depending on their sizes.

3 votes were the highest number and only six cities used to have this right. This ancient city used to be one of these six cities together with Tlos, Olympus, Pinara, Patara and Xanthos. The area is surrounded by mountains on three sides and Demre Stream, which is also known as Myra Stream passes right next to it.

The artifacts found in the area prove that the history of the city is 2500 years old. However, the area also used to be a home to many civilizations before it was known as Myra too.

How to Get to Myra?

Getting to Myra is pretty straightforward. You do not have to worry about any hassle at all. However, you need to get to Antalya first. After that you need to get to Demre, which the ancient city is also located in.

If you need to get to Demre first, then you can prefer public transportation such as tramway, minibus, or bus from any part of Antalya. Once you get to Demre, you have two alternatives to get to this historical site. The first one is getting a taxi and the second one is walking.

Since this historical site is only two kilometers from Demre district center, you can get to the entrance of the area within 5 minutes by walking. Most taxis will not get you because of the short distance too. In addition to this, if you want, you can also rent a motorbike or bicycle for a day to visit the area.

What Can You Do in Myra?

There are plenty of things to see during your visit to Myra. The first one is rock tombs. They are a kind of landmark for this ancient city. Moreover, we recommend testing the echo capabilities of the ancient theatre as well.

Besides these, you will also have a chance to observe and even visit ancient houses, which civilians used to live in the past. In general, it is recommended to spare a full day to visit every attraction in Myra.

If you are planning your holidays to Turkey and would like to visit this beautiful historical site, you may be interested in renting a villa. If so, you can visit our homepage right now and list all the available rental villas in the area!