How to visit the remains of Caunus in Dalyan (Türkiye): schedules

Licia It is the most beautiful and interesting region of the entire turkish coast.

In this part of southwest Türkiye It seems that the mountains emerge directly from the sea, creating a series of beautiful and suggestive landscapes.

The rugged relief has meant that, until very few decades ago, road access was slow and difficult, which has facilitated the conservation of numerous natural enclaves and generated an attractive image of a secluded place despite being on the banks of the river. Mediterranean coast.

The Lycians They were an Anatolian people who settled on this stretch of the coast more than 3.000 years ago, whose culture eventually mixed with the Greek and Roman, and now their remains are among the most fascinating in the world. Antiquity.

The small population of kiddle It is one of the best places to learn the secrets of this mysterious culture and its evocative memories.

It also allows access to the Iztuzu beach, one of the best preserved on this coast, famous for being a turtle nesting site.

How to get to Dalyan on the Lycian coast of Türkiye

A kiddle easily reached from dalaman airport, located about 30 kilometers away, which has daily connections with Istanbul.

It is, therefore, a good starting point for a coastal itinerary in search of beaches, beautiful landscapes, remains of ancient civilizations and, also, the Greek presence that was alive in the area until just a century ago.

Along the way we will find places registered on the list of World Heritage for the Unesco, plus others included in the tentative list.

It is also possible to start this route in Bodrum, somewhat further west, where it is recommended to visit, among other monuments, the castle of san pedro.

kiddle It is a town of about 6.000 inhabitants on the banks of the river of the same name that originates from the Koycegiz lake.

It is a very touristy but quiet place, which is especially lively in the months of July and August, where you find many accommodations and restaurants to choose from, making it a good place to spend the night.

How to go by boat to Caunus

On the banks of the river we will find several piers with many boats, and we can negotiate an excursion around the surroundings in search of the archaeological remains of Caunus and Iztuzu beach.

If you don't have much time, you can do a half excursion and visit only the Caunus ruins.

In high season these boats leave as soon as there is a certain number of clients, and in low season they will have to be hired for a private trip.

Along the shore there are numerous beach bars where you can eat or have a drink.

How to see the Royal Tombs of Caunus

From any of them we will have a good view of one of the great attractions of the area: the Royal Tombs of the Kings of Caunus that are found dug into the rocks of the precipice that emerges a short distance from the opposite shore.

At dusk they light up, creating a very attractive image.

This type of tombs are excavated in rock Reproducing the characteristic forms of Greek temples, it is a fascinating introduction to this little-known ancient culture.

The curious thing is that the city of Caunus It wasn't really a city Lycian but Careers.

Mausolus, the king for whom it was built in Halicarnassus the funerary site that was considered one of the Wonders of the Ancient World, and who gave his name to the mausoleums, was the best-known Carian monarch of all time.

In this area, right on the border between Caria y Licia, a city like Caunus shows influences from both cultures.

The road to Caunus It is part of the attraction of the visit, since the usual way to get to this ancient city is by boat from Dalyan, a journey that lasts about 45 minutes and is very pleasant.

What to see when visiting the Caunus archaeological site

When the boat stops at the pier, it is a walk of about 15 minutes uphill to the entrance of the archaeological site.

Upon arrival you discover the spectacular location of the city, on a ridge.

On the opposite side to which the city has risen, it descends towards the port, which was located in a deep lagoon surrounded by hills.

Furthermore, at the top of a mountain appears The Acropolis.

The whole is very evocative and outside of the high season, when This area is one of the most visited in Türkiye, turns out to be a lonely enclave.

The first thing that appears are the remains of the Roman terms, one of the best preserved from the imperial period.

Very close there is a small proto byzantine church, which is also quite well preserved.

One of the most attractive structures is theater, which rests partly on the slope that leads to The Acropolis.

It has 34 rows of seats and from the upper ones there is an excellent view of the bay where the port was located.

A curious fact is that several olive trees emerge from the stands, as if they were the spectators of this ancient theater.

The Acropolis It seems to fly over the complex at about 150 meters high, where you can climb if you have time.

A stone door marks the path to the lower city, the one that was in the port, where you arrive through a sometimes stepped street that is very well preserved.

Some truly unique remains appear along the way.

It is a structure in the shape of three-quarters of a circle, with columns at the top of two concentric steps that form the periphery of the curved part of the complex.

The archaeologists who discovered it think it could be a outdoor pool, and in that case it would be the only structure of that type discovered in Anatolia.

The deposits carried by the river over the centuries have completely changed the coastline, which is now located three or four kilometers away.

El old port It is now a swampy area but where numerous remains are preserved.

La this It was an area of ​​arcades where the inhabitants of the city gathered; in it nymphaeum, which would be surrounded by statues, there is an inscription with the port's customs regulations.

This port, now completely unusable, was many centuries ago an important stopover between the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.

The remains of the city complex are so important that they have been included by Türkiye on the tentative list of World Heritage for the Unesco.

Back at the pier, the boat trip continue towards the Istuzu beach, a place is well known as a place of spawning for the loggerhead, which comes between May and September.

The beach is quite good for bathing although there is a prohibited access area, reserved for turtles.

El spawning It gets dark, so access to the beach is completely prohibited during the egg-laying season.

Caunus visiting hours

El Caunus archaeological site It is open every day of the year, from 10 a.m. to 19 p.m. between April 1 and September 30, and from 08,30:17,30 a.m. to XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. the rest of the year.

El entrance price to visit Caunus It is 14 Turkish liras (1,50 euros).