The waters around Kalkan Bay have a Blue Flag award for cleanliness. They are a vivid turquoise colour, crystal clear and ideal for all forms of water sports.

Kalkan offers a choice of beaches.  A large public pebble beach stretches along the harbour front.  Alternatively the beach clubs are popular; these are cut into the hillside offering sunbathing swimming and numerous water sports including scuba diving, snorkelling and jet skis etc.  They can be reached by frequent shuttle boats from the harbour and one can spend a lazy day doing as much or as little as you wish.

Alternatively Kapatus Beach is a 10 min Dolmus(bus)ride offering a perfect  sandy beach positioned on the crescent of a ravine.

Patara is a little further away (15km), but is well worth a visit.  This is one of Turkeys most famous and photographed beaches, with 11 miles of unspoilt sand, surrounded by ancient Lycian Ruins.

A must is a trip around the bay on a gulet, a traditional boat of the area. This will take you via Mouse and Snake islands to local bays where you can swim from the boat and go ashore to take a traditional mud bath.  Light refreshments are usually included in the price. Romantic evening dinner cruises are also available. Just stroll along the harbour at Kalkan to select the boat of your choice.  

Kas is the nearest large town, 29km from Kalkan; it has a wonderfully mellow atmosphere with tea shops and bars centred on a small harbour.  For such a relaxed place it is ironic that Kas is now styling itself as the ‘Adventure capital of the Med’, with paragliding, micro-light flights and scuba diving etc.

Shopping

Kalkan offers a quaint village atmosphere with its numerous boutique style shops selling everything from antiques and Turkish carpets to locally produced handmade olive oil soap.

Every Thursday Kalkan holds an open-air market.  Local farmers come with fresh produce and spices, Turkish ‘Del Boys’ sell ‘designer’ goods at knock-down prices and traditional pottery, leather and cotton goods are a real bargain. This is an opportunity to see how good your bartering skills are.

Eating Out

Kalkan is renowned for its numerous restaurants which serve traditional Turkish, English, French or Italian cuisine.  Particularly attractive are those with roof top terraces, they offer gorgeous views over the town and across the bay. In the evening you can sit and watch the sun set over the sea and dine under the stars. Alternatively you can sit at one of the many fine harbour-side restaurants and watch the boats go by.

Many Kalkan restaurants and hotels hold special “Turkish nights” once a week.  These events are held on the rooftop or poolside terrace and feature traditional Turkish dishes, a belly dancing show, live Turkish music and/or regional folk dancing by children's groups.  They are open to everyone even if you’re not a guest of the hotel.   

Kalkan also has all sorts of bars which give the town an exciting after dinner life.  You might choose to listen to a gypsy band while sipping your raki - the strong Turkish aniseed drink - and reclining Ottoman-style upon cushions

There are also jazz bars, other live-music bars, several popular small dancing bars with comfortable seating for non-dancers and two disco bars - one located outside of the centre of Kalkan and another open to the public at Pirat Hotel.