Antalya Blue Cruise (Blue Voyage)

A Blue Cruise, also known as a Blue Voyage, is a term used for recreational voyages along the Turkish Riviera, on Turkey's southwestern coast. Quite popular among tourists from various parts of the world. Its coverage of the whole coastline to Antalya will actually also include the region known in ancient times as Lycia. 

Antalya Blue Cruise Map

Antalya

Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. It was the world's third most visited city by number of international arrivals in 2011, displacing New York. Antalya is the sixth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort. This metropolis consists of five boroughs: Konyaaltı, Kepez, Muratpaşa, Aksu, and Döşemealtı.

Port Akdeniz Antalya

Kaleiçi, with its narrow cobbled streets of historic Ottoman era houses, is the old center of Antalya. With its hotels, bars, clubs, restaurants, and shopping, it has been restored to retain much of its historical character; its restoration has won the Golden Apple Tourism Prize. Cumhuriyet Square, the main square of the city, is the location for temporary open air exhibitions and performances. The city also features sites with traces of Lycian, Pamphylian, and Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman architecture and cultures. International luxury hotels stand along the coast above the Konyaalti and Lara beaches.

Antalya Rat (Sıçan) Island

Kemer 

Kemer Marina

Kemer is located 40 kilometres west of Antalya, on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey.  The name originates from stone walls, which were built to protect the town from flooding, by the mountain stream.  The town was only accessible by boat, until the 1960’s when a road was built and major infrastructure was sponsored by the World Bank.  Kemer is a town of natural beauty and its highlights include; the unspoilt stretches of beaches, the mountains with beautiful pine forests and the peaceful location.  Kemer is a good place to base ones self for other sites including; Goynuk Canyon, Ulupinar, Olympos, Chimera, Phaselis, Three Islands and Eco Park.  There are many clubs, bars and restaurants, offering a variety of entertainment. 

Olympos  

Mount Olympos

Olympos is an ancient city which is located in a valley at the south coast of Turkey, 90 km southwest of Antalya city near the Town of Kumluca. The former city of Olympos was founded in the Hellenistic period, presumably taking its name from nearby Mount Olympos, one of over twenty mountains with the name Olympos in the Classical world.

Olympos Bay

The Olympos village is located in the heart of the Olympos coastal national park. The surrounding area offers best conditions for Trekking, Mountain biking, Canyoning, Rock climbing, Sea kayaking. It is possible to rent equipment in the village or to join organized tours.

Finike - Port  Genoese - Adrasan

Finike, the ancient Phoenicus  is a district on the Mediterranean coast of Antalya Province of Turkey, 90 minutes west of the city of Antalya. It is located in the south of the Teke peninsula, and the coast here is a popular tourist destination. However, Finike is best known for its oranges, the symbol of the town. 

Finike Marina

A type of pale limestone is quarried at Limyra, and sold as a decorative building material. It's cream colored with a homogeneous structure. Moreover it's extremely light and that makes it a perfect for building walking alleys and streets where only light vehicles are passing. The geologist classify the Limura limestone as with medium density. The port of Finike is now a yacht marina, and has a small fishing fleet. The coast is rich in marine life, including sea turtles, and fish, including local specialities red porgy Sparidae and grouper (Epinephelus); other fish found along the coast include leerfish (Carangidae) and the more widespread Mediterranean varieties such as bluefish, sea bream, sea bass, with swordfish, sardines and others found further out to sea. However, the coast suffers from overfishing, and many varieties, including the porgy, are in decline.

Gelidonia Lighthouse

The beaches of Finike are an important nesting ground for Caretta caretta sea turtles, and the rocky parts of the coast are used by the rare Mediterranean Monk Seal. The ruins of Limyra are to be seen three miles east of the Finike, they consist of a theatre, tombs, Sarcophagi, bas-reliefs, Greek and Lycian inscriptions, etc. The ancient city of Arycanda, in a narrow valley off the road to Elmalı. The ruins of Trysa with a carved frieze depicting Theseus, on the road to Kaş. The small village of Turuncova, hidden in small valley between Taurus Mountainsit will has preserve the traditional lifestyle and culture from many centuries ago. The cave of Suluin. Wreck of a Phoenician merchant ship from about 1200 BC in Cape Gelidonya

Adrasan - Port Ceneviz

Demre (Kale)

Demre is a town and its surrounding district in the Antalya Province on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, named after the river Demre. Demre is the Lycian town of Myra, the home of Saint Nicholas of Myra, the original Santa Claus. The district was known as Kale until it was renamed in 2005. The region is popular with tourists today particularly Christian pilgrims who visit the tomb of Saint Nicholas. 

The Tomb of Santa Claus

Demre is on the coast of the Teke peninsula, west of the bay of Antalya, with the Taurus Mountains behind. The mountains are forested and the coastal strip is made of good soil brought down by the mountain rivers. The climate is the typical Mediterranean pattern of hot dry summers and warm wet winters. The villages of Demre grow pomegranates and citrus fruits and now a large quantity of fruits and vegetables all year round in greenhouses. Also with its rich history, attractions like the island of Kekova, the sea and warm weather this coast is very popular with holidaymakers from Turkey and all over Europe, although Demre still does not have the high volume of tourists enjoyed by districts nearer Antalya airport. Some local handicrafts like rug making, and events such as the annual camel-wrestling festival bring in extra income. The local cuisine predictably includes fish and other seafood from the Mediterranean.

Myra

Myra was one of the most important cities in ancient Lycia. Coins have been found dating back to 300 BC, but logically the city must have been founded centuries earlier. The city thrived as part of the Roman Empire and many public buildings were built.

Kekova-Üçağız-Simena-Gökkaya

Kekova, also named Caravola is a small Turkish island near Kaş district of Antalya province which faces the villages of Kaleköy (ancient Simena) and Üçağız (ancient Teimioussa). Kekova has an area of 4.5 km² and is uninhabited. The Kekova region is 260 km² and encompasses the island of Kekova, the villages of Kaleköy and Üçağız and the four ancient towns of Simena, Aperlae, Dolchiste and Teimioussa.

Kekova

On its northern side there are the partly sunken ruins of Dolchiste/Dolikisthe, an ancient town which was destroyed by an earthquake during the 2nd century. Rebuilt and still flourishing during the Byzantine Empire period, it was finally abandoned because of Arab incursions. Tersane (meaning "dockyard", as its bay was the site of an ancient city Xera and dockyard, with the ruins of a Byzantine church) is at the northwest of the island.

Kaleköy (Simena)

Kaleköy (locally just "Kale") (ancient Simena) is a Lycian site on the Turkish coast. It is a small village with the partly sunken ruins of Aperlae and a castle. Access to the village is possible only by sea. The village lies amidst a Lycian necropolis, which is partially sunken underwater. Kaleköy is overlooked by a Byzantine castle, built in the Middle Ages to fight the pirates which nested in Kekova. The castle contains a small theatre. Kaleköy is a popular yachting destination.

Üçağız (Teimioussa)

Üçağız (ancient name, Teimioussa) is a village one km from Kaleköy, north of a small bay by the same name, with the ruins of Teimioussa to the east. The name "Üçağız" means "three mouths", referring to the three exits to open sea.

Gökkaya

Gökkaya has very beautiful bay. In Gökkaya, you can also enjoy the different water sports such a snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing, deep-sea fishing, etc.

 

Kaş 

Kaş Marina

Kaş is a small fishing, diving, yachting and tourist town, and a district of Antalya Province of Turkey, 168km west of the city of Antalya. As a tourist town it is relatively unspoiled.

Kaş by Night

The tourist industry is centred on the pleasant town of Kaş, but many other coastal towns and villages in the district have plenty of accommodation for visitors including Kalkan and Gelemiş. Kaş itself is a quiet pleasant town with its blue sea and narrow streets scented with jasmine flowers. There are plenty of little guest houses, quiet cafes serving home cooking, or small bars to relax after a day's scuba diving. Kaş has an annual arts festival, jazz concerts in the hellenistic theatre and the Kiln Under the Sea arts collective have held underwater ceramics exhibitions here. Kaş is one of the leading spots for diving in Turkey. If you decide to try diving in Kaş you can expect to see a beautiful array of fish and other sea creatures like octopus and possibly dolphins, and also the wrecks of some ancient ships.

 The town of Kaş has a hellenistic theatre and many other places of historical interest; and it has spots of natural beauty, including excellent beaches, and a number of interesting caves, some of them underwater. For scuba divers there are several spots underwater, one of them being an underwater sculpture of a shark sculpted by Kemal Tufan. The mountains behind the coast offer countless places for trekking, climbing and canyoning. The ruins of the antique cities of Komba (in the village of Gömbe), Nisa, Kandyba, Phellos, Istlada, Apollonia, Isinda and Kyaenai. A popular excursion from Kaş is Kekova island in the neighbouring district of Demre. Here in the magnificent bays you will see a surprising variety of wrecks of ancient ships and ancient cities sunk under the sea by earthquakes over the centuries. The sea is so perfectly clear that the details of city buildings such as staircases or columns can be seen from the boat. The area is ideal for sea kayaking. In December 2006 Kaş was added to the specially protected Kekova marine area in order to preserve its rich biodiversity.

Kalkan 

Kalkan is a town on the Turkish Mediterranean coast, and an important tourist destination. The area includes many historical sites such as Tlos and Kekova and many fine beaches including Patara Beach & Kaputaş Beach. 

Kaputaş Beach

It is famous for its white-washed houses, descending to the sea, and its brightly colored bougainvilleas. It averages 300 days of sunshine a year. British newspaper The Independent listed Kalkan among the best tourist destinations for 2007. The paper recommended Kalkan especially for those seeking a romantic vacation and who do not want to travel far from their home country in Europe.

Kalkan