Demre, a small city with many names, here are just a few of them - Demre, Mira, Calais. The city was repeatedly captured, destroyed and rebuilt.

During the Roman Empire (4th century AD), Demre was already a large enough city to have its own bishop, Nikolai Mirlikiy, better known as Nicholas the Wonderworker (or Santa Claus, although the Turks themselves call him Noel-Baba - "the father of Christmas")

Now the city is a tourist center, combining several coastal villages, and offer tourists a perfectly sound cocktail of sea, sun, mountains and antiquities.

How to get to Demre

The nearest airport is in Antalya.

Demre is located on highway D400, which connects Fethiye in the west with Antalya in the east and stretches along the Lycian coast. Here along this highway you can reach Demre from Kalkan, Kasha, Finike, and Olympos. The bus ride from Kasha takes about an hour, the tickets cost 5 lire

The city can be reached by following the rather extreme Lycian Way - a 509 km long tracking track. The plot connecting Finike and Demre is 30 km. Go on a marked path away from all the blessings of civilization. But the "immersion in the material" will be maximum.

Hotels Demre

For accommodation in the city there are a number of cheap options near the main square. The most popular among budget travelers is Hotel Sahin. Hotel Andriake is a bit more expensive, so in fact there are more amenities.

A typical representative of middle-class hotels is located on the coast, some distance from the center and tourist sites Topcu Hotel. For those who are used to a five-star vacation - Hoyran Wedre - almost in the center of the city, with good views, excellent local cuisine, a garden and a swimming pool.

Beaches

In addition to visiting the beaches of hotels, we recommend you to combine the pleasant with the cognitive and Go southwest of Demre. Behind the ruins of the old port begins the wide sandy beach of Kaigazy (tourists do not even know about it), the cleanest beach of Suluklu and the pebble beach of Tasbidi

Entertainment, excursions and attractions Demre

Church of St. Nicholas - the main sight, the historical and spiritual dominant of the city . Built in the 4th century and . e ., the church was destroyed as a result of Arab raids and that's why in the 11th century the church was surrounded by a fortress wall, turning it into an impregnable monastery . Po decree of Russia Emperor Nicholas I In 1862 the church was reconstructed . A bell tower was built over the lateral limit, familiar to the Orthodox eye, but surprising in combination with the Byzantine architecture . In the church there is a marble sarcophagus in which, until 1087, the relics of St. Nicholas . @ After the transfer of the relics of Saint to Bari, miracles in the temple continue .Perhaps the monks preserved the mystery of the burial of Nicholas the Miracle-Worker intact, and his relics still rest under the stone slabs . The church is open daily: from May to October - from 8:30 to 19:00, from November to April - from 8:30 up to 17 . 00 .

map Two kilometers north of the center of the town are the ruins of ancient Myra . You can get to them on foot, you do not even have to climb high into the mountains . Convenience of access unfortunately has the opposite side - tourists who visit the World every day, not just a lot, but a lot of . Therefore, to inspect the World best early in the morning or later in the evening . Most of the city is still buried underground, but what lies on the surface is worth a look . You will see a large Roman-style amphitheater (sometimes even shows), the main necropolis with carved in graves by graves, "River Cemetery", lying on the slope of the ridge with beautiful bas-reliefs . Access to the ruins is open daily: from April to October - from 8-30 to 19-30, from November to March - from 8-30 up to 17-00 .

2, 5 km from Demre is the ancient port of the city of Andriak. The strategic port facility - the granary, where in the second century AD e. stored grain before sending to Rome. You will see the mighty outer walls stretching along the river, the main gate, 8 huge halls for grain storage. Photo Demre (4)