The vaulted walkway
A roofed corridor some 350 m long once linked the churches up the hill, and it is the strangest thing you will remember from the island.
Sinan Şahin — CC BY 3.0 · Sinan Şahin — CC BY 3.0 · Sinan Şahin — CC BY 3.0 · Cobija — CC0
An island without a single spring of fresh water, on which the Byzantines nonetheless raised four churches, dozens of tombs and a roofed walkway climbing to the summit, then walked away from the lot in the seventh century. That is the riddle waiting when you anchor at Gemiler, just off the shore below Kayaköy, roughly 15 km south of Fethiye. The likeliest answer is that this was a pilgrim port: medieval ships sheltered in the narrow strait between island and mainland, and the place was known then as St Nicholas Island. Popular tradition says Nicholas of Myra, the original Santa Claus, was first buried here before his relics moved on; the fresco in Church II simply names a Saint Nicholas, and the archaeologists who excavated the island read him as Nicholas of Sion, a different saint from near Demre. Whichever Nicholas it was, this was a busy seaborne shrine fifteen centuries ago. You can only arrive by sea. If you are driving, head down from Fethiye through Hisarönü and Kayaköy to the end of the road at Gemiler beach (about half an hour), where small boats cross to the island in minutes for a negotiated fare. The more common route is a day-boat tour from Ölüdeniz or Fethiye harbour; most pause at the island for around an hour, but some only anchor for a swim and never land, so ask before booking if the ruins matter to you. A modest archaeological-site fee is collected when you step ashore. The climb to Church III on the summit takes 15 to 20 minutes over rough stone with no shade whatsoever: closed shoes and water are essential, and a pushchair is out of the question. School-age children enjoy the scramble, and the reward at the top is the vaulted processional corridor, roughly 350 m long, that once linked the churches, then a view straight down onto a turquoise strait dotted with wooden gulets. Along the shore, walls lie submerged two metres down where the land dropped after ancient earthquakes; a snorkel mask is all you need to look them over. Go between May and October, when the boats run reliably; in July and August make the climb before ten or towards evening. Sunset from the summit is one of the things Gemiler is best known for around Fethiye, and the Ölüdeniz sunset cruises exist for precisely this. In winter the boats all but stop, so do not plan an off-season visit unless you have chartered your own.
A roofed corridor some 350 m long once linked the churches up the hill, and it is the strangest thing you will remember from the island.
From Church III the eye drops onto the turquoise strait and its wooden gulets, one of the best-known sunset spots around Fethiye.
Byzantine walls two metres under the water near the shore; a snorkel mask is all you need once the climb is done.
Gemiler Bay, Kayaköy, Fethiye 48300, Muğla
On a boat tour with small children in August heat, seeing it from the water and swimming in the bay is enough; the ruins are visible from the sea. If you care about history or want the sunset, the hour ashore is worth it, provided your boat actually lands and gives you time to climb.
Driving to Gemiler beach gives you control of your time and is the better choice for sunset, though the last stretch of road is narrow and twisting. The boat tour is easier with a family and adds other bays, but your time on the island is whatever the captain allows.
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