Leto's re-erected temple
The Ionic columns raised over standing water are the one view that justifies the stop.
Bjørn Christian Tørrissen — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dosseman — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Angela Stefanoni — CC BY 3.0 · Dosseman — CC BY-SA 4.0
Three temples stand side by side here, and for much of the year they stand in water, with frogs and terrapins sunning themselves on the marble. That is not neglect but the point of the place: Letoon was built over springs the Lycians held sacred, and as the water table rose over the centuries the temple floors became ponds. This was the religious heart of the Lycian League, dedicated to Leto and her twins Apollo and Artemis, where the League's decrees were cut into stone. Together with Xanthos, four kilometres up the road, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. What you actually see: the foundations of the three temples, with a stretch of Leto's temple re-erected on its Ionic columns (the photograph everyone takes), a well-kept Hellenistic theatre tucked into the slope behind, the drowned remains of a Roman nymphaeum, and an early Byzantine basilica. The site's most famous find, the trilingual stele in Lycian, Greek and Aramaic that helped scholars crack the Lycian language, is in the Fethiye Museum, not here; on site you only see where it was dug up. From Kaş it is an easy drive: about 50 km west on the D400 to Kınık, then a few kilometres across farmland to the village of Kumluova, roughly an hour in all. Without a car, the Fethiye-bound dolmuş drops you at Kınık and a short taxi ride finishes the job. The ground is flat and the walking minimal, but the paths are earth and mud and flood after rain, so a pushchair is more hindrance than help, and in August the heat and the mosquitoes over the standing water are wearing. Spring and autumn are far kinder. Be realistic: it is a small site and 30 to 45 minutes covers it. Never come for Letoon alone; fold it into a day with Xanthos next door and Patara's beach and ruins beyond. With children the frogs and turtles make it a gentler stop than the word 'ruins' suggests.
The Ionic columns raised over standing water are the one view that justifies the stop.
Tucked into the slope behind the temples, well preserved, quiet, and usually yours alone.
The wildlife in the flooded temple floors is what children remember most, especially in spring.
Kumluova, Seydikemer, Muğla Province
Yes, because it is only four kilometres away, takes about 40 minutes, and the half-drowned temple is a sight Xanthos does not offer. But if you have time for one site only, choose Xanthos; Letoon on its own does not justify an hour's drive from Kaş.
Not on site. It is displayed in the Fethiye Museum, about 65 km away; at Letoon you only see the spot where it was found, so if the stele is your reason for coming, aim for Fethiye instead.
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