Olympos tours from Antalya start from €35 per person, with hotel pickup from Antalya, Belek, Kemer, Side and Alanya. The full-day tour covers the Lycian ruins, Chimaera eternal flames and Çıralı Beach — with an optional Tahtalı Mountain cable car ride to 2,365 metres along Turkey’s longest gondola.
Key facts before you book your Olympos tour from Antalya
The Olympos tour from Antalya reaches a valley where 2,000-year-old Lycian ruins line the sandy path to the sea, a hillside burns with natural methane flames, and Turkey's longest cable car rises to 2,365 metres overhead. Three completely different experiences in a single national park — 90km south of Antalya, 1.5 hours by road through Kemer into the Beydağları Coastal National Park.
The ancient city of Olympos was built here in the 2nd century BC. The ruins are not behind glass or ticketed barriers — they run along both sides of the river valley on the way to Çıralı Beach. Temple foundations, a Byzantine church, harbour walls and Roman baths are all walkable without a guide. The path ends at a 3km pebble beach inside the national park. No beach clubs. No sun lounger operations. No development. One of the few genuinely undeveloped beaches left on the Turkish Riviera.
Chimaera — Yanartaş in Turkish — is the hillside above the valley where natural methane gas seeps through rock fissures and ignites. The flames have burned continuously for at least 2,500 years. Homer wrote about them in the Iliad. Ancient sailors navigated the Lycian Coast by them. Visit at dusk: in daylight the flames are barely visible; as darkness falls, they become the only light source on the hillside. Full Olympos travel guide →
What's actually burning on the hillside above Olympos
The Chimaera flames at Yanartaş are not volcanic. Natural methane gas seeps through fissures in the ophiolite rock on the hillside above Olympos and ignites on contact with oxygen. The gas burns continuously — geologists have tried to smother individual flames and they reignite within minutes from adjacent fissures in the same rock system.
There are around 20 active flame vents spread across two clusters on the hillside. The larger flames reach knee height. In ancient times there were more vents and the flames were bright enough to be visible from passing ships — Lycian sailors used them as a navigation landmark. They're still visible from the sea on clear nights.
Visit at dusk. In daylight the flames are barely visible against the bright sky. As darkness falls, they become dramatically more intense — the only light source on an otherwise dark hillside. The hike takes 25 minutes on a well-maintained stone path from the valley floor. A small entrance fee applies at the gate. Bring a torch for the return descent.
What the full-day Olympos day trip from Antalya covers
Day trip, cable car add-on or private — same destination, different pace
Chimaera runs year-round. Cable car and beach are seasonal.
April–June and September are the best overall months — warm enough for the beach, cool enough for comfortable hiking to Chimaera, and clear enough for cable car summit views. July and August are hottest but Chimaera and the cable car remain fully operational. Winter tours are quieter and cheaper; Chimaera actually looks most dramatic in cold weather.
What to know before booking your Olympos tour
Destinations close to Olympos worth combining
Straight answers before you book
