Best Time to Visit Kalkan

Kalkan's season is long but not uniform: the sea takes until June to warm up properly and stays swimmable into late October, while July and August bring the heat and the crowds together. Choosing when to come mostly depends on whether you are here for the water, for walking and sightseeing, or for quiet.

Climate and Sea Temperatures

The climate is Mediterranean, hot and dry in summer and mild and wet in winter. Daytime highs average around 32 C in July and reach about 34 C in August, cooling to the low twenties overnight, with a sea breeze that makes the evenings comfortable. Sea temperatures follow the air with a lag: around 26 C in July and close to 28 C by late August, still near 24 C through October. Winter is the rainy season, with daytime figures generally between 6 C and 17 C. Snow is very rare at sea level, and the area averages roughly 300 days of sunshine a year.

Choosing Your Season

• April to June - warm days, wild flowers still out on the hillsides and the sea cool until well into June. The best window for walking the Lycian Way and for visiting the ancient sites without the midday heat.
• July and August - peak season. Hottest weather, warmest sea, highest prices and full restaurants. Book accommodation and boats well ahead.
• September and October - the sea is at its warmest in early September and holds its heat through October while the air cools and the crowds thin. For many regulars this is the best time of the year in Kalkan.

The Coast and the Beaches

Kalkan's own beach is small, so the coastline either side is the real draw. Patara, a long dune-backed beach west of the town, is a nesting ground for loggerhead turtles, caretta caretta, and closes at sunset during the nesting season. Kaputas lies in the opposite direction on the Kas road, a short strip of sand at the mouth of a gorge, reached down a long flight of steps from the highway.

Firnaz Bay, at the village of Yesilkoy about 4 kilometres from Kalkan, is a different case: there is no road to it, and the only way in is from the water. Visitors come for the mud on the shoreline, which people coat themselves in before rinsing off in the sea, and for the ancient aqueduct remains around the bay, associated with the water supply of Patara. Several of the coves along this stretch are equally roadless, which is why so many visitors explore the Kas and Kalkan coast by private gulet charter rather than trying to reach them from the land.

The Old Town

The old quarter is a grid of narrow streets running up from the harbour, lined with boutiques, galleries and rooftop restaurants. The whitewashed Ottoman-era houses with their wooden balconies and bougainvillea are what the town is photographed for, and because the streets are cobbled and largely closed to cars, the whole quarter is walked rather than driven.

Events

The main fixture in the local calendar is the Kalkan Kalamar art workshop, held annually for well over a decade. Painters from across Turkey spend a week working in the town and the pieces they produce go on public exhibition at the end of it. Concerts and smaller events cluster in the summer months, when the population is at its highest.

Practical Notes

• Sun protection matters here from May onwards: high factor sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses.
• Some beaches and coves in the area are pebble or rock rather than sand, so water shoes are worth packing.
• The town is built on a steep hillside with cobbled streets, and comfortable shoes make more difference than any other item of luggage.
• Cover shoulders and knees when visiting a mosque; a light scarf is enough for women.
• Merhaba (hello) and Tesekkur ederim (thank you) go a long way in the shops and markets.