Description

Kalkan is located along the Lycian Coast of Turkey. Its surroundings are idyllic and unblemished by tourist crowds. It’s Christian and Muslim history, architecture and natural beauty are reasons to make it desirable. It is a small gorgeous town with brilliant blue water and excellent food and hospitable people. The twisted streets are lined by whitewashed villas with wooden balconies built in a typical Kalkan style or Ottoman Greek style architecture. Kalkan’s numerous roof top terrace restaurants and bars add to the charm of Kalkan.

Shopping

For travelers who enjoy shopping Kalkan is a place to be. Most shopping can be done till midnight and it is a window shoppers’ haven with a lot of specialty shops selling everything from customized high fashion clothing to ceramics, hand-blown glass, and Turkish kilims. Other good buys are gold and silver jewellery and antiques. The Thursday market is a place for great bargains and picking up souvenirs. Kalkan has a range of larger supermarkets, daily fresh fish and vegetable market.

Restaurants

Kalkan has the highest number of restaurants and bars per person. The hotels have roof-top bars serving drinks and cocktails. Food in Kalkan is very cheap as per European standards as a three course meal with drinks can cost as little as £8 or as much as £20. Geronda and Alternatif are restaurants with a good ambience and atmosphere. There are a multitude of restaurants where a traveler can try traditional Turkish cuisine with a large choice of meze or starters followed by fish and grilled meat. The meals always end with a fruit or light dessert followed by the world famous Turkish coffee.

Night Life

Kalkan has its own style of exciting nightlife. It is customary for men to listen to folk music with a local drink called raki after dark occasionally smoking a hookah and joining the belly-dancers for a trip of dancing. Kalkan also has jazz bars and a couple of disco bars in Kalkan center and in Hotel Pirat. Turkish feasts are held on the often with a belly dancing show, live Turkish music and regional folk.

Activities

Kalkan has a plethora of daytime activities. Popular activities include beach-going, walking, relaxing at beach clubs or swimming pools, water sports, making daytrips and mountain excursions to lands around Kalkan, scuba diving, snorkeling and boat and gullet trips. Some trips explore the many beautiful sea caves along the coast near Kalkan and to Kekova, one of the most beautiful areas of the Turkish coast. Daily tours to the Kekova area are popular where tourists can go in a glass-bottom boat.

Communications

To call Turkey, the international country dialing code is +90. While calling from Turkey, the outgoing code is 00, followed by the relevant country code. There are internal dialing codes that are in use to call within Turkey; for example to call Istanbul Asya (Asia side) within Turkey is (0)216 and Istanbul Avrupa (Europe side) is (0)212. GSM 900 and 1800 networks cover most of the country. Internet cafes are available in the main towns and resorts.

Contacts

Turkish Tourist Office: +90 (0)212 573 4136 (Istanbul) or www.tourismturkey.org
Turkish Embassy, Washington DC, United States: +1 202 612 6700
Turkish Embassy, London, United Kingdom: +44 (0)20 7393 0066
Turkish Embassy, Ottawa, Canada: +1 613 789 4044
Turkish Embassy, Canberra, Australia: +61 (0)2 6295 0227
Turkish Embassy, Pretoria, South Africa: +27 (0)12 342 6053-7
Turkish Embassy, Dublin, Ireland: +353 (0)1 668 5240
Turkish Embassy, Wellington, New Zealand: +64 (0)4 472 1292
United States Consulate General, Istanbul: +90 (0)212 335 9000
British Embassy, Ankara: +90 (0)312 455 3344
Canadian Embassy, Ankara: +90 (0)312 459 9200
Australian Embassy, Ankara: +90 (0)312 459 9500
South African Embassy, Ankara: +90 (0)312 446 4056
Irish Embassy, Ankara: +90 (0)312 446 6172
New Zealand Embassy, Ankara: +90 (0)312 467 9054/6/8
Emergencies: 155 (Police); 112 (Ambulance)

Currency

TRY

Attractions

There are numerous sea caves that can be explored along the Kalkan coast like the ‘Wild Pigeon Cave’ which is famous for the birds which come to roost above cool spring-fed water and the ‘Blue Cave’ known for its luminous blue of the water caused by sunlight.
Visitors can also make a daytrip to the Greek island of Meis which is only a short boat ride from the nearby town of Kas.

Language

Turkish

Language Description

The official language of Turkey is Turkish. However in almost all the main tourist areas, English is widely understood.

Tipping

Either a small change or a percentage of the bill is the customary tip given for most services in Turkey. Big hotels and restaurants generally add a service charge to the bill, but whenever that is not the case, 10 and 15% of the bill is expected as tips. While tipping taxi drivers, it is recommended to round up the bill. Attendants at Turkish baths expect 15% of the total bill as tips if the service offered has been good.