The city of Antalya stretches along the bay bearing its name, and is built at 39 meters altitude on a rocky coastline. One is immediately struck by the Taurus mountains rising to 3086 meters above this coastline, intersperesed withvalleys of varying sizes. Land and sea everywhere meet the beaches stretching for miles or the steep cliffs. The Taurus mountains against the blue backdrop of the sky, the precipices and especially the caves close to the sea add another dimension to the beauty of the region. Small and large streams emerging from the west side of the Taurus water the plains on their journey to the Mediterranean. This translucent running water, cascading into the sea at points along the coast, is another attractive sight. The plant life of Antalya is extremely varied. Every kind of tropical plant can be found along the coast. Visitors to Antalya are struck by the size attained by the different species of cactus. When you reach the foothills of the Taurus, you will see they are covered in the typical Mediterranean maquis, while the forests are full of thriving oaks and pine trees. The coton and sesame plantations and citrus and banana groves of the plains have a beauty of their own.

PHASELIS: One km. after turning south 57 km. along the Antalya-Kemer highway (in itself a beautiful ride) one reaches Phaselis. This was settled by the Rhodians in the 7th century B.C. and for many years was claimed to be the most important port city of the eastern Lycian seaboard. Phaselis has three harbours: the North harbour, the Military or Protected (enclosed) harbour and the South harbour, of which the most important is the latter. A 20-24 m. wide avenue runs throughout the city. The western end is the site of Hadrian's Gate. On either side of the avenue are sidewalks and shops. Close to these can be seen the public places like the baths, the theatre and the agora.

OLYMPOS AND CIRALI: Phaselis is in the west part of Antalya and is between Kemer and Adrasan. After passing Phaselis on the Antalya-Kumluca highway, signposts leading to Olympos and Cirali will be seen and Olympos can be reached by following either route. Cirali is the name of the village near Olympos, which was a port city established in the 2nd century and which continued to flourish until the 15th century A.D. The famous myth of Bellerophontes is said to have taken place here. The antique city is on two sides of a beautiful valley. A sandy beach is found where the town and the valley meet the sea, into which a mountain stream flows. An hour's walk from Olympos brings you to the natural phenomenon of Cirali. Known by the local inhabitants as the " burning mountain " (Yanartas), it is a result of escaping natural gas, whose flames have been shooting heavenwards for centuries. It is suggested that those who wish to visit the Yanartas for the first time should be accompanied by someone from the village.