Kemer is a resort town with a surprising amount on offer, and the honest list of things to do combines the town’s own pleasures — the seafront, the marina, the beaches — with the region’s great sights that sit within an easy drive: the cable car up Mount Tahtalı, the ancient city of Phaselis, the canyon of Göynük, and the wild valley of Olympos with its eternal flame. This list ranks the ten best things to do in and around Kemer, from the essential to the underrated, with practical notes on timing, effort, and cost so you can build the right trip.
1. Ride the Cable Car Up Mount Tahtalı
The signature Kemer experience, and the one thing no visitor should miss. One of the longest cable cars in Europe climbs from the foothills to nearly 2,400 meters in about ten minutes, and the summit platform looks out over the entire region — the Mediterranean curving away below, the Taurus mountains inland, and the resorts strung along the coast. On clear days the view runs for a hundred kilometers.
Go early for the clearest views and the shortest queues, or late in the afternoon for the sunset. At the top, walk the summit paths and enjoy the cold mountain air after the coast’s heat. It is popular and not cheap, and it is worth it.
Effort: easy — the cable car does the work. Time: a half-day with the drive. Cost: the most expensive single item on this list.
2. Explore the Ancient City of Phaselis
The best ancient site in the Kemer area and one of the most beautiful on the whole coast. Phaselis is a Lycian-Greek-Roman city spread over a small peninsula with three beaches, its theatre, aqueduct, agora, and streets running down to coves of perfect water. You wander the ruins and swim between ancient walls.
Go early, before the heat and the crowds, and allow two to three hours. The site is shady in places, the water is superb, and the combination of history and sea is the classic Turkish-coast experience.
Effort: easy walking. Time: 2–3 hours. Cost: a modest entrance fee.
3. Spend a Day on the Beaches
The beaches are Kemer’s core product, and they are very good at it. The town beach and the hotel coves are organized, serviced, and safe — sunbeds, umbrellas, beach bars, and clear, calm water with the mountains behind. The shoreline is partly pebbly, so the sandier stretches and the coves are worth finding.
For a wilder version, the boat trips from the marina reach the coves around the bay that the road cannot, with swimming stops and sea caves. Either way, the beach is where Kemer does its daily magic.
Effort: minimal. Time: as long as you like. Cost: free to cheap (sunbeds at some spots).
4. Take a Boat Trip Along the Coast
The marina’s excursion boats run the classic Mediterranean day — a cruise along the bay, swimming stops in the coves, sea caves, and lunch — and they are the standard way to see the coast from the water. Half-day and full-day options exist, and the boats are comfortable and well-run.
The afternoon trips are the light version; the full day adds lunch and more stops. Bring swimwear, a towel, and sunscreen, and let the boat do the work.
Effort: none. Time: half or full day. Cost: moderate, cash or card.
5. Walk the Göynük Canyon
A short drive north of Kemer, the canyon of Göynük offers a walk along a turquoise river through a dramatic gorge — a cool, green contrast to the beach days. The river runs clear between steep rock walls, and the walk is easy and beautiful, with swimming spots along the way.
It is the natural counterpoint to the sea: shade, water, and green after the sun and the salt. Allow a half-day, wear shoes that can get wet, and take a picnic.
Effort: easy walking. Time: half a day. Cost: a small entrance fee.
6. Visit the Olympos Valley and the Eternal Flame
The wild valley of Olympos, with its ruins and its famous flame, is an easy drive from Kemer and makes a memorable day trip — the ancient city in the afternoon, the flame of Chimaera at dusk. The flame, burning from the rock on the mountainside since antiquity, is one of the most atmospheric sights on the coast.
Go in the afternoon for the ruins, climb the marked path to the flame as the light fails, and descend in the dark with a torch. Allow a full day.
Effort: moderate (the flame path is a climb). Time: full day. Cost: entrance fees plus fuel.
7. Walk the Seafront and the Marina at Sunset
The town’s daily ritual is its best free pleasure: as the sun drops behind the mountains, the marina lights come on, the seafront fills with strollers, and Kemer does its evening promenade. The sunset over the bay, with the mountains turning pink, is the moment the town photographs itself.
A coffee or a gelato in hand, the boats at the marina, and the evening air — this is Kemer at its most charming, and it costs nothing.
Effort: minimal. Time: one hour. Cost: free.
8. Try the Fish Restaurants of the Seafront
Kemer’s food culture is organized around the seafront and the marina, and the fish restaurants are its heart — their displays of the day’s catch glinting in the lights. A dinner of fresh fish, meze, and the long seaside meal is the Kemer classic.
Choose a busy place, follow the local crowds, and eat what is fresh. The seafront does the Turkish coast’s food at its most straightforward and most enjoyable.
Effort: none. Time: a long evening. Cost: moderate; the fish is the main expense.
9. Take a Day Trip to the Resort Strip South
South of Kemer, the coast runs into the quieter resorts of Çamyuva and Tekirova, and beyond them to the wilder shore that leads to Olympos and Adrasan. A drive along this coast gives you the varied texture of the Turkish Mediterranean — the sandier coves, the forest-backed beaches, and the sense of the coast opening out.
Stop at a beach that takes your fancy, swim, and continue. It is the free-spirit day trip that the beach-based visitor often misses.
Effort: easy. Time: half or full day. Cost: fuel and food.
10. Do Nothing by the Water
The final item is the resort’s specialty: a sunbed, a book, a cold drink, and the bay in front of you. Kemer is built for the holiday of not-doing, and the town does it exceptionally well — the organized beaches, the café terraces, and the mountains providing the backdrop.
This is not wasted time in Kemer; it is the point. And it pairs perfectly with everything else on the list, because the town is small enough that nothing is ever far away.
Effort: none. Time: unlimited. Cost: whatever you drink.
How to Fit the Top 10 Into a Short Visit
If you have only two days: day one is the cable car in the morning and the seafront-and-marina evening; day two is Phaselis and the beach. That is the core Kemer, and it is excellent. With three days or more, add the Olympos day trip with the flame, the Göynük canyon, a boat day, and the luxury of a full day doing nothing.
The Takeaway
The top ten things to do in Kemer combine the town’s own easy pleasures with the region’s great sights: the mountain above it, the ancient city beside it, the canyon behind it, and the wild valley of Olympos within reach. The list is simple, the logistics are easy, and the effort stays low — which is exactly what a resort town should offer. Work through it at the town’s own pace, and you will leave having had the complete Kemer: the mountain view, the sea, the seafront evenings, and the ancient and wild coasts that make the region so much more than its resorts.
Frequently asked questions
What is the one thing I must not miss in Kemer?
The cable car up Mount Tahtalı — the views from the summit are the image of the region, and it is unlike anything else on the coast.
Is Phaselis far from Kemer?
No — about 20 kilometers south, a short drive or a dolmuş ride.
Is Kemer good for a beach holiday?
Yes — the beaches are organized, safe, and beautiful, with the mountains as a backdrop, and the coves are reachable by boat.
Is Kemer suitable for families?
Yes — the beaches, the cable car, the boat trips, and the canyon are all family-friendly, and the town is safe and walkable.
What is the best day trip from Kemer?
Phaselis for the ancient-and-swim combination, the Olympos valley and flame for the most atmospheric, and the Göynük canyon for the green.
How long should I stay in Kemer?
Two nights covers the essentials; three to five days gives you the day trips and the properly relaxed version.
All Over Information
The All Over Information editorial team researches and writes practical English-language guides to Turkey. Facts are checked against official and local sources before publication, prices are published as dated ranges rather than quotes, and guides are revised when things change. We accept no sponsored posts, paid placements or paid links.
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