Kalkan is a town on the Turkish Mediterranean coast. This is an old fishing town. Most of the surrounding area is undeveloped. Until 1970 it was an important harbor town. However after construction of Fethiye road its importance as a harbor port declined. Now it has emerged as a tourist resort. In the absence of mass tourism, Kalkan resort town has remained unspoilt and is a charming town on the brilliant blue sea coast. It lies snugly curled up at the foot of the Taurus Mountains overlooking the beautiful bay.



Kalkan's economy is now entirely dependent on tourism. The town has proudly and painstakingly preserved its historical distinctive Ottoman Greek Architecture. Kalkan resort town has preserved the old historic architectural style. The houses line up the narrow streets winding up from the harbor. Houses are often covered with bougainvillea of different colors and they look so pretty. Most houses are two storied and are built of stone. They often have courtyards and gardens. The houses are built so as to keep cool in summer. The windows and balconies on upper floors open facing the sea so as to get the cool breeze from the ocean. The ground floors are generally used for shops or for storage; residence is generally on the first floor. You notice decorative elements on sills between floors and on top of windows.

Good dining has always been a tradition of Kalkans and this has reflected in the very large number of restaurants in Kalkan; in fact it is said Kalkan has probably the highest number of restaurants per inhabitant as compared to other Turkish coastal towns. Roof terrace restaurants and bars of Kalkan are renowned in Turkey; it is so nice to sit at one of these harbor side restaurants and watch the pleasure boats and fishermen go about their business in the morning, or to watch them returning in the evening with their catch of fish.

Tourists generally spend the day time strolling along the bay and the marina. Swimming, diving and snorkeling in the bay quite enjoyable. There are many boat trips also available. By night time, Kalkan transforms into a bustling town; there is so much you could do. There is shopping, dining and generally strolling around by the sea side or doing window shopping. In the evening, shops come alive with T-shirts, boxes of Turkish delight, silver jewelry being sold. Turkish rugs are famous for their designs and craftsmanship, and many shops sell the rugs. Tourists find a lot of typical old style Turkish articles to buy.

Tourists and visitors to Kalkan resort town come to enjoy the laid-back relaxed life style in this Turkish sanctuary. There are a few good hotels catering to the tourists. One of the popular hotels is Hotel Pirat; it is only 80 km from Fathiye or 130 km from Dalaman airports. Pirat Hotel is overlooking the harbor and the bay of Kalkan, right at the front of hilly resort islands backed by hills and mountains. The view of the bay from the balcony is enchanting. This 136 room hotel has all modern amenities. Excellent outdoor swimming pool, children's swimming pool, sports facilities such as table tennis and billiards are available. There is provision for diving school, parasailing, jet ski, canoe, sailing and all water sports are available at the beach for a modest fee.