St Nicolas Island

      

St Nicholas Island, also known as Gemiler Island, is famous for being the supposed resting place of Saint Nicholas or otherwise known as Santa Claus. This island is located just 20kms from the large town of Fethiye. It is believed that when St Nicholas died in 326 he was buried here on the island before moving remains to Demre due to increased pirate raids. The island is scattered in some impressive ruins well worth the exploration. There are five churches that date back to the 4th and 6th centuries AD along with a large covered walkway that is over 300 metres long. St Nicholas Island is also one of the best spots to sit atop and get to witness one of the most magical sunsets in Turkey.

St Nicholas Island is not accessible by land however there are a few ways to gain entrance to the island. The first is to catch a bus from Fethiye to the Greek Ghost Town of Kayakoy. From here, there are both taxi’s and buses travelling down to Gemiller Beach. Once on Gemiller Beach, it is just a short boat ride to the island. You can ask the watersports companies or a local boat owner to transfer you to the island and return you to the beach and exploring.