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Kızkalesi (Corycos)

Turkey / Icel / Erdemli /
 castle, place with historical importance, archaeological site, interesting place

Kizkalesi means "Maiden's Castle," the romantic name for the crusader castle floating in the blue water 360 meters offshore from this eastern Mediterranean resort town.

On the shore is another castle, Korykos, making Kizkalesi (KUHZ kah-leh-see) a two-castle town.

Why stop here? To take photos of the castles and, if you're intrepid and a strong swimmer, to swim out to the castle on the island. If you're not intrepid, boatmen will row you out there for a few dollars.

More than a dozen hotels and pensions provide beds, making this a charming place to spend the night if you're traveling a long distance along the coast. It's generally cheaper and far more relaxing than the cities (Mersin, Tarsus, Adana), though with fewer services.

Kizkalesi also makes a good base for visits to the Roman ruins of Elaiussa-Sebaste and the Roman-Byzantine necropolis at Kanytelis, inland from the coastal village of Kumkuyu.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   36°27'24"N   34°8'54"E

Comments

  • markp (guest)
    Actually kizkalesi translates to castle by the sea
  • hilofoz
    I swam across to Kizkalezi Castle in 1973. Not intrepid, just stupid. When I got there, there were sea urchins all over the rocks, but some kind fishermen got me up in their boat and put me on the shore. No shoes on of course. The swim back was with the tide and much quicker. I think when I swam out it was against the tide. A good memory, though,
This article was last modified 11 years ago