Kayaköy is an entire village of empty stone houses on a hillside eight kilometres from Fethiye: hundreds of roofless homes, two large churches, chapels, cisterns and streets where nobody has lived for a century. It was once Levissi, a Greek village of several thousand people, and it emptied in 1923 with the population exchange between Greece and Türkiye.
It is a quiet place, more moving than spectacular, and it tells a chapter of 20th-century history that most travellers know little about. It is also the starting point of one of the loveliest trails on the coast, down to the lagoon at Ölüdeniz.
A little history
Levissi grew in the 18th and 19th centuries as a village of Greek Orthodox craftsmen and merchants, who lived alongside the Muslim farmers of the valley below. After the Greco-Turkish War, the agreements signed at Lausanne in 1923 imposed an exchange of populations: the Orthodox Christians of Türkiye had to move to Greece, and the Muslims of Greece to Türkiye. The people of Levissi left by boat from Fethiye; many of them settled near Athens, in a town they named Nea Makri, "New Makri", after the old Greek name for Fethiye.
The Muslim families who arrived from Greek Macedonia were farmers, and they preferred the valley to the rocky hillside. The houses were left empty, an earthquake in 1957 brought down the roofs and the village fell into ruin. Louis de Bernières's novel Birds Without Wings was inspired by Kayaköy. Today the village is an open-air museum and a symbol of friendship between the two countries.
What to see in Kayaköy
The streets and the houses
Two-storey houses, laid out so that none blocks the view of another, each with its own cistern and fireplaces, and with traces of paint still on the walls. You climb cobbled lanes between fig trees and goats, and you are free to step inside any of the houses.
The lower church (Panagia Pyrgiotissa)
The large 19th-century church near the entrance, with its dome, a black-and-white pebble floor and the remains of frescoes and of the iconostasis. It is the best-preserved building in the village.
The upper church (Taxiarchis)
At the top of the village and more badly damaged, with views over the broken roofs, the valley and, in the distance, the sea. This is where you grasp how big Levissi once was.
The chapels and the school
Small vaulted chapels are scattered across the hillside, together with the old school and the communal fountains and wash houses.
The trail to Ölüdeniz
From the upper part of the village, a section of the Lycian Way runs down through the pine forest to the lagoon at Ölüdeniz in about two hours, with sea views on the final stretch. It is the most beautiful way to arrive at the beach.
Tips for your visit
Allow an hour for the village, and about two more if you add the trail. The lanes are steep, with loose stones and broken steps, so the site is not suitable for travellers with reduced mobility.
- Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon: in summer the stone hillside holds the heat.
- Wear closed shoes and bring water; there is no shade in the village and no facilities beyond the entrance.
- At the foot of the village there are simple village restaurants serving lamb roasted in a wood-fired oven, ideal for lunch after your visit.
- For children, exploring empty houses is a real adventure; just keep an eye out for the open cisterns.
Tickets and prices
At the time of writing (2026), entry costs €5 under the official 2027 tariff. On my tours the entrance ticket is included, or I take care of it for you.
Where it is and how to get there
Kayaköy lies eight kilometres from Fethiye and five from Ölüdeniz, along a mountain road. Minibuses (dolmuş) leave Fethiye every hour, and by car it is 15 minutes from the town centre.
How I include it in my tours
Kayaköy is one of the Fethiye stops on my 10-day Turquoise Coast private tour, together with Ölüdeniz; if you feel like a walk, we can take the trail down to the lagoon. For the coast as a whole, read my guide to the Lycian Way and the Turquoise Coast.
If you would like to walk a stretch of the Lycian Way with a guide, let me know when you plan your tailor-made trip.