Kalkan used to be Kalamaki, a Greek village, and the whitewashed houses that tumble down its hillside to a small harbour are the legacy of that older life. In 1923, when Greece and Turkey exchanged their populations, the Greek families left and Turkish families from the islands and mainland arrived to take their place, and the town's name was changed to a Turkish one that means shield, perhaps for the rock face behind it. Today Kalkan is a smart, small resort of about three thousand people, with narrow lanes, bougainvillea over the doorways and roof terraces that look out over the Mediterranean toward the sunset.
The D400 coast road between Fethiye and Kaş is the finest stretch of the Turkish Mediterranean, and Kalkan sits in the middle of it. The road climbs along the cliffs, drops to sandy coves, then climbs again, with views over a sea so blue that it looks like an exaggeration. The surface is generally good, the bends open and the speed limits plausible, though you should watch for lorries, tour buses, and dolmuş minibuses that stop without warning. Wild goats sometimes cross the road. In summer the heat is fierce and the sun low, so wear sunglasses and a light jacket for the evening.
The area is dense with ancient sites. Patara, about fifteen kilometres to the west, has a very long beach of pale sand where sea turtles nest, along with the ruins of a Lycian and Roman city, including a half-buried meeting hall of the Lycian League, an early federal parliament. It is also said to be the birthplace of Saint Nicholas, who became the model for Santa Claus. Further inland, the Saklıkent gorge cuts a dark slot into the mountains, and the ruins of Xanthos stand on a hill above the river valley.
Kalkan has fuel on the main road and a small harbour where fishing boats and gulets tie up. Food is the town's great pleasure: mezes in the evening, fresh fish grilled over charcoal, and the sweet, flaky pastry known as baklava. Kaş, a larger town, lies twenty-one kilometres further east, and it has more of everything. The best months are May, June, September and October, when the sea is warm and the roads are quiet. In midsummer, ride in the early morning and swim in the afternoon.