12Dec
St. Nicholas Island
St Nicholas Island, is one of the Turkey sailing stops, is famous for having an ancient church dedicated to Saint Nicholas. Yes, we are talking about real Santa Claus. It is believed that St Nicholas was initially buried on this island in 326 a.d. But later, the tomb was moved to another ancient Myra because of increased pirate attacks. The island is scattered in some impressive ruins well worth the exploration. There are five churches that date back to the 4th and 7th centuries ad. along with a large tunnel that is over 300 meters long. St Nicholas Island is also one of the best spots to hike to the top and witness a mighty sunset when sailing in the Turkish Mediterranean.
St Nicholas Island has no land access. The most common way to get to the island is on a blue cruise from Fethiye or Olympos. St Nicholas Island is also an overnight stop on our Turkey sailing tours giving passengers the opportunity to hike up to the ruins and watch a mighty sunset from the top.
St Nicholas island is known as Gemiler Island. It means Island of gulets in English As the name suggests, Dozens of blue cruise boats take shelter behind this enclosed island. St Nicholas Island and its surrounding region are like boating Mecca with a great number of gulet tours inTurkey and private yachts are passing through all the time.You might think the ruins on the island are the main attraction but the popularity of those stunning bays around the island is definitely higher than the ruins. Still, visiting the location of St Nicholas’s grave along with the ruins of the historic churches, ancient tombs on the island is always one of the top things to do during your journey.
St Nicholas Island and its surroundings are also so popular for watersports. From Ringo rides and banana rides to water skiing, wakeboarding, and even parasailing. The prices are reasonable and the activities are available throughout the entire sailing season.
For those craving some local delicacies, Turkish gozleme will be available from the small fishing boats that go through this bay. Keep an eye on them, The gozleme boats will pull up alongside our gulet cook up your gozleme of choice whether it being Nutella and banana or a savory version of spinach and cheese. They are the perfect afternoon snacks!