Gemiler Island (St Nicholas Island) by boat: how to get there and the rules

What's there

Gemiler Island lies across Soğuksu Bay, near the Ölüdeniz lagoon. It has four church ruins, tombs, houses and cisterns of a medieval settlement, and some ruins can be seen under water. The island is thought to have been lived on from the 5th to the 7th century and abandoned after Arab raids in the 7th century.

Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism — Gemiler Island archaeological site (muze.gov.tr) — checked 1 Oct 2026

The largest church, numbered church 3 by the excavators, stands on the highest point of the island. A fresco in church 2 names "Hossios Nikolaos" — Saint Nicholas of Sion — and in the Middle Ages the island was known as St Nicholas Island. With no drinking water on the island, the cisterns probably stored rain.

Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism — Gemiler Island archaeological site (muze.gov.tr) — checked 1 Oct 2026

Boats cross to the island from Gemiler Bay near Kayaköy; the day boats from Ölüdeniz also stop here. If you go ashore you need a ticket.

Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism — Gemiler Island archaeological site (muze.gov.tr) — checked 1 Oct 2026

On these boat trips

Ölüdeniz boat trip: Butterfly Valley, Gemiler Island and the coves

Departs from: Belcekız beach, Ölüdeniz

Typical stops — operators vary

Butterfly Valley
Cennet Bay (near Kabak)
Gemiler Island (St Nicholas Island) (this page)
Aquarium Bay (Fethiye)

Rules on the water in Fethiye & Ölüdeniz

Only what the authorities' own texts say — each point links its source, read on 1 Oct 2026. Our wording is a summary; the linked text is what counts.

During the sea-turtle breeding season, May to September, animals and motor vehicles are kept off the listed nesting beaches — among them Ekincik, Dalyan, Dalaman–Sarıgerme, Fethiye–Çalış, Patara, Kale, Kumluca, Olympos–Çıralı, Tekirova, Belek, Kızılot, Demirtaş, Gazipaşa and Anamur.Source: Nature Conservation and National Parks — circular 2009/10 on protecting sea turtles (scanned PDF) (2009) — checked 1 Oct 2026
From 1 April to 30 September, boats in water-sports areas off the nesting beaches may not go faster than 8 knots within one mile of the shore; turtle-watching tours need a permit; light and noise on the nesting beaches are restricted.Source: Nature Conservation and National Parks — circular 2009/10 on protecting sea turtles (scanned PDF) (2009) — checked 1 Oct 2026
Since August 2026 the sea off Fethiye–Kaş and the North Aegean around Gökçeada are marine national parks (Presidential Decisions 11626 and 11627). The decisions set the boundaries; the texts we saved contain no visitor rules yet.Source: Official Gazette, 16 Aug 2026 — contents · Official Gazette 33342 (16 Aug 2026) — Presidential Decision 11626, Fethiye–Kaş Marine National Park (16 Aug 2026) · Official Gazette 33342 (16 Aug 2026) — Presidential Decision 11627, North Aegean Marine National Park (16 Aug 2026) — checked 1 Oct 2026

Not confirmed — check locally

Turtle beaches at night: News reports say entry to protected nesting beaches is banned from 20:00 to 08:00 between May and September. The annex of the 2009 circular that would set this could not be read in the scanned copy, so we do not state it as a rule — follow the signs on the beach.

Waste (Blue Card), boat certificates and insurance: the rules for every coast →

Where it is

The map loads as you scroll here. Gemiler Island (St Nicholas Island) is at 36.5533, 29.0699 (OpenStreetMap (way/4518442)).

Gemiler Island (St Nicholas Island)Other bays in Fethiye & ÖlüdenizApproximate location

Open in OpenStreetMap

Nearby

Straight-line distances.

About this page

Location: OpenStreetMap (way/4518442), checked to lie in the area and to be a coast or sea feature. Ticket lines are copied from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's museum pages; rules from the texts linked above. Last checked 1 Oct 2026.