‘With a Lemon” Population: 3,000
Old names: Antiochia Lamotidos, Lamis/Lamos
Between Ayaş and Erdemli on the Eastern Mediterranean coast, the small resort of Limonlu on the Limonlu river retains slight traces of a hilltop castle probably going back to Byzantine times rising above an old stone bridge (taş köprü). It overlooks a valley full of the plastic greenhouses used to grown the bananas that have taken over from lemons as the most important local product. On its own it’s only likely to be of interest to obsessive list-tickers although you might use it as a base to get to the impressive ruins at Akkale.
Backstory
The ancient town of Antiochia Lamotidos stood on the border separating Cilicia Pedias from Cilicia Trachea. Eventually it became part of the medieval Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia which fell to the Karamanoğlus in the 14th century and then to the Ottomans in the 15th.
Around Limonlu
From Limonlu the Kayacı Kanyon carves a spectacular route inland. At weekends especially in summer it’s very busy with local tourists although mid-week out of season you may have the road more or less to yourself. Eventually it descends to the valley floor beside an ugly modern mosque where a string of small restaurants are strung out along the river. It’s a lovely shady spot where you can also cook for yourself or hire a wooden kiosk to drink tea. The snag is a fairly hefty drive-in fee if you’re not eating. I was also disappointed by the usual litter and by the sight of concrete being used to build new structures in a place of natural beauty while wooden bridges etc stand unrepaired.
The ride to the restaurants is absolutely spectacular however. 
Transport info
All the buses plying the Silifke to Mersin route pass through Limonlu so you could easily hop off to look at the castle should you so wish. To get to the canyon though you really need your own wheels or a taxi hired in Erdemli.
Nearby destinations
