The rambling ruins of ancient Olympos are scattered beside the trickling Ulupınar Stream and set inside a deep, shaded valley that runs directly to the sea. If you plan to visit a few times, you will save money by buying a long-stay ticket allowing 10 entries over 10 days.
Olympos devoutly worshipped Hephaestus (Vulcan), the god of fire, which may have been inspired by the Chimaera, an eternal flame that still burns from the ground in nearby Çıralı. The city went into decline in the 1st century BC. The arrival of the Romans, at the end of the 1st century AD, brought about the city's rejuvenation, but pirate attacks during the 3rd century caused its importance to wane. In the Middle Ages, the Venetians and Genoese built fortresses along the coast, but by the 15th century the site had been abandoned.