Acts 21:1
Patara is mentioned only once in scripture, as part of the Paul's return journey to Jerusalem, carrying the collected gift from the churches of Acahaia and Macedonia. "After we had torn ourselves away from [the Ephesian elders at Miletus], we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara." (Acts 21:1, NIV)
At Patara they changed ship, boarding one bound for the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, eventually making landfall at Tyre. (Acts 21:3).
The archaeological site of Patara is near the small town of Gelemiş, on the southern coast of Turkey, approximately 250km drive west of Antalya (Attalia) and 85km west of Demre (Myra). Patara is at the south eastern end of a 12 km long sandy beach, known as one of the best swimming beaches in southern Turkey. I was able to visit Patara as part of a road trip covering various Pauline locations in 2014.
The archaeological site lies between the beach and the town of a Gelemiş. The remains of the city are scattered over a wide area and there was no map available at the site when I was there. 2020 was named as the Year of Patara and a lot of information is available here, including a site map. Not all of the pages are translated into English. Perhaps there will now be more information available at the site?
Features of the site include a monumental gateway, theatre, bouleuterion, colonnaded street and a number of bath complexes. On the western side of the harbour are remains of a granary and the city's stadium. Towards the beach is the base of a lighthouse.
In the hills approximately 4.5 km east of the site (as the crow flies), are the remains of an inverted siphon, a fascinating feature of the ancient city's water supply.
Click here for a Google Earth view of Patara.