Demre is a district of Antalya Holiday City on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey.
Demre is the Lycian town of Myra, the home of Saint Nicholas of Myra, the original Santa Claus. The district was known as Kale until it's renamed in 2005.
Demre is on the coast of the Teke peninsula, west of the bay of Antalya, with the Taurus Mountains behind. The mountains are forested and the coastal strip is made of good soil brought down by the mountain rivers. The climate is the typical Mediterranean pattern of hot dry summers and warm wet winters.
See Myra for details of the history and archaeology of the city of Myra and the history of Saint Nicholas of Myra.
Myra's one of the most important cities in ancient Lycia. Coins have been found dating back to 300 BC, but logically the city must have been founded centuries earlier. The city thrived as part of the Roman Empire and many public buildings were built.