Fethiye Travel Guide: Lycian Tombs, Island Bays and Mountain Air
A Town Built on Ancient Telmessos
Fethiye sits on the site of Telmessos, one of the important cities of ancient Lycia. The past is still visible from the harbour. Carved into the cliff above town are the Lycian rock tombs. The largest, the Tomb of Amyntas, has a temple-style façade with Ionic columns cut straight from the rock, and it looks best in late-afternoon light. Down near the marina, a Roman theatre has been excavated. Scattered sarcophagi stand on street corners and even in the middle of the road.
Much of today's town is newer than it looks. A severe earthquake in 1957 levelled large parts of Fethiye, and the low-rise centre was rebuilt afterwards. The town takes its name from Fethi Bey, an early Ottoman aviator. A few kilometres up the hill is Kayaköy, the stone village once called Levissi. Its Greek residents left in the 1923 population exchange, and today hundreds of roofless houses climb the slope. If you want a guided walk past the town's best angles, the photogenic signature city tour of Fethiye strings the key sights together with time to stop for pictures.
What to Eat: The Fish Market, Gözleme and Tuesday Stalls
The most Fethiye thing to do at dinner is visit the fish market. Fishmongers sit in the centre of a covered square, surrounded by restaurants. You choose your fish or prawns at the counter, carry them to a table, and the kitchen grills them for a cooking fee. Meze, salads and bread are ordered separately. Expect a loud, cheerful crowd on summer evenings.
Out in the villages, women roll out gözleme by hand and fill it with spinach, cheese or potato, then cook it on a domed griddle. It makes the ideal snack before a hike. Look out too for çökertme kebabı, a Muğla-region dish of thin strips of meat over crispy fried potatoes and garlic yoghurt. The Tuesday market along the canal is the place for olives, local honey, dried figs, spices and mountains of seasonal fruit. A long Turkish breakfast in a garden café is a good start to a slow day.
Babadağ, Saklıkent and the Lycian Mountains
Behind the coast, the land rises steeply into the Taurus range. Babadağ towers over Ölüdeniz, and its slopes are one of the best-known paragliding launch sites in Europe. Thermals and sea breezes carry tandem pilots out over the lagoon. Booking tandem paragliding from Babadağ needs no experience. You get a few running steps at take-off and a long, quiet descent onto the beach.
Inland, Saklıkent Gorge cuts a narrow slot through the rock. You wade upstream through ice-cold water even in August. Nearby Tlos, an ancient Lycian city on a hilltop, has tombs, a theatre and an Ottoman-era fortress, with views over the Xanthos valley. The canyon, gorge, waterfall and Tlos ancient city tour combines both. The Lycian Way, a long-distance hiking trail, also begins in the hills above Ölüdeniz. Even a short stretch at dawn rewards you with sweeping sea views.
Beaches and Bays: Ölüdeniz, Kaputaş and Patara
Ölüdeniz's Blue Lagoon is the postcard image of the region. It has a sheltered pocket of pale water fenced off by a pebbly spit and is part of a protected nature area. Çalış beach, closer to town, is the spot for sunsets over the bay. Further east, Kaputaş is a small cove at the bottom of a gorge, reached by steps from the coastal road. Its water ranges from cobalt to almost white. Patara, by contrast, is a very long sandy beach backed by dunes and the ruins of a Lycian city, and loggerhead turtles nest there. To see several of these in one day, the Saklıkent, Kaputaş, Kaş and Kalkan day trip pairs canyon wading with a swim and time in two pretty harbour towns.
Boat Trips, Yachts and the Islands of the Gulf
Fethiye's gulf is crowded with islands and coves, and a day on the water is the main reason many people come. The Fethiye 12 Islands boat trip is a relaxed classic that suits families. It offers swim stops in several bays, lunch on deck and plenty of time to snorkel. For Butterfly Valley, a steep-sided cove reachable only by sea or a hard trail, take the 6 Islands boat trip with Butterfly Valley. The route often passes Gemiler Island, which has Byzantine church ruins linked to Saint Nicholas.
Couples and groups who want their own schedule can browse private yacht rentals in Fethiye, including options with fishing. For a shorter outing, the sunset white yacht cruise times the trip for the golden hour. You can see every option in the boat tours category.
Day Trips and Adventure Activities
Fethiye is a good base for wider exploring. The Dalyan tour with crab fishing follows the reed-lined river past the rock tombs of Kaunos and stops at the mud baths. It ends at İztuzu, another turtle beach. Pamukkale's white travertine terraces and the ruins of Hierapolis make a long but worthwhile day, and early risers can add a hot air balloon flight over Pamukkale. Ferries also cross to Greece, so a ferry trip from Fethiye to Rhodes lets you walk the medieval Old Town and be back on Turkish soil the same day. Bring your passport and check visa rules first.
Active travellers have plenty of options. Dalaman River rafting offers splashy rapids that beginners can handle with a guide. The ATV safari in Fethiye churns through dusty forest tracks, so wear clothes you don't mind ruining. Jeep safaris and horse rides through pine woods and villages round out the list. The full selection is on the all tours in Fethiye page.
Practical Tips for Your Visit
- When to go: May, June, September and October bring warm sea water without the peak heat of July and August. Midsummer is ideal for boats but tiring for canyon and ruin visits at midday.
- Getting around: Dolmuş minibuses run frequently between the centre, Çalış, Hisarönü and Ölüdeniz. Most tours include hotel pick-up. Dalaman is the nearest airport.
- What to bring: Water shoes for Saklıkent and pebbly coves, reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, and a light layer for evening boat rides. On boat days, keep cash handy for drinks and the fish-market cooking fee.
- Respect the wildlife: On turtle beaches, keep away from marked nests and leave the sand at dusk in nesting season.
