Fethiye is a harbour town on a huge island-studded bay, and the best base for the whole Lycian coast. Above the centre, tombs carved into the rock face in the 4th century BC open up with temple-shaped façades — the best known belonged to Amyntas and is visible from almost anywhere in town. Fethiye itself isn't a resort: it has a fish market where your chosen fish is cooked up for a few lira at a nearby restaurant, a bazaar, a marina, and a life that doesn't stop when the last tour bus leaves. For swimming, people head 15 km to Ölüdeniz with its blue lagoon, over which paragliders drift down from Mount Babadağ, or take a boat around the Twelve Islands bay. The surrounding area has an unusually dense concentration of Lycian ruins — Tlos on its rock outcrop, Xanthos, Letoon, Patara with Turkey's longest beach — plus Saklıkent Canyon, where you wade through icy water between 100-metre walls. Just outside town stands Kayaköy, a Greek town abandoned in 1923, where 500 empty houses remain. The season runs from April to November.
The places worth your time in Fethiye, and what to expect at each
above the centre
A Lycian tomb from the 4th century BC, carved directly into the rock face above town, with a façade imitating an Ionic temple, complete with columns and a pediment. Beside it are several smaller tombs, and from up top the whole bay comes into view.
Tip: 300 shadeless steps lead up — go an hour before sunset, when the rock turns colour and the town below lights up.
15 km south
Turkey's most photographed beach: an enclosed lagoon with turquoise water, separated from the open sea by a sandbar and ringed by pine-covered slopes. The lagoon is a protected reserve, so there are no hotels or motorboats here.
Tip: There's a small separate entrance fee for the lagoon, but the water is calmer and warmer than on the main beach — worth it with children.
9 km south
A Greek town abandoned during the population exchange of 1923, where over 500 empty stone houses stand on the hillside, along with 2 churches and a chapel. The roofs are gone, the walls remain, and the whole town is silent — one of the most striking places in Turkey.
Tip: A footpath leads from Kayaköy over the hill to Ölüdeniz — 1.5 hours' walk through pine forest, ending at the lagoon.
45 km southeast
An 18-km-long gorge with walls over 100 m high, through which icy mountain water flows. The first few hundred metres run along a wooden walkway, and beyond that you wade upstream — the water reaches waist height and stays around 10°C even in August.
Tip: Bring water shoes or rent them at the entrance; the rocks underfoot are slippery, and wading in flip-flops isn't possible.
20 km south
A narrow valley beneath 200-m walls, accessible in practice only by boat from Ölüdeniz. An endemic species of tiger moth lives here, and there's a waterfall at the end of the valley. A campsite and a few cabins, no hotels, no road.
Tip: The route down from the village of Faralya above is very exposed and dangerous; go by boat instead — the crossing takes 20 minutes.
40 km southeast
One of the oldest Lycian cities, clinging to a rocky outcrop above a fertile valley. Rock tombs, including one with a relief of Bellerophon on Pegasus, an acropolis with an Ottoman fortress on top, a theatre, and baths at the foot of the hill.
Tip: Look for the tomb with Bellerophon above the theatre, in the cliff to the left — without knowing to look, most people miss it.
town centre
A covered fish market in the middle of town, where you pick a fish at a stall and nearby restaurants will cook it for a fee. Next to it is a spice bazaar and a marina full of yachts, from which boat trips around the Twelve Islands bay depart.
Tip: The preparation charge is paid separately and varies from restaurant to restaurant — ask before you buy the fish.
65 km southeast
The capital of ancient Lycia and its sacred sanctuary, both UNESCO World Heritage-listed. Xanthos has pillar tombs inscribed in the Lycian language and a theatre; Letoon has 3 temples and a mosaic floor beneath the groundwater level.
Tip: Both sites are a few kilometres apart and covered by a single ticket; Letoon is often flooded, so it's better to visit towards the end of summer.
75 km southeast
An 18-km sandy dune beach, one of the longest in the Mediterranean, with an ancient city right behind it, including the restored assembly hall of the Lycian League — the earliest known parliament. The beach is a loggerhead turtle nesting site and closes in the evening.
Tip: The ticket covers both the town and the beach; leave your car by the ruins and walk to the beach, as the car park by the water tends to be full.
Photos: Tomb of Amyntas — Alexey Komarov (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Ölüdeniz and the Blue Lagoon — Andrzej Szkopiński (CC BY 3.0) · Kayaköy — Wikitestaccountlogin (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Saklıkent Canyon — Alarablcsy (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Butterfly Valley — Ezzeldin.Elbaksawy (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Tlos — Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Fethiye Fish Market and Marina — Alexander Annenkov from Moscow, Russia (CC BY 2.0) · Xanthos and Letoon — Jona Lendering (CC0) · Patara — William Neuheisel from DC, US (CC BY 2.0)
Areas and districts, matched to the kind of trip you are taking
Best for: town life, food and boat trips
The area around the marina and fish market, where boats depart and the choice of restaurants is best. Accommodation here is cheaper than in Ölüdeniz, with connections in every direction. There's practically no beach in town, though — you have to travel for a swim.
Best for: beach time and families
4 km north of the centre, a long shingle-and-sand beach with a promenade and the best sunsets around. A water taxi crosses the bay to Fethiye, the nicest way to connect. Quieter and cheaper than Ölüdeniz.
Best for: the prettiest beach and paragliding
15 km south by the lagoon, the area's main tourist resort. The best swimming and the landing spot for paragliders from Babadağ, but also the highest prices and crowds in August. Dolmuş to Fethiye runs every 15 minutes.
Best for: nightlife and cheaper hotels
Villages in the saddle between Fethiye and Ölüdeniz, home to bars, English-style pubs and cheaper apartments. It's a 10-minute dolmuş ride downhill to the beach. Anyone after peace and quiet should look elsewhere.
The nearest airport is Dalaman, around 55 km northwest, which receives seasonal charter flights from many European cities. The transfer takes under an hour and is usually included in package holidays. Travelling independently, the Havaş bus runs from the airport to Fethiye, timed to meet arriving flights. The alternative is Antalya, but from there it's over 300 km on mountain roads — nearly 4 hours.
Dalaman (DLM) · 55 km
Antalya (AYT) · 300 km
Fethiye is a dolmuş hub: minibuses run to Ölüdeniz, Hisarönü, Çalış and Kayaköy every 10–15 minutes and cost a few dozen lira. Between Fethiye and Çalış, the water taxi across the bay is the nicest option. You can reach the Lycian ruins — Tlos, Xanthos, Letoon, Patara — and Saklıkent by bus, but with changes and waiting; for a full-day loop, a car is far better. Mountain roads are narrow and winding, so expect slow going.
Useful apps: Google Maps, BiTaksi, Moovit
The season is long, running from April to November. Swimming is best from June to October, when the sea reaches 25–29°C. For visiting the ruins and walking the Lycian Way, April, May and October are ideal instead — in August, Xanthos and Patara top 35°C with no shade. Saklıkent Canyon is impassable in places in spring due to high water levels; it's best from July to September. Paragliding from Babadağ runs almost year-round.
Best time
May, June and September to October
What to avoid
August at the ancient sites, and Saklıkent in spring
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day | 15° | 16° | 18° | 21° | 26° | 31° | 34° | 34° | 31° | 27° | 21° | 16° |
| Night | 6° | 6° | 8° | 11° | 15° | 19° | 22° | 23° | 19° | 15° | 11° | 8° |
| Rainy days | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 11 |
| Sea | 17° | 17° | 17° | 19° | 22° | 25° | 28° | 29° | 28° | 25° | 22° | 19° |
Fethiye has one thing you won't find elsewhere: a covered fish market where you buy fish at a stall by weight, and surrounding restaurants will cook it for a fee, with side dishes and mezze. It works out cheaper than ordering fish off the menu, and it's the most enjoyable dinner in town. Otherwise the cuisine is Lycian — vegetable- and olive-oil-based, with excellent mezze and plenty of herbs. Up in the hills above town, they make gözleme and trout from fish farms.
Kahvaltı
A Turkish breakfast: cheeses, olives, tomatoes, eggs, honey with clotted cream and endless tea. It's served for hours and is a social occasion, not just a meal.
Mezeler
Cold and hot starters — garlic yoghurt, roasted pepper paste, stuffed vine leaves. Ordered for the middle of the table, they can easily replace a main course.
Kebap a köfte
Grilled meat off the spit or minced-meat patties, the backbone of Turkish cuisine. Cheapest at local lokantas, where you simply point at what you can see.
Pide a lahmacun
Turkish flatbread topped with cheese or minced meat. Lahmacun is rolled up with lemon and parsley, and it's the cheapest filling lunch in the country.
Baklava a künefe
Sweet layered pastry with nuts in syrup, and melted cheese in shredded pastry. Served with Turkish tea, not coffee.
Grilovaná ryba
At harbourside restaurants you choose from the display case and pay by weight — ask the price per kilo in advance so the bill doesn't surprise you.
Rakı
An aniseed spirit that turns milky white when mixed with water. It's sipped slowly with mezze and fish, never downed in one.
Gözleme
A thin flatbread filled with cheese, spinach or potato, cooked on a griddle. The cheapest food you'll find on a day out, often made by women right by the roadside.
Tea at a tea house
30–50 TRY
Lahmacun
120–200 TRY
Fish from the fish market, including preparation
600–1,000 TRY per person
Lunch at a lokanta
300–450 TRY
Beer, 0.5 l
180–300 TRY
Dolmuş to Ölüdeniz
70 TRY
Tandem paragliding from Babadağ
from 4,500 TRY
Full-day boat trip around the bay
from 1,000 TRY
Indicative prices that change over time — treat them as a guide, not a price list.
1 day
2 days
3 days
Ölüdeniz and Babadağ
15 km · 25 min by dolmuş
The Blue Lagoon, Turkey's most photographed beach, with Mount Babadağ rising above it, where tandem paragliding flights take off. The closest and easiest day trip from Fethiye.
Dalyan and İztuzu Beach
75 km · 1h 30min
A boat trip through the delta among the reeds, beneath Lycian rock tombs carved into the cliffs, the turtle beach at İztuzu, and mud baths by Lake Köyceğiz.
Kaş and Kekova
110 km · 2h
The prettiest small town on the Lycian coast, with a sunken city off Kekova Island nearby, visible through the clear water from a glass-bottomed boat.
The town itself has practically no beach — it's a harbour with a marina and a fish market. For swimming, people travel 4 km to Çalış or 15 km to Ölüdeniz, reached by dolmuş every 15 minutes. If you want a beach right outside your window, stay in Ölüdeniz or Çalış itself.
An enclosed lagoon at Ölüdeniz, separated from the sea by a sandbar — a protected reserve with calm turquoise water and no motorboats. Entry is a small fee, separate from the main beach, and it's worth it with children, since the water is calmer and warmer.
You take off from almost 2,000 m and land right on the beach at Ölüdeniz; the flight lasts around half an hour and is one of the most famous in the world. A tandem flight costs from 4,500 TRY. Choose a licensed, insured operator, not the cheapest offer touted on the street.
It depends on your nationality. Many European citizens can enter visa-free for stays of up to 90 days, though others need an e-Visa arranged online in advance — check the rules for your passport before travelling. Whichever applies, you'll need a passport valid for at least 60 days beyond the end of your stay; an ID card isn't sufficient.
In the middle of town there's a covered market with fishmongers' stalls. You choose your fish, pay by weight, and take it to one of the surrounding restaurants, who will cook it for a fee and add salad and mezze. Ask the preparation charge in advance, as it varies from place to place.
No. The first few hundred metres run along a wooden walkway, after which you wade upstream, and most visitors get about 1 km in. The water stays around 10°C even in summer and reaches waist height. In spring, the canyon is often closed because of high water levels.
A Greek hillside town 9 km south of Fethiye, abandoned during the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923. Over 500 empty stone houses remain, roofless, along with 2 churches. It's one of the most striking places on the Turkish coast.
Not for Ölüdeniz, Çalış or Kayaköy — the dolmuş runs often and cheaply. A car is worth it for the Lycian ruins: Tlos, Xanthos, Letoon and Patara are scattered along the coast, and getting there by bus means changes and long waits.
Check the latest visa requirements for entering this country. Some nationalities may need to apply for a visa or e-visa before travel.
Check visa requirementsLanguage
Turkish
Currency
TRY
Timezone
Europe/Istanbul
Dial Code
+90
Population
85.3M
Area
783,562 km²
Voltage
220V / 50Hz
Driving Side
Right
