Fethiye Travel Guide
Gateway to South Aegean Adventures
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Unprepossessing Fethiye has managed to remain relatively unaffected by the explosion of tourism in places further north such as Marmaris and Bodrum. Still endearingly Turkish it makes a great place from which to explore places such as Kayaköy, Ölüdeniz or to start out on a gulet trip or a walk along the increasingly popular Lycian Way. There are a number of other attractions that lie within easy reach of the town, including some amazing ancient sites.
The harbour at Fethiye has ensured her fortunes have always been tied with the sea. In antiquity Fethiye was called Telmessos and the sarcophagi that are scattered through the town date from around 450BC. A great introduction to the area is to make the walk up to the Tomb of Amyntas, a popular sunset activity. Gulets, the traditional wooden Turkish sailing ships, can be found moored in the harbour offering day trips or longer excursions (if you plan anything more than a few hours cruising it’s best to book from home to ensure quality). Ölüdeniz, the spectacular sandy beach and lagoon of travel agents’ windows, lies a few kilometres to the south of town as does the ghost-town of Kayaköy, a one-time Greek settlement of stone houses abandoned after the First World War. Walkers can enjoy a ramble along the Lycian Way, a long-distance way-marked footpath that winds its way along the coast through small hamlets, villages and towns such as Faralya, Kalkan and Kaş and on all way to Antalya on the Mediterranean coast. Then there are opportunities to visit ancient sites such as Tlos or take a hike through the dramatic Saklikent Gorge.
Attractions in Fethiye
The few remains of ancient Telmessos consist of the rock tombs above the town, the sarcophagi and a Roman theatre. Outside the town lies the abandoned Greek town of Kayaköy, close to which is the start of the Lycian Way as well as the beautiful lagoon of Ölüdeniz.
Activities in Fethiye
A good way to start your exploration of the Fethiye area is to climb up to the Lycian tombs above town and perhaps then wander down to the harbour. Fethiye makes for a better base to visit Ölüdeniz than the holiday-brochured resorts closer to this stunning beach. The Lycian Way is a long-distance footpath, but a walk to Faralya from Ovacik with a stay overnight in Faralya village or indeed further along the trail at the more remote hamlet of Kabak is a pleasant taster; for those wanting to extend their walk to a few days arrangements can generally be made from home prior to departure.
It is possible to arrange trips by private vehicle into the Lycian hinterland for walks or visits to less-frequented sites such as Tlos, Sidyma and Pinara, and by doing so combining all into one day, rather than laboriously trying to reach each by public transport. Even a visit to the dramatic Saklikent Gorge is possible and in doing so allows for some canyoning. Finally, gulet trips along the Turquoise Coast leave from Fethiye – a wonderful way to spend a week exploring the region.
Relaxing
Entertainment tends to revolve around eating and enjoying the atmosphere of a good restaurant down by the harbour, though there are a choice of bars and clubs in town.
Getting Around
The area around Fethiye can be explored by taxi, dolmuş and private vehicle. As you would expect dolmuşes will require considerably more flexibility and time, taxis less so but they can start to get expensive when many single journeys are taken. Consider a pre-arranged sightseeing trip booked from home.
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