Reporter Ruken Alışkan continues our Explore series with a feature on Fethiye, her favourite district of Muğla, a province that stretches from the Aegean to the Mediterranean. Fethiye is a place you must see with its forests, vegetation, air, and the clarity of the sea.
I will divide Fethiye into four regions. While Fethiye center, does not offer much different from other touristic areas, it is worth a visit. However, the coast and its bays have a completely different atmosphere.
1. Fethiye Center
Fethiye center consists of things you can find in most tourist places by the sea. However, it can still be a pleasant tour as it is more organized than other locations.
Paspatur Bazaar: The bazaar, with various shops such as carpet shops, jewelers, and Turkish delight shops, and structures with their own unique architecture, is a pleasant place to visit. Here you can buy souvenirs and relax with a cold drink.
Balık Pazarı (Fish Market): You can have your dinner in this crowded but colorful place with fish restaurants. The quality of the restaurants is generally close to each other, but Hilmi Restaurant is the most popular. You should not go to restaurants without a reservation. The address of Hilmi Restaurant is Cumhuriyet, Cumhuriyet Mah Fish Market, Belediye Cd. No:53. Phone: 02526129192.
The Cord: Although walking along the promenade during the daytime is difficult due to the heat, it will be good to walk especially after dinner. It is possible to sit and relax and enjoy both sea and mountain views on the promenade where the grass stretches along the seaside.
Calış Beach: A beach where you can swim close to the center of Fethiye, but I suggest there are much better places to choose.
Ancient City: The ruins of the ancient city, which remained from the Lycian period in the 4th century BC, are intertwined with the present structures of the city. But the image is still very impressive. Amintas, which is a 15-minute walk from the center, has tomb ruins and ancient city ruins at the top. It is open to visitors until 17.30 in the summer months.
Fethiye Castle: The castle, located a 10 minute walk from the ancient city, and is thought to have been built by the Knights of Rhodes in the 15th century. The castle is in ruins today, but may still be of interest to history buffs.
2. Yarımada
This is a place where the sea water is magnificent. I love the forest view, and is highly preferred by foreign tourists. The beach clubs are mostly populated by British tourists. The clubs are very decent, the service is quite good. If you are short of time and want to have a sea holiday, choose here. Help Beach and Sea Me are the most popular beach clubs. I usually get very annoyed by the terrible music playing in places like these, but the music was well chosen and not loud. There is also satisfying cuisine. The address for Help Beach is Küçük Boncuklu Bay, 48300 and Sea Me is Keçiler, Boncuklu Bay, 48300.
3. Kayaköy
Abandoned Village: If you are not interested in historical places, villages with old houses, or if you do not want to add such a trip to your holiday, you can skip Karaköy. However, I wanted to talk about this to the curious. I normally like such places, but the abandoned village atmosphere of Kayaköy has given it an eerie beauty. I found it impressive.
The village was founded by the Greeks in the 18th century on the Lycian ruins. After the population exchange, the Muslims settled in this village, where the Greeks lived until the 1923 Exchange, but they left the village because it was not suitable for their lifestyle. Thus, this abandoned creepy village gained its appearance. Although it is now surrounded by tourism businesses, it continues to maintain its impressiveness.
Gemile Beach: Kayaköy is also a settlement with hidden beaches, but I will only include Gemile Beach since transportation is not usually easy. This is a place where it is easy to reach by car. There is a public beach and an unpretentious cafe, as well as umbrella-sunbed service. Across the bay is Gemile Island, which gave its name to this place. On this very small island, there are the ruins of the church built in the name of Santa Claus or St. Nicholas. Boats goes from Gemile Beach to the island.
4. Oludeniz
Oludeniz can turn into a place that you cannot enjoy if you visit some places without skipping. I would definitely recommend you skip the center for a better sightseeing experience. Business owners can be insistent and disturb tourists in front of restaurants and cafes.
Kıdrak Nature Park: TheNature Park is a wonderful place where you can combine a nice nature walk, picnic, and sea. To enter the sea, you should prefer the interior of the Nature Park. Toilet, shower, dressing cabin, and cafe service are available. The Nature Park includes the Lagoon and Kıdrak bays, the sea is also beautiful in these bays.
Babadag: The most beautiful view on the coast with sea, island and cape views is in Babadağ. Babadağ is a favorite place for paragliders for parachuting, or you can just enjoy the view by cable car. The cable car (telfer) is open until 22:00.
Watching the sunset in Babadağ is so beautiful that it is usually busy at that time. If you are afraid of heights or do not want to use the cable car, take the car. However, the roads are not very comfortable.
How to go? If you don’t have a car, I would definitely recommend renting one. Otherwise, you may have to make a journey that is limited to Fethiye center. Didim to Fethiye can take an average of 3.5 hours.