Things to Do in Fethiye
12 Islands Boat Trip
The most popular boat tour out of Fethiye harbour is the “12 Island Tour”. A wonderful day of sailing around the turquoise coastline and stopping off at several places for swimming and exploring. With lunch included on the boat its a great day out. Prices are about 20.00 TL. You can spend a day wieving the natura of sea and islands.
The tour may vary slightly from boat to boat but usually comprises of stops at the following places:Gobun Bay or Cavy Bay
Cleopatra’s Baths
Dockyard Island
The Flat Islands
Red Island or Samanlik bayButterfly Valley
A very beautiful beach and valley that can be reached only by boat (there is a boat service from Ölüdeniz three times per day), a place where hundreds of species of butterflies stay from spring to autumn, and great hiking trails in the hills behind, including waterfalls and lots of exuberant Mediterranean vegetation and animals.
There is Robinson holiday resort, where you can camp or stay in straw&wood made mini cabins. There is no water, electricity or any trace of civilization!
But, there is a bar on the rocks, called Rock Bar.Göcek
A safe heaven for Sailors. Göcek is one of the nicest bay around Fethiye. It has been first discovered by the sailors on the Blue voyage and now in the last years it is popularity is increasing. You can get there by minibuses or by boats from Fethiye.When you enter to Göcek, even by a boat or by the roadway, you will definitely be surprised and will say ” woovvvvv super”. It is a real cool place. All of a sudden you will be in a place out of this world. And you will be adored to GÖcek.
Hisarönü
Overview: The charming hill town of Hisaronu, a short distance inland from Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, has boomed into a popular holiday resort bristling with hotels, bars, restaurants, shops and tour operators, ideally situated for those intent on exploring the region and enjoying an active holiday. Hisaronu is centrally located on the ‘Turquoise Coast’, within a short ‘dolmus’ (local taxi) ride from the busy centre of Fethiye, the beautiful seaside resort of Oludeniz with its blue lagoon and crescent beach, and numerous sites of interest. The town of Hisaronu itself is a bit of a hodge-podge of buildings, but the surrounding area offers a ruggedly beautiful landscape, ideal for holidaymakers keen on walking, and a coast filled with secluded bays and coves accessed through winding forest paths. Being set at high altitude the town also has the advantage of being cooler and less humid than the coast, a pleasant refuge to retreat to after a day in the summer sun.
Shopping: The main street of Hisaronu is well supplied with a variety of stores selling everything holidaymakers look for in Turkey, from fake designer-wear to carpets and leather goods. Haggling is expected and part of the shopping experience.Restaurants: Hisaronu has a veritable smorgasbord of restaurants to cater for the tastes of international tourists, from traditional English to sizzling pizzas and spicy Mexican. Most are along the main street, including favourites like the Shine Indian Restaurant and the Dragonara Chinese restaurant. For traditional Turkish delights the Olive Tree is hard to beat.
Nightlife: The nightlife of Hisaronu is legendary on the ‘Turquoise Coast’, its clubs and pubs rocking until the early hours during the summer season. Holidaymakers will find everything from Turkish theme nights to British soccer, 60s discos or full-on nightclubs.
Activities: There is no need to spend all day lying on the beautiful Oludeniz beach, or beside the hotel pool (unless this is the option you prefer). Hisaronu is packed with opportunities to get out and about. Most popular activities are paragliding from Babadag Mountain to land on the beach; canoeing down the Xanthos river to Patara; pitching paintballs in the pine forests; visiting the bazaar in nearby Fethiye; taking a glass-bottom boat trip; taking a day trip to the Greek island of Rhodes; and an excursion to the ‘ghost town’ of Kayakoy.
Negatives: During the summer months the beaches can be a little crowded so it’s best to secure a spot early
Kaya Village
Kaya village, or ghost town is a place that is abandoned after great Greek-Turkish migrations. Before, Greek people used to live there, and after the wars with Turkey, they went back to Greece, and Turks from Greece came back to Turkey. But instead of settling in Kayaköy that was abandoned by Greeks, they settled in the Egean area of Turkey as the climate was more suitable to what they got used to back in Greece. thus the Kaya village remained abandoned definitely and with years it was ruined. Nowadays there are pleanty of ruined houses and churches, but it´s not a dead place, since there are various feasts, rpograms and belly dances ever day, as well as horse riding and trekking. There is a wonderful trail down to Fethiye and Ölüdeniz as well, from Kayaköy. It can also be reached by dolmus bus from Hisarönü.Lycian Rock Tombs
Above the town, within walking distance, are these fascinating rock tombs, cut into the limestone slope. There are many of these rock tombs along the lycian coast but the most striking ones are here at Fethiye. The main rock tomb here is carved in ionic form, dating back to 450 B.C. A fading inscription details that it was the resting place of Prince Amyntas son of Hermagios but little else is known about the family or indeed the tomb itself. Lykia was peculiar also for the way of buring people. According to their invocation, there were three basic types of tombs. All of them were carved into the mountains. If the deceased was a priest, his tomb was in the shape of a temple. If he was a sailorman, it was a ship shaped tomb (sort of sarcophagus), and if the was an ordinary man/woman, they were buried in the house-shaped tomb.Ölüdeniz ( Blue Lagoon )
If you’ve ever been into a travel agents offering holidays to Turkey then you’ve probably seen pictures of Oludeniz. Second only to the Istanbul skyline, the lagoon features on a multitude of posters, postcards and brochure pages. It’s not surprising as the characteristic shape of the coastline here has resulted in a unique bit of beach. It actually is gorgeous and the inevitable development of the little village (I think there was one here once) has been fairly restrained. A couple of years ago there were more building sites than sun loungers within 10km of the lagoon but everything seems to be settling down now and it’s still a very nice place to be.
‘The gem of the Turquoise Coast’? It’s as close to Turquoise as I’ve ever seen. Practicalities? A range of places to stay, drink and eat. Nothing really top end here, which doesn’t do the place any harm. The usual crowd is a mix of independent travellers and package folk who’ve come for a good time. It has to be said that it’s busy as hell in the summer. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. A crowd can make for a good time and the beaches, both the free expanse in front of the town and the nearly free bit around the lagoon have a fairly high capacity. You can swim from May onwards with little hardship but take some thongs ‘cos it’s a little pebbly in places. You might find accommodation a little tricky during high season but if your packaging it, as most people here are, then you’re sorted and there are enough low end rooms and camp sites to make it feasible to come through on a whim. You wont find the opportunities for clubbing that are available in Bodrum and Marmaris but you can always do that at home.
This area of Turkey has loads of stuff to see and do and it’s a shame not to get off the beach. The paraglide has to be one of the biggest pulls and it’s a bit special.
To get to Oludeniz you’ll need to get to Fethiye, that’s fairly easy from most cities and towns in Turkey. If your travelling the south coast then you’ll find services west from Kas and east from Marmaris and Dalyan. The bus station in Fethiye is served by Pamukkale, Metro and Kamil Koc, all reputable companies who’ll probably get you there in one piece.
Once in Fethiye Oludeniz is no problem. If you walk out of the bus station through the entrance the bus used to get in you can flag down a Dolmus or minibus that will get you there for a minimal outlay, just make sure you pay what everybody else does.Patara beach
Patara beach is stunning and makes an enjoyable visit as well as the nearby ancient site of Patara, with its gorgeous landscape and great swimming. Part of a national park, it is a key biodiversity area, rich in birdlife and the breeding ground of the endangered loggerhead turtle (caretta caretta). Luckily the beach has been declared off-limits for development because of the turtles, they are nearing extinction and protection of their nesting sites on the Turkish coast is very important. The beach is closed after sunset from May to October to give the turtles peace in which to lay their eggs as it is the second most important turtle nesting beach in Turkey. The beach is an 12 kilometer-long strip of sand bordered on its ends by mountains and along its length by sand dunes and the large marshy area which once was the harbour of Patara. Voted as one of the top beaches in the world by Times Online, Best of 2005 and known as the “widest beach of the northern Mediterranean. Only about a 15 minute stroll from some of the major ruins, even in the height of summer it is never crowded. The absence of development and no water sports means that it is always peaceful. There is only one café near the end of the path to the beach, it also rents out sunbeds and umbrellas. The nearest resort area (besides the village of Patara) is Kalkan and during the tourist season dolmuşes (shared mini-buses, tickets are cheap) make daily, frequent trips to Patara, stopping near the beach. I’m not sure if dolmuşes run to Patara from Kaş, but they do run from Kaş to Kalkan and you could connect there.
Saklıkent Canyon (Secret Paradise)
The Saklıkent canyon as a location just 50 km far from town centrer of Fethiye it is an unique heaven with 300 meters deep and 17 Kilometres narrow canyon, Saklıkent discovered while searching place for farm by a Local shepherd in 1989 than doors of this secret paradise is opened to visitors from all around the world.
The shapes formed on the rocks by the flowing water through Toros Mountains,the coves and noses worth seeing.Under the boiling hot water,you will enjoy the cold waters flowing among the rocks.You can taste the delious grills,fresh toar and regional meals with regional spices of yoruk and Turkish kitchen relaxing on mattresses placed on the flowing stream surrounded by natural beauties.If you like you can enjoy cp of a herbal tea.It is a priviladge to take the photos of this paradise
Saklıkent canyon can only visit in Summer seazon because of water levels rises during winter months.Saklıkent is easy Access from Fethiye its only a hour drive with Minibus which stop behing of a big mosuqe in city center or with daily tours.Xanthos River Valley
Behind Patara stretches a rich agricultural valley; the course of the great River Xanthos of antiquity. In addition to Patara and Letoon, the valley has many sites suitable for day trips. First there is Xanthos, the capital city of the Lycian Federation and its greatest city for most of the Lycian age. Discovered in the 19th century by the British explorer Charles Fellows, it is an ancient site - finds date back to the 8th century BC, but it is possible that the city may have existed during the Bronze Age. Fellows returned to Xanthos and dismantled the Nereid Monument bringing it to England where it is now a major asset of the British Museum.The history of Xanthos is quite violent: the Xanthosians twice demonstrated their fierce independence when they chose to commit mass suicide rather than submit to invading forces. In the 6th century BC the Xanthosian men set fire to their women, children, slaves and treasure upon the acropolis before making their final doomed attack upon the invading Persians lead by Harpagus. Xanthos was later repopulated but the same gruesome story repeated itself in 42 BC, when Brutus attacked the city during the Roman civil wars in order to recruit troops and raise money. Brutus was shocked by the Lycians’ suicide and offered his soldiers a reward for each Xanthosian saved. Only 150 citizens were rescued.
Further up the valley are two less visited but significant sites: Pinara, perched in a beautiful remote mountain setting among pine forests and olive trees and Tlos with extensive ruins including a theater, stadium, bath complex and many tombs. In the mountains on the eastern edge is Saklıkent where water and rocks carried by the snowmelt has carved a deep river gorge into the mountain. It is a deliciously cool spot to explore on a hot afternoon and you can have tea or lunch under the deep green shade of fig trees at a nearby restaurant.
Canoeing Trips on the Xanthos River
From £20.00 per person (Monday, Wednesday & Saturday)
Spend an exciting day full of sun, fun and nature as you row along the beautiful Xanthos River in 2-man canoes. No canoeing experience is required to share an exhilarating day in Patara National Park.
Your experienced guides will show you the natural wonders of one of the most unspoilt areas in Turkey. Come and enjoy canoeing, swimming, take an optional mud bath!
There are a number of stops along the way, culminating in a delicious barbecue lunch on the shore of the river.
You will finally emerge on to Patara beach to relax. The perfect ending to a canoeing trip of a life time.









