Fethiye Travel Guide

Fethiye sits at the head of a wide bay on the southwest coast, where the Aegean turns into the Mediterranean. It is a real town with a market and a fishing harbour, not only a resort, and it is the base for some of Turkey's best-known sea and mountain landscapes: the Oludeniz lagoon, Butterfly Valley, the 12 islands of the bay and the Babadag mountain above them.

Why visit Fethiye

The sea is the first reason. The water around Fethiye is clear, the coast is broken into dozens of coves, and many are reachable only by boat. The second is the ancient Lycian world: rock tombs cut into the cliff above the town, including the temple-fronted Tomb of Amyntas, and a network of ancient cities along the coast. The third is outdoor activity. Babadag, at almost 2,000 metres above the lagoon, is one of the best-known paragliding launch sites in Turkey, and the Lycian Way, a long-distance walking trail, starts near Oludeniz.

How many days you need

Three to four days covers the highlights: one boat day, one day at Oludeniz and Butterfly Valley, one day for Kayakoy and Saklikent Gorge. Longer stays suit a gulet cruise, which is how many people see this coast. Our 7-day gulet cruise from Fethiye through Kekova starts and ends in Fethiye harbour.

Best time to visit

May to October is the sea season. June and September are the sweet spot: warm water, long days, and less crowding than July and August, when the lagoon beach at Oludeniz is very busy. Paragliding runs most of the year, but weather cancellations are more common in winter. From November to March many resort businesses close.

Getting there from Istanbul

Fly to Dalaman Airport (DLM), about 1 hour 15 minutes from Istanbul. From Dalaman, Fethiye is roughly an hour by road. Antalya Airport is also an option, about 3 to 3.5 hours away by the coastal or inland road. Overnight buses from Istanbul take around 13 to 14 hours.

Top experiences

• A tandem paragliding flight from Babadag down to Oludeniz. Our Oludeniz Babadag paragliding day trip runs from Antalya.
• The Blue Lagoon at Oludeniz, a protected bay with calm, shallow water.
• Butterfly Valley, a steep gorge reachable by boat, with a small beach and waterfall.
• Kayakoy, a hillside village of several hundred empty stone houses abandoned after the 1923 population exchange.
• The 12 islands boat trip in Fethiye Bay.
• Saklikent Gorge, where you wade through cold water between high rock walls.
• A multi-day gulet cruise east to Kekova or west to Bodrum. See our 8-day gulet cruise from Fethiye to Bodrum.

Where to stay

Fethiye town and harbour for restaurants, the market and boat departures. Calis for a long beach and sunsets, a short water-taxi ride from town. Hisaronu and Ovacik for budget hotels and nightlife above Oludeniz. Oludeniz itself for the beach. Kayakoy for quiet stone guesthouses.

What to eat

Fethiye's fish market is the local ritual: you buy fish at the central stalls and one of the restaurants around them cooks it for a small fee, with meze and salad on the side. On Tuesdays the town market sells cheeses, olives and fruit, and village women make gozleme on the spot.

Practical tips

• Book boat trips with licensed operators and check what is included.
• Water shoes help at Saklikent and on pebble beaches.
• The Oludeniz beach inside the nature park charges an entry fee.

See all Fethiye tours, including our 4-day gulet cruise from Olympos to Fethiye.