Villa Funda

Featuring a stunning marina, the town of Fethiye is perhaps the jewel of the Turquoise Coast. This historic city was once the most important in Lycia, and these days it’s a well-connected place with a lot to see.  

Fethiye is a fantastic departure point for exploring the Mediterranean, and you will find all kinds of craft down at the harbour offering this opportunity. The traditional wooden gulets are a fine choice. Destinations within reach include Oludeniz, Kas, the sunken city of Kekova and Butterfly Valley.

The area’s history gives you plenty of archaeological sites to visit, with the Tombs of Amyntas in the cliffs of Fethiye one must-see. At more than 2400 years old, the tombs provide a wonderful view as well. Behind the harbour is the Telmessos Roman theatre, built in the 2nd century BC, which is in the process being restored. Nearby, Fethiye Museum contains exhibits of artefacts from Telmessos (as Fethiye was formerly known), Kaunos and Tlos.

The ‘ghost village’ of Kayakoy is a fascinating, abandoned village in the mountains with crumbling houses and churches, where Greeks and Turks once lived side by side, and well worth exploring further. Discovering the full history of the place will make your visit even more interesting.

Fethiye’s marina and surrounding area provide many opportunities to dine, with local seafood a staple of the restaurant menus. You may also want to visit the local fish market which supplies these establishments, which also offers a dining experience.

If you want to explore the region further, be sure to make some excursions to the likes of Saklikent Gorge. With the deepest gorge in Turkey, this spectacular national park offers various activities from hiking through the water of the gorge itself to zip-lining. Other places of interest include the lengthy Patara Beach and the many mud baths of Dalyan. Jeep safaris are a popular way to see the most significant local landmarks, including these.

Read more about Fethiye

Situated on the ancient city of Telmessos, Fethiye is named after one of its most famous ‘sons’, the aviator Fethi Bey. An earthquake in 1957 damaged central Fethiye, so many of its buildings have been built since then.You can, however, see a Lycian theatre, Lycian tombs (including the rock tomb of Amyntas) and visit the Fethiye museum for more history and artefacts. The centre of Fethiye boasts a covered market area, half of which is given over to the local fish market where you can choose your catch from one of the centre stalls and then get it cooked in any of the surrounding restaurants. The whole of the area is shadowed by the mountain of Babadag where paragliders take to the skies, landing on the beach at Olu Deniz.

Fethiye’s Tuesday market is worth a visit. Traders come from the outlying villages to sell the wares from their smallholdings. Furrowed browed men with cloth caps, and ladies in floral bloomers will sell their produce amongst the lads trying to get you to buy their designer fakes! It’s all in good humour. Try a little bartering and see if you can do some good business. Go to the spice stall and you will get some amazing spices. Look for the Kar Serbeti, like a cinnamon slush or Ayran, a salty yoghurt drink both guaranteed to cool you down.

Olu Deniz & Calis are where people tend to flock for a beach but there are now a few private beach clubs along the coast between Olu Deniz and Fethiye which are worth a visit. There are also beach clubs situated around the lagoon, all with sunbeds, restaurants and drinks service. Hisaronu is more commercialised and hosts a large selection of bars, restaurants and gift shops.