Getting to Ölüdeniz from Fethiye

The cheapest way to get from Fethiye to Ölüdeniz is to catch the dolmuş (local bus) heading to Ölüdeniz from the Fethiye bus stop in the center near the big mosque. If you’re coming from Calis Beach like I did, the last stop on the dolmuş bus from Calis Beach is where you’ll get off and switch to the dolmuş to Ölüdeniz.

Top Things to Do on A Day Trip To Ölüdeniz

Take A Stroll Down Ölüdeniz Beach

Overall, Turkey is a pretty organized country. Much of my time in Turkey felt like Europe, with great infrastructure and public transport options.

However that said, there were also some brief moments during my month in Turkey where I was like, “Oh haha yeah, definitely not in Europe anymore.”

One such moment was walking out onto Ölüdeniz Beach to see hundreds of paragliders from the surrounding mountains land DIRECTLY on the beach without rhyme or reason. Right next to sunbathers and playing children. It was like anarchy of the skies up there.

There’s nothing quite like (sorta) relaxing on a beautiful beach while watching paragliders land just meters away from you. The further down you walk on the beach though, you’ll be clear of the main landing strip.

Behind the beach are a myriad of beach stores and cafes, including a couple beachside bars to grab a sneaky adult drink or two.

Take a Water Taxi to Butterfly Valley

Because I suck at mornings, my day trip to Ölüdeniz started way later than intended. As a result, I missed the last water taxi to Butterfly Valley from Ölüdeniz Beach.

You can get to Butterfly Valley by taking the shuttle boat from the main area of Ölüdeniz Beach for 30 Turkish lira both ways. When I was there in October, the boat departed from Ölüdeniz at 11 AM, 12:30, 2 and 3 PM, and returns from Butterfly Valley at 1, 2:30 and 5 PM. 

Swim in the Blue Lagoon

Don’t feel bad for my inability to get anywhere on time though. My day trip to Ölüdeniz was still super rad. Instead of hopping over to Butterfly Valley I ended up walking down to the Blue Lagoon, a short 20 minute walk down the beach from where the bus drops you off at Ölüdeniz Beach.

Perched all the way right down the road you’ll see the entrance gates. This secluded lagoon area costs 7 Turkish lira to enter, but once inside you’ll be surrounded by greenery and water 

Boats are not allowed here to limit noise and disruption, and as such, there are lots of fish swimming around here. How do I know that? Because within seconds of swimming past the buoys, I got bit by a damn fish. 27 years of growing up in Florida swimming in oceans and lakes, but Turkey is where I get my first fish bite??? 

So yes, beware that you may become fish bait here but no fear. In reality it felt more like a small pinch than anything. 

So how does a day trip to beautiful beaches of Ölüdeniz sound to you now? Pretty good eh? 

Check out Stop No. 3 on my Turquoise Coast Itinerary here:

Want more beautiful Turquoise Coast? Check out these other posts:

• 10 Day- TURQUOISE COAST ITINERARY BY BUS
• Stop 1- FETHIYE TRAVEL GUIDE
• Stop 2- DAY TRIP ÖLÜDENIZ
• Stop 2 & 3- KAŞ TRAVEL GUIDE
• Stop 4- OLYMPOS TRAVEL GUIDE
• Stop 5- ANTALYA TRAVEL GUIDE