Stop No. 1
Traveling the Turkish Riviera: Fethiye Travel Guide
As a popular seaside tourist town, Fethiye is a great launching point into your holiday on the Turquoise Coast. Known for its natural harbor and clear waters, Fethiye offers top notch amenities for travelers on any budget. Day trips to the 12 nearby islands in the Gulf of Fethiye are easily accessible by boat tours or water taxis from the marina in town.
Where to Stay In Fethiye
Although the center of Fethiye is lively, I ended up (accidently) staying about 25 minutes away by water taxi or local bus near Calis Beach. Even though I thought I was booking closer to town, this ended up in my favor as I much preferred the relaxing atmosphere of Calis Beach.
So Who Travels Here?
White, retired, British couples in their late 60’s and early 70’s. No joke. Maybe because I was there during off season, I was usually the only American, and clearly the youngest foreigner around for miles. Made for quite a few curious looks as I drank my glass of wine at dinner in solitude 😉
Also funny story. You know Jehovah’s Witnesses? Those folks in skinny ties and short sleeved, button down shirts knocking on doors in hopes of converting you into one of them? No offense to the Jehovah’s Witnesses out there, but I got Jehovah Witness’ed on a bus here… in the middle of nowhere Turkey.
After politely chatting with a pair of white-haired British ladies of my travels and such, I pushed the button for my stop in the city centre. As I got up to disembarked, one lady slyly slips me a business card and merely says, “They have good stuff on this website.”
I looked down at the card only to see an ominous JW.org written on the front and back of the card with nothing else. Later I looked up the website. Low and behold, it’s the Jehovah’s Witnesses website. No shame in the Jehovah’s Witnesses game. Even in on holiday in the middle of Turkey. Now that’s commitment.
Tops Things to Do in Fethiye
Meander Through Fethiye’s Old Town
Full of charm and welcoming shop keepers, the Old Town is a must see in Fethiye. Just walking around with no particular objective makes for a lovely afternoon. Stop at one of the restaurants here for lunch or dinner.
Shop at the Tuesday Market
Drawing in locals and visitors alike in the Tuesday Market in town. This giant, awning covered market only sets up shop on Tuesdays where you can find anything from souvenirs, fresh produce, lunch, clothing, jewelry and tools.
To get to the market from the main bus stop in town, walk towards the canal. If you walk along the canal you can’t miss the massive sprawl of market tents.
See the Tomb of Amyntas
Impressively built right in the mountains overlooking Fethiye, the Tomb of Amyntas was built in 350 B.C. during the age of the Lycians. Although you can see the tombs from pretty much everywhere in Fethiye, you can opt to pay a small entrance fee to climb the 200 stairs for a closer look.
↓ Below you can see the tombs peeking behind the harbor
Walk Around Fethiye Bay
After the boat tours are are done for the day and as the sun starts to set, a magical, warm glow appears over the harbor. The boardwalk adjacent to the docks makes for a nice casual stroll.
Take Your Own Sunset Cruise on a Water Taxi
One of the best ways to see the sunset in Fethiye is by boat. You could pay for a sunset boat tour OR you can make your own sunset boat tour and take a water taxi back to Calis Beach right at sunset. For the low low price of 10 lira, I got my own sunset cruise through islands and the picturesque coast.
When I was there in October, I took the last water taxi from Fethiye to Calis beach at 18:00. To find the water taxi amid all the tour boats, kept walking along the dock until you see a sign for the water taxi stand and purchase your ticket there.
Relax on Calis Beach
Whether you’re staying in the center of Fethiye or closer to Calis Beach, the area is a great place to relax on the bach for the day. It’s also another stellar spot to watch the sunset.
Things for Kids to Do in Fethiye
Although the demographic while I was there was clearly of the grandparent age range, there seemed to be a ton of fun activities for the kiddos during the high season.
- Sehit Fethi Bey Parki – beautiful park with playgrounds just outside the downtown area of Fethiye
- Sultans Aqua City – small water park near Calis Beach
- Playground and water feature near the docks in town
Day Trip to Ölüdeniz
Because of its easy access location, Fethiye makes a great hub for a day trip to the gorgeous beach of Ölüdeniz. Check out my day trip to Ölüdeniz travel guide here.
So how does stop No. 1 sound on the Turquoise Coast look? Pretty dang good if you ask me.
Check out Stop No. 2 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
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Fethiye, Turkey Travel Guide
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Gorgeous photos – really love them. I was only talking with a friend about visiting Turkey yesterday, so may be that we visit Fethiye off the back of this post – it looks lovely. Also, I’m a JW myself 😉
All of the Turquoise Coast is beautiful! And oh man it was just so out of the blue when she handed me the little business card with nothing on it except the website! Incredible marketing though I must say, it made me giggle and hella props to her to for spreading her faith with no reservation!
As usual a great guide. I really want to check out turkey.
Thank you!
Beautiful pictures!
I adore this! People talk about Istanbul, Cappadocia, etc so much that other parts of the country are so overlooked. Excited to add this to my Turkey wish list!
Thank you so much! And yes I totally agree, I had never heard of the Turquoise Coast until I was already in Turkey
Fethiye looks absolutely stunning. I can’t resist sunset at the beach and this one looks perfect.