The popular tourist city of Fethiye is a great jumping off point for day trips to popular spots along the Turquoise Coast. We had heard so much hype about this wonderful coastline, that we were excited to see it for ourselves. Here is what we think are the best views on Fethiye’s Turquoise Coast.
Ölüdeniz and Blue Lagoon Beaches
Ölüdeniz Beach has a very pretty setting. It wraps around a large cove filled with gorgeous blue water. Behind it, the high Babadag Mountain rises almost 2 km above. Unfortunately, ‘pretty cove’ doesn’t translate to idyllic beach. The sand is very coarse and is covered with sun chairs and noisy beach bars. Although it appears that many do love it, this was not our type of beach. But we came for the views not the beach.
On the other side of a narrow isthmus is Blue Lagoon and Kumburnu Beach. The large lagoon has calm, blue water and a mountainous backdrop. Its gentle waves makes the pebble beach a favourite spot for families. On the other side of the lagoon, exclusive hotels look to have a peaceful location.
The best way to see these two beaches is from above. We hiked up one of the barren hills behind the lagoon. From there we had a bird’s eye view of Blue Lagoon, the Mediterranean Sea and the thin strip of land that separates them. This was a view worth savouring.
In addition to the busy sand on Ölüdeniz Beach, the rest of the waterfront is a bit of a zoo. One side of the busy road was lined by tourist shops selling souvenirs, jewelry, knock-off watches and beach wear. On the other side, vendors selling drinks, ice-cream and Turkish bags were pushing carts up and down the boardwalk. The water was filled with large tour boats, decorated as Disneyland-type pirate ships. Touts were yelling to passersby trying to sign them up for a boat tour. To top it off, paragliders were soaring overhead and landing on the busy walkway. It’s quite a hectic place.
Ölüdeniz town is smaller than Fethiye but is a very popular resort town. There are many hotels, resorts and restaurants in the town if you prefer to stay closer to these two beaches.
Getting to Ölüdeniz
Its an easy drive from Fethiye but there is limited parking in the resort town and there’s a fee to park, even on the roads. The other option is to take one of the frequent minibuses from Fethiye (44 TRY/$1.45 USD). The bus stop is near the bus station in Fethiye and they drop you off at the boardwalk in Ölüdeniz.
Butterfly Valley
Only a few kilometers south of Ölüdeniz is an even more picturesque spot. On the drive to reach Butterfly Valley we had incredible views of the scenic coast so we knew we were in for a treat. The road climbs up and up as it leaves Ölüdeniz Beach, letting you look far up and down the rugged coastline.
We reached the cliffs high above Butterfly Valley and looked down upon the gorgeous tight cove enclosed by rocky cliffs. The valley received its name because of the approximately 105 species of butterflies that call it home. We didn’t see any butterflies from this viewpoint but did see several at other points along the coast.
Far below is a small pebble beach that has far fewer visitors than any of the other beaches in the area. That’s because the only way to get to the beach is by boat. There is no way to get from the rim to the beach far below. We preferred the view we had from above anyway.
How to get to Butterfly Beach
Minibuses leave from Ölüdeniz Beach once an hour but will only take you to the rim, not the beach. (28 TRY/$1USD). Ferries also leave once an hour from Ölüdeniz to Butterfly Beach, but they are not cheap (700 TRY/$23 USD round trip). You either go to the viewpoint or the beach, there are no roads or paths between the two.
Kabak Bay
The final beach that we visited on this part of the Turquoise Coast is Kabak Bay. The small bay is protected by steep slopes and a dense forest. A village built on those slopes has a much different feel than Ölüdeniz with several small hippie-style cafes, guesthouses and even a campsite. It may be a nice place to stay for a quiet vacation.
The beach is very pretty, but like the others, it has pebbles instead of sand. The pebbles are not small either. Most are the size of peach pits so are not comfortable to lie or even walk on. Apparently, swimmers are encouraged to cover their feet to protect them from the rocks. There are a few sunbeds that you can rent, or lots of space to put your towel on the gravel.
There is a hike to a waterfall near Kabak Beach, but it was closed when we were there due to forest fire danger.
How to get to Kabak Beach
Minibuses leave Fethiye every hour and travel to Kabak Bay with a stop at the Butterfly Bay lookout (50 TRY/$1.65 USD). If you’re already in Ölüdeniz, a minibus goes to Butterfly Bay and Kabak Bay once an hour (30 TRY/$1 USD). These sites are on the same road making it easy to travel between the four in one day.
Hike the Lycian Way
An excellent day-trip adventure is to hike along the coast. There are many Lycian ruins between Antalya and Fethiye and a 520 km (320 mile) hike take you to many of them. You can do the entire Lycian Way hike, or pick sections to do as day hikes. We hiked a small portion of the trail between Kabak and Butterfly Bays. The 10 km trail that we walked was mostly on a good trail, marked with red and yellow paint. Our first viewpoint looked back to Kabak Bay. It’s even more beautiful from above.
The best parts of the hike for us were the views that look toward the stunning cliffs and coves that are contained on this coast. Many say that this is the most picturesque section of the Lycian Way. Only Kaş, is able to rival these views.
The trail is often shaded by tall pine trees so it doesn’t get too hot, but there are also a lot of leg-grabbing thorns and thistles so take care.
Fethiye
The city of Fethiye was built on the site of the ancient Lycian city of Telmessos. Most of the buildings from this ancient city were destroyed in an earthquake in 1958, but you can still find a few ruins. The most impressive are the 4th century BCE Lycian rock-cut tombs on limestone cliffs above the city. They look very elegant with Ionian style columns and carved decorations on the tombs’ exteriors.
There are a few more ruins scattered through the city. Some were in vacant lots, others were in the middle of the street. You can tell how many historical artifacts there are in this area when some are just used as medians between lanes on a street.
Fethiye’s large harbour has a beautiful setting, surrounded by green mountains. One end is filled with personal boats, making it a nice place to go for an evening walk.
Getting to Fethiye
The nearest airports to Fethiye are Antalya, 205 km away or Dalaman, 50 km away. If you’re already in the area you can take a bus to/from Antalya, Kaş, Marmaris (160 TRY) or even as far away as Istanbul. The bus station in Fethiye is close to downtown.
Where to stay and eat in Fethiye
Most of the hotels, guesthouses and apartments area located in the Old Town or near Fethiye Harbour. There are also plenty of restaurants and coffee shops for all budgets in this area. Fethiye is extremely popular with British and Russian tourists. This become obvious when you see the restaurants’ sandwich boards. Many advertise having English breakfast. Written below this are menu items written in the Russian Alphabet.
Click on the link to read our Travel Tips For Turkey.
To read more of our adventures in Turkey, click here.
Coming Next – Turkey’s Aegean Coast
For pictures from other blogs go to Gallery at monkeystale.ca
To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.
If you like what you read, please comment or share (with credit) using the links below.
We'd love to hear from you, please leave a comment.