My days in Fethiye and Marmaris

I wasn’t sure whether I should do a seperate blog post about my last few days because it definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. Is Fethiye and Marmaris worth a visit? And what about a ferry to Rhodes?

Honestly, my days in Fethiye and Marmaris (I didn’t even think I would get here originally) were more a transition time to find the spot that I liked again. Where will it be?

In my last blog I did mention it might be difficult to top Kas, didn’t I?

Fethiye & Oludeniz beach

I was really looking forward to spending some time at the Calis and Oludeniz beach around Fethiye after reading great reviews about it. However, after exploring the area with a scooter, I stayed only one night, in the centre of Fethiye. It was not as expected!

This area really had no appeal to me. Not even the ‘supposedly’ amazing Oludeniz beach. Maybe because it was off season and everything was closed and abandoned for the Turkish winter? Either way, I am sure it is booming with tourists during summer.

During my one day in Fethiye I walked up to the Rock tombs, visited the local markets and rode up the very steep hill to the old village Kayakoy. It was quite amazing actually. Other than that, I had to make new plans for the next week to come. Where to next?

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Let’s go to…

So, with a week spare on my trip, I decided to hop on a ferry to Rhodes (Greece).

(P.S. I am looking forward to seeing the island(s) of Greece as I have, so far, only hiked Mt. Olympus, seen plenty of inland ruins and enjoyed Athens!)

Originally I thought of staying another day in Fethiye, exploring the Lycian ruins of Tlos (with a car), but I had to get to Marmaris to catch a ferry to Rhodes. Once in Marmaris, it turned out the ferry was delayed by a day anyway, so there was no reason to rush. Oh well, more time to update my latest blog posts. And a good reason to come back to Kas and this area again, to explore more of the ruins.

Marmaris

Originally, Marmaris wasn’t on my list to visit. However it was the only place to get the ferry to Rhodes (during off season). Once I found my hotel, on top of a narrow hill in the old town, overviewing the harbour and the very expensive yachts, I went to book the ferry.

I didn’t want to venture out too much here, so I spent my days with the usual discovery walks through the narrow streets and Bazaars as well as looking for the perfect local restaurant. Which I have found btw.. the ROTA Restaurant. Delicious Turkish food! Overall Marmaris had a great vibe. I liked it!

And there was a castle! With beautiful views over the old town and the harbour.

Let’s hope the ferry goes tomorrow!

Travel tip: be aware of the irregular ferry times to go to Greece during off season. They only go randomly.

And so

Is Fethiye and Marmaris worth a visit? Depending on what you want to do, I believe the markets and the tourist attractions (e.g. paragliding, shopping, swimming, etc) are the same in either places. So, if you have to choose, I find Marmaris has just a little bit more charm. At least for me. And plenty of luxurious yachts to look at!