Fethiye [69] [CE45] – Trekopedia

1Nitty-Gritty

2Attractions & Highlights

3Accommodations

4Pretty Pictures

5How You Can Help

Home | Trails | Lycian Way | Communities

Small City

Fethiye

At the western edge of the Lycian Way

ID:

City of about 80,000 people on the western end of Turkey’s famed Turquoise Coast. Fethiye is a major tourist centre and is especially popular during the summer.

The map shows the historic district which is where most people stay. The rest of the city (the much bigger non-touristy part) is to the east / northeast.

Open in Google Maps

Nitty-Gritty

Orientation

For most visitors, the heart of Fethiye is the south-west ‘old town’ / historical district of the city, near its busy marina. That is where most of the restaurants, hotels / guesthouses, nightlife spots, markets, and so on are located.

At the south of the historical district is a large hill atop which sits the ruins of a castle. That can be seen from almost anywhere in the district and can be used to orient yourself. At the north end of the district is the busy marina.

Extending west along the shoreline are a couple of smaller districts filled largely with additional hotels and guesthouses. These are in walking distance, linked by a shoreline road.

The historical district is very walkable and nice to explore. There’s generally something of interest anywhere you wander.

Trail-Related

Optional start / finish point: Fethiye is where most people begin or finish their Lycian Way trek. While the official start / endpoint is in nearby Ovacık, this is the main arrival / departure point on the Lycian Way’s west end. A popular one-day ‘extension’ hike is available connecting Fethiye and Ovacık via Kayaköy (with its interesting ‘ghost town’ ruins). If you want to skip this extension, frequent dolmuş service is available between Fethiye and Ovacık.

Trailhead: We treat the base of the hill atop which sits the above-mentioned castle ruins as the trailhead for Fethiye.

Note: there is nothing here to mark this as a trailhead – it is simply as good a place as any for those planning to start or finish in Fethiye rather than Ovacık. Its main benefit is that it is easy to find since the castle at the top of the hill can be seen from just about everywhere in Fethiye.

Transport

Getting In / Out: If you are coming from western or northern Turkey (including from the airport in Dalaman), you’ll likely arrive into Fethiye at the main otogar (bus station). Regrettably, this is about 1.5km from the main part of town where you will likely be staying (the marina / old town area). You need to walk west or catch a dolmuş (mini-bus) to get to the historical district.

If you come from the east (such as from Kaş or Ölüdeniz), you’ll usually be dropped off at the main dolmuş stop for the area–which is much closer to everything. From there, you will likely only have a short walk.

Regional hub: Fethiye is a major connection point in the region, so there are coach-style buses connecting to destinations throughout Turkey.

Fethiye also has excellent dolmuş (mini-bus) service to local destinations through the Lycian Way region, including to many (but not all) villages along the trail.

Highlights

Fethiye is located on the site of the ancient city of Telmessos and many of the ruins in the city date from that period. There are also notable Roman ruins, including the 2nd century amphitheater located near the marina.

Notable attractions in Fethiye include strolling along its harbour / marina, exploring the ruins of Fethiye Castle overlooking town, visiting the Lycian tombs built into the cliff face at the back of the city, relaxing in the Old Turkish Bath, sampling the great food available in town, or visiting the small but excellent museum (with some outstanding archeological exhibits).

You can also take a boat tour of the nearby islands–the popular 12-island tour is very nice. An excursion up to Saklikent Gorge is also very worthwhile. There are several good beaches in the area. Also, you might consider an excursion to visit Butterfly Valley.

There is a busy weekly market on Tuesdays which can be fun to explore, but don’t expect to find many bargains–it’s mostly oriented to tourists.

Accommodations

Large selection of hotels, guesthouses, and hostels available. Most are clustered in or near the historical district.

Blue Bells and El Camino are popular hostel options. We’ve had good feedback about Tan Pansiyon .

Amenities

Not surprising given its size and its status as a tourist destination, Fethiye has a full range of amenities.

There’s a huge number of great restaurants and markets, plus pharmacies, post office, nightlife, and so on.

Most amenities are in the historical district and generally everything is within a short walk.

Tips & Recommendations

Stop by the fish market to buy a fresh fish for dinner, then take it to one of the adjacent restaurants where they’ll cook it for you to your specifications.

Attractions & Highlights

Notable highlights along the trail and at either endpoint include:

Historical Site

Cliffside Tombs (incl Temple of Amyntas)

In Fethiye
Historical Site

Lycian Tomb near Cultural Centre

In Fethiye
Historical Site

Fethiye Castle Ruins

In Fethiye
Cultural

Archeological Museum

In Fethiye
Cultural

Community Cultural Center

In Fethiye
Historical Site

Lycian Sarcophagi Near Cliff Tombs

In Fethiye
Historical Site

Lycian Tomb in Middle of Road

In Fethiye
Historical Site

Roman Amphitheatre

In Fethiye

Accommodations

Here’s what we’re currently tracking for this community:

Guesthouse

Amintas Hostel & Motel
Guesthouse

Belci City Residence
Hostel

Blue Bells Hostel
Guesthouse

El Camino Hostel & Pub
Hotel

Exelans Hotel
Guesthouse

Fethiye Guest House
Hostel

Sakura Hostel & Pub
Guesthouse

Tan Pansiyon

Pretty Pictures

Sometimes nothing beats a good photo. Or even a bad photo! If you’d like to share some or all of your photo collection with the Trekopedia community, contact us at photos@trekopedia.com and we can arrange a transfer of them. And thanks!

All photos are copyright by their respective owners and are used with permission.

Impressive cliffside tomb in Fethiye

Photo by
The Trekopedia Team
View over Fethiye

Photo by
Darren Moens

–
Oct 2022
Good view of tombs and city in Fethiye

Photo by
The Trekopedia Team
Lycian sarcophagus near cultural centre in Fethiye

Photo by
The Trekopedia Team
Harbour promenade in Fethiye

Photo by
The Trekopedia Team
Flag atop Fethiye castle ruins

Photo by
The Trekopedia Team
Fethiye’s busy harbour

Photo by
Darren Moens

–
Oct 2022
Roman amphitheatre in Fethiye

Photo by
Darren Moens

–
Oct 2022

How You Can Help

Trail research is never actually done. Here’s some of what we’re looking for (in addition to the general requests for help listed in this article):

More photos! We’re always looking for more photos to add to our internal research database as well as for use here on Trekopedia. If you are willing to share your collection with us, we’d be incredibly grateful. Let us know and we’ll arrange a transfer.

Details on accommodation options, especially places where you’ve stayed.

Details on restaurants, markets, and other amenities.

Tips, recommendations, and generally anything that you think would help other hikers.

Help improve the geo-location of any points-of-interest.