The vibrant city of Fethiye is located in the heart of the Turkish Riviera on the Mediterranean coast. This ancient city, once named Telmessos, was the most important city of Lycia with a history on record starting in the 5th century BC. Earthquakes have left only a few Lycian stone sarcophagi from the old town, along with the dramatic ancient Tomb of Amyntas carved into the sheer rock cliff high above the town.
Fethiye has something to offer for every kind of traveller, visitors can explore the vibrant covered market place, visit one of the many beaches or take a tour on a gullet on the beautiful clean waters that Fethiye has to offer. A range of cusine is available with restaurants spread across the city along the coastline or in the city centre that cater to all tastes and budgets. At the heart of the Fethiye market place is the famous fish market where guests can choose freshly caught seafood and send it to one of the surrounding restaurants to be cooked.
For lovers of history a trip to the Tomb of Aminthas cut high in the rocks of Fethiye is a must. Just a short drive away you can continue on to Kayakoy "the ghost town", where the entire village is a standing museum containing many ancient Greek-style houses and churches that cover a mountainside. Historic ruins such as the Hellenistic theatre are located in the city centre and are currently being renovated in the hope of holding grand open-air concerts and operas under the stars. Not far from the Roman theatre is the Fethiye Museum which contains many exhibits from the ancient settlements of Telmessos, Kaunos and Tlos. You can find many ancient pieces of jewellery, potteries, votive stones, a few ancient Stelae and many other artefacts.
Organised Tours and Activities
Fethiye is located in the perfect position to offer visitors a wide variety of tours and activities to suit all interests. The first to mention is the Jeep Safari visiting inland sites including Saklikent Gorge, local mud baths, Yaka Park, Tlos Ancient City and the long, sandy stretch of Patara Beach. Other activities include paragliding over Oludeniz, trekking through Kaya Koy – the Greek Ghost town. Dalaman rafting, horse riding and quad biking are also aranged regularly throughout the summer months.
Dining, Bars and Nightlife
Fethiye is quite known for its variety of food and drinks in the many restaurants and cafes that line the marina and alleyways in the old town. Being a marina town, seafood is obviously one of the main delicacies and most people with a taste for fish will visit the fish market at least once during their visit to Fethiye. Dining out in the fish market is a wonderful experience but for a more budget-friendly option head down to Popeye’s boat located by the Fethiye park and have a freshly caught fish in a sandwich, also known in Turkey as “Balik ekmek”. For authentic Turkish cuisine dine at Mozaik Bahce for Eastern-style cuisine, Pasa Kebab for a range of kebab dishes and Nefis Pide for Turkish pide. These restaurants are just the tip of the iceberg, fantastic restaurants can be found all over Fethiye from the beachside of Calis up into the hills of Kayakoy.
A great variety of nightlife can be experienced in Fethiye with live music played in cafes and bars throughout the city. The Çalış beach area is very lively at night, many beachfront restaurant and bars have live artists playing, with intimate indoor areas to dance. Some favourites with the younger generation are Laika, Motto Cafe, Adrians Bar and Summer Breeze. If you enjoy Turkish music (like oud music) the Lighthouse Bar about half way along the beach strip has regular live performances. There is also the traditional music Yoruk bar which is housed under tents and perform traditional Turkish style dancing where guests can join in. Not forgetting the jazz bar, Uptown, where you can hear live bands playing Friday and Sunday evening at sunset. This bar has a great atmosphere especially on an upstairs terrace overlooking the bay. In Fethiye centre the Paspatur area has several very popular night spots for dancing and music including the Car Cemetery, Deep Blue Bar and Mango Bar.
For a change of scenery for dining or enjoying some nightlife a visit to Hisarönü or Ölüdeniz is just a short taxi or bus ride away and offers a huge variety of restaurants and bars.
Retail therapy
For lovers of retail therapy Fethiye will certainly not disappoint, from quirky market stalls to designer labels and many, many gold shops, there is something to appeal to all tastes. At the centre of the city you can find ‘high street’ shops as well as a variety of boutiques selling shoes and clothing and this area is also where most of the jewellery shops are found. Most of the clothes in the high street shops are made here in Turkey so your carbon footprint is baby-sized and you’re supporting the local economy. A decent sized indoor shopping mall named Erasta (situated close to the bus station) offers a variety of stores as well as a food hall and indoor entertainment arcade so children can stay entertained whilst parents browse the shops.
A covered market selling local produce, spices, cheeses, confectionary and freshly caught fish is open every day into the evening. Visitors love to stock up at this authentic marketplace as the is a huge range of choice and the freshness and quality is very reliable. As in most cities and towns in Turkey Fethiye has a weekly market which is held on a Tuesday and has a wide range of independent stalls selling everything from clothing, shoes and bags to jewellery, household products, carpets and confectionary, fresh produce and spices. This a great cultural opportunity to practise your bargaining skills. The market takes place along the cancal next to the stadium.
Children
Further to the attractions, tours and activities listed above Fethiye has a number of parks where families can go to enjoy a walk or picnic, see some nature or watch the sunset. The most suitable of these is the recently commissioned Şehit Fethibey Park which is located along the seafront. This extensive public park has swathes of turfed area ideal for a picnic, creative statues, mini libraries where books can be borrowed and read under shaded archways and a generous children’s playground with attractions suitable for all ages. Fethiye adventure park is another great option for something different, there are age appropriate ‘tracks’ which include bridges through the trees, zip lines and ground level obstacle courses for smaller children. There is an entrance fee and pre-booking is advisable.
Making payments- Exchanging money
We advise guests that it is best to exchange money whilst in Turkey as the rates are favourable compared to other countries. Some banks allow tourists to exchange money and there are many shops around the town that will also exchange either Sterling or Euros, displaying their daily rates on boards outside their premises. Many establishments will accept foreign currency as part of full payment for meals/services. It is good to have some cash as not all places accept cards although the majority do have card machine facilities.
Getting around
As Fethiye is a bustling town public transport sevices are very regular and very reasonably priced. The local ‘Dolmuş’ services are mini bus style vehicles which run both through the town centre and to many nerby areas (including Ölüdeniz, Hisarönü and Patara). Alternatively the local taxis services run day and night or you can hire bicycles as Fethiye is flat and there are designated cycle trails throughout the town.
