www.mugla-turizm.gov.tr
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THE FETHİYE GUIDE
Useful Telephone Numbers
Fire110, Emergency 112, Police,155, Forest Fire 177
Governer’s Office (252) 614 10 01
Municipality (252) 614 41 62
Tourism Information (252) 614 15 27
Fethiye Museum (252) 614 11 50
Police Headquarters (252) 614 13 09
Gendarmerie (252) 612 18 38
State Hospital (252) 614 40 17
SSK Hospital (252) 614 12 25
Coast Guard (252) 614 84 60
Customs Office (252) 614 11 63
Fethiye TÜRSAB BYK (252) 612 09 75
Fethiye Hoteliers Assc. (252) 612 37 95
Harbour Master (252) 612 37 33
Municipality of Göcek (252) 645 26 27
Municipality of Ölüdeniz (252) 616 60 86
Village clinic of Göcek (252) 645 11 77
Village clinic of Ölüdeniz (252) 616 74 32
Transport
Those who come by road from the west can drive through Aydın, Muğla and Köyceğiz. There are buses running from almost all of Turkey’s major cities to Fethiye.
If you are flying in, you will land at Dalaman Airport. There are domestic and international flights in both summer and winter to Dalaman. The distance between Dalaman and Fethiye is 55 kilometres. There are regular buses that operate on this route.
Internal Transport
There are shared minibuses called ‘Dolmuş’ running non-stop between Fethiye and the other places of interest in summer season and also in winter but more infrequent. Between Fethiye and Çalış Beach there are minibuses and small boats running out to Gemile and other islands.
What to eat?
It is possible to find excellent seafood in places around Fethiye’s centre Municipality Park, the restaurants around the quay and the restaurants on newly constructed seaside road on the way to Calış Beach.
Around the area of the Paspatur bazaar area you will find restaurants serving home style foods, kebabs and Turkish pizzas (pide). Those who want to eat fish should go to the fish restaurants along the sea side.
For those who want to eat seafood at Ölüdeniz, we recommend the well-designed restaurant, The White Dolphin, on the steep hill on the way to the Kıdrak Beach.
In Hisarönü, apart from a limited number of Turkish cuisine, there is the option of döner and kebab dishes.
By contrast, Göcek can offer a rich variety of seafood. At the restaurants around the coves of Göcek, though not in town centre, you can have seafood and tandır (a Turkish tandoori like meat dish).
On the Fethiye-Göcek road in the İnlice region or on the way to Saklıkent and around ancient city of Tlos you mainly get gözleme and ayran.Nearby Tlos in the Yaka park area you can get gözleme and ayran and also trout served in a natural park atmosphere.
Throughout the year the restaurants 60 kilometres down the Fethiye-Antalya road after you pass the Karabel Passage are open. In winter you dine indoors but in summer you can sit in the garden of the restaurant and enjoy your tandır kebab, village chicken, the yoghurt from the high plateaus and village bread served with butter and some types of cheese.
After May, if you want to eat trout, sautéed meat, saç börek (Turkish grilled pastry), village bread and yoghurt at a height of 1857 metres you should first go to the hamlet of Seki and then travel for another 12 kilometres along a stabilised road to where the open restaurants under the shade of fruit trees and willow trees are. There is ice cold spring water running next to the restaurant.
(See the Fethiye guide section for the restaurants around Fethiye.)
Entertainment
The Fethiye nights are as crazy as the Bodrum or Marmaris ones. Those who seek music and entertainment choose to stay in the centre of Fethiye, Hisarönü or Ölüdeniz.There are too many places that play music in Göcek as well.
The marketplace
The Fethiye bazaar is very colourful. On Tuesdays you have the weekly local market set up. You do not get the general disorder you get in other bazaars. The sections for fruit and vegetable stalls, clothing and handcraft are all organized. The Paspatur shopping district is just opposite the building housing the provincial governor’s office.
In the bazaar you have everything from fish to vegetables and fruit, hand woven clothes to the art works and clothing. The prices are among the cheapest of all the regular markets.
Do not worry if you get hungry, there are many options, from kebabs to home cooked food.
The other thing you can do at the bazaar area is to choose and buy your own fish from the fisherman yourselves and made them cooked in the small tiny restaurants while listening to the locals play and sing around.
Accommodation
The are many small or large hotels, pensions and holiday villages in the centre of Fethiye, at the nearby coves, Çalış Beach, Ovacık, Hisarönü, Ölüdeniz, Kayaköy and Göcek.
See the guide section for hotels, holiday villages and pensions.
Handcrafts
Kayaköy is famous for its carpets. The wool is spun using the traditional methods, coloured with natural dyes and woven by the Kayaköy village women on workbenches locally known as İstar.
Rug making is also widespread in the villages of Fethiye. The Seydiler and Eldirek regions are particularly well known for their rugs.
The villages of Karaçuha, Esenköy and Gökben are famous for their hair-cloth weaving.
The Dastar material made from silk is unique to the villages of Fethiye Üzümlü and İncirköy.In Üzümlü you would see how it is done and from the newly founded cooperation of the village you can buy table cloths ,cloths or house goods wowen from Dastar.
Those who go to the villages of Arsa, Bağlıağaç and Dodurga can buy wooden spoons and other tools and chests made from the wood of juniper or cedar trees and turned into works of art in the hands of masters.
In Esenköy there is earthen pottery and Günlükbaşı and Yenimahalle have woven baskets.
Turkish Bath
The historical Turkish bath in the center of Fethiye attracts people of all nationalities. Also the newly built Kaya Hamamı near the main bus station and the hamams of the hotels in and around Fethiye are now on service for all the people of different nations.
Diving
The coast around Fethiye and Göcek, with its wide range of plant and animal life, is very suitable for diving.
The travel agencies that run tours and the companies teaching diving are mostly located in the Fethiye port area.
The boats normally leave around 09:00–10:00 am, returning at around 17:00pm.
On average, the sites dived upon are about one hour from the port. While you are sailing to your destination for the day, preliminary information about diving is given. With the company of experienced divers diving is done at the depth of three metres. This takes approximately 20 minutes. After a lunch break there is a second dive. At this point you go as deep as five metres and stay underwater for 20 minutes. After the diving finishes you are given certificates.
For experienced divers the depth limit is 30 metres and the duration of stay underwater is 45 minutes, with two dives a day.
Some of the diving areas are as follows:
Dalyan Cove: The cove is like a natural pool and is very suitable for those trying diving for the first time. The depth starts at one metre near the shore and goes down to ten metres. It is possible to see octopus, black bream, sponges and shellfish.
Afkule Cave: This cave is loved by experienced divers. It is like a large craved hole and the interior surface is covered with sponges and coral. It is at 40 metres and its width is ten metres. You can come across all types of Mediterranean fish here. Barakuda Reef: This reef that is a home for barracudas and starts at a depth of 14 metres and goes down to 45 metres.
Sarıyarlar: This is an ideal diving point both for learners and the experienced diver. The underwater flora and fauna is extraordinarily rich. Here you can come across sea horses that you cannot find in other places. The depth starts shallow and goes down to 30 metres.
(These notes were taken from a diving teacher at the Fethiye Divers Delight Travel Agency)
Rowing Races
The sport of rowing in Fethiye is rapidly developing. There are very good routes for those interested, with calm, clean seas and surrounded by pine forests. On 9-10 February every year the Mediterranean Rowing Cup is held at Karagözler. The races, which were at the national level for the past five years, will become an international event from this year on.
Marinas
In the centre of Fethiye there is a yacht mooring quay owned by the municipality and run by a private establishment.
Fethiye
Ece Saray Marina & Resort Tel: 0.252.6125005
In Göcek there are one municipal-owned and three private marinas having a total capacity of 800 yachts.
We shall also mention to those who want to own a yacht that there is a very developed yacht building industrial dockyard in the Karagözler region, located between the Fethiye and Letoonia roads.
Göcek Municipality Marina Tel: 0 252 645 19 38
This is sited in front of the village center and has two quays of mooring. The marina has the capacity of 60-70 yachts and there is electricity, the water system is connected, and waste is being collected. There are also showers, toilets, telephones and faxing facilities available.
Skopea Marina Tel: 0 252 645 17 39
This is the concrete quay to the north of the municipal marina. There is a private garden, swimming pool, bar restaurant, toilets, and fax and telephone facilities.
Club Marina Tel: 0 252 645 18 00
This marina is at the western edge of the Göcek coastline in the port of Büngüş (the marina just close to the port which was formerly the Etibank mine loading port)
Surrounded by pine trees, there are environmental and social facilities.
Its T-shaped quay has a capacity of 120 yachts. You can have your electricity and telephone linked up. There is a car park, bar restaurant, Turkish bath, diesel quay and a guesthouse within the marina services.
Port Göcek Marina and Pulling Out Point Tel: 0 252 645 15 20 – 645 13 56
This is located at the port of Göcek where the former chromium mine facilities are.
It has a 150 yacht capacity for pulling out (for winter) and a 400 yacht capacity marina.
There is the Inn Swissotel, a swimming pool, bar, restaurant, shower-toilets, cafeteria, boutique, and market.
Fethiye Municipality Marina Tel: 0 252 614 35 39
In the city center the quay that extends to the west is owned by the Fethiye Municipality and run privately by Ece Saray Marina & Resort. There are showers, a market, ice and diesel pumps. The market and restaurants are very close. There are also many hotels nearby.
Walk in nature and the Lycian Road in Fethiye
The most popular trekking trail is called the Lycian Road. You can easily walk from the village of Ovacık on the outskirts of Babadağ, following the signposts every 100 metres.
The Lycian Road visits the ancient cities of Faralya, Dodurga, Pınara, Letoon, and Xanthos and, if desired, the trip can be extended to include the Lycain cities and mountain villages outside of Fethiye’s boundaries and within those of Kaş and Kemer heading to Antalya. Those interested can get a map of the trail though we recommend you to take part in a tour with a guide.
The high plateaus and plateau tours
Since the heat of Fethiye can get unbearable in summer some of the locals move to the high plateaus. In recent years to these waves of migration, tourism facilities added more popularity by jeep safaris to these high plateaus.
The high plateau of Seki is the best known plateau in the vicinity of Fethiye. The locals of Kemer and its surroundings move to the plateau in summer. The nearby Eren Mountain also attracts attention for its winter sports potential.
There are also other high plateaus near Seki, these being the plateaus of Patlangıç, Eldirek, Karaçulha, Çamköy, Esenköy, Gökben, Ceylan, Zorlar, and Atlıdere.
The closest plateau to Fethiye is the Koru high plateau that is on the Fethiye-Çameli road and within the borders of Arpacık. The Koru plateau is 15 minutes walk from the Buzaotu district of the village of Koru.
As you approach Çameli, if you take the turn to the right from where the fountain is and climb to an altitude of another 100 metres you come to the Kırkpınar high plateau. On the plateau there are many cold water springs and this is why it is named as Forty Springs (Kırkpınar).
Winter sports and tourism
Parts of the Fethiye region are at an altitude of between 1500 and 3000 metres and is very close to the Taurus mountain range. The most significant of these nearby mountains is The Eren Mountain which is about 100 kilometers from Fethiye.
Eighty one kilometres up the Fethiye-Antalya road, after you take the turn for Seki, you turn right from the cross-road at the statue of Apple placed by the Seki Municipality. Go into the village and have a cup of coffee in the village coffee houses. The inhabitants of the village would like a chat and are very hospitable. Do not turn down the offer to try the herbal tea in the village.
From Seki take the road to the village of Girdev. After you traveled about two kilometres on this road you will the sign pointing right to Şahin Tepesi (the Falcon Hill). Between May and November it is possible to get all the way up to the 1870 metres high peak by car. In the makeshift restaurants here you get a chance to eat very delicious sautéed meat of tandır, trout and gözleme.
However, between December and April the road gets covered with snow at a height of 1500 metres, preventing further progress by vehicle. You will have to leave your car, camp out and gather the energy for a difficult walk up. If you have the suitable equipment for winter sports begin for a four hours long walk before the dawn to the top of Eren Mountain (2677metres). The scenery from the top is impressive. On the north side you can see the bowl-like Girdev Lake that is surrounded with snow, the Antalya Mountains and the Seki plain lying beneath you to the southwest.
The Muğla governor has started a project to promote skiing, including the building a cafeteria and a ski lift in the area.
If the project is completed in time it will be possible to ski here in 2004.
Eren Mountain is a very suitable region for the tour or cross-country skiing (Nordicskii). The Turkish Mountaineering Federation includes it on their annual program.
There is a six kilometres trail between the area you camp at and the peak.
You should not go up there without a guide.
There are no organized tours to the area but you can make use of the sports people in the Fethiye Doğa Sporları Klübü (The Fethiye Natural Sports Club).
For detailed information you can ask Tudor Gökay Cağlav, Hüseyin and Gökan İrez through their email addresses.
Oil wrestling tournament
In the Fethiye region there are the traditional oil wrestling tournaments staged every year. The first ones that come to mind are the ones held at Kadıköy, Seki, Karaçulha and Eldirek.
The monumental trees of Fethiye
Muğla is very rich in respect to its monumental trees. Why don’t you have a tour that only covers the monumental trees? For those interested here is a list of the monumental trees in the Fethiye region.
Tree Type Location Characteristics
Ardıç Döğer Village 1000 years old, five metres thick trunk
Mastic Tree Hisarönü Hıdır Kuyusu one trunk, eight main branches.
Pıynar Ovacık Kırancağıl the diameter of the trunk is five metres and the it is 15-20 metres tall
Pıynar Ovacık, Yeniköy the area shaded by the branches of the tree covers 500-600 metres.
Oak Ovacık Kırancağıl the trunk of this tree is 3.5 metres in diameter and its height is 20-25 metres
Oak Ovacık Kırancağıl this tree’s truck is 4.5 metres in diameter and it is 15-20 metres tall
Plane tree Seki, Başpınar the trunk of this tree is 7-8 metres in diameter and its height is 30 metres
Plane tree Yaka village, Kızgölü the trunk’s diameter is 4-5 metres and it is 25-20 metres high
Plane tree Ballıağaç, Ovakavak this tree has a trunk that is 7-8 metres in diameter and its height is 28-30 metres
Plane tree Çalıca, Zincirli Kavak the trunk of this tree is 3.0 metres in diameter and its height is 15-20 metres
Plane Tree Kayaköy, Belen the trunk’s diameter is 3.0 metres, height 20 metres
Plane Tree Keçiler village the trunk is 3-4 metres around and the height is 15-20 metres
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