# Fethiye Carved Lycian tombs watch over a working fishing harbor, a lively market, and tree-shaded promenades in this coastal town that is also a gateway to the Turquoise Coast. Perched at the edge of a natural bay beneath cliffs riddled with ancient Lycian tombs, Fethiye is a working port and market town that has grown popular with visitors drawn by its coastline, nearby valleys, and the easy rhythm of a town that mixes fishing boats with tourist boats. The city occupies the site of ancient Telmessos, and the monumental rock-cut tombs cut into the limestone cliffs above the town remain its most dramatic historical feature, visible from much of the lower town and the harbor. ## The Harbor and Old Town Fethiye's small-craft harbor is still an active fishing port, its promenade lined with cafés and restaurants that fill each evening. The fish market here sells the morning's catch, and nearby, stalls offer seasonal produce from the surrounding coastal plain — oranges, lemons, and pomegranates depending on the time of year. The old town spreads behind the waterfront, a mix of traditional Turkish houses, narrow lanes, and small mosques, with little remaining of the old Greek settlement that stood here before the population exchanges of the 1920s. A castle, built and rebuilt over centuries by various powers, crowns the hill at the town's edge. ## Market Days and Waterfront Life Fethiye hosts a weekly market that draws visitors and locals alike, with stalls selling spices, textiles, leather goods, and fresh fruit and vegetables from farms in the surrounding valleys. The market's energy spills into the nearby streets, and it remains one of the most important trading days in the regional calendar. Along the seafront, restaurants serve meze and fresh fish, and the smell of grilled octopus and lemon-herb sauces drifts from open kitchens. In the mornings, the fish market is at its most lively, with the catch laid out on ice before the day's boats depart. ## Excursions from Fethiye Boats leave Fethiye's harbor for day trips along the coast, some bound for the sheltered lagoons at Ölüdeniz, others for Butterfly Valley, a steep-sided gorge where a particular species of butterfly breeds in summer. The abandoned village of Kayaköy, its stone houses left standing after its Greek Orthodox population departed in 1923, sits in the hills above the coast road and can be reached on foot or by dolmuş. Inland, Saklıkent Gorge offers a cooler environment, with icy water running through a narrow limestone canyon that can be followed on foot when conditions allow. Also part of: The Aegean Coast, The South Coast ## Tours that visit Fethiye No tours visit this place just yet. ## Before you book you should know ### Is this trip right for you? Our groups are capped at eight travellers, which is about a third of what the industry calls a small group. Eight people share one vehicle, one table at dinner and one guide's attention, and the day can change on the road without anybody being left behind. If you are looking for a coach, a fixed script and a microphone, this is not that. Most days involve real walking, often on ground that was laid two thousand years before walking shoes: marble worn smooth, cobbles, uneven steps and long site paths with little shade. Bring shoes you can spend a morning in. Some days move between regions and are largely a drive, with stops along the way. Summers are hot — well over 35°C inland — and winters are colder than most people expect, so layers, a hat and sunscreen earn their place in the bag whatever the month. How demanding a particular trip is, is written on the trip itself: the physical rating in the header, and the day-by-day itinerary above. ### Rooms, and travelling on your own Trip prices are per person, sharing a twin room. Each traveller picks their own room while booking, so a party can mix the three: - **Twin share** — two single beds, shared with someone you are travelling with or with a traveller of the same gender. - **Travelling as a couple** — one double room. - **Individual room** — a room of your own, for a single supplement on top of the trip price. Availability is limited, and the supplement for a given date is shown next to the option when you book. Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and most of our groups have one or two aboard. ### Accommodation The hotels named in an itinerary are a guideline rather than a guarantee. Where one is full, or has dropped below the standard we booked it for, we substitute a property of a similar standard in the same area — we would rather change the hotel than the trip. Check-in is usually mid-afternoon. If you arrive early we will ask for the room, but no hotel can promise one before its own check-in time; luggage can normally be left at reception in the meantime. If you want the room from the night before, ask us and we will add the extra night to your booking. ### Passports, visas and insurance Entry requirements depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so the only reliable source is the official one: the government of the country you are travelling to, and your own foreign ministry's travel advice. Check both before you book a flight. Many countries ask for a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and for blank pages. It is worth looking at yours now rather than at the airport. We ask every traveller to carry travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, and we would strongly encourage cover for cancellation and for your luggage as well. ### Your departure is guaranteed — the day can change Once a departure is on the calendar it runs. We do not cancel a trip for want of a minimum number of bookings, so a booked date is one you can plan flights and leave around. What can move is the shape of a day. Museums and archaeological sites change their hours, roads close, weather turns, a local holiday lands in the middle of the week. Where that happens your guide reorders the day, or swaps a stop for one of the same weight, and tells you why. Changes to a booked itinerary are covered by our Booking Terms & Conditions. --- Full page: https://www.smallvoyage.com/destination/fethiye/