If you are planning a vacation in Fethiye, you will definitely have questions: where is the best place to stay, where to book a hotel to be closer to the beaches? Or you are interested in a mix of beach and city vacations. Or you want to be away from civilization. The answers depend on which part of the coast near Fethiye you choose.
I tell you about all the options – where exactly is it better to relax in Fethiye or Oludeniz.
When is the best time to go on vacation to Fethiye, Oludeniz
As for me, the end of September and almost all of October is the perfect time for a seaside vacation in Fethiye. It’s not as hot as in summer, when the temperature sometimes rises above +35℃. In autumn, the temperatures are very comfortable here – the air is up to +27 ℃, the water is +25 ℃.
In the summer, I also vacationed in Oludeniz, spending most of my time under an umbrella on the beach or in the water. It’s very hot.
In spring, Fethiye is already warm, but the water warms up only in June, when its temperature rises to a more or less comfortable +22 ℃.
Fethiye is surrounded by high mountains, numerous islands, blue bays with fragrant pine trees. It’s very good to breathe here, the air is clean and the water in the sea is so blue that it seems like someone has added color to it.
Fethiye and neighboring towns for recreation
Let’s see why there is always such confusion about Fethiye and Oludeniz.
The fact is that in many guidebooks, when they write Fethiye, they mean a vacation in the neighboring town of Oludeniz. They are indeed located nearby, but they are two different resorts, and they have completely different beaches and styles of recreation.
Fethiye
Fethiye is a district center and city on the Mediterranean Sea, located in the province of Mugla. It has a tourist part with hotels and apartments located near a large yacht marina or near a large city beach with a promenade. But most of Fethiye is a city with ordinary houses where locals live, shops, bus stations – in general, a fairly large Turkish city, but by the sea.
There are great restaurants, a wonderful market, including a fish market where you can eat fresh seafood. And the accommodation in Fethiye is hotels and apartments (which are the majority), and the beautiful sea beaches must be reached by public transport or by car.
For whom Fethiye is suitable for vacation:
- If you are traveling by car and need free parking, I advise you to look for apartments in Fethiye. Check out the marina area – there are very nice apartments overlooking Fethiye Bay.
- If you plan to stay in Fethiye for more than one week. For example, you decide to live by the sea and work remotely in Fethiye.
- You like to relax in the city rather than at a resort – go to the market, cook your own food, go shopping. Then feel free to choose Fethiye.
Housing in Fethiye:
- Deniz Manzaralı Suites≫ – large beautiful apartments with views of Fethiye Marina. A great option for a family planning a long vacation, cooking in their own kitchen and living in a city not far from the center.
- Bahar Hotels≫ – is a hotel with its own large swimming pool, located near the waterfront and not far from Chalish Beach. The price includes a traditional Turkish breakfast.
- Bliss Suites & Hotel≫ – beautiful modern apartments with beautiful views of Fethiye Bay
Oludeniz
There is a neighboring town 16 km from Fethiye Oludeniz is almost entirely a tourist village divided into two parts: The“lower” part consists entirely of hotels and restaurants, located in a huge bay on the seashore. And the“upper” part ( Hisaronu and Ovacik districts), located on a hill, also has hotels, many restaurants, night bars, and shops. And most importantly, there is a large selection of apartments that are cheaper than hotel rooms, where you can prepare your own meals.
But the beaches of Oludeniz are worth living near them – in its lower part, in close proximity to the sea and charming lagoons. But of course, if your budget doesn’t allow for the lower part, choose the more affordable upper part, where dolmush buses run every 15 minutes.
For whom Oludeniz is suitable for recreation:
- If you are here solely to relax on the sea beaches, choose Lower Oludeniz – there is a large selection of hotels for different budgets.
- You want to be by the sea all day, relaxing on the beaches of Oludeniz, but your budget is quite modest. Choose Ovacik – this is the upper Oludeniz, where housing is cheaper and there is a larger selection of apartments.
- If you plan to dance in nightclubs and participate in parties every night, book a hotel in Hisaronu, located in the upper Oludeniz.
Housing in Oludeniz:
- Salonika Suites≫ – huge rooms with beautiful decoration, the hotel is located near the waterfront and the city beach.
- Turk Hotel≫ – is the best hotel in Oludeniz, because we lived here and I can recommend it wholeheartedly. The owner Lily is his soul. It has an incredible atmosphere all summer long – no wonder the British choose it. Nice rooms, low price, delicious food, and very fun parties almost every night. I recommend it!
- Sea Breeze Hotel and Apartments≫ – The apartments are located in upper Oludeniz, and the price is very low, for those who want to stay in Oludeniz for a long time and cook their food.
Kabak and Butterfly Valley
There are also two wonderful bays near Oludeniz, where you can also relax on the sea beach. This is Butterfly Valley, a wild beach that can only be reached by boat. Both the bay and the village of Kabak have a beautiful beach and a fairly large selection of vacation accommodation: hotels, bungalows, glamping and camping sites located both by the sea and up on the hill.
About The Kabak and Valley of the Butterflies, I wrote a separate article about the Kabak and Butterfly Valley.
Fethiye – beaches and bays
In the city of Fethiye itself, a large part of the access to the sea is covered with concrete and is intended for fishing or mooring yachts and ships rather than swimming.
Chalish beach
But Fethiye has a large city beach, Çalış Beach, which stretches for four kilometers along the modern suburbs of Fethiye. Hotels and restaurants line the beach, and there are umbrellas and sun loungers on the beach. The beach has small gray pebbles, and the water is not as bright blue as on beaches in small bays.
When we settled in Fethiye, we chose the yacht marina area, so we didn’t go to Çalış Beach. It is very good for walks in spring, winter and autumn (but not in the summer heat), but not very attractive for swimming. In addition, it was closer for us to travel to the small, cozy beaches of the Fethiye Peninsula, which is adjacent to the Marina and the Old Town.
Beaches of the Fethiye peninsula
There are several very beautiful beaches on the Fethiye peninsula that I can recommend for your vacation. We spent the first day on the cozy Help Beach. This beach is paid, the price includes a sun lounger and umbrella, use of a toilet and shower. There is a cafe and a bar on the beach, prices are not overpriced, the same as in cafes and restaurants in Fethiye. You can get to the beach by bus – dolmushi – or by taxi.
The beach is very beautiful, the entrance to the water is white sand, the bay is surrounded by pine trees on the sides, the water is clear and clean.
There are several other nice beaches on the Fethiye Peninsula – Küçük Samanlık Plajı and Towered Beach. The prices are the same as at Help Beach, and buses also pass by. You just need to go down a little bit on a dirt road from the highway. There are also small paid parking lots for those traveling by rental car.
I advise you to read about our experience of renting a car in Turkey – on the coast near Fethiye
The closest bay to Fethiye Marina is Aksazlar Bay. There is a public beach with sun loungers and umbrellas and views of yachts off the coast of Fethiye.
Further on, in the Büyük Samanlık Bay, there is another small beach with a dozen sun loungers and cafes, and then the Sea Me Beach paid beach.
Beaches of Oludeniz
If you are interested in a beach vacation, it makes sense to stay in one of the hotels in Oludeniz.
The beach here is gorgeous and huge, with enough space for everyone! Small pebbles of white color at the entrance to the water, a little further from the water – white sand. There are sun loungers and umbrellas, and many beach cafes are located along the beach. In addition, there is plenty of room to settle down with your bedding and umbrella. And most importantly, it’s a free beach.
On the left side of Oludeniz Beach, the Lofti Cafe with umbrellas and sun loungers is a cozy place to spend the whole day. If you buy a drink or food, the sun lounger and umbrella are free.
If you walk along the entire promenade, you can reach the Blue Lagoon, which has small club beaches, more lonely, but more people per square meter. The lagoon is located in a closed bay, so there are practically no waves here.
Butterfly Valley Beach
The beach in the Butterfly Valley Bay is my favorite. It is sandwiched between two high rocks. You can get here only by motorboat from Oludenizu Beach or by sightseeing boat.
The Valley of the Butterflies is really beautiful, and it’s not just my personal hobby. The water is turquoise, part of the beach is small pebbles, and deeper in the water is sand. The entrance to the water is comfortable – there are flat white stones near the surf, which is convenient for getting in and out of the water.
The Butterfly Valley has a relaxed atmosphere, and there are a couple of cafes with prices the same as in Fethiye. We hung out in a faraway cafe near the diving center and spent the whole day on the beach. Use of umbrellas and wooden sun loungers near the cafe is free of charge.
There is a campsite on the beach with good toilets and showers (the water in the shower is unheated, but in summer it’s not a problem at all). There is also a free shower on the beach. We spent the whole day swimming and sunbathing, and in the evening a motorboat picked us up and we returned to Oludeniz. From there, we took a minibus to Fethiye. It was a magical day that makes me want to come back.
Getting to Fethiye and Oludeniz
The nearest airport is Dalaman. Pegasus and Turkish Airlines have regular flights from Istanbul. From other cities, you can fly with a stopover in Istanbul.
How do I get from Dalaman Airport to Fethiye?
No problem! There are at least three options:
- Shuttle buses run from the airport day and night Havas . The departure time is tied to the arrival and departure of domestic flights. The bus stop is to the left of the airport arrival area exit.
- Book a taxi from the airport to Fethiye. A taxi will cost about $40 from Dalaman Airport to Oludeniz, and $35 to Fethiye.
- Rent a car at Dalaman Airport and travel by car (unless you plan to spend all your time on the beach)
How to travel around Fethiye and Oludeniz?
You can rent a car – this is the most convenient option, you can choose a suitable car in advance through the aggregator Rentalcars.
If you don’t drive, you can take a dolmush or a taxi. Taxis cost about $1 per kilometer.
Dolmusi from Fethiye to Oludeniz – 42 lira ($1.36) – price in 2023.
To pay for a ride on a dolmush, you need to buy a transport card from a vending machine at a bus stop or from a special person who sits at the bus stop and sells these cards. The card costs 3.5 lira. You can put a deposit on the card and ride dolmush throughout Fethiye County, not forgetting to replenish it in time at the machines at bus stops.
One day we suddenly ran out of money on our transport card – it turned out that we could pay for the fare with a regular credit card with a pay-pass. Just show the driver that you are paying in this way. He will indicate the payment method on his display and your card will be charged.
Recommendations for organizing a trip to the Lycian coast of Turkey
Rent a car – I highly recommend it, because without it, you will spend a lot of time waiting or adjusting your plans to public transportation. You can find the best option for a rental company on the aggregator Rentalcars.com – Here you can find a budget option and read reviews about rental companies.
Book your accommodation in advance – remember that in Turkey Booking.com is banned, so it’s best to do it at home. Or use a VPN while in Turkey.
Useful articles and links:
- Cappadocia – how to fly in a hot air balloon
- Hotels in Cappadocia – with the best views of hot air balloons
- Pamukkale on your own – what to do in two days
- Patara Beach – instructions for independent travelers
