For lots of visitors to the Fethiye area, Dalyan has always been that place where you go on an organised day trip from Fethiye.
A transfer from Fethiye to Dalyan, before getting in a boat and sailing along the waterways to view the iconic Lycian ruins and going on to the sulphur mud baths before caking yourself in smelly dark stuff and then taking lots of photos.
All very well, if that’s your wont – and the organised Fethiye day trips with companies do tend to be very reasonably priced, especially if you’re a family.
But what about those of us who just want to go it alone and take in Dalyan in our own time?
Well, driving there is easy enough – we’ve done that many times – and, of course, using the local dolmuş service is also easy.
Lots of you asked us how to get from Fethiye to Dalyan by bus, so let’s get that one sorted…
How To Get From Fethiye To Dalyan By Bus
The main thing to point out here is, as with most independent travel in Turkey – however far your road may be taking you – it’s very easy!
We’ve written about our love of Fethiye otogar in the past.
It’s your opening to travelling the rest of the country.
Buses labelled with all sorts of oh-so-tempting destinations, near and far.
And, of course, the otogar is also that welcome sight when you are returning to Fethiye from elsewhere.
We love coming home to Fethiye, as well as going away to pastures new.
Muğla Büyükşehir Belediyesi
These days, the whole of the Muğla province is covered by a network of white minibuses known as the dolmuş.
They are all operated by the main administrative council that presides over the whole of the province, Muğla Büyükşehir Belediyesi (Müğla City Council).
You will see the minibuses in all otogars (bus stations) around the province and they are all clearly marked with this council name.
Now all you need to do is look at the destination in the window.
To get from Fethiye to Dalyan by bus, you need to change at Ortaca bus station; a small town just outside Dalyan.
In Fethiye, your minibus might have Ortaca, Menteşe or Marmaris as the destination in the window.
When you get to Fethiye otogar, just tell the drivers milling around the buses that you are going to Ortaca and they’ll point out your bus.
All these minibuses heading west make a stop at Ortaca so don’t panic.
You’ll get there.
They are also numerous. This is very handy as you can’t book seats ahead of your journey.
It’s a case of turning up and grabbing a seat.
Fethiye To Ortaca – How Long Does It Take?
This first stretch of the Fethiye to Dalyan journey takes around 50-60 minutes depending on stops.
Ortaca otogar is clearly signposted and marked so you shouldn’t miss it.
Ortaca To Dalyan – How Long Does It Take?
Ortaca otogar is pretty small.
When you get off the bus, you’ll see the neat rows of white minibuses waiting to take you to other places around the area.
The Dalyan dolmuş waits at platform 1 and they are every few minutes so you shouldn’t have a long wait.
Journey time: Around 20 minutes
The Dalyan dolmuş drops you off in the centre.
From there, if you are doing a day trip from Fethiye to Dalyan, it is easy to explore from here.
If, like we did, you are staying overnight, Dalyan hotels are easy to find as the area is very compact, flat and easy to walk around.
You’ll find your digs soon enough!
Fethiye To Dalyan By Bus – FAQs
Allow a total journey time of 70-90 minutes, depending on stops and how long you need to wait for your connection to Dalyan.
Prices change often but the cost is reasonable. You can make your journey significantly cheaper by purchasing a Muğla Kentkart.
These are available at Fethiye Otogar and you can also top them up there.
There are three lines that serve the Fethiye to Ortaca route.
48-8, 48-9, 48-2.
The 48-9 route terminates at Ortaca so missing your stop is impossible. It runs roughly every 15 minutes.
Here’s 48-9 route timetable.
Note that timetables change for summer season and winter season. The last dolmuş is often earlier in winter.
The bus from Ortaca to Dalyan runs roughly every 15 minutes with fewer early morning and at night.
Here’s the 8-8 route timetable for the Ortaca to Dalyan dolmuş.
You can’t book a seat on any of the dolmuş minibuses that serve the Muğla Province.
If you want to be guaranteed a seat on the Fethiye to Ortaca bus, we recommend you get to the starting point at Fethiye Otogar rather than flagging one down at one of the designated roadside bus tops.
Neetika singla
Tuesday 18th of October 2016
well said in this article that For lots of visitors to the Fethiye area, Dalyan has always been that place where you go on an organised day trip from Fethiye. Last year i was visited turkey but i missed the chance to visit Dalyan. After reading this article i feel that its so easy to visit from Fethiye To Dalyan by local buses with comfort. And it is very useful for my next visit to turkey.
Turkey's For Life
Tuesday 18th of October 2016
Sometimes organised day trips can be really useful, especially if you've got kids with you, but we love to travel independently where possible and Fethiye to Dalyan by bus is one of the simple routes to take. :)
Mick Sutton
Wednesday 16th of July 2014
We have done the same trip several times, we usually stay in Dalyan, and go to see friends in calis when we come over. This year we took friends with us to olu deniz, and then did the trip with them in the opposite direction, as it were, to show them Dalyan. Very easy, very cheap, and the staff are all very helpful.
Turkey's For Life
Friday 18th of July 2014
Thanks a lot for your comment, Mick. A lot of people would probably like to take off on their own sometimes but maybe aren't sure how to go about it. Nice to have some other input. :)