A Walk Around Fethiye Peninsula – Panoramic Views And Beach Life

Known to locals as Yarımada (Half Island), Fethiye Peninsula is a forested promontory dotted with bays offering stunning views and services ranging from the simple to the sophisticated.

It also happens to be blessed with an undulating road which circles the whole perimeter of the peninsula. And that means we can do the Fethiye Peninsula walk…

A Walk Around The Fethiye Peninsula

We love the Fethiye Peninsula walk because it’s circular and there are almost uninterrupted views of the Mediterranean from high and at sea level.

Starting Point

It’s up to you where you begin the walk.

Sometimes, we start from the centre of town and walk along the Karagözler or we’ll take the dolmuş as far as the Marina Boutique Hotel.

The hotel makes for a good starting point as it’s right at the beginning of our circular amble.

And you know what that means: The hotel is also our finishing point of the Fethiye Peninsula walk.

A separate restaurant down by the waterside means you can get yourself a welcome drink and/or food at the end, taking in the views across the bay!

Clockwise or Anticlockwise?

Your next decision is whether to walk around the Fethiye Peninsula in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction.

When you see this bank of road signs just ahead of the hotel you can take the fork to the left or the right.

Having tried both in the past, we prefer to head to the right and do the anticlockwise route.

Fethiye Peninsula – Walking Distance

The distance around the Fethiye Peninsula is around 8 miles (or 13 km for the metric people).

Although it’s a road walk, the road isn’t heavily used and you’ll usually only be passed by a vehicle every 10 minutes or so.

In the past, vehicles were more of a rarity but these days, the bays around here are more popular.

As a bonus, the tarmac makes it very easy underfoot so you can concentrate on enjoying – and taking photographs of – the beautiful scenery of Turkey’s Turquoise Coast and the Gulf of Fethiye.

Panoramic Views And Vistas

The road rises and falls, initially giving fantastic views back over the Karagözler and the rest of Fethiye.

After 15 minutes or so, you will pass the first of Fethiye’s small bays, Aksazlar Koyu.

The road climbs up past this bay and on towards the all inclusive hotel, Club Letoonia.

There’s no doubt, passing this hotel is the most boring part of the walk – it’s walled off so there’s no scenery for the walker for a few minutes.

That’s one of the reasons we prefer the anticlockwise route around the peninsula.

We get this bit out of the way early.

Şövalye Island

And before you know it, it’s back to enjoying the sea views again.

Once you’ve passed the Letoonia hotel resort, your views open out across the whole of the gulf.

The pine trees create photographic vistas like the one above where you can look out across to Şövalye Island.

We sometimes sit at the side of the road here, legs dangling over the side, and have a snack and drink break.

Çal Dağı

And if you do the Fethiye Peninsula walk in later winter or early spring, the mountain tops offer snowy treats.

Çal Dağı stands majestic, climbing taller than surrounding hills and is snow-topped for much of the winter and early spring.

A beautiful backdrop for much of your walk

Eventually, the road stretches and winds further away from the centre of Fethiye and it feels as though you are miles away from civilisation.

Just you, the pine forests and the Med below.

The odd car, scooter and cyclist – and the summer season local dolmuş – will remind you that you’re not too far away, however.

You can’t get lost on this walk because you’re just following the road and taking in the scenery.

We love the spring season because, in contrast to the snowy mountain scenes, there’s also the vibrant colours of the spring wildflowers.

One season closing as a new one begins.

Beach View

At around the 9km mark, just after passing Küleli Bay and marching your tired legs up a steep climb, Büyük Boncuklu Bay (currently operating as Sea Me Beach) will appear as a very welcome – and beautiful – sight.

You can take a break here and/or swim, depending on the weather.

The water around this side of the peninsula is pristine – perfect for a dip.

And, after dropping down to the bay, it’s one last short pull back up the hill again.

As you reach the crest of the hill, you’ll be treated to more bay views.

This time, it’s Küçük Boncuklu Koyu.

At the top of the hill, you will reach a crossroads. Turn right to head to the Küçük Boncuklu turnoff and the road to the all inclusive resort, Hillside Beach Club.

Head straight across to pick up the track to walk over to Kayaköy.

Or, on this occasion, we’re taking the road to the left and heading back down the winding road back to our starting point.

And this is yet another reason why we prefer the anticlockwise route. Still some amazing views to enjoy.

All across the marina and the bay and over towards those snow-topped mountains. Stunning!

Refreshments await you at the hotel at the bottom.

Or you can jump on the dolmuş back to the town centre. Or, of course, you can walk.

Fethiye Peninsula Walk: Useful Info

• You can get to the Marina Boutique Hotel by jumping on the Karagözler dolmuş in Fethiye or you can walk along the Karagözler and marinas as part of your walk.
• Comfortable shoes will do the trick for this trek. Hiking boots are not necessary.
• Take water with you and wear protection in warmer months because it’s a good ‘leg stretch’ and there’s little shade.
• Should you decide to take a swim stop and then feel the need to laze around on the beach rather than continuing the walk, the Karagözler dolmuş does drop-offs and pick-ups at the bays in high season. Check the boards by the bay entrance for times.
• All the bays mentioned in the article feature on our mapped Fethiye Beaches page.
• You can find lots more strolls in this area of Turkey on our page of walks in and around the Fethiye area.
• If walking is not your forte, here are lots of other things you can see and do in Fethiye.

Share this article