Best Day Trips From Fethiye – Famous & Not So Famous
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There are so many great things to do within Fethiye – but, once you’ve had your fill of those, there are also some amazing day trips away from Fethiye that will allow you to see a bit more of what the Turkish Turquoise Coast has to offer.
Hit the road and explore further afield
We’re lucky to live in Fethiye. And the places and activities we’re going to recommend are some of our top choices for the best day trips outside of the boundaries of the Fethiye region.
Some are places that we love to visit with friends when they come to visit so that they can have unforgettable experiences – positive, of course!
And other day trips from Fethiye are places that we just enjoying spending time in, either for the day or longer.
A change of atmosphere and scenery, whatever the time of year.
Because Turkey is a huge country. And even in this small corner of the Turkish Riviera, we have amazing variety both to the east and the west of us.
From coastal towns, to archaeological sites littered with ancient ruins, to areas of immense natural beauty where (sometimes adrenalin-based) outdoor activities are the order of the day.
Pristine beaches, ancient history, shopping, eating and drinking all await.
And they’re all just a short drive – or organised Fethiye excursions – away.
We have individual articles on each of the places mentioned below. Simply click on the links for more information.
Best Day Trips From Fethiye
All the day trips mentioned below are ones that take you out of the Fethiye boundaries.
Let's head east and start off with what is arguably the most famous day trip from Fethiye.
Whether you're travelling under your own steam, you're part of one of the jeep safari tours – or you're doing a private tour – this trio of places is often combined into one full day trip.
If you've got time on your hands, however, we recommend visiting these places at your leisure. That way you can really take in the stunning views and all that this area has to offer.
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Saklıkent Gorge
Yes, it gets very busy in the high season but it does so for good reason. Saklıkent Gorge is truly breathtaking. As well as organised day tours, there is a local dolmuş to Saklıkent from Fethiye or it's also an easy 50 minute drive.
Follow the signposts to turn off just before you get to Saklıkent and you will find yourself at Gizlikent Şelalesi (Waterfall).As well as the waterfall, if you're a family – or a group of people who loves to do a wide range of activities on a day out – this is a perfect option for a day trip. Although you'll be part of the crowds in summer, the waterfall is a great place to cool off. There's also a cafe, there so you can feed and water yourself in between zip wire rides and trooping to the waterfall.
One of our favourite – if not *the* favourite – ancient cities, Tlos is a 40 minute drive from Fethiye.As well as being a place of wonder for history enthusiasts, nature lovers will also be in awe of the surrounding mountains and valley below. If possible, the best time to visit Tlos is outside of the hottest summer months so that you can climb to the citadel and wander the area at your leisure. Afterwards, you can cool off and quench your thirst at one of the cafes or restaurants further up the hill. Yaka Park is popular – and beautiful – but there are also other nearby places that serve alcohol, too.
The ancient archaeological site is most famous for its temple to the goddess Leto. Springtime is a great time to visit because of the winter rains which will have put part of the site underwater and you can enjoy the frogs and terrapins – the frogs are part of the legends surrounding Letoon.Despite the fact that it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you will likely have the site to yourself – or at least not have to grapple with the masses – when you visit.
The twin UNESCO World Heritage site to Letoon, Xanthos has a rich history and was the capital of ancient Lycia. As well as Lycian rock tombs, the site is famous for its pillar tombs and pillar-mounted sarcophagi. Again, Xanthos is in a beautiful area and is often quiet. In the summer months, it is sometimes visited by jeep safari tours and organised tours by local Fethiye, Kalkan and Kaş travel agents.
Slightly further to the east, we're now heading to the the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean Sea and one of the country's most famous beaches – the sandy dunes of Patara Beach.
It might be tempting to do one day trip from Fethiye and combine Letoon, Xanthos and Patara. But, again, if you've got the luxury of time, give Patara a day to itself.
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Patara Beach & Ruins Combo
Grab a lunch in the small village of Gelemiş before exploring the ancient ruins of Patara – birthplace of St. Nicholas – and hitting the beach. Up to now, this area has remained protected so no big developments, here. It's stunning! A 70 minute drive from Fethiye or you can take the bus and be dropped off at the corner. Either walk the 3 kilometres from there or wait for the dolmuş to come along.
In high season, it's a case of negotiating your way past the long lines of parked cars and onwards to your destination.
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Kalkan
An approximate 70 minute drive eastwards from Fethiye will see you arriving at the small town of Kalkan. Your main area of interest is the picture postcard pretty old village that sits on the steep hillside, overlooking the Mediterranean. This is an area of truly beautiful scenery. If narrow, cobbled alleyways, pastel-coloured shuttered windows and wooden Ottoman Greek balconies are your thing, Kalkan is the perfect day trip for you.Not to mention the local beach and plethora of restaurants and shops.
Further along the D400 from Kalkan – around 90 minutes' drive from Fethiye – is one of our favourite towns to visit.Kaş is just one of those places that we really love. Like Fethiye, Kaş is a working town. So you get a happy mix of low key tourism – mainly centred around Blue Cruise and other boat tours – and local life.If you're like us, you might find you'll want your day trip from Fethiye to be more of a mini break.
Okay, we headed east to the Antalya Province for all of the above day trips from Fethiye.
Now let's go off in the opposite direction and head west to explore more of what the Muğla Province has to offer.
If you're expecting to see Göcek in this list, the small town is still officially within the Fethiye environs. So that is in our Fethiye list, linked to right at the the top of this page.
Anyway , onwards, out of the Fethiye boundaries…
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Dalyan
About an hour's drive from Fethiye is the pretty waterway village of Dalyan.We love both the village and the surrounding area so we visit is often as possible. The dolmuş from Fethiye to Dalyan is a an easy trip, as is a self drive.Local travel agents in Fethiye run organised day trips that also take in the famous Dalyan mud baths with their sulfur pools and a boat ride along the waterway with views of one of the symbols of Dalyan, the Lycian rock tombs.Also, don't miss Iztuzu Beach (Turtle Beach), nesting area for loggerhead turtles and home to the turtle rehabilitation centre. Or if history's your thing, hop across the water to ancient Kaunos.
A 60 minute drive from Fethiye, north of Dalyan, is the small lakeside town of Köyceğiz.Come here for the slow pace of life and grab a lunch at one of the restaurants along the lake shore. Köyceğiz has Cittaslow status.
Again, we're on the slow pace of life, here with a day trip from Fethiye to Akyaka. The small town also has Cittaslow status. If you go in high season, Cittaslow might feel a long way away because this town gets packed with Turkish holidaymakers and day trippers. However, it's a really pretty place to spend a day or longer. A 90 minute drive from Fethiye.
We know our next suggestion is not technically a single day trip from Fethiye – but it would be remiss of us not to include this recommendation.
The joint Ephesus and Pamukkale trip which usually takes place over 2 or 3 days.
This trip can be booked locally at most independent Fethiye travel agents.
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Ephesus – Pamukkale Trip
Both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, ideally, you would visit these amazing places under your own steam.However, if you're only in the country once and you're staying in Fethiye, this trip gives you the opportunity of an exceptional experience.Both Ephesus and the ancient city of Hierapolis are fabulous archaeological sites.And, of course, the Pamukkale travertines with their thermal springs are not to be missed. As usual, expect coaches with large groups in high season.
The joint site of Pamukkale and Hierapolis is not be missed. If you're a real history enthusiast, we recommend you do this trip independently so that you can spend more time around Hierapolis and the museum rather than on the travertines.
Did you know you can leave the country when you do day trips from Fethiye?
Let's go to the the Greek islands!
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Rhodes
From the harbour in the town centre, you can take the Fethiye to Rhodes high speed ferry over to the Greek island. A day trip will give you around 4 hours to wander, shop, eat and drink in the mediaeval old town.Don't forget your passport!Book independently or book with a local travel agent and transfers to and from the ferry port in Fethiye will be included.
The Turkish word for Kastellorizo is Meis. It's an achingly pretty, tiny island just a short boat ride over from Kaş. A great place to chill out along the harbour. Either book independently or you can book the trip with Fethiye travel agents with transfers included.
