Welcome to our guide to Fethiye beaches – our local beaches!
Lucky us!
We’re right in the heart of the Turkish Turquoise Coast on the Mediterranean Sea, so it’s not really surprising that there’s a whole raft of beaches for people to choose from.
For many people who choose to spend their summer breaks in this part of Turkey, beach holidays are perhaps what first spring to mind.
When the weather in Fethiye is hot, everyone wants to hit the beach!
Fethiye Beaches For All Seasons
The beaches around Fethiye are not just swimming and sunbathing areas for us, though.
We’re also suckers for the wild, lonely or dramatic stormy scenery of a beach in winter.
We often capture these types of scenes when we’re wandering or hiking around Fethiye in the cooler months.
But anyway, however you like to soak up your beach life – sunshine, rain or storms – we thought we’d do this guide to our local Fethiye beaches so that you, too, can make the most of them.
Small bays and coves where you can kick back and relax – or dance and party.
Some are well known, some not so well known.
Some are easily accessible by public transport – the local dolmuş.
Some you might need to get your hiking boots on – or get yourself on a boat.
Sand, shingle, pebble or rocky coves; the beaches of Fethiye are a real mix.
Interactive Beach Map
We’ve even compiled an interactive map below so you can find out where the best beaches and bays are.
You can click the top left icon to slide the beach name tags in and out.
And, if we’ve written an article about the beach, the link should be there for you to click.
It’s fully interactive so you can zoom in and out and you can also click the top right icon to view the larger map.
Let’s get started…
As with our eating and drinking around Fethiye guide, you can click on the links below to read our articles on the beaches we’ve written about so far.
Beaches In Ölüdeniz & Around
We’re kicking off proceedings with the most famous beach resort in the area – Ölüdeniz is most definitely considered to be one of the best beach holiday resorts in the whole of Turkey.
Not difficult to see why once you witness the stunning scenery around here.
Kumburnu – The Ölüdeniz Lagoon
Okay, we’ll hold our hands up here.
This is probably the most famous of the Fethiye beaches.
The stretch of sand most people are talking about when they say they want to go to Ölüdeniz Beach.
A long sandy nose (kumburnu) that frames the blue lagoon and is the subject of so many tourism posters.
Not being very beachy people, we went to Kumburnu Beach (the main lagoon beach) in 1998 when we first came to Fethiye on holiday.
We’ve never returned.
You’ll pay an entrance fee as it’s a protected national park area backed by mountainous pine forests.
And then you’ll pay for your beds and umbrellas, too.
This is the beach we photograph from on high.
Beach Clubs Around The Lagoon
A stroll along the back road of the lagoon will reveal lots of private beach clubs and you still get to swim in the calm waters.
Pay for beds and umbrellas at these beaches.
There are beach bars, restaurants and entertainment – especially in the evening – and the shallow waters also make them a popular spot for families.
These beaches are popular summer wedding venues, too.
And some have accommodation – ranging from camping and lodges to boutique hotels.
Sugar Beach, Billy’s Beach, Sun City Beach Club, Sea Horse Beach and Paradise Beach are amongst the most well-established businesses along this stretch.
Paradise Beach is one of the beaches that tends to stay open out of season. So we enjoy a really pleasant, sunny winter’s afternoon here after walking over to Ölüdeniz from Kayaköy or on out of season trips over to Ölüdeniz.
In season, some of the beach clubs offer transfers from your accommodation in Ölüdeniz.
Belcekiz Beach
Away from the natural beauty and golden sands of the lagoon, we’re now at the main public beach of Ölüdeniz – Belcekiz Beach.
Real name, Belceğiz, this is the other Ölüdeniz Beach and it is no less stunning for scenery.
Such a beautiful sight for taking photos, it’s the first beach you’ll see when you get off the dolmuş.
Belcekiz Beach is a public beach so entrance is free.
We struggle with the heat in summer, so it’s not worth us paying the fee for beds and umbrellas.
Belceğiz is our cooler months beachy paradise; the best time to be at this beach.
It’s a great place to be when it’s the Ölüdeniz Air Games in October or an out-of-season weekend Sunday afternoon.
South From Ölüdeniz
We’re now heading into a world of mountains and lush greenery, following the mountain road you can see winding around the hulk of the lower slopes of Babadağ from Belcekiz Beach.
Kıdrak Beach
Sweeping shingle sand and, very often, huge waves to play in.
This is a protected area. And, because of its location, doesn’t get overcrowded.
There’s an entrance fee as it’s a protected zone.
Snack bar facilities – plus beds and umbrellas.
Butterfly Valley (Kelebek Vadisi)
Accessible in season by taxi boat from Belceğiz and also daily boat trips from Ölüdeniz.
It is technically possible to climb down the steep cliffs from the Lycian Way to get to Butterfly Valley Beach but this is not recommended by us.
AKUT – mountain rescue – and the jandarma are kept busy enough rescuing people who get stuck here – and people have lost their lives!
Camping, bungalow accommodation and beach bars at Butterfly Valley.
Aktaş Beach
Currently operating as RUPS, this not so much a beach as a rocky cove.
Climb down to here from Faralya village.
A rocky bay with upmarket beach bar/restaurant, terraced lounging areas and DJ sets.
Kabak Beach
Ahh, you know we love Kabak.
Budget camping Kabak bungalows at places like Sultan Camp and Full Moon.
A bit more luxury at the lovely Tree Houses and sea level Chakra Beach.
Great food and accommodation at the very popular Olive Garden at the top of the hillside.
Chilling out at beach level is just a pure joy!
Yes, it is a really popular place these days and the atmosphere is slowly changing.
But is Kabak the favourite of our Fethiye bays and beaches?
Very possibly…
Cennet Koyu – Paradise Bay
A hike from Kabak or take a speed boat trip.
Fethiye Town – Beaches Around The Peninsula
Ahh, so much has changed around this peninsula in recent years.
We walk around the Yarımada peninsula in the cooler months. And, even in summer, there used to be quiet, relatively secluded, forest bays.
Now it’s all about named ‘beaches’ and ‘beach clubs.’
Snack bars, restaurants, music, DJ sets, weddings, imported sand.
Don’t worry, though. These are still some of our favourite beaches and they remain in our must sees and dos for the Fethiye area.
Perfect scenery, calm waters. And you can still chill out, enjoying the beating noise of the cicadas in the pine trees on a quieter day.
The peninsula bays and beaches are a good option if you are staying in Fethiye centre.
Go Rustic In Fethiye
Hugely popular with locals – especially at weekends – are Büyük Samanlık and Küçük Samanlık bays just beyond the all-inclusive confines of the Club & Hotel Letoonia.
With the bigger of the two – Büyük Samanlık – it’s a bit hit and miss if there is a business operating here in summer season.
Check locally if you’re planning on heading in that direction.
These two beach clubs are a more rustic set up.
Go Compact In Fethiye
Alesta Beach Club is a really compact set up with a pleasant atmosphere, bar and restaurant.
Go Upmarket
And then you have the Instagram-friendly Büyük Boncuklu and Küçük Boncuklu, operating as Sea Me Beach and So Beach, respectively, at the moment.
It’s a good idea to book ahead for beds or köşks (raised seating areas) at these places in the high summer season.
They’re pricey yet very popular places with both domestic and foreign tourists.
Great facilities and azure blue waters lap the imported sand shorelines, here.
Fethiye’s Beaches – The ‘Blue Bays’
Many of the Fethiye bays are only reachable boat.
The Blue Bays are those which follow the coastline from Küçük Boncuklu. You can do a Blue Bays daily boat trip to take in some of these.
If you have your own boat transport, Turunç Pinarı has a beach and restaurant.
Fethiye Beaches – Along Çalış Seafront
If it’s cooling breezes you’re looking for in the summer heat, the beaches of Çalış are your place.
Great, stormy scenes in winter, too.
Çalış Beach (Public Beach)
Çalış Beach is one of the public Fethiye beaches. This means you don’t need to pay any entry fee.
Beds and umbrellas are available for a small fee.
And, despite the fact some people don’t use them, they should be used in high season.
Some Fethiye beaches are nesting areas for sea turtles and Çalış Beach is one of the main places they use to lay their eggs.
It’s important these eggs are not damaged by people lying on the sand or jabbing umbrellas into it.
There are plenty of bars and restaurants along Çalış Beach to keep you fed and watered. Shops, too, for buying your own provisions.
And, don’t leave until you’ve witnessed the famous Çalış Beach sunset!
Read our complete guide to Çalış Beach and the surrounding resort area.
Onwards To Koca Çalış…
Çalış Beach is a long stretch of sand, shingle and pebble that continues beyond the main resort.
As you reach the end of the promenade, take a left down the little pathway at Oben Restaurant and you’ll come to bank of established bar-restaurants with beach facilities.
Beyond here, once a lonely stretch of wild coastline, this area is now also an established part of the Fethiye beach scene as more villas and hotels are built in the area.
The public areas of Koca Çalış beach are one of the few places left in the Fethiye area where picnicking families can just come along and set themselves up for the day.
Many areas have now been sectioned off as private for the use of villa and hotel guests. But, for now at least, there is still some open public space.
Along here, you’ll also find various camps and beach clubs with bars, restaurants, sun loungers and parasols. And, at some places, substantial wedding facilities for the substantial Turkish weddings.
Most have free entry along with free loungers and parasols if you spend on food and drink whilst you’re there.
You get fabulous breezes along here in summer, making it a great spot for water sports like kite surfing and windsurfing.
Simply watch them whizz by doing their acrobatics or book yourself some lessons and give it a go yourself.
Budget Fethiye Beaches
Opened in summer 2023, if you’re on a budget, the belediye (local council) are operating Çalış Halk Plajı.
Here you’ll get a reasonably-priced snack bar, beds and parasols for a small fee and also bathroom and changing facilities.
The Stalwarts
From here, beyond the campgrounds and private beaches of the villa complexes and hotel, you have a row of beach clubs, some of which have been established for many years.
Surf Beach is one of the old faithfuls.
It’s usually one of the more expensive beaches along here but that’s reflected in the set up.
Definitely a beach that attracts regulars.
Further along, Zentara Beach & Kitchen is famous for its Turkish breakfast.
The Çalış dolmuş terminates outside Surf Cafe so you can walk the short distance along the road to take your pick of the beaches along here.
Beyond Koca Çalış
There is increased development around here with all-inclusive hotel complexes. Lots of formerly-public beach space is now private space for hotel guests only.
However, as with Çalış Halk Plajı, the local belediye have set up two public beach spaces at Akmaz Beach and Karaot Beach, further along in Yanıklar.
Prices here are reasonable and you can expect them to be busy in high season, especially at weekends, with locals.
The local council usually announce online when the businesses have opened for the season.
This is a beautiful stretch of Fethiye’s coastline with small eco friendly hotels such as Yonca Lodge sharing the space with all-inclusive setups like Club Tuana.
Karaot is a stop off for migrating birds, so a great choice for nature lovers.
Katrancı Koyu
The bay that looks so beautiful from the D400 road, heading towards the small town of Göcek.
A bay where campers descend. Lots of camping facilities here as well as beach bar/restaurant and beds and umbrellas. There is a fee for entrance and parking.
Günlüklü Beach
So named for its protected Günlük (Liquidambar, Sweetgum or Star Gum) trees. This is a protected nature area so you’ll pay an entrance fee for you and your vehicle.
Calm waters. The beach is run by the Bay Beach Club hotel and you can have food and drinks there.
NB: We’ll update when we know more about the summer 2025 set up as more building work was being done.
Inlice Public Beach
Inlice is still one of the Fethiye beaches as Fethiye now stretches right along the coast and incorporates Göcek.
Just before you hit Göcek, take a left at the signpost for Inlice public beach.
It’s popular with locals in the summer months. Unfortunately, though, the council facilities are no longer at the beach.
Fethiye Beaches Around Kayaköy
You’ll need your hiking boots for a couple of these Fethiye beaches and bays…
Gemiler Beach & Bay
Drive through Kayaköy and follow the signs to Gemiler.
There’s an entrance fee for this beach. But you will find snack bar facilities and beds and umbrellas.
We haven’t been here for some time but the water is calm for swimming.
Coldwater Springs
Coldwater Springs or Coldwater Bay; call it what you will.
Beautiful viewed from the Kayaköy to Ölüdeniz hike. You can hike down to the bay from Kayaköy, but you’ll need to come back up again.
Again, Coldwater Bay is accessible by boat, too, and is visited by boat tours from Ölüdeniz.
Day Trips to The Beach
As well as Fethiye beaches and bays, the town has lots of beaches in close proximity, where, if you wanted to hire a car, you could go take a day trip from the Fethiye area.
If you’re looking for genuine soft sand between your toes, the two most famous nearby beaches are listed below.
Patara Beach
The drive to Patara Beach is approximately 70 minutes east from Fethiye.
And it is a true beach lover’s paradise.
Development is strictly regulated here so it’s just you and the sand dunes.
There is a snack bar and changing facilities as well as a few sunbeds and parasols.
As the area is protected, there’s also an entrance fee, too.
Take in Patara’s Roman and Lycian ruins (a separate entrance fee) before you hit the beach if that’s your thing.
Iztuzu Plajı – Turtle Beach
Meanwhile, head west from Fethiye for the approximate 70 minute drive to the soft golden sand of Iztuzu Beach.
Again, as the natural habitat of caretta caretta sea turtles for nesting, this is a protected area. So no high rise hotels, here.
Drive straight to the beach or spend some time in Dalyan before taking the water taxi to the beach.
And there you have it!
This is not an exhaustive directory of every single nook and cranny that exists in Fethiye and beyond.
Just a list of some of the most popular Fethiye beaches and bays that you might want to consider for a day out if you’re in the area.