47 Best things to see & do in Turquoise Coast

Deserted, aquamarine bays, steep cliffs dense with bottle-green pines and the constant hum of cicadas creates a blissful backdrop to a typical week cruising Turkey’s southwestern ‘Turquoise’ coast. This absorbing stretch of coastline runs from Cesme to Anamur, including the towns of Kusadasi, Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye, and Antalya.

These small-boat sailing holidays are the perfect detox from everyday life, with days falling into a routine of swimming before breakfast, lazing on deck, more swimming, forays ashore and dinner under the stars, at anchor.

Book either as a single, a couple or a family and meet like-minded people, or charter your own gulet and choose our route. Boats come fully crewed and you don’t have to lift a finger.

This ancient hilltop spa centre is home to extraordinary scallop-shaped, cotton-white travertine formations that dazzle the eye with their shiny white brilliance.

The terraces form when warm natural springs of water, containing high concentrations of dissolved calcium bicarbonate, cascade over the edge of the cliff. As the water cools, calcium forms and deposits harden creating an unusual series of terraced shelves and ridges – and between them, natural spa baths.

Soak away.

With its cobbled streets, spectacular surviving villa interiors and painstakingly restored facades, Turkey’s best-known ancient site stunningly evokes Roman-era life in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. It’s rare to experience a city quite so rich in architectural detailing, not least inscriptions, statuary and restored facades.

Wandering Ephesus’ main street, past a wealth of buildings including bathhouses, temples and the exceptional Library of Celsus, is an unmissable experience for anybody with the least fascination for the past.

This unique ancient site is home to the evocative Roman-era ruins of Hierapolis, an arresting UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back to AD 80.

At its height, thousands travelled from across the Roman Empire to bathe in the medicinal hot springs and the town grew to a population of 100,000. The town was eventually destroyed, first by marauding Persian armies, then later by a devastating earthquake.

Today, it is notable for its fine theatre, impressive necropolis, museum and martyrium of the apostle St. Philip.

The Lycian Way – or Lykia Yolu – is a rugged and scenic hike through ancient Lycia’s epic coastlands from Fethiye to Antalya.

At around 540km in entirety, it takes 25-30 days to hike the whole trail. Thankfully, it’s readily enjoyed in manageable chunks – as day walks or in longer sections where overnight accommodation allows.

Some wonderful ancient sites – like Olympos, Patara, Sidyma and the Roman aqueduct at Delikkemer – lie on the route of the Lycian Way; visiting them provides a long day’s walking with fascinating archaeological punctuation points.

The waymarking can be intermittent by European standards, but the combination of magnificent landscapes littered with historically resonant ruins and the hospitality of the locals truly makes for exceptional, if often demanding, walking.

It’s a great way to immerse oneself in the rural life, history and culture of Mediterranean Turkey.

Dalyan’s fleet of shaded timber caiques, which operate from the riverbank in the centre of the town, are the key to these wonderful waterways, and offer two different experiences, whether you travel up or downstream.

Downstream, the caiques range through the channels that wind among the reed beds, allowing stops at the ancient ruins at Kaunos and the turtle beach (also known as Iztuzu Beach) at the delta’s mouth. A wide stretch of sand, with a simple café, there are loungers and parasols to hire, and the sea is shallow and safe for swimming.

Heading upstream are sulphur mud baths at several locations; boats stop to allow time for slathering the mineral-rich mud onto your skin. Koycegiz lake, the final stop, offers the chance of a dip to rinse off any remaining mud. It’s wonderfully rich in birdlife too.

Other operators offer guided kayaking trips, stopping at all the main sights and great for spotting wildlife.

In Greco-Roman terms it pays to think of southwest Turkey as eastern Greece, as the extraordinary profusion of ancient cities, temples and other sites demonstrate.

These lands, home to Herodotus, Homer and Heraclitus among other major historical figures, are an archaeological paradise, with tumbledown theatres, bathhouses, temples, fountains, defensive walls, and tombs at every turn.

The ruins, often wonderfully ‘unimproved’ in beautiful natural settings, generally show rich evidence of later civilisations including the Byzantines and Ottomans.

The crowds that comparable European sites attract are thankfully absent, and the access is largely unlimited.

Cheap and extremely cheerful, these day-long tours of the island-strewn Bay of Fethiye are a Turquoise Coast holiday fixture.

They stop at several different islands (usually around six) for swimming and snorkelling, visiting ruins and mud baths. (The other six islands, as per the name, you just cruise by). There’s a high probability you’ll see dolphins, flying fish and the odd sea turtle. Other tours

Most (younger) people opt for the larger and livelier double-deckers carrying up to 70 passengers; expect loud music and sociable buffet lunches. There are, however, more sedate options, on traditional wooden gulets and sailing boats.

Every town of any size in Turkey has a weekly market; a travelling circus that moves each day to different places in each region.

Those in predominantly tourist resorts do have less of a locals feel, but almost all will have kitchenware and household stalls alongside fake designer handbags and clothes, leatherware, jewellery and beautiful handmade backgammon sets.

Markets in places such as Yalikavak, Alacati, Fethiye, Mugla and Kas also have wonderful fruit and veg sections, often with pop up stalls selling freshly-made gozleme (thin flatbreads filled with feta cheese or spicy potato) and ayrun (a traditional yoghurt drink).

Even if you’re not a shopper, this is a great place to people watch – to experience a slice of authentic Turkish life.

At 300m deep, Turkey’s most dramatic gorge makes for a wonderful walk and wade along some 4kms of its full 18km extent.

At the sheer-sided entrance, where the Dargaz River runs strong, raised walkways lead to the trail where the water in places rises to the chest, with some moderate clambering.

After returning along the canyon, retire to one of the charmingly rickety waterside eateries clustered beyond the entrance, where the stream runs wide and shallow.

Or hire a tube to float and bounce downstream for a few kilometres in the company of experienced guides, expecting the odd bump and bruise if the water is low.

The hamam – the Turkish Bath – is one of Turkey’s quintessential experiences: a deep cleanse, sweat-out, relax and (optional) heavy-duty massage all in one. Additional services include a massage and a rub-down with a kese (an abrasive glove), to remove layers of dead skin.

For the authentic experience, head to the local hamam. Most towns have one, many occupying historic buildings with elegant vestibules and changing cubicles where, swathed in towels, you can recover with a glass of tea. Many luxury hotels will also have a hamam, and offer a more personalised, private experience.

In the more touristy towns, hamams tend to be unisex, or at least include unisex times in their schedules. Elsewhere, there are separate exits, or schedules, for men and women.

The beach that launched a thousand brochure covers, Oludeniz combines a gorgeous swathe of sandy beach with a tranquil lagoon, backed by tamarisk trees and mountains.

The beach is the most famous in Turkey and does get busy – the further you walk from the resort end, the more chance of peace and quiet. The lagoon is ideal for families with clear, shallow, water and relaxed beach clubs, offering good Turkish food and loungers under the trees.

And while Turkey’s signature beach is busy with landing paragliders and banana boats, the adjacent lagoon is very much more somnolent: mountain-backed shallows, lined by tamarisk trees, loungers and ice-cream cabins, which offer easy swimming and shade.

Blessed with a succession of limestone valleys and gorges, drained by deep fissures and gulleys, the Turquoise Coast is a prime location for the adventure sport of canyoning.

Dressed in wet suits and safety helmets, you’ll descend the canyon in the company of trained guides. From there, it’s a mix of swimming, walking, scrambling, abseiling down waterfalls and jumping into clear pools. These are beautiful and pristine landscapes, with the canyon sides soaring high above the often narrow and wooded gorges.

Some tours also offer white-water rafting. The rapids are reasonably tame, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Locally grown vegetables, especially the all-star aubergine, are the basis for meze starters; yoghurt and pastry boreks also feature prominently. Lamb and chicken staples, plus more expensive fish dishes, are served with beer and Turkey’s fast-improving wines.

Desserts are sweet and sticky with honey, rosewater and ground nuts – usually sandwiched in between layers of filo pastry to create baklava.

The pristine sand beach at Patara, at the mouth of the Xanthos (Esen) River delta, runs for some 15 kilometres from Karadere in the west to the superb ancient port ruins at Patara.

The main approach is through the low-key village of Gelemiş, where Ibrahim’s Durak Restaurant offers a superb lunch spot, to the ancient site.

Prioritise visits to the theatre and the adjacent parliament building; the energetic may continue as far as the lighthouse, currently under restoration, before cutting through the dunes to the beach.

The alternative is to return to the road and follow it for a hundred metres beyond the ancient site to where duckboards lead to the beach.

Be mindful of the restrictions: Patara is an important nesting site for endangered loggerhead turtles, and closes after sunset between May and October to allow the turtles to come onto the beach and lay their eggs free of any disturbance. For this reason, sightings of turtles are uncommon, as they rarely venture onto the beach by day.

One of the most beautiful coves on the Lycian coast, Butterfly Valley is either accessible by boat from Oludeniz, or by an extremely vertiginous walk down from Faralya. It’s not advised to try this hike without a guide and the right equipment.

This 9km circular paddle is unique in taking place over famous a sunken city – Kekova. Kayaks alone can access many of the rocky, sarcophagus-strewn inlets of this beautiful bay area or pass over underwater ruins – harbour walls, steps and ruined villas – forbidden to divers and swimmers. The sheltered waters are perfect for sea kayaking, beginners especially.

Tours also include a visit to Simena, a waterside village topped by the ruins of a picture-book castle.

These ruins, anything but ancient, testify to Turkey’s fraught modern history. Kayakoy (literally Stone Village; formerly Levissi) has stood abandoned since its Greek Orthodox Christian inhabitants were expelled in the population exchanges of 1923.

Wandering this ghost town, set across a pine-clad hillside where grassy lanes lead among the grey shells of roofless homes, is a fascinating and haunting experience. The bones of former residents still lie in a basilica ossuary.

A beautiful town of exceptional Ottoman merchants’ houses and cobbled lanes, set amidst vineyards in the hills above Ephesus. If you can, visit first thing in the morning or at the end of the day, to avoid the busloads of tourists.

A former hippie hangout, now a mindfulness and yoga mecca, Kabak occupies a lovely beach at the end of the road east of Oludeniz. Campsites and simple bungalows close to the Lycian Way.

The unique topography of Babadag Mountain, which rises 2,000m above the resort beach at Oludeniz, makes this one of the world’s top sites for tandem paragliding.

Take the road or newly-opened cable car to the summit where, harnessed to your pilot-guide and paraglider, you’ll step off the launch platform for thin air where the warm thermals will sweep you up and away.

The route taken by your pilot will depend upon the wind conditions, but expect him/her to make zig-zags on your descent before landing.

Your descent, with spectacular views over the famed lagoon, the Bay of Fethiye and Greek Rhodes, may take as much as half an hour before your guide brings you safely to land on Oludeniz’s wide sand beach. Step out of your harness – and straight into the sea.

A UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site, Lycia’s ancient hilltop capital is famous for its ‘pillar tombs’ – whose exquisite friezes were removed to the British Museum in the 19th century – and the grand colonnaded way leading to the sarcophagus-scattered necropolis.

One of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the mausoleum was originally built in 350 BC and reached 45 metres high. There’s little left of it now, but it’s worth visiting for those with an interest in archaeology.

Afkule, which translates as ‘Tower of Forgiveness’, is an abandoned monastery in a remote and beautiful cliffside location, near Kayakoy. It’s a 20-minute walk through pine trees from the end of the dirt track – worth it to see the former monks’ cells, a cistern and lovely views over the sea.

This tangle of streets is shopping heaven, if you don’t mind the odd bit of pressure selling. Everything from kitchen utensils to kids’ clothes is on offer, along with fresh produce, ceramics, jewellery and the ubiquitous fake handbags and clothes. Barter hard.

Antalya is rich in waterfalls; among the most striking are the ones at Duden where walkways, caves and cafes offer an escape from the heat in shaded surroundings 12km northeast of the city. Swimming not permitted.

The monumental Temple of Apollo is largely intact within its hem of tottering or fallen fluted columns. Home to one of the great oracles of the ancient world, the temple stood for hundreds of years without ever being completed, as the mason’s marks on uncarved stonework reveal.

An annual summer programme of music, ballet, theatre and opera in a range of impressive outdoor venues including the great theatres at Ephesus and Pergamon as well as in the port city of Izmir itself.

Little Sidyma is a place of enormous charm; a picturesque and little visited ancient town whose sarcophagi and beautifully coffered tombs are now scattered amidst the gardens and fields of the present hamlet of Dodurga.

A restored Roman amphitheatre that can seat up to 13,000, the site dates back to the 4th century BC. Some of the names of those who bought seats can still be seen carved into the stonework.

This lovely ancient site, occupying steep pine-clad slopes above the Meander Delta, is a rare example of an intact ancient Greek settlement. With an especially beautiful odeon (auditorium) and temple, Priene offers a winning evocation of Hellenistic city life at the time of Alexander the Great.

The riverside setting is the key here as much of this ancient city, barring a few stand-out sarcophagi, is choked in vines and laurels. Enjoy the nature, the birdlife and turtles, and the beach, which leads beyond a headland to the adjacent one at Cirali.

Occupying a spectacular position at the tip of the Datca Peninsula, with its harbours still used by visiting gulets, Knidos is in the midst of an extensive archaeological restoration. Works continue along the ancient stoa, the theatre and the numerous temples.

Housed in restored Roman granaries of the ancient port city of Andriake, this new museum houses exhibits showcasing the religious, economic and social life of Lycia from 800 BC to AD 300.

Bodrum’s weekly market, held in the Pazar next to Dolmus station, takes place on Tuesday (for textiles) and Friday (fruits and vegetables). The textile market is famous throughout the region; alongside the beautiful cottons and linens, there are also kilims (carpets), clothing and kitchenware on sale.

Go for the full package – hamam, sauna, exfoliation, oil massage and water massage at this simple hammam opposite Bodrum’s bus station.

Less touristy than neighbouring Kalkan, Kas’ Friday market is a mix of local produce, fake goods and beautiful fabrics, with handbags for a fraction of the price of those in the town’s designer stores.

Small but perfectly formed, Kaputas is famed for its crystal-clear waters and soft sands, squeezed between two cliffs on the Kas-Kalkan road. It takes 187 steps to reach it from the road, but well worth the effort.

Held on a Tuesday, stretching out along the banks of a dry river bed, this is a market for both locals and tourists, with excellent leatherware and ceramics that are far cheaper than in the town’s shops.

The most beautiful of all ancient Lycian cities, Pinara is a tumble-down joy set deep in the hills above the Xanthos Valley. The theatre is especially beautiful, as are the so-called Royal Tombs set in a glade of ancient plane trees.

Interesting, small museums with exhibits including jewellery and artefacts from underwater necropolis and the skeletons of historic vessels. It’s housed in the Castle of St. Peter, a 15th-century fortress situated on a rocky peninsula between two sheltered bays.

Re-opened in 2020 after a full re-modelling, this traditional working hammam offers an authentic, restorative experience.

An atmospheric and historic old town hammam, located in a warren of domes tucked away in the central Paspatur district.

An inland site, home even now to a scattering of villagers, Stratonikeia is a magnificent and little-visited city with outstanding remains, not least the monumental North Gate and the gymnasium.

A unisex hamam in Antalya’s picturesque old city, dating back to the 15th century offering rejuvenating massage and steam.

An original 15th-century Ottoman hammam, offering a unique grape-seed exfoliation treatment, located close to the nightlife district of the town.

An amazing Roman aqueduct on the Lycian Way, just a 2-minute walk from the main road near Kalkan. The surviving stretch of some 100m can be walked with care.