Hello All, My husband and I will be traveling to Eastern Europe and Turkey and I am just finishing up the itinerary and could use some suggestions.
We will be arriving in Istanbul on September 28th and will stay there for four days and then fly to Izmir and rent a car. I booked a place for two days in Kusadasi. We plan to go to ephesus and surrounding areas and then drive down the Mediteranean Coast. We will be on the Turquoise coast from Oct. 2-6. Then we will fly to Goreme/Cappadocia via Istanbul for the last three days of our trip in Turkey. My question is: Where is the best place to stay near the Dalaman airport? This is where we will drop our car off and fly to Istanbul at the end of our Turquoise Coast trip. I was thinking Fethiye because it is only 36 miles from the airport and it seems a good base to explore. I'm not sure if I should just leave it open and see what happens or book two nights in Fethiye and explore that area from there. It is our first trip to Turkey. Any lodging advice or recommendations in or near Fethiye would be appreciated as well as any other advice. Thanks! Val
Posted by
Corsicana, Texas, USA
354 posts
Dalaman might be convenient for rental cars and the airport, but it probably is not desirable as a destination. Fethiye has a number of interesting attractions nearby. You could easily fill up two days in this area by by hiking the Lycian Way, laying on the beach at OluDeniz, taking an island cruise, walking through the national park, admiring the many different harbor boats and yachts, visiting Butterfly Valley, paragliding, exploring the fortress above the town, shopping, picking out a fish in the market and having a restaurant cook it for you, spotting ancient Lycian tombs, looking at the Roman amphitheater, and more. As far as transportation, one option is to drop off your rental car in Dalaman when you first arrive in this region, then use a dolmus for transport throughout your stay. You can usually find an inexpensive dolmus going in your direction without too much of a wait. There is also a bus that goes from Fethiye straight to the Dalaman airport when your stay is over. There could be other transportation options that better fit your travel style - the above recommendation is just one way to go.
Posted by
OP
Vancouver
4 posts
Thanks...that's some great advice for what to do in the area around Fethiye!