Fethiye

Fethiye, on Turkey's Lycian Coast, is a natural harbour town backed by pine-forested mountains at the edge of one of the world's finest cruising grounds — the Ölüdeniz lagoon and the surrounding Gulf of Fethiye contain some of the most beautiful water and mountain scenery in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is a genuinely pleasant working town, not merely a resort. Ölüdeniz (Dead Sea), 15 kilometres south of Fethiye, is one of Turkey's most photographed sights — a sheltered turquoise lagoon at the foot of dramatic mountains, its calm waters and the offshore Belcekız beach creating an extraordinary colour palette. It is also the paragliding capital of Turkey — tandem flights from Babadağ Mountain (1,969m) down to the beach at Ölüdeniz are among the world's most spectacular. The Ghost Village (Kayaköy), a haunting abandoned Greek village from 1923, is moving and historically significant. The Lycian Way, a 540-kilometre long-distance walking trail along the Anatolian coast, begins (or ends) near Fethiye and passes through some of Turkey's most spectacular coastal and mountain scenery. The ancient Lycian tombs carved into the cliff face above Fethiye (and particularly the magnificent ones at Tlos, Pınara, Letoon and Xanthos) are outstanding. Gulet boat trips from Fethiye harbour — the classic Turkish "Blue Voyage" circumnavigating the peninsula over 4–12 days — are among the finest sailing experiences in the world.