Marmaris is one of the most famous port cities and touristic destination southwest Turkey. It is famous for its organized boat trips departing from Marmaris marina. During the high season, millions of tourists visit Marmaris making tourism one of its main economic pillars as it is considered the major source of income for many locals. During high season Marmaris accommodates a population of 250,000 inhabitants while during low season it reaches 30,000. Here are the five things that we enjoyed most during our five-day visit to the Turkish coastal city of Marmaris.
As Lebanese, we do not need a visa to travel to Turkey. Knowing how time-consuming the process of getting a visa is, Fadi and I decided to go to Marmaris for our honeymoon. We both are tempted by beach, sun, and beer and these three were definitely in Marmaris, so we did not hesitate when booking our honeymoon.
Getting to Marmaris:
If you are coming by plane, Dalaman Airport is the closest airport to Marmaris located around 95 km (59 miles). It will take around one hour and a half from the airport to Marmaris, depending on the time of the day, you arrive. If you happen to arrive in Marmaris during the day, then you will enjoy your drive through the Marmaris Mugla Mountains.
Where to Sleep?
Once in Marmaris, the first thing you will notice is the long stretch of beachfront hotels along the Corniche from Icmeler, towards the famous Marmaris harbor and Marina. We recommend that you sleep in a hotel overlooking the sea for two reasons:
- You will get to enjoy the beach view at all times of the day, especially during the sunset.
- Stay midst of the action and at a walking distance to almost any shop or restaurant.
You can find cheap hotel with a seafront view starting USD 40.
Where to Eat?
As you stroll back and forth on at the Corniche, the hostesses of every restaurant and pub will approach you in some unique and creative ways to invite you in. The menus are usually displayed outside the restaurants for tourists to read as well as the presentation of some tasty appealing dishes. We recommend that you ”window shop” before deciding where to eat. Your choice of a restaurant will depend on the desired cuisine, the music played, the atmosphere and maybe a handsome or pretty hostess 🙂 We recommend that you take a walk in the afternoon or at night to the harbor as you will have a wider selection of high-end restaurants to choose from.
What to Eat?
For your main meals, we recommend that you eat seafood, if you are not allergic, for it is all fresh from the Mediterranean Sea. You can find a variety of fish, shrimps, lobsters, and oysters to name a few. For a quick bite, you can try the Turkish Shawarma, donner, and the stuffed baked potato. When eating from a small street shop, always aim for the shop that seems to be visited by locals and that is very busy.
What to Expect from Nightlife in Marmaris?
If you are a party animal hit the famous Bar Street near the Marmaris port. If you are a Rock fan or a jazz lover, you may still find a place that suits your taste but it will be a bit harder to find. Bar Street is made up of small alleyways and pubs sprinkled left and right. Hostesses also welcome you to their pubs here. You can also buy shots for less than a dollar as you walk around the street. As a general recommendation, we recommend that you drink responsibly and if you want to be on the safe side, opt for beer bottles (that are opened in front of you). Do not leave your bottle of drink unattended, to avoid undesired substances being sprayed into it which may lead to undesired circumstances. There have been some incidences reported of tourists who were drugged and kidnapped. You do not want to be among them.
What to Buy?
Near the Marmaris Port and Bar Street, there is the Marmaris Market that is famous for fake brands of clothing, shoes, bags, electronic equipment, and even spices, teas, oils, and souvenirs. You can also find gold and silver and some shops might sell genuine leather jackets and bags. The prices are good as long as you negotiate.
Walking around the market, you will start to notice that almost all shops sell the same thing. This is pretty much everything that you can buy from the market, you can definitely visit a mall if you fancy specific original brands or shops, but who’s there for the mall when the beach is calling! Oh, by the way, if buying counterfeit products is not your thing, just settle for the souvenirs, spices, and teas. The souvenirs are made in China, yet the spices and teas should not be. Be prudent while buying herbals as some shops would try to scam you by selling artificial colored and flavored powders as a variety of tea and spices.
How To Buy Tours In Marmaris
- Almost all taxis or shuttle services from the airport to Marmaris have a super-smart sales agent who will try to sell you tours before you even get to the city. These offers are usually more expensive than what you will find in the city. The smart sales agent will tell you that you will find cheaper prices but will convince you that his offer is better quality, his boats are bigger, better, etc. Whatever you do, do not fall into this trap and book your tours from the shuttle bus.
- When you get to the city, you will find a tour shop at every corner of the city and the prices are very competitive. Get an idea of what you want to do, ask around for the best prices and then book.
- If you want, we recommend that you do not book all your tours with one agent just in case they end up being crappy, you do not want to get stuck with them.
- Ask the agent to show you real photos of the boat, the vehicle and the equipment in case he wasn’t able to show you the real deal. Some might try to sell you very cheap but expect to get half of what you should merit.
- The tour agents are open almost 24 hours, so at the end of any day, you can still book for the next day.
- Many agents are sincere and helpful, be wise and choose right.
Money Exchange in Marmaris
You might want to exchange a bit of money from the airport, just to have some local currency with you by the time you reach the city. Yet, you better exchange the bigger bulk in the city. Tour agents can exchange your money, yet their rates might not be the best rates you will get. Check the rates online, expect that they will be less in the city and then start looking around for a good rate. Check the official money exchange shops, they should have the best rate, yet some tour agents might surprise you. Some official money exchange will try to give you a lower rate than the rate advertised, be careful about that and confirm the exchange rate before deciding to exchange. PS: always count your money carefully after exchanging at any shop.
Getting Around Marmaris
If your hotel is on the beachside, then you will be able to enjoy your vacation without using any transportation since all the tour operators will pick you up from your hotel and since you are close to everything. You can rent a scooter or a bicycle if you do not fancy walking or if you want to get out of Marmaris.
What to Do in Marmaris?
1- A day out in the bleu:
You definitely should fancy the beach to even consider Marmaris as your travel destination. The most famous attractions in Marmaris are boat tours. There are several islands near Marmaris and hopping from one to another is the wisest full day activity. There are different boat sizes and different island destinations. Yet almost all tours entail a lunch and the island visits. Depending on your preference, you can choose a small or a big boat, an all-inclusive lunch that includes alcohol or one that only includes the lunch. You can choose how many islands to stop and how much time to spend on each island. These details make up the different bargains that the tour agencies try to sell and they affect the price of your tours.
2- Water Sport:
Marmaris is known for its multitude of water sport such as extreme parasailing that pulls you more than 100 m above the sea, it is for sure a joyride! Prices range from as low as USD 70 reaching USD 120. If you prefer to stay at sea level while experiencing an adrenaline rush, you may rent a jet ski or even hop on a speeding banana, Ringo, flyfish, phantom just to list a few. If you like to take it slow and enjoy the calm sea take a pedal boat or canoes.
3. Bicycle day to Icmeler:
Icmeler is a city less than 10 km (6.2 miles) far from Marmaris. It is less known, has fewer tourists, yet it has the same services and beautiful nature that Marmaris has to offer. If you want a break from the busy city, why don’t you rent a bike to explore Marmaris and then ride it to Icmeler?
4. A visit to Turtle Beach in Dalyan:
One of the tours offered is a boat trip to Dalyan’s turtle beach, some agents will offer a road trip to a nearby place from which you can take a short ride to Dalyan’s turtle beach or know as İztuzu Beach. During this tour, you will pass across the King’s tombs engraved in the walls of a mountain, turtle beach and you will get a chance to have a kind of a mud bath, not to mention lunch.
Turtle Beach is famous for being a place where endangered loggerhead turtles bread. Several years ago, a big resort was trying to open on this beach, yet was stopped to preserve the loggerhead turtles’ bread. The beach is a touristic attraction now. Consider yourself lucky to encounter more than three turtles that your tour guide or boat Captain will try to fetch by luring them with food bate. If you have been to the Dead Sea, the mud bath will not be very appealing for you, yet if you haven’t then it will be interesting.
5. Jeep Safari:
If you are verbatim like I am, you will feel that the name Safari is a big word for what the day entails. The day entails an off-road jeep ride in a so-called jungle or forest. You will be encouraged to rent water guns and do water fights between Jeeps. If you are a group or a family, you might enjoy the day more. At the end of the safari, you will have a buffet lunch, afterward, you will be taken to see a waterfall, then Jesus beach, a beach with a shore halfway through the sea where you will feel as if you are walking on water.
But wait aren’t you supposed to watch wild animals during a Safari trip? Yes, of course, you will meet a herd of cows somewhere on the way 🙂 (we only recommend this activity if you are going in a big group and you are planning to have fun together getting wet and dirty, playing with water jets and balloons)
6. Pamukkale:
Meaning “Cotton Castle” in Turkish is a natural site around 202 km (125 miles) away from Marmaris. It’s a three to four-hour drive away from Marmaris. The day starts around 5:30 am and ends around 8:30 pm. On your way to Pamukkale, you will stop at an Onyx factory. At the entrance of Pamukkale, you will enter through the ancient Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis. Pamukkale is known for its thermal springs and shimmering snow-white limestone calcium-rich springs.
It has been said that Cleopatra used to bathe in these thermal springs. These natural springs are well preserved and tourists are not allowed to swim in them. Three or more artificial springs were created for tourists to swim in for free and a fancier resort-like fee-based pool is created for better privacy and indulgence.
The place has become very commercialized, yet it’s worth the sight if you have an extra day to spare and are willing to pay around USD 100 per person for the day. Still, you can get some nice photos there!
Here are some tips that will help you enjoy the best of Marmaris in Five days.
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Do you have any other advice? Have you visited other places in Marmaris? Share them with us in the comments below.
The information available in this post is based on our visit to Marmaris in 2013. As far as we know not much of the listed things to do and see have changed. the major difference is the exchange rate from USD to TL. In 2015 during our motorcycle ride from Lebanon to Turkey and Bulgaria, the exchange rate almost quadrupled. It felt a lot cheaper to us and we got to afford better food and accommodations.
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