13 Incredible Things To Do In Marmaris, Türkiye

On the beautiful south west coastline of Türkiye is the resort town of Marmaris; a place that surprised me with so much more to do than just beaches and boat trips. This guide will show you, in my view, the most incredible things to do in Marmaris.

Welcome to Marmaris.

During a slighter cooler week at the end of May, whilst the UK experienced scorching hot weather, I visited Marmaris in Türkiye for the first time and what I found surprised me. Firstly, Türkiye was a country that I hadn’t actually visited before though nearby Greece and Cyprus are two of my favourite places to visit in the Mediterranean so I was quite right to expect beautiful beaches and plenty of sunshine in the resort town of Marmaris but I found much more than just that. What I discovered was a region full of ancient history, pine-tree covered hills and traditional Turkish villages alongside luxury yachts, a stunning coastline, castles and, of course, excellent food.

Marmaris might be perhaps more well-known for being a lively resort with plenty of all-inclusive hotels, western restaurants and electric nightlife but honestly I was really glad to have seen a completely different side to this region; it’s perfect for those that fancy a little more adventure and exploration in their holidays whilst still being really family-friendly. To help plan your own trip and provide some inspiration, this is my guide to all of the unmissable things to do in Marmaris.

DISCLAIMER – I VISITED MARMARIS WITH JET2HOLIDAYS AND THIS POST IS WRITTEN IN COLLABORATION WITH JET2HOLIDAYS WHO OFFER GREAT PACKAGE HOLIDAYS TO TURKEY. ALL OPINIONS HOWEVER ARE, AS ALWAYS, MY OWN.

THINGS TO DO IN MARMARIS

WANDER THE ALLEYWAYS OF MARMARIS OLD TOWN

We’ll kick things off with the part of Marmaris not only did I love the most but also the part that completely surprised me. I know many resort towns start off as something much smaller before being developed to cater for mass tourism with often the original, more historic and traditional area, being preserved in its Old Town. Marmaris then is no different to that but what I hadn’t expected was for its Old Town to be so charming and such a contrast to nearby areas like Bar Street for example.

You’ll find the Old Town a few streets back from the Marina under the watchful eye of Marmaris Castle. Here you’ll find tiny cobblestone alleyways to wander and simply get lost in. There’s not much here, it’s not a huge Old Town by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s peaceful, time slows down and you can actually spend a few moments watching the light catch the bright pink flowers or simply watch life pass you by. I visited a few different times throughout our trip and I’d highly recommend coming early in the morning before more visitors arrive and take their time trying to find the ideal spot for yet another selfie.

VISIT MARMARIS CASTLE & MUSEUM

Marmaris Castle is the main historical attraction in the town and this makes it one of the most unmissable things to do in Marmaris. The castle you see now dates back to the Ottoman period, being built in around the 16th century, though on the site of an ancient fortress that has been here for thousands of years. You can’t really miss the castle as, whilst quite small, it still looms large over the marina and Old Town. Entry into the castle costs around £5 / €6 / $7 and you’ll be able to wander around within the walls, admire unrivalled views across all of Marmaris and beyond as well as visit the small Archeology Museum. As well as the views, my favourite part of the museum was actually the 2,200 year old bronze sculpture of a woman that dates back to the Roman period – the really interesting part is that it was literally just found five years ago by local fisherman in the waters. Can you imagine finding that randomly in your nets?

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TAKE A BOAT TRIP AROUND THE COASTLINE

I think it goes without saying that to really appreciate the beauty of this region, the turquoise waters and the stunning coastline, you have to take to the seas. There are hundreds of boat trips that leave each and every day from Marmaris and you’ll no doubt be invited to buy tickets for almost all of them. Many of these have fun and colourful designs, think Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones for example, and are more for those that like a bit of a party.

Now, that’s not for me. If I’m going to be on the sea, with a high chance of feeling very sea sick, I want to do it in luxury and thankfully our trip across the Bay of Marmaris and out into the Mediterranean Sea was exactly that. We were onboard the Grand Sailor, a 24m beautiful and exclusive yacht, that can be chartered through Gulet Point. This was exactly how I would want to sail around the Turkish coast. We spent all morning sailing, taking in the stunning scenery before anchoring down and having a lovely and freshly prepared lunch – think stuffed peppers, grilled chicken, prawns and salad. The only thing to do afterwards was to jump straight into the sea for a little swim under the ancient city of Amos high up on the clifftops – the water was a little colder than I expected but honestly I hadn’t felt that relaxed for a long time. It was just that kind of simple fun that I enjoyed so much as a child.

The trip back to shore was a very chilled one. I lay down on the super comfy beds with a cold beer and almost almost fell asleep!

Recently, one of the most famous party boats in Marmaris sank during a trip, the Big Boss Diamond – thankfully no-one was injured but I wouldn’t let this put you off. It might however push you more towards booking one of the more luxurious boat trips.

HAGGLE IN THE GRAND BAZAAR

The Grand Bazaar is one of the best places in Marmaris to shop especially as it’s completely covered which helps with that stifling summer heat. There are so many different things on sale here but no matter what takes your fancy, whether it’s a pair of replica football shirts, trainers, designer handbags or local delicacies like Turkish delight, you’ll have to try your hand at haggling to see if you can get the best price possible! It’s something that I think actually causes me anxiety hence I was a little nervous to enter any store and even start browsing but there’s literally no where better to start than right here. Many of the shop owners will exclaim that they have the best prices so why not take them up on their offer?

TRY LOCAL TURKISH FOOD

There are so many great places to eat in Marmaris that I couldn’t possibly list them all here (it just means I get to spend some time preparing a proper guide on that…) but long story short, please make sure you go all in on eating traditional Turkish food. I can’t imagine that anyone really comes to a different country and doesn’t indulge in all of the amazing local food but, judging by the amount of western style restaurants in Marmaris, it wouldn’t surprise me.

Döner kebab is probably the most famous of all of Turkey’s exports (even after the German’s elevated it to another level – some might say…) but you should also try Gözleme (freshly made flatbreads stuffed with cheese and parsley or cured spicy sausage, sucuk, and more cheese), Meze dishes (never ending small plates) such as stuffed vine leaves, şakşuka (an aubergine dip), hummus, & samphire with garlic and olive oil and definitely Manti which is essentially Turkish dumplings filled with ground meat and drenched in garlic yoghurt. I also really enjoyed the more simply meat dishes like meatballs and I actually had the best steak of my life in Marmaris – not traditional I know but I needed to talk about it.

The final meal of our four nights in Marmaris was at the stunning sento by NUUP, around half an hour north of Marmaris. The setting was practically perfect, in the middle of its own sanctuary beneath the trees, with food and cocktails that are out of this world. The steak in particular needs a mention as I said – dry aged ribeye, cooked to perfection at medium rare with cherry smoke, rosehip, asparagus, Denizli burnt yoghurt and little shoestring fries on top. So so good. That was washed down with a few Tolstoy cocktails – vodka, chambord, strawberry, soda, raspberry and foam. Also, so so good. If you’re looking for the best place to eat in Marmaris, I would say that this is it (though you’ll need to drive or grab a taxi).

DISCOVER THE BEST COFFEE SHOPS IN MARMARIS

When visiting Türkiye, there’s only one coffee that is truly authentic and can be found in each and every café and restaurant – Turkish Coffee. This is completely unfiltered coffee boiled in a cezve (a type of copper pot) before being served without milk in a small mug. You can sweeten things up too, with a range of different sugar options often presented to you – I went with the medium sweet option. Still strong but perfectly drinkable until nearer the end; the ground coffee sits at the bottom of the mug and often ends up being tipped out for specialists to read your fortune.

If Turkish Coffee isn’t your thing then don’t worry, there are some great options for those of us that love a morning flat white or cappuccino or an iced latte (even a Greek frappé) to cool down when it gets a little too hot. I found that there were three perfect coffee shops in Marmaris during my time there; Fredonia (a few different branches too), Bono Good Times and Books & Coffee. All of them deserve a visit whether you’re into coffee, matcha or simply looking for a quiet place to chill out for a while.

EXPLORE THE MARMARIS SEAFRONT

It’s hard not to be mesmerised by the views out into the bay from the Marmaris seafront; the pristine water gives way to tree topped hills that seemingly rise straight out of the sea. One of the best things to do in Marmaris to ensure you get the most out of the spectacular backdrop is to explore the seafront; from the larger harbour with its shopping precinct and funfair to all of the restaurants and ice cream shops that line the yacht filled marina. Further along you’ll find the Marmaris Sign that makes for a picture perfect yet slightly cliché moment before reaching two completely different parks; Jinan Parki is a small Japanese inspired garden and Abdi iPekçi Parki which is full of palm trees, a little playground for the kids and a café which was packed from morning through to night with locals.

WALK ALONG THE PROMENADE TO IÇMELER

Now, if you’ve explored the seafront and want to stretch your legs a little more or perhaps need somewhere for your morning run if you’re keeping fit on holiday, you should definitely make your way along the promenade that stretches for 5 miles all the way to the neighbouring town of Içmeler. The walkway doesn’t show up on Google Maps but, as long as you stick with the sea on your left, you can’t go wrong. The walk will likely take around 1.5 hours and is completely flat – obviously when the weather’s hot, be conscious of the sun and of your need for water!

Once you arrive in Içmeler, you’ll find a smaller, more relaxed beach town than Marmaris with plenty of bars and restaurants to refuel at!

JOIN A 4WD JEEP TOUR

You’ll be very surprised to hear me say that I found that one of the best ways to shake off the haze from one too many drinks the night before was to take to the extremely bumpy gravel tracks of the Marmaris hills on a 4WD jeep tour… No, seriously!

We were picked up relatively early by Patika Tours, a company who have been running off-road tours in Marmaris since the 90’s. Once we made it out of the backstreets, we were almost immediately onto the gravel tracks that spread like veins throughout the pine tree forests. There were plenty of absolutely incredible views to be had across the Aegean Sea towards Bodrum and Kos as well as throughout the journey. Somehow I managed to capture one of my favourite photos whilst being bounced around in the back of the jeep – of the second jeep in the tour with the huge countryside mosque in the background. Honestly, joining a 4WD jeep tour is definitely one of the best ways to experience Marmaris and the beauty of the wider region.

LEARN ABOUT PINE HONEY FROM THE MUĞLA REGION

Before I visited Marmaris, I believed that all honey came from flowers however I was glad to learn something new. The region of Muğla, that spans the Aegean and Mediterranean Sea, is home to a particular type of bee that creates honey from the expansive pine tree forests that cover this area. Over 90% of the world’s supply of pine honey comes from Turkey with the majority of it coming directly from this region. I was able to learn so much about the honey making process as well as the history and importance of bees at the Marmaris Bal Evi Museum (around 30 minutes south west of Marmaris itself). Our tour included a tasting of this unique honey – ordinarily I find honey a little on the sweet side but this was absolutely delicious, less sweet than ordinary honey and I think you could actually taste ‘pine’ or at least what I thought might have been pine. I brought home a huge tin too and cannot wait to dive straight into that; I can only imagine how good it’s going to taste with my morning yoghurt and fruit.

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EXPLORE THE ANCIENT CITY OF AMOS

The Muğla region around Marmaris is home to some of the most unbelievable ancient historic sites and no trip to Marmaris would be complete without experiencing what life might have been like around 3,000 years ago!

The ancient city of Amos sits on a clifftop overlooking the Mediterranean Sea around 24km or so south west of Marmaris. It’s hard to visualise just what this small city would have looked like at its peak but the theatre, with exceptional unobstructed views down to the sea, is still fairly intact – with space for at least 1,000 people, it can only have been absolutely bustling back in the day. Can you even imagine 1,000 people gathered in the theatre watching a show or listening music here? I mean, it would be unreal even in this day and age (they do do musical events here every now and again I was told by our guide) but imagine what it was like 3,000 years ago!

There are a few tours that will take you directly to the base of Amos, where the necropolis is, before you have to walk a short but steep distance up to the main city. If you’re feeling more adventurous, you can hike to Amos from nearby Turunç; it’s around 3.5km.

Whilst not necessarily near Amos, the pyramid tomb of Diagora is worth a mention and a visit if you can get there (it’s closer to Selimiye). This tomb, atop a rocky outcrop, is remarkably well preserved. It’s essentially been untouched for thousands and thousands of years. The hike up is much steeper than that up to Amos but, for those that love history and want to see something a little more unique, it’s definitely worth it.

VISIT SEDIR ISLAND (CLEOPATRA ISLAND)

Sedir Island is a unique, beautiful and protected island in the Aegean Sea that is open to visitors between May and October. Admission costs around €13, or free with a Museum Pass, and gains you access to the island so you can enjoy Cleopatra Beach and the ancient city of Kedreai.

To get to the island, you’re going to need to get a boat from Sedir Adası Ulaşım though there are day trips from Marmaris that include all of the transportation across land and sea. Once on the island, there’s an extensive boardwalk system that takes you through to Cleopatra Beach (which has a lovely café to get supplies) and the ancient city.

First things first, let’s talk about the beach. As I mentioned earlier, this is a protected island and the reason for that is not only due to the archaelogocal site but also the incredible rare sand that lines the beach. The ‘Oolitic’ sand, made of limestone droplets, is so rare that you cannot walk in certain areas and for obvious reasons cannot take any away with you. The legend is that Cleopatra would meet the well-known Roman Mark Antony here though she didn’t quite like the sand and so he had it shipped directly from Egypt…

The best part of Sedir Island however I thought was the ancient city which, at its peak, was believed to house around 20,000 people. That’s insane really. The site is much bigger than Amos, taking up the whole island and the theatre is also far bigger but in an equally beautiful setting – between olive trees and the turquoise sea.

Sedir Island was a complete contrast to Marmaris and is definitely worth a visit to spend the day relaxing, swimming and heading back in time.

TAKE A DAY TRIP TO DALYAN

One area of Türkiye that I’ve heard so much about from my sister and her partner is Dalyan, a scenic riverside town famous for turtles, ancient rock tombs and a much more laidback lifestyle compared to Marmaris. Dalyan is around an hour and a half drive from Marmaris and so is ideal for a day trip to ensure that you don’t miss this beautiful town.

How To Get To Marmaris

To get to Marmaris, you’re going to need to find flights to Dalaman Airport with Jet2 flying from there directly from 11 different UK airports. Ordinarily I would fly from Newcastle Airport as it’s only around 30 minutes from home however this time we had flights from London Stansted Airport – I managed the drive in around 4 hours, not too bad.

No matter where you fly from, the flights themselves will take around 4-4.5 hours before the 1.5 hour transfer to Marmaris.

Where To Stay

There are so many great hotels in Marmaris, ranging from the ultra-luxurious to your typical all-inclusive style beach hotels. There is really something for everyone at all price ranges especially with Jet2holidays offering great deals on family holidays.

On our trip, we spent four nights at the Nature Green Diamond Hotel on an all inclusive basis. This was a lovely hotel set right on the beachfront with a number of swimming pools, slides for the kids, buffet restaurant and bars. Whilst we spent a lot of time our exploring Marmaris and the wider region, I always knew that we’d be coming back to a clean room, comfortable bed and topped up minibar complete with a variety of soft drinks. The breakfast was brilliant with so many different options available and the sports bar was great for catching up on the football (though the drinks are not included).