Türkiye
Marmaris
Marmaris: Turquoise Coast in a Pine-Forested Bay
Marmaris lies on a natural harbor hemmed in by pine-covered mountains, close to where the Aegean is generally taken to end and the Mediterranean to begin, and its oldest quarter climbs a small hill to a 16th-century castle. Since the 1980s the fishing town has grown into a large beach resort whose population more than doubles in the summer season.
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What Cruise Travelers Should Know About Marmaris
Cruise ships tie up at the Marmaris port beside the yacht marina, which also handles the passenger ferries to Rhodes. Your cruise line will tell you where your ship berths and how far it is from the old town.
- The port has two quays, 305 meters and 134 meters long.
- The town stretches south along the bay to İçmeler, and the road then crosses the mountains to Turunç.
- Two long peninsulas reach out beyond Marmaris: Bozburun to the south and Datça, about 70 km long, to the west.
- Dalaman Airport is about 100 km east.
Marmaris on Your Own
Spend the day on foot around downtown: the bazaar, the waterfront and the hill of the old town, with the free stretch of beach beginning just west of downtown. For one more stop, a dolmuş minibus runs along the bay to İçmeler.
- Castle and old quarter: Kale, the oldest part of town, sits on a hill above the water. The castle at the top holds the town museum and looks out over Marmaris.
- The bazaar: The covered Grand Bazaar starts just inland from the Atatürk statue on the seafront.
- Barbaros Caddesi: The waterfront street of the old town is nicknamed Bar Street.
- A short ride: Dolmuş minibuses charge one flat fare and run along the main streets to İçmeler. Günnücek is an entry point to Marmaris National Park, with hiking trails through the pine forest.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
- Watch the clock: Turkey stays on UTC+3 all year. From the end of October to the end of March that is an hour ahead of Eastern European Time, so if your ship has come from elsewhere in the region, check whether ship's time matches local time.
Getting Around Marmaris and the Region
For anything beyond walking distance, use a dolmuş, a shared minibus that charges one flat fare and covers the town's main streets and the outlying villages. Taxis wait for the Rhodes ferries at the terminal.
- The town's bus company, Muttaş, publishes routes and timetables.
- The bus station is on the northern edge of town, 3 km from the beachfront.
- Boat trips circle the bay, usually calling at Turunç, the Phosphorus Cave and the beach on Cennet Island.
- Jeep safaris head out onto the Bozburun and Datça peninsulas.
What to Eat in Marmaris
Pine honey, çam balı, is the local specialty. Bees make it not from flower nectar but from the sweet secretion of a small insect that lives on the region's pines, which gives a darker, thicker honey with a woody, resinous taste.
- Where it comes from: Pine honey is produced only in Turkey and Greece. Check your country's import rules before taking any home.
- Aegean cooking: In western Turkey olive oil is the main cooking fat, and the cooking of the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts is rich in vegetables, herbs and fish.
- Cold vegetable dishes: Zeytinyağlı yemekler, vegetables cooked in olive oil and served cold, are a summer favorite.
- Breakfast: A Turkish breakfast spreads out white cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, honey and eggs, often as menemen, eggs cooked with tomatoes and green peppers, always with tea.
- Quick meals: Many restaurants specialize in one dish, such as köfte meatballs, gözleme flatbreads or fried mussels, midye tava.
Tipping in Turkey
Tipping in Turkey is not obligatory, but leaving up to about 10 percent in a restaurant is very common if you are happy with the service. Some restaurants add a service charge, usually 10 percent, so check the bill first.
- Taxi drivers do not expect a tip, but letting them keep the change is common practice.
- At a Turkish bath, it is customary to tip 10 percent of the total.
- Turkey uses the Turkish lira. Shops that cater to tourists often take euros and US dollars, but usually at a worse rate.
Culture in Marmaris
Marmaris is a resort town, but it keeps Turkey's national calendar and customs. Atatürk's statue, at the junction of Atatürk Caddesi on the seafront and Ulusal Egemenlik Caddesi through downtown, is the town's focal point.
- 10 November: At five past nine in the morning on 10 November, the minute Atatürk died in 1938, sirens sound across Turkey and traffic and people stop for a moment of silence.
- 29 October: Republic Day marks the end of the tourist season in many Mediterranean resorts, with celebrations in the town squares.
- Ramadan: In coastal resorts like Marmaris, Ramadan is barely noticeable, and restaurants are usually open as normal.
- Hamams: Traditional Turkish baths operate in about half a dozen places in town, and the spa hotels have their own.
From Ancient Physkos to the Turquoise Coast
Ancient Physkos was a small harbor town of Caria. The Ottomans used its bay to gather their forces against Rhodes, the British gathered fleets there before campaigns in Egypt, and an earthquake in 1957 and the tourism that followed shaped the town you see today.
- Antiquity: By the 6th century BC the town was known as Physkos, part of the stretch of Caria that belonged to Rhodes, with a harbor and a grove sacred to Leto. Its remains can be seen at Asartepe, near Beldibi.
- 334 BC: When Alexander the Great invaded Caria, the town's 600 inhabitants burned their valuables in the castle and fled to the hills.
- A new name: Under the Beylik of Menteşe, the town took the name Marmaris, from the Greek word for marble, after the marble shipped from its port.
- 1522: Suleiman the Magnificent used Marmaris as the base for his conquest of Rhodes and had the castle rebuilt. The Hafsa Sultan caravanserai, just north of the castle, dates from 1545.
- 1798: Admiral Nelson gathered his fleet in the harbor before sailing for Egypt and the Battle of the Nile.
- 1801: A British force of 120 ships and 14,000 troops under Admiral Keith and General Abercromby anchored in the bay for eight weeks.
- First World War: A French warship shelled the castle and badly damaged it.
- 1957: The earthquakes of 24 and 25 April 1957 almost destroyed the town. The castle and the old buildings around it were among the few left standing.
- 1979 to 1991: Families lived inside the castle until 1979. It was then restored and opened as a museum in 1991.
- The resort years: Tourism grew along the coast from the 1980s, and the upgrade of Dalaman airport in 1989 put Marmaris within a 90-minute coach ride of its runway.
- To learn more ashore: The Marmaris Museum, inside the castle in the Kale quarter, shows finds from ancient Knidos and other sites nearby, along with an ethnographic collection of local carpets, jewelry and weapons.
Marmaris with Children and Families
Families can split a Marmaris day between the castle, the beach and the water. Bay boat trips stop at a sea cave and an island beach.
- Younger children: The beach west of downtown is sandy, though narrow.
- School age: The castle has 18 rooms, a fountain and a cistern, and its courtyard displays sarcophagi and column capitals. Aqua Dream on Fatih Sultan Mehmet Caddesi and Marmaris Atlantis are the town's water parks; check before you go.
- Teenagers: Nimara Cave on Cennet Island, believed to have been lived in since about 10,000 BC, is a 400-meter walk on a trail from where the road ends. The Phosphorus Cave nearby has no land access, and anyone swimming in should watch for sharp rocks.
Shopping in Marmaris
Marmaris's covered Grand Bazaar runs along 59 Sokak, starting 50 meters inland from the Atatürk statue; it is a modern, practical arcade rather than a historic market. Pharmacies cluster along Ulusal Egemenlik Caddesi, the main downtown street.
- Pine honey is the local product to look for; check your country's import rules for food before you buy.
- Do not buy tortoises or other animals from street sellers. The animals will not survive the journey, and bringing home an endangered species carries a heavy fine.
Beaches Near Marmaris
The town beach is sandy but narrow, and the stretch west of downtown is free to use. Bay boat trips stop at the beach on Cennet Island.
- Cleopatra Beach, on Sedir Island in the Gulf of Gökova, is reached by boat from Çamlı or Akyaka, north of Marmaris. Its sand is made of tiny round grains and is strictly protected, so take none away.
- Akyaka, a 30-minute drive north, has a pebble beach with pine woods growing down to the shore.
- The Phosphorus Cave on the south tip of Cennet Island can be reached only from the water.
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