Marmaris Travel Guide

Marmaris is a port and beach resort in Lycia, along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. (The boundary of the Mediterranean with the Aegean is generally taken as the Datça peninsula just west.) The town straggles south to run into İçmeler, then the road crosses the mountains to Turunç. This extended township had a population of 95,851 in 2020; this more than doubles in tourist season. Marmaris is part of the administrative province of Muğla. Public services such as local buses may be listed as if based in Muğla, and if your bag is stolen or you have an accident, that is where the police report will site the incident. Two large peninsulas extend beyond Marmaris, like the claws of a lobster trying to grab a starfish: - Bozburun is south, the stubby bifurcated "crusher claw" of the lobster. - Datça is the 70 km-long narrow peninsula extending west, the "scissor claw". - Symi between the claws is a Greek island.

Dalamanairport is 100 km east of Marmaris. Most arrivals are holidaymakers on West European package flights, and are bussed straight to their hotels.Havaş shuttle busmeets domestic flights, which are every couple of hours from Istanbul IST / SAW and from Ankara. This bus takes 90 min from the airport via Dalaman town, Ortaca, Köyceğiz and Gökova, for a fare in 2023 of 110 TL. The airport also has taxis, private transfer companies and car rental.

Dolmuşminibuses are the main way to get around: they ply the city main streets and link the outlying suburbs and villages. You pay a flat fare, which in 2022 within Marmaris was 5 TL (thesedolmuşeshave a green band across them), and to İçmeler (orange band) was 7 TL.

Rates given here are those quoted for independent travellers, but most visitors are on package deals, effectively paying the same room rate but getting a free return flight from Europe. There are some remarkable bargains but you get what you pay for. Rooms with air-con carry a price premium so consider the season when you'll be visiting. Other common gripes are stiff charges to use the room safe, and for Wifi that is ponderously slow, and samey "all-inclusive" meals that impel you out to the tow