Tucked into the southern reaches of an appealing broad bay, Fethiye is a very old town with few old buildings. An earthquake in 1958 levelled it and left only tombs from the time when Fethiye was called Telmessos (400 BC). It’s an incredibly relaxed place despite its size, often visited at the beginning or end of a gület cruise.
Fethiye’s inner bay is an excellent natural harbour, protected from storms by an island, Şövalye Adası; the much larger outer bay has 11 more islands. About 15km south is Oludeniz, one of Turkey's seaside hot spots, and the Fethiye region has many interesting sites to explore, including the ghost town of Kayaköy (Karmylassos), just over the hill.
