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Turkey is a vast country and there’s more to see than this corner known as the Bodrum Peninsula, so I’m starting a Postcard series to showcase other destinations in different parts of Turkey. We’re continuing the series with a selection of guest posts from memoir author Jacky Donovan.

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Exploring Fethiye

From stunning coastlines and deep gorges to ancient Lycian sites and a ghost town, the city of Fethiye (on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast) and its surrounding areas are keeping me entertained.

I’ve even managed to have two more social occasions, taking me to a grand total of four in the past six months. 🤣 The city sprawls for miles along the coast, and I’ve walked umpteen kilometres (including, erm, about 2 km of the 540 km Lycian Way) and also taken a private tour to more far-flung areas.

In town are ancient tombs which look impressive from afar but are a bit sad close up as they have graffiti and smell of pee, but they’re way better than they were a few years ago apparently.

A few kilometres away, Kayaköy (aka ghost town), once a Greek village, is a stark reminder of the population exchange of Greeks and Turks from 1919-1922 which forced the Greek Orthodox inhabitants from this village to return to Greece. It provides the setting for some of Russell Crowe’s film “The Water Diviner” and Louis de Bernière’s novel “Birds without Wings”.

The winding mountainside road gives terrific views down to the coastline of Ölüdeniz with its blue lagoon and beach, but I only walked a few minutes along the beach as the beautiful scene was marred for little ole me by banging music coming from several touristy pirate ship party boats visiting the beach.

The road winds through mountains clad with pine, olive, juniper and cedar trees, and we stopped for gözleme, a traditional Turkish pancake, with cheese, parsley and mint. (Shame I don’t like pancakes or mint, but at least I’ve tried gözleme now.)

Saklikent Gorge, the 2nd-largest (20 km-long) gorge in Europe and the longest and deepest in Turkey, was a beautiful spectacle with its high walls looming above me, albeit fairly busy with tourists.

I skipped hiring shoes to plodge through the icy waters of the gorge in favour of heading to Tlos ruins. One of the six main cities of Lycia from about the 2nd century BC and rediscovered by an archaeologist in 1838, it’s dominated by its acropolis, and the 360-degree views from the top are worth the walk up. Cut into the hillside are sarcophagi, homes and tombs, and the whole site has remnants of other buildings from the time. A short walk away lies the ancient amphitheatre.

Fethiye itself is a lovely place to wander with its winding old town streets and modern areas, an extensive harbour, a 30-minute water taxi ride to a long (but pebbly) beach, and umpteen shops, cafes and restaurants, many of them offering full English and fish and chips. 😉 It’s a terrific part of Turkey and I’ve loved my five days here.

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About Jacky Donovan

Jacky currently spends her time between backpacking the world and her home in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. She’s an author of an erotic and humorous personal memoir, “Smart as a Whip”, and also writes books about heroic pets. Her latest books, “Simon Ships Out” and “Smoky” — the memoirs of the world’s first celebrity cat and dog respectively — are Amazon No.1 bestsellers. Visit Jacky’s Amazon Author page for more information about her books.

Getting to Fethiye from Bodrum

It takes three and a half hours to get from Bodrum to Fethiye by car.

Another option is to take a public coach/bus to Fethiye (via Mugla). Visit the Bodrum Otogar where all of the Turkey bus companies have their ticket offices and check the current times and prices.

• Read Best Fethiye Insider Tips and Tlos: The oldest Lycian City from Slow Travel Guide
• The bloggers over at Turkey’s for Life have a wealth of information about Fethiye