Day Trips from Fethiye: Dalyan (Kaunos & İztuzu Beach) and Rhodes Ferry

With a fourth or fifth day based in Fethiye, you can head one hour north-west to one of Turkey's most protected river-delta ecosystems at Dalyan, or sail ninety minutes south-west across the Mediterranean to the medieval walled city of Rhodes in Greece.

1. Dalyan River Boats, Ancient Kaunos and İztuzu Turtle Beach (60 km north-west of Fethiye)

Reached in 55 minutes by car (via the Göcek Tunnel and Ortaca) or by taking a frequent minibus from Fethiye Otogar to Ortaca and a 15-minute connecting dolmuş into Dalyan, the Dalyan Delta connects freshwater Lake Köyceğiz to the Mediterranean through a winding, reed-lined labyrinth of river channels:

• The Riverboat Cruise and King's Tombs of Kaunos: hire a wooden canopy boat (piyade) or hop aboard the public riverboat cooperative at Dalyan quay. Within five minutes the boat glides beneath a sheer limestone cliff carved with six monumental 4th-century BC Carian-Lycian Temple-Facade Rock Tombs. Hop off on the western bank to walk 15 minutes through olive and pomegranate trees to the uncrowded hilltop ruins of Ancient Kaunos, featuring a 5,000-seat theatre, Roman baths, a domed Byzantine basilica and a sweeping acropolis view over the entire reed maze.
• İztuzu Beach (Turtle Beach): at the mouth of the delta stretches a 4.5-kilometre natural sandspit separating the freshwater river on one side from the saltwater Mediterranean on the other. Protected from all building development as one of the Mediterranean's primary nesting grounds for endangered Caretta caretta loggerhead sea turtles, it is one of the finest natural sand beaches in Europe (also home to the sea-turtle rescue hospital, DEKAMER).

2. Day Trip to Rhodes Island (Greece) by 90-Minute High-Speed Catamaran

From May through October, high-speed catamarans (and hydrofoils) depart directly from the international customs pier at Fethiye Town Harbour around early in the morning to early in the morning, crossing in 1 hour 30 minutes straight to the tourist port beside the medieval walls of Rhodes Old Town (returning in the afternoon). Bring your physical valid passport (and Schengen visa or pre-applied 7-day Greek island visa-on-arrival) to spend six hours walking the cobbled Street of the Knights, touring the 14th-century Palace of the Grand Master and dining in the UNESCO-listed medieval moat city.