Turkey Ports - Kas, Fethiye, Bodrum, Marmaris

Hello everyone. I am considering an Azamara cruise in 2015 that hits all these unique Turkish ports: Kas, Fethiye, Bodrum and Marmaris. I have been to Marmaris once before....a nice little town with shops and restaurants along the waterfront. Is it safe to assume that all the other stops will be much of the same?

For those that have been before, would you recommend these places and would you want to return there?

Thanks for your help and time!

Hello everyone. I am considering an Azamara cruise in 2015 that hits all these unique Turkish ports: Kas, Fethiye, Bodrum and Marmaris. I have been to Marmaris once before....a nice little town with shops and restaurants along the waterfront. Is it safe to assume that all the other stops will be much of the same?

 

For those that have been before, would you recommend these places and would you want to return there?

 

Thanks for your help and time!

Bodrum is really nice, with whitewashed houses and lovely shops and outdoor cafés. Everything is walking distance. If you are into history, go into the castle. It was built by the crusaders with the stones of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassos (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world). The castle also houses the museum of underwater archeology, with really interesting finds dating back thousands of years.

You can also visit the Mausoleum of Halicarnassos, but I would only recommend that if you are a real history buff. Basically, only the foundations are still there, and some very small mosaics. There is a small exhibition with a video film which explains the how and why.

Fethiye is known for its wonderful beaches and blue sea. You can go on boat tours.

Hello everyone. I am considering an Azamara cruise in 2015 that hits all these unique Turkish ports: Kas, Fethiye, Bodrum and Marmaris. I have been to Marmaris once before....a nice little town with shops and restaurants along the waterfront. Is it safe to assume that all the other stops will be much of the same?

 

For those that have been before, would you recommend these places and would you want to return there?

 

Thanks for your help and time!

Marmaris is no longer a little town - it is quite a big, sprawling resort but the old town & harbour are really nice. We walked all around the old harbour & caught a wart taxi across to the nearby beach resort of Icemeler & spent a very pleasant day there. Even if you go just for the wart taxi ride, it is worth it!

Bodrum is lovely - there is a small beach & lots & lots of shops, cafés, restaurants etc. Lovely to just wander around & enjoy the atmosphere. There is the Castle there too.

Haven't been to Fethiye or Kas for many years but Fethiye is a market & harbour town - again very pleasant as is Kas.

We love Turkey & would certainly be very happy to visit all of the above ports.

We stopped in Bodrum and Fethiye in November, 2009. We had gorgeous sunny weather.

Bodrum is magical. There is a regular ferry which crosses the harbour from beside where we docked over to near the castle. We took this first thing. The castle has a wonderful underwater archaeology museum. We had lunch outside in a cafe while watching the locals play backgammon. Then we wandered uphill to the remains of the mausoleum. We found it interesting. It is the origin of the term 'mausoleum.' Then we saw a sign pointing uphill to an ampitheatre so we walked up to see it. It was not open but the view of Bodrum from the top of the hill was wonderful. Then we meandered downhill and back along the water to our ship. It was a fabulous day and virtually free.

Fethiye is a similarily beautiful port. We took a half day tour which I arranged to see a ruined, abaondoned Greek village (Kayakov). We had seen a similar Turkish village in Chios. Greece and Turkey did some land exchanges in the 1930s. It was a short pleasant drive to get there. Fethiye also has some wonderful Lycean rock tombs which we saw on the way back.

In the afternoon we wandered along the waterfront. This has shops and restaurants and lots of ships (gulets) for hire. If going again, I would approach one of these and go for a sail. The bay there is full of islands and inlets and it would be a beautiful trip.

This is how I booked the tour. Someone referred me to this company. They delivered as promised:

Fethiye with TINY AKROPOL TRAVEL AGENCY info@tinyakropol.com

Tiny Akropol Tourism & Travel Agency

Adress : Hısaronu St. Fethiye / Muğla/Turkiye

Tel No : 0090 (252) 616 67 68

Fax No : 0090 (252) 616 79 71

Mobile : 0090 (532) 715 43 09

We booked a private tour with Ekol travel and went to the Dalyan river. we took a small boat up the river to see the endangered loggerhead turtles.We had lunch at a lovely little place along the river that had fresh pomegranate juice.

What a lovely day and we got to see some of the local Turkish countryside along the way.Marmaris was one of my favorite ports.

We also used EKOL in Marmaris and did the same Daylan river cruise. It was spectacular, especially seeing the rock tombs. Speaking of EKOL, they were excellent and very easy to work with. I had contacted a number of agencies in advance and they were quick to respond; they were so easy to work with, we wound up using them for 3 days in Istanbul, before boarding the ship and then used them for tours to Ephesus from Kusadasi, Bodrum and of course, Marmaris. We usually prefer doing our own self-guided tours but since we used them so much they gave us a package rate for all which turned out to be quite affordable. Because of their discounts, we were able to keep our group small: my husband and I and our two friends.

Valentina at EKOL was our point person. She answered any email promptly, even with non-EKOL questions: visas, currency, hotel and restaurant recommendations;even arranged for a car to meet us at the ship to bring us to the airport. All the vehicles they used were clean, modern and air-conditioned.

As I wrote earlier, we tend to be DIY travelers but lucked out with EKOL.

We did a land tour of Turkey in this area a couple of months ago. I was hesitant to mention Dalyan, because I thought it might be too far out. The scenery is totally different to what you would expect from Turkey: very lush green, lots of water. The Lycian rock tombs are very interesting.

I suppose you could do an excursion from Kas to Demre, where the 5th century AD church of St. Nicolas of Myra is. Especially for the Russian Orthodox (or Dutch people for other reasons) this church has a special meaning. The rock tombs in Demre are more approachable than in Dalyan, and there is a nice amphitheatre.

The whole area from Bodrum to Kas is beautiful, and packed with lots of archeological finds. Enjoy!

See if you can do an excursion to the sunken town Kekova from Kas. It will be impossible to DIY, but it is very interesting. You could combine it with Demre.

Great info..thank you to all for your informative suggestions!

Moving this thread up.

Was hoping for more views on Fethiye, Kas and Marmaris.

I'm looking at an Azamara cruise that hits these spots. Hoping these are worthwhile port stops and not just small beach towns full of gift shops....the norm in the Aegean ports.

Thanks so much!

I cannot add much more to what I have above, but these are wonderful ports. In Fethiye you can buy fresh fish at the market and them have it cooked for you at some of the waterfront restaurants. DH's tummy was not 100% so we did not, which I regret. I walked a lot of the waterfront in Fethiye and there are hardly any vendors.

Our day in Bodrum is one of my all time favorites. It was so relaxing yet we saw the wondeful museum in the castle, learned about the original mausoleum, etc. The whole atmosphere is relaxed and no hard sell in sight.

Thanks Maryann. I'm intrigued by these ports....not the usual cruise ports and off the beaten path places. They look beautiful! I'm all for it....I'm just trying to convince my partner to go....he's not so sure about these places.

Appreciate your info! :)

Our day in Bodrum is one of my all time favorites. It was so relaxing yet we saw the wondeful museum in the castle, learned about the original mausoleum, etc. The whole atmosphere is relaxed and no hard sell in sight.

Yes, as others have mentioned, we really loved our visit to Bodrum. Below is some visual "evidence" to prove that point.

Here are few of my other file notes:

Bodrum has become a chic, "hot" and popular tourist destination with its warm but not humid climate. It has a wonderful combination of the ancient past with all the current tourist attractions, shops and restaurants, including modest cafes to exquisite Turkish cuisine. Having this holiday/entertainment image, it can offer sea, natural beauty and history, as well as for its modern nightlife. The area carries the imprint of many cultures and civilizations, including Persian, Helen, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman. Lots of interesting history and excitement here.

You might consider e-mailing to one or both this address and ask for their suggestions on potential tour providers:

info@bodruminfo.org

info@bodrumpages.com

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 180,337 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

Here is Bodrum Castle and next is a view from the Castle to our cruise ship. Also called the Castle of St. Peter, it was built from 1402 by the Knights Hospitaller during the crusades of the middle ages and is considered the most prominent landmark in Bodrum. It operates as a museum, with the focus on the Museum of Underwater Archaeology. Its collection has finds from underwater excavations along the Turkish coast including the famous Uluburun Shipwreck. This was one of the earliest and richest wrecks discovered. This castle is considered one of the world's best preserved monuments dating back to medieval times.:

Bodrum harbor and city views, including showing some of the gullet yachts. These are typically of pine wood and styled with pointed fore and round raft. Many are chartered and then used to anchor in one of many fabulous, nearby coves; offer other sea activities, etc.:

Historic ruins at Mausoleum site in Bodrum. It was known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, This Mauseloum was built by Artemisia, the sister and the wife of King Mausolos, B.C. 355. It stood on a 21-stepped pyramid, 46 meters high and carried a horse car symbolising victory. It had 36 marble columns in Ionian style. The Mauseloum was destroyed in an earthquake. Many statues and reliefs from the Mauseloum were carried to the British Museum in 1856.:

At Bodrum along the Turkish Coast, here's a religious tower and view of the town in background. Bodrum has a population of about 35,000.:

Thanks so much Terry, what beautiful photos!

Would you have any info on Fethiye or Kas? Those seem very off the beaten path.

If you can find me on Trip Advisor (NS forum) click on my username (same as here) and send me a message with your email and I will send you some photos of Fethiye.

Thanks so much Terry, what beautiful photos! Would you have any info on Fethiye or Kas? Those seem very off the beaten path.

Appreciate your kind comments on my visuals from our NYC friend. Sorry, I have not been to either Fethiye or Kas. I would do some Google and Bing searching, both web and for visuals, on both of these locations.

Good luck! Any other ports with needs or interests in the Med?

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 71,790 views for this fun posting.

Would anyone know how long it would take to walk from the pier to the Castle of St Peter in Bodrum. We are going there in October so don't know what the weather will be like, if it is going to be really warm or not. Can we do a DIY tour of Bodrum by walking from the pier into town and also visiting the castle. I have also heard about some local wooden boats that offer sightseeing boat ride along the coast line, don't know if we would have time to do both? Please share any DIY info on taxi cost or places to see etc. Thanks in advance.

We were there on a land tour and not on a cruise, so cannot tell you where the cruise port is. Bodrum is not that big, most can be done on foot. Turkey has a wonderful system of shared minibusses, called dolmus. There are lots around in Bodrum, very cheap, and the route is normally posted on the windscreen. You could use those, will be cheaper than a taxi. Because Bodrum is so touristy, most people will speak some english and most dolmus bus drivers accept euros next to liras.

The weather in October is going to be mild and pleasant. On the coast, it never gets really cold in Turkey, even in mid-winter.

if you want to do a boat tour, there are lots of operators around. Most have a sign with different options, there are short and longer trips. If no price is posted, haggle, as is normal everywhere in Turkey.

Cunard has eliminated Istanbul and substituted Marmaris for late August, 2016.

I was planning a Turkish bath in Istanbul and wonder if anyone has a recommendation for a Turkish bath in Marmaris.

I have been looking at Atmutalan Haman, and wonder if it would be appropriate to have the bath without a swimsuit. I can't seem to find an answer on their website.

Information about Atmutalan or another haman would be appreciated.:rolleyes: