Day Trips Around Marmaris: İçmeler, Turunç, Paradise Island and Dalyan
If you're spending a few days in Marmaris, the surrounding bays and towns are well worth seeing. From calm beaches close to the centre to Dalyan, famous for its lagoons, many routes can be explored easily on day trips.
İçmeler
The closest town to the centre, İçmeler is ideal especially for families with its tidy beach and calmer sea. You can reach it quickly from Marmaris by minibus or sea bus and spend most of the day there.
Turunç
Beyond the mountain road, Turunç Bay is known for its blue-flag beach and clear water. The bay is also a regular stop for boat tours; day boats towards Dalyan and İztuzu depart from here too.
Paradise Island
Actually a headland attached to the Nimara Peninsula, Paradise Island (Cennet Adası) has been protected as a natural and archaeological site since 1999. You can reach it by the boats that leave frequently from Marmaris marina, and spend a peaceful day on its pine-scented paths and coves.
Dalyan and İztuzu
About an hour and a quarter from Marmaris, Dalyan is a whole different world with its channels, rock tombs and İztuzu Beach, where loggerhead turtles nest. Getting there on a day-boat tour from the centre is the most enjoyable way to travel, as you glide along the river.
How to plan?
- For nearby coves, minibuses and sea buses are economical and practical.
- For farther spots, day boat tours solve both transport and sightseeing in one package.
- Staying in the centre, you can easily reach the departure points for all these tours.