Turquoise Coast · Turkey
A small marina town surrounded by twelve islands. The anchorages are the destination.
01
Twelve islands inside a single bay, with the Fethiye Gulf around it — a sheltered anchorage area protected from the Aegean meltemi by the Taurus mountains. Göcek itself is a small marina town with one good street and six marinas. The Lycian way passes through; the Tomb of Amyntas (4th century BC, carved into the cliff above Fethiye) is the day's walk.
02
Kebab Hospital in Göcek (yes, the name) for the Turkish grill. Mod Yacht Café for the breakfast and the long lunch. Tomatos for the meze and the harbour view. The Aegean meze culture is the eat — eggplant, yogurt, fish, raki. Local olive oil from the Çamlık region is exceptional.
03
Lycia was the ancient federation of city-states that occupied this coast — Xanthos, Patara, Myra, all reachable inland from Göcek. The Romans absorbed them in 43 AD. The Byzantines, the Seljuks, the Ottomans, the Italians (briefly, after WWI), then the Turkish Republic. Most of the rock tombs you see on cliffsides are Lycian, 5th to 4th century BC.
04
The town has no real beach; the boat is the beach. By boat: Tersane (Flat Island, 3nm) for the lagoon with a sunken Byzantine church visible through the water; Butterfly Valley (15nm) for the canyon waterfall accessible only by sea or hike; Ölüdeniz Blue Lagoon (20nm); Kekova (40nm) for the sunken Lycian city below the water — designated no-anchor zone, look but don't drop.
05
The Lycian coast is best two weeks in September after the meltemi sleeps. Take the inland day-trip to Saklıkent gorge (an 18km slot canyon, the cold rapids at the bottom). Pamukkale's travertine pools are three hours inland; better as a half-day from Fethiye. The hammam in Göcek is small, real, and the right reset before flying home.
Nearby
Anchorage · Lagoon
Flat Island has a lagoon with a sunken Byzantine church visible through the water. The ruins of a Lycian harbour town accessible by dinghy.
Anchor in the lagoon, north entrance. The church columns are visible in 3–5m. Turtle nesting season (May–Aug): go quietly.
Beach · Waterfall · Canyon
A canyon accessible only by sea or by a difficult mountain path. A waterfall feeds a beach of white pebbles. The Jersey Tiger butterfly colonies here are the reason.
Anchor off the beach in 4–6m. Dinghy in. The walk up the canyon to the waterfall takes 40 minutes. No facilities — bring water.
Lagoon · Beach
The photograph on every Turkish travel piece. A landlocked blue lagoon behind a sand spit. Entry fee payable; national park.
Anchor off the public beach outside the lagoon — the lagoon itself is a national park. The paragliders from Babadağ mountain (1,969m) land on the beach all day.
Ancient ruins · Sunken city
A Lycian city that sank in a 2nd-century earthquake. Walls, steps, and cisterns visible through the water. Designated no-anchor zone.
Anchor in Üçağız village and dinghy over. The Simena castle above the shore is a 30-minute climb.
Wind & seasons
The Fethiye Gulf is sheltered from the prevailing meltemi by the mountains. Light to moderate breezes in summer. September and October are exceptional — the mountains turn orange, the anchorages are empty.
