Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- As of this writing, a record number of airlines were offering direct domestic service: from Istanbul you can fly via Turkish Airlines (tel. 444-0849; www.thy.com), Atlasjet (tel. 0216/444-3387; www.atlasjet.com.tr), Onur Air (tel. 444-6687; www.onurair.com.tr), Pegasus Airlines (tel. 444-0737; www.flypgs.com), and SunExpress (tel. 0232/444-0797; www.sunexpress.com.tr). You can also fly from Izmir (Onur, Pegasus, SunExpress), from Ankara (Onur Air), from Bodrum (Martin Air, Pegasus, Onur), from Kayseri (Onur, Pegasus), and from Konya (Pegasus). Onur Air also flies direct from London and Birmingham; SunExpress also serves the London-Dalaman route. Other European-based charter airlines flying into Dalaman are Easyjet (www.easyjet.com), Monarch Airlines (www.flymonarch.com), Thomas Cook (www.flythomascook.com), and British Midland (www.flybmi.com).

Havas (tel. 444-0487) shuttle buses will be waiting for you at the Dalaman airport to whisk you away to either Marmaris or Fethiye (separate buses for opposite directions). The bus into Marmaris (to the otogar, to be exact) takes 90 minutes (85km/53 miles) and costs 23YTL ($20/£9.20). There are also car-rental counters on-site, sensible if you've arrived here exclusively for a land tour. From the Marmaris otogar, it's a 5-minute and 1.30YTL ($1.15/50p) dolmus ride to the marina; taxis will also be waiting at the otogar. A taxi from the airport into Marmaris will cost around 110YTL ($96/£44).

By Bus -- The otogar (station; tel. 0252/412-3037) is located close to the junction for the main highway, about 1.6km (1 mile) outside of the town center. If you're coming from Istanbul (14 hr.) or Ankara (10 hr.), buses depart once a day around 11pm or midnight and arrive the next day for about 65YTL ($57/£26). Service from Izmir (4 1/4 hr.) is more frequent, with fares as low as 25YTL ($22/£10) with Kamil Koç. From some towns like Selçuk or Kusadasi, you may be forced to change buses in Aydin, about halfway to Marmaris. Marmaris Koop bus lines (tel. 0252/413-5543) runs direct, air-conditioned minibus service to and from Bodrum (3 hr.), Ortaca/Dalyan (1 1/2 hr.), Fethiye (3 hr.), Göcek (2 1/2 hr.), and Antalya (7 hr.). Pamukkale bus company (tel. 0252/412-5586) runs year-round direct daily service through Denizli (change to minibus for Pamukkale: 3 1/2 hr.; 18YTL/$16/£7.20) on the way to Ankara and Bursa, in addition to Izmir, Bodrum, Fethiye, Antalya, and Kas (summer only).

Dolmuses (minivan-type public transportation) provide regular shuttle service from the otogar into town (1YTL/87¢/40p). This is a good option if the bus company you arrived on doesn't provide a free minibus transfer into town. Take a taxi (about 25YTL/$22/£10) if you're headed to the marina and instruct your driver to take you through the gates and as close as possible to your boat -- otherwise, the size of the marina may force you to walk quite a distance from the gates to the mooring.

By Ferry -- A car ferry plying the route between Bodrum and Datça leaves both ports simultaneously twice daily (9am and 5pm) for the 2-hour crossing. Boats to Datça arrive at Korman, a lonesome port on the northwestern reaches of the Datça Peninsula. A one-way ticket costs 20€ ($29/£14) one-way or 30€ ($44/£21) round-trip and can be purchased at the office of Bodrum Ferryboat Association (tel. 0252/316-0882 in Bodrum; tel. 0252/712-2143 in Datça). From Korman, a shuttle bus will take you to the town of Datça, about 6.5km (4 miles) away. From Datça (assuming it's not your final destination), you can hop on a dolmus for the long and varying mountain and coastal drive into Marmaris (1 hr., 15 min.).

Bodrum Express Lines (tel. 0252/316-1087) also runs hydrofoils between Bodrum and Marmaris departing on Thursday and Sunday, March or April through October or November. Hydrofoils from Bodrum depart at 8am and 4pm, arriving in the charming town of Gelibolu (the transfer by bus into Marmaris is included in the price of the ticket). Total travel time is 1 hour, 50 minutes (the last 20 min. are on the bus); the trip costs 25€ ($36/£18) one-way and 30€ ($44/£21) round-trip.

Visitor Information

The tourist information office in Marmaris is at Iskele Meydani 2, across from the Atatürk statue (tel. 0252/412-1035; fax 0252/412-7277). In Datça, it's located at the marina (tel./fax 0252/712-3546).

Provisions Pit Stop -- Not far from Iskele Meydani on Ulusal Egemenlik Caddesi is the grocery store Targas, indispensable for last-minute provisions like water and wine, which are generally not included in the Blue Voyage pay-one-price package.

Orientation

As a chief point of departure for the Blue Voyage, the Marmaris seafront is where all of the action takes place. Ulusal Egemenlik Caddesi meets the Bay of Marmaris head-on at the main square proudly displaying the statue of Atatürk. The area east of Ulusal Egemenlik Caddesi is the older part of town, an appealing cluster of old waterfront houses crowned by the castle and well worth a look. Kordon Caddesi is the pedestrian continuation of Atatürk Caddesi to the east of Iskele Meydani, and where the gulets (wooden boats) line the wharf each Saturday night prior to their morning departure. The wharf walk makes a semicircular loop around the base of the castle, arriving at several footbridges leading to the entrance of the marina. Within the gates of Netsel Marina are a few pubs and restaurants with terraces overlooking the harbor, along with an upscale outdoor shopping mall.

To the west along the shore is Atatürk Caddesi, which forks off and changes names several times before it exits Marmaris proper and turns into a hilly country road leading into Içmeler, a smaller seaside resort at the base of a beautifully crested, pine-covered mountain range. Farther west are the azure waters of the Gulf of Hisarönü, and the remote and magical villages of Selimiye, Turunç, and Gökova, if forced to name just a few.

About 81km (50 miles) west across a wilderness of forested mountain ranges (a little over an hour by car from Marmaris) is the oft-overlooked seaside town of Datça (covered in "A Side Trip to Datça," at the end of this section), the old Greek inland village of Eski, or Old Datça, and farther west along a slow-going road toward the tip of the peninsula, the ancient city of Knidos. The road west from Marmaris is in neglect, and west of Datça town it's almost nonexistent. So, if traveling by land, you may want to tackle the region of Marmaris separately from the region around Datça town -- reached via ferryboat from Bodrum in under 2 hours.

Getting Around

Dolmuses ply the one main road running the length of Datça Peninsula from Marmaris to Datça town (3.75YTL/$3.25/£1.50; 90 min.) hourly in high season, reducing to five times a day off season. Within Marmaris town, Dolmuses run frequently from the otogar along Marmaris's multinamed main road via the statue of Atatürk to points west. Transport within the city limits costs 1YTL (87¢/40p); from Marmaris to Içmeler it's 1.50YTL ($1.30/60p). Check the destination on the windshield if you're headed out of town; service runs as far as Datça.

Consider renting a car for forays into the surrounding villages and coves, or get a scooter for ease of transportation in and around the immediate reach of Marmaris town. Ask your hotel concierge if they can help you with a rental, or even ask a bellhop, who will most certainly have a friend in the vehicle-rental business. Cars rent for as little as £19 ($38), and day scooters slightly less. Agree on a model and price by phone, and a representative will deliver the vehicle to you at no extra charge.

Several taxi boats provide service between the holiday resorts of Içmeler and downtown Marmaris. Service is more frequent when demand is up, so check with your hotel to see how often they are running, if at all, and the time of day they start/finish. The ride costs 4YTL ($3.50/£1.60) each way.

A regular taxi from Içmeler to Marmaris can cost as little as 10YTL ($8.70/£4) or as much as 25YTL ($22/£10), so try to haggle a bit and agree on a price before you get in.