Weather by month, where to stay, things to do and what it actually costs, everything you need to plan a trip to Marmaris, Icmeler, Fethiye, Oludeniz, Dalyan and Gocek.
The Dalaman area covers Turkey's Turquoise Coast, and it's a different holiday to the bigger, flatter Antalya coastline further east. You still get reliable summer sun and genuinely good value all-inclusive hotels, but the scenery does more of the work here, pine-covered mountains dropping straight into turquoise bays, a proper working Turkish town in Fethiye, and some of the best boat trip and paragliding country in the Mediterranean. Marmaris, Icmeler, Oludeniz, Fethiye, Dalyan and Gocek all sit under this one airport, and they're genuinely different holidays.
Want nightlife and a big choice of boat trips within walking distance? Base yourself in Marmaris. Want the same coastline with the volume turned down and better prices? Icmeler is ten minutes away and noticeably calmer.
Seven nights is the standard package length here and suits most first-time visitors well, with enough time for a couple of boat trips or an inland excursion alongside proper beach time. Ten to fourteen nights gives you room to explore further afield, from the Dalyan river to Saklikent Gorge, without every day feeling booked up.
It suits couples and groups of friends particularly well, especially around Marmaris and Oludeniz where the nightlife, boat trips and adventure activities are strongest. Families are well catered for too, particularly in Icmeler and Sarigerme where the pace is calmer and many hotels are built with kids' clubs and water parks. Dalyan and Gocek suit people who want a quieter, more grown up trip built around nature and sailing rather than resort life.
Dalaman Airport (DLM) has direct flights from a wide spread of UK airports, with Jet2, TUI, easyJet, SunExpress and Wizz Air among the airlines flying from Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle and several smaller regional airports. Flight time is around 4 to 4.75 hours direct depending on where you fly from, shortest from London and the south.
Transfer time from the airport depends a lot on which resort you pick. Dalyan and Sarigerme are the closest at around 30 minutes, Gocek is similar, Fethiye is around 50 to 60 minutes, Oludeniz around 70 to 90 minutes, and Marmaris and Icmeler are the furthest at around 90 minutes, sometimes up to two hours in peak summer traffic.
If a short transfer matters most, look at Dalyan, Sarigerme or Gocek. If you want the liveliest resort strip and don't mind the extra time in the transfer coach, Marmaris and Icmeler are worth the trade off.
The Dalaman area has hot, dry summers and mild, wetter winters, with many all-inclusive hotels here operating a seasonal calendar rather than staying open year round. These are long-term averages for the Marmaris side of the region, so treat them as a guide rather than a forecast for your specific dates.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Sea temp | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°C | 7°C | 17.5°C | Wettest and quietest month, many hotels closed for winter |
| February | 15°C | 7°C | 16.5°C | Still cool and quiet, coolest sea temperature |
| March | 18°C | 9°C | 16.5°C | Spring arriving, too cool to swim comfortably |
| April | 21°C | 12°C | 17.5°C | Warm days, hotels reopening for the season, sea still cool |
| May | 26°C | 16°C | 20°C | Reliable sunshine, sea becomes swimmable, good value shoulder month |
| June | 31°C | 20°C | 23°C | Hot and dry, peak season underway |
| July | 35°C | 23°C | 25°C | Very hot, virtually no rain, busiest and most expensive month |
| August | 34°C | 23°C | 26.5°C | Hottest sea temperature, still very busy |
| September | 31°C | 20°C | 25.5°C | Still hot, sea at its warmest, crowds ease off |
| October | 26°C | 16°C | 23.5°C | Warm, sea still swimmable, good value shoulder season |
| November | 20°C | 11°C | 20.5°C | Cooling fast, most all-inclusives closing for winter |
| December | 16°C | 9°C | 18.5°C | Wet and quiet, most hotels closed until spring |
Figures are long-term monthly averages for the Marmaris side of the Dalaman area. Fethiye and inland spots can run a degree or two cooler, especially overnight in winter.
May to October is the season most hotels here operate to, and it's when TUI's own guidance points holidaymakers towards. June to August is the hottest and busiest stretch, with temperatures regularly in the low to mid 30s and the highest prices of the year. Late April, May and September to October are the best value windows, with warm, swimmable sea, comfortable daytime heat and noticeably lower prices than peak summer. Winter is effectively out of season for a beach holiday, since the majority of all-inclusive hotels here close between roughly November and April.
This is a bigger, more varied stretch of coast than Antalya, and the area you pick shapes the holiday more than the hotel does.
The region's main hub and liveliest resort, with a big bar strip, the Dancing Fountain light show and the widest choice of boat trips and shopping. Good for groups and couples who want plenty going on after dark.
Marmaris's quieter neighbour, around ten minutes away by dolmus, with a calmer Blue Flag beachfront promenade and noticeably lower prices. A good middle ground for couples and families who still want Marmaris on their doorstep.
Home to the Blue Lagoon, one of Turkey's most photographed beaches, and Babadag mountain looming above it for tandem paragliding. Suits couples and adventure seekers, and gets busy in peak season.
A genuine working Turkish town with a real fish market and marina, rather than a purpose-built resort strip. A good base for day trips to Saklikent, the 12 Islands and Oludeniz, and for guests who want more authentic surroundings.
A laid back river town known for its Lycian rock tombs, river boat trips and mud baths, with the beach reached by a short boat or dolmus ride rather than right outside your hotel. Suits nature and history lovers over nightlife seekers.
An upmarket sailing and yachting town, the base for the classic 12 Islands gulet cruises, with a higher end resort presence than elsewhere on this coast. Suits couples wanting a quieter, more polished trip. Sarigerme, a little further south, is worth a look too for its long sandy beach and family-friendly all-inclusives.
First time in the region? Icmeler or Fethiye give you the best balance of things to do and an easier transfer. Save Dalyan or Gocek for a quieter, more grown up return trip.
Dolmus minibuses are the classic way to get around, running frequently between Marmaris, Icmeler, Turunc and the surrounding villages, with an equivalent network linking Fethiye, Oludeniz and Calis. Taxis are widely available and metered, and water taxis run along the coast from the marinas in season. For reaching quieter villages and beaches off the dolmus routes, such as Bozburun or Selimiye, car hire gives you the most flexibility.
Turkey drives on the right, and the main coastal roads linking the resort areas are generally good, if slow and winding in places given the mountainous terrain.
A shortlist of the bookable tours and activities around the Dalaman area worth having on the radar.
Four real, bookable picks across budgets, all available through TUI, Jet2holidays or easyJet holidays.
A simple, well located budget base around 100m from the beach and 700m from Marmaris's shops, bars and restaurants, with an outdoor pool and kids' pool section, an a la carte restaurant and a pool bar. The operator doesn't publish an official star rating, so treat it as a solid economy pick rather than a resort-style stay. Bookable through Jet2holidays on a bed and breakfast basis.
An all-inclusive resort just 50m from the beach and a short walk from the centre of Oludeniz, with three outdoor pools including a children's pool, three restaurants, three bars and a Turkish hammam. Trades on Oludeniz's Blue Lagoon and mountain backdrop while staying close to the action. Bookable through Jet2holidays.
A beachfront 5★ all-inclusive set in pine forest along around 600m of the Icmeler shoreline, with four outdoor pools plus indoor pools, five restaurants covering Italian, Turkish, Asian and seafood, nine bars, a proper kids' club for ages 4 to 12, a water park and evening entertainment. Bookable through TUI, Jet2holidays and easyJet holidays.
A well known, design led resort on its own private bay near Fethiye with four private beaches, two outdoor pools, three restaurants including two a la carte options, seven bars and a full spa. On a Full Board Plus basis, around 1 hour 45 from the airport. Bookable through TUI, Jet2holidays and easyJet holidays.
Hotel availability, board basis and pricing change regularly, always confirm the live details with Jake before booking.
A few of the highlights worth building a day around, beyond just the beach.
The Blue Lagoon is one of the most photographed beaches in Turkey, and Babadag mountain above it is one of the world's best known tandem paragliding spots, with pilots landing on the beach itself.
A slow boat along the Dalyan river past the Lycian rock tombs carved into the cliffs, usually combined with a mud bath and a stop at Iztuzu Turtle Beach, a nesting site for loggerhead turtles.
One of the longest and deepest canyons in Turkey, with cold, fast flowing water running between towering rock walls. Usually visited as part of a jeep safari with lunch, and a proper break from the heat in summer.
A full day out on the water calling at a string of small islands and bays around Marmaris, Icmeler or Gocek, usually with swim stops, lunch on board and unlimited soft drinks included.
Ephesus is sold as a day trip from Marmaris by local excursion agencies, but it's a long one, roughly 3 to 4 hours each way, so it suits guests based in Marmaris more than those staying in Dalyan or Gocek.
Turkey uses the Turkish Lira, so prices below are shown in pounds with the Lira equivalent alongside, based on averaged, crowd-sourced data for the Marmaris area and a rate of roughly £1 to ₺65. Lira has been volatile in recent years, so treat these as a general guide for budgeting your spending money rather than an exact price list.
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurant | £7.65 (about ₺500) |
| Draft beer, half litre, bar or restaurant | £2.30 (about ₺150) |
| Cappuccino | £2.70 (about ₺177) |
| Soft drink, 330ml | £1.35 (about ₺89) |
| Bottled water | £0.35 (about ₺23) |
| Taxi, starting fare | £0.70 (about ₺46) |
Source: crowd-sourced averages via Numbeo for Marmaris, checked at time of writing. Lira to pound conversion is approximate and will move around, and prices in Fethiye and the smaller towns can vary from these.
Most all-inclusive resorts cover food and local drinks on-site, so your spending money is mostly for boat trips, taxis and the odd meal out in town.
The essentials, at a glance.
| Currency | Turkish Lira (₺) |
| Plug type | Type C and F, two round pins, same as most of mainland Europe. UK plugs need an adapter, not a voltage converter |
| Language | Turkish, with English widely spoken in resort areas |
| Flight time from the UK | About 4 to 4.75 hours direct |
| Time difference | 2 hours ahead of the UK in summer, 3 hours ahead in UK winter |
| Driving | Right hand side, opposite to the UK |
Photos: Dilek Durgun, Nurefsan Kosar, ahmet, Seval Torun, Danilo Spano, zeynep elif ozdemir, Ozlem Kalabalikoglu, Arthur Shuraev, The Anam, Shawn Lee, Darrell Fraser, Charbel Aoun, Can Aslan, vicky hall-newman and Marijn van der Marel via Unsplash.
I can build a trip to this exact part of Turkey, or somewhere else entirely, around what you're after.
