Ölüdeniz

Ölüdeniz, Turkey

Sunrise light falling on the turquoise waters of the Blue Lagoon and the limestone slopes of Mount Babadağ.

A turquoise lagoon below a limestone mountain, where paragliders float down onto the sand on Turkey's Aegean-Mediterranean coast.

The place

Ölüdeniz is a beach resort in the municipality of Fethiye, in Muğla Province on Turkey's southwestern coast. It sits on the Turkish Riviera, where the Aegean and Mediterranean meet, roughly 14 km south of Fethiye and in the shadow of Mount Babadağ. The name means 'dead sea' in Turkish, a nod to the water's stillness, which stays flat even when the wind is up elsewhere on the coast. The official English name is Blue Lagoon.

The lagoon is a sheltered inlet behind a narrow sandy spit, and the water shifts between turquoise and deep blue depending on the light and the depth. The beach on the open side is pebbly rather than sandy, which surprises people who expect powder. The lagoon is a nature reserve and building there is prohibited, so the shoreline still looks largely natural despite the hotels clustered behind it. The beach holds Blue Flag status.

At heart Ölüdeniz is a holiday town built around its views and outdoor activity. Hotels, pensions and eateries line the roads through Hisarönü and along the Belceğiz strip, and boat engines and music carry through the day. In July and August it is full, hot and expensive for lunch and parasol hire. In spring and autumn it feels more like a village with a beach than a resort.

Its story

The land around Ölüdeniz has been settled for a very long time. The wider Fethiye region is dotted with Lycian rock tombs cut into cliffs, and they still look down over the town today. Lycian culture left its mark on the coast long before the Roman period, and the old trail network of the region later became the basis for the modern Lycian Way, a long marked walking route that runs along the mountains and coves.

The modern resort is much newer. For most of its history the bay was a quiet fishing and farming area, reached by rough tracks. Roads improved and the sheltered water drew holidaymakers, so cafés, guesthouses and then larger hotels spread out from the lagoon. Boat trips and the paragliding launches from Mount Babadağ became the core of the local economy, and the resort grew around them.

A short drive away, the ghost village of Kayaköy tells a sadder story. Its Greek population was deported in 1923, and the village was never resettled in the way many others were. Its empty stone houses and churches remain, and they give the wider area a sense of history that the beach itself does not.

What to see

Culture

Ölüdeniz is a Muslim-majority town where the rhythm of daily life is set by the sea and the tourist season. The hotels and beach bars are geared to visitors, but the wider area still follows Turkish customs. In the villages and small restaurants, people greet each other warmly and expect courtesy in return. Tipping is customary in restaurants and for boat crews, and rounding up a bill is the normal, polite gesture. Music at the bars often runs late into the evening, and in the quieter residential streets it is considerate to lower your voice after dark. The lagoon is a protected nature reserve, so keep to the paths, take your rubbish home, and do not disturb the dunes or pebble banks. Stick to the marked areas on the lagoon and leave the sea and the shoreline as you found them.

What to wear

Ölüdeniz is a modern holiday town, so you will see very little traditional dress here. Turkish village costume varies by region, and the wider Muğla area has long traditions of loose, gathered trousers worn with a sash, and headscarves for older women. The clothes were made from cotton and wool, often hand-woven or hand-knitted, and worn for work in the fields and at festivals. You will find these garments in local museums, craft shops and some festival displays rather than on the beach.

What people wear now is mostly ordinary summer clothing. In the resort and on the beach, swimwear, shorts and sandals are everywhere, and few people mind what you wear there. In the villages, the towns and the old quarters, people dress more modestly, and women often cover their shoulders and knees. Locals wear light cotton and linen in summer, and jeans or leggings in the cooler months.

For a visit, dress for heat and for rough ground. Light, loose cotton or linen keeps you cool in summer, and a light layer helps in the evenings and on the boat. Cover your shoulders and knees when you visit a mosque, a village or a town centre. Wear closed shoes or sturdy sandals with grip, because the lagoon's pebbles and the paths of Kayaköy are hard on bare feet.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. April to early June and late September to October. The climate is Mediterranean, warm all year, and the sea is pleasant from late spring. In summer temperatures often pass 35 °C (95 °F), and July and August are the busiest and most expensive months.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. Dalaman is the usual airport, and many visitors arrive there on package holidays. From Dalaman, reach Fethiye by taxi or bus, then take a dolmuş minibus from outside the Carrefour supermarket on Ölüdeniz Caddesi, east of Fethiye bus station. The dolmuş takes about 30 minutes and runs every five minutes at peak times.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources