Fethiye in 3 days: rock tombs, Ölüdeniz and the Lycian valley

Starting the day at the museum that gathers the town's story makes it easier to place the rock tombs, Lycian cities and abandoned villages you will see over the next two days. The museum began with finds collected from the surrounding area after the 1957 earthquake, and the building opened to visitors in 1987. In the archaeology hall the objects run in chronological order from the 3rd millennium BC to the end of the Byzantine period; the ethnography hall looks at the region's more recent everyday life. In a harbour town built over ancient Telmessos, it is a good introduction to the layers that lie beneath today's streets.

Carved into the sheer rock at the foot of the mountain south of the town, these tomb façades are Fethiye's most familiar sight. Three of the tombs take the form of temples; the others imitate the civil architecture of the period. One of the temple tombs is known locally as the King's Tomb; dated to the 4th century BC, it is named the Tomb of Amyntas after the inscription "Amyntas son of Hermapias" on its eastern wall. Its Ionic columned front looks like the entrance to a real temple even though it is cut from the cliff. Climb the steps to the tomb and a wide view opens over the bay and the town's rooftops.

Leave the afternoon free to rest through the hot hours, wander the market or go for a swim. In the late afternoon walk along the waterfront to the marina; watching the sun drop behind the mountains across the bay between the yacht masts is the easiest way to catch Fethiye's daily rhythm. Along the shore, piers where fishing boats tie up next to excursion boats show the town's two faces as a working harbour and a holiday resort. For dinner, see the suggestions in the food section.

Kayaköy, 8 km south of Fethiye, stands on the site of a settlement known in antiquity as Karmylassos. Written sources take its history back to the 3rd millennium BC, but nothing older than the 4th century BC has been found at the site. The stone houses, chapels and church buildings that cover the hillside today were all built in the late Ottoman period by the Greek community who lived in the village. Paths climbing between the roofless houses open a new window onto the valley at every turn. Walking the site in the cool of the morning, while the light softens the stone walls, is both comfortable and striking.

Coming down to the coast from Kayaköy, you reach Ölüdeniz's protected lagoon and long beach. The area is listed among the protected areas of the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks as the Ölüdeniz–Kıdrak Nature Park, so an entry fee is charged per person at the gate. Spend the middle of the day here swimming, resting in the shade and having lunch. The lagoon's shallow, calm water makes for easier swimming for families with children than the more exposed stretches of open sea. Paragliders drifting over the bay are part of the view; if you want to join such activities, research the operator yourself.

If you want to stretch the day out on the water, Gemiler Island is a good choice. Boats cross to it from Gemiler Bay near Kayaköy. Facing Soğuksu Bay, close to the Blue Lagoon (Symbolon), the island holds the remains of four churches, tomb buildings and a medieval settlement; some of the ruins now lie under water. It is thought to have been settled in the 5th–7th centuries and abandoned after the Arab raids of the 7th century. The site stays open into the evening, so walking among the ruins in the softer late light is a pleasure of its own.

On day three we turn inland from the coast to the valleys of Lycia. Tlos, in the Seydikemer district, sits on a level stretch at the south-western foot of the Akdağlar range, closed in on three sides by steep cliffs. Neighboured by Patara and Xanthos to the east, Kadyanda and Telmessos to the west and Pinara to the south, it is counted among the most important Lycian settlements of the Xanthos Valley. Walking among the rock tombs on the acropolis slope and the remains of the theatre and baths, you soon see how wide the valley is and why the city was built on this hill. The early morning is right both for avoiding the heat and for clear views across the valley.

A short drive from Tlos brings you to the Saklıkent canyon, which opens into the mountain like a deep cleft. Saklıkent is listed as a national park among the protected areas of the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks. Cool air moves between the high rock walls, making this one of the most refreshing stops in the region in the summer heat. Near the entrance you can sit by the water to rest and take in the mouth of the canyon. If you want to go further into the canyon, ask at the entrance about the water level and the rules in force.

If you still have the time and energy, head south to Letoon on the Fethiye–Kaş road. In the legend told by Ovid, Leto, who bore Zeus's twins Artemis and Apollo on Delos, came to the spring where the Temple of Leto now stands, at the point where the Xanthos river reaches the sea. When the local people would not let her wash her children, she turned them into frogs. Letoon's foundation rests on this myth. Hearing frogs croak in the marshy ground among the temple ruins today links the legend to the present in a curious way.