Nearby in Marmaris
Two peninsulas jut out from Marmaris into the sea:
- The one extending towards southwest, Bozburun Peninsula, has beautiful coves, pine covered mountains and villages. Especially interesting on this peninsula is Kızkumu (literally “Maiden’s Sand”), a sandbar that shuts the entrance of a cove almost completely. It’s located on the western shore of the peninsula, near Orhaniye village. Story has it that a young lady started to spill the sand she gathered into her skirt, while escaping foreigners on one shore of the cove, and also to meet her lover who was waiting at the opposite shore. But the sand hadn’t lasted enough for the entire gap of the cove, so when her sand ran out, in order not to be caught by the foreigners chasing her, she commited a suicide by jumping into the water. Scientists have another explanation, though. Kızkumu’s length is about 1 km, and the sand (or more like reddish finely grained pebbles) is only one ankle under the water surface all along the road, also its width is more than enough for 5 people to walk side by side, so you can easily walk on the top of it (as many other people do). Its ending point is signed by an easily-visible Ionian column, so don’t worry.
- On the other peninsula, stretching out to west, lies Datca, a pleasant town, and the ancient city of Knidos on its tip. (see Datca#See)
Akyaka about 20-25 min of driving in the north has a stony-but-beautiful beach, pine forests, and buildings that maintain a lovely local architecture.
Icmeler, Cennet Island, Gunnucek, Turunc, Kumlubuk, Turgut, Orhaniye, Hisaronu, Ciftlik, Sogut, Bozukkale, Bozburun, Gokova, and Dalyan are some of the popular coastal towns close to Marmaris.
Sedir Island (Sedir Adası) a.k.a. Cleopatra Island — north of Marmaris in the Gulf of Gökova, Sedir Island, known in ancient times as Kedreae, features an amphitheatre and some other Greek/Roman ruins shadowed by the silvery green olive trees. However, its biggest claim to fame is its Cleopatra Beach, with the golden sands virtually non-existant anywhere else in the Eastern Mediterranean, accompanied by milky turquouise waters of the cove. The legend has it that Marcus Antonius have this sand brought in from Egypt for honeymoon on the island with his lover, Cleopatra of Egypt, however experts conclude that this unique sodium bicarbonate-containing sand is actually consisting of dissolved seashells. The sands are under heavy protection and removing any quantity of sand from the beach is forbidden, so no towels or shoes are allowed in the beach and anyone entered the beach must have a shower before exiting. Sometimes bags are searched upon exiting, too. Frequent boats to island depart from the harbour near the highway north to Akyaka/Gökova/Muğla, about 10 km north of Marmaris (watch for brown Sedir Adası signpost) after crossing the mountain pass just after leaving Marmaris behind. Boats cost 10 TL pp return, and admission to the island is a further 10 TL pp. There is a small kiosk on the island with fairly priced drinks. Kiosk doesn't sell any alcohol but it's allowed to bring in from the mainland with you (as well as any other snacks and drinks). The beach closes at 7PM and it's best to visit the island in the morning, as early as possible, because the beach gets overcrowded especially after 1PM during the high season.
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The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Marmaris
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