Marmaris is home to the largest charter fleet in Turkey, but as an area we rank it a little behind Bodrum and Goçek for two reasons. Firstly the airport transfer is a tedious 90 minutes, as opposed to 30 minutes for the other two. Secondly, when you leave the magnificent natural harbour, you either have to turn West or East, and in neither case is it very easy to do a circular cruise. It is really a case of out and back, with turning west being slightly preferable in our opinion.
If you turn west, distances between anchorages are moderate, and it is easy to plan a great cruise that does not involve too much out and back. On the westbound itinerary is delightful
• Gerbekse Cove
• Serce,
• Kalakoy, and
• Bozburun.
If you turn east, there is the Dalyan river (very interesting excursion for sure), but then you have a long trek to the Gulf of Fethiye, and that same trek back. If you want to go that way, it's probably better to start in Goçek or Fethiye.
Despite this caution, Marmaris is a lively town with as good a bazaar as you will find anywhere along this coast, and legions of restaurants all competing for your business. Those along the seafront are always dearer than those buried in and around the bazaar, but you may feel that the price difference is worth it just to be able to watch the world go by. We particularly recommend Neighbours and Caria of the two along the front, not too far from the bridge leaving the marina. Inside the bazaar there are plenty, including one serving fine Anatolian cooking. Telling you how to find it is unfortunately beyond our powers. Bar Street is what its name implies, plus an endless succession of nightclubs playing music so loud that it can even be a bit of a nuisance at the far end of the marina.
To get to Marmaris, you need to fly to Dalaman.