Marmaris; According to the historian Herodotus, there had been a castle on the site since 3000 BC. During the Hellenistic Age, Caria was invaded by Alexander the Great and the castle was besieged. The 600 inhabitants of the town realised that they had no chance against the invading army and burned their valuables in the castle before escaping to the hills with their women and children. The invaders, well aware of the strategic value of the castle, repaired the destroyed sections to house a few hundred soldiers before the main army returned home.The next important event during the history of Marmaris was almost two thousand years later, in the mid-fifteenth century, when the Ottoman Empire began to rise after the efforts of Sultan Mehmet, who succeeded in conquering and uniting under one banner the various tribes and kingdoms of Anatolia.
In 1522 Marmaris Castle was rebuilt from scratch by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, in 1979 the castle was converted into a museum. There are seven galleries, of which the largest is being used as an exhibition hall and the courtyard is decorated with seasonal flowers. Built at the same time as the castle in the bazaar, there is also a small Ottoman caravanserai built by Suleiman’s mother.

Armutalan and Icmeler are both close to Marmaris and offer varied restaurants, accommodations as well as sandy beach. Turunc Cove is one of the most beautiful small bays of the Aegean Sea. Turunc offers small pensions and otter hosting facilities. Amos is one of the largest antique cities that walking distance from Kumlubuk. Hisaronu famous with quite shallow sea and beaches are terracotta coloured. 30 kilometres form Marmaris Orhaniye is calm natural harbour for yachts to stay overnight. Turgut near to is a well-known waterfall that allows you enjoy swimming in the cool waters of the pool created by the waterfall. The Gokaova Bay is one of the most beautiful places in Turkey, and the pleasures of its coast include the antique settlement of Cedrai Sedir Island. Sedir Island also known as Cleopatra Island is a small island in the Gulf of Gokova of the coast of Ula. It has one of the most special beaches in the world which is famous for its beach made from seashells. It is said that this organic sand was brought by ships from the Red Sea especially for Cleopatra. Each grain of sand is a perfect sphere very perfect, for this reason the beach is heavily protected by the government to prevent any sand being removed from the beach.

Gulet Cruises and Boat Trips around Marmaris

The boat trips and gullet cruises generally depart Marmaris at 10:30 and return about 18:00. The boats and gulets generally cruise on the following route: Gunnecek Forest, Aktas, Adagazi, Yalincibogaz, Bedir Island, Cennet Island, Akvaryum Cove, Fosforlu Sea Cave; boats return leg starts at Kadirga Bay a visit Ciflik, Kumlubuk, and Turunc. On the return leg sunset is enjoyed along the shore of Icmeler on the approach to the yacht harbour. There are many water sport alternatives in Marmaris including underwater sports and extreme sports. Marmaris also offers adventure sports such as rafting, trekking and safaris.

Marmaris Holidays, Escorted Tours and Family Activities

From eco-friendly small boutique hotels to luxury hotels, from escorted tours to short breaks, beach holidays to family activities and from group tours, to luxury travel and private gulet cruises in Marmaris. We have a range of Holiday offers to suit all budgets and tastes in in Marmaris. Our specialist tour consultants offer the benefit of their expertise, which is based on many years of planning Marmaris holidays and travelling.