Fethiye
This busy port city is an excellent base for exploring the remains of ancient Lycia in the hills that rise to the east. Fethiye was recognized in antiquity as Telmessus (not to be mixed with Termessos, near Antalya) and was the main port of Lycia from the Roman period onward. In front of the town hall is one of the finest of several tombs found throughout the city: it describes a two-story Lycian house, with reliefs of warriors on both sides of its lid.
The original small town was called Mekri and populated mainly by Greeks before the 1923 Greek-Turkish people exchange. It was renamed for Fethi Bey in 1934, a great Ottoman pilot. He was killed on the eve of the First World War when he hit in the mountains of Lebanon while attempting a historic flight that was to link all the Middle Eastern provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Today's town is quite modern, having been largely rebuilt after a 1957 earthquake. Strolling along the seafront promenade is pleasant, and scuba enthusiasts can choose between half a dozen dive boats that collect in the harbor. The harbor also has many yachts available for Blue Cruising. Fethiye is the most fun on Tuesdays when village folk flock in for the weekly market.