The Best Things to See and Do in İçmeler, Turkey
One of Turkey’s most popular holiday resorts, İçmeler is a beautiful bay surrounded by pine forests where everything from lazying on the beach to going scuba diving is part of daily life. Check out our essential tips for making the best of gorgeous İçmeler.
Explore the town
You’ll be happy to know that everything in İçmeler is easily accessible by foot and you can start exploring the town by taking a stroll down the lovely promenade overlooking the beautiful coast. Make sure to check out İçmeler’s old town with its narrow cobblestoned streets and historic grey stone houses and to get some great souvenir shopping done at one of the many shops selling specialties like homemade Turkish Delight or jewellery. If you’re a more active explorer, get some hiking done in the pine forests and mountains surrounding the bay and enjoy some of the best views imaginable.
Head to the beach
Go shopping
One of the best places to get some serious shopping done is at the colourful İçmeler local market, which is held every Wednesday. You’ll find all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as clothing and jewellery at bargain prices. Get lost among the many vendors who sell everything from fabrics and shoes to spices and even fine quality gold and silver jewellery. When you get hungry from all the haggling and shopping, make sure to try some of the street food on offer.
Day trips
Marmaris is the most popular day trip from İçmeler and the popular summer resort town can be reached via a water taxi or dolmuş (small bus), as well as by simply walking for about two hours. You can also take a boat trip to explore the beautiful coast, most notably, the loggerhead turtles at Turtle Beach or the Dalyan Delta River where the historic Lycian Rock Tombs are quite the memorable sight. Another great day trip is nearby Hierapolis, known for its waterfalls, mineral springs and ancient ruins.
For the kids
For families travelling with kids, a day trip to the Atlantis Waterpark is a great option. About a 20-minute drive from Marmaris, the park has lots of great slides for the kids to enjoy as well as a wave pool and an aqua play area for smaller children. The park’s private beach is also a great place for parents to relax while the kids frolic about.
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.
Culture Trip Spring Sale
Save up to $1,100 on our unique small-group trips! Limited spots.
