Ölüdeniz

Ölüdeniz is a beach resort in Lycia on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, famous for its "Blue Lagoon". It was a tiny place until the 1990s, then Turkish tourism was boosted by direct flights from Europe, and the upgrade of Dalaman Airport put this stretch of coast within a one hour coach transfer. It was relentlessly marketed, and the Dead Sea - Ölüdeniz - of the flat calm lagoon was re-branded as "blue lagoon", and came to mean the entire resort strip. This has sprawled inland from the beach village of Belceğiz through Hisarönü and Ovacık, and in 2022 the combined resident population was 6132.

This population burgeons during the Mediterranean hot, dry summers. Winters are mild with occasional heavy rainstorms (see Lycia climate chart) and many businesses close up.

Get in
For long-distance travel see Fethiye. International visitors usually fly into Dalaman on package holidays and are bussed straight to their hotels.

Fethiye is 17 km north of Ölüdeniz by a good-enough road. Dolmuş minibuses take 30 min, running every 5 minutes at peak times. Look for them outside Carrefour supermarket on Ölüdeniz Cd, east flank of Fethiye bus station.

Dolmuşes also run from Faralya (for Butterfly Valley), Uzunyurt and Kabak to the south. That road is slow and lumpy, and dead-ends at Kabak beach.

Ölüdeniz is not a Port of Entry into Turkey, so if you arrive in your own boat from Greek waters, you need to clear immigration and customs in Fethiye.

Get around
Dolmuşes from Fethiye run through Ovacık, Ölüdeniz main village, Hisarönü, and Belceğiz beachfront at the start of Blue Lagoon peninsula.

Belceğiz beachfront is a pedestrianised mall.

See

 * is the one in all the brochures - usually photographed from a parachute, since frankly it looks better from a distance. It's the "Ölü deniz" - dead sea - that gives the resort its name, for its flat calm waters, which in the right light are turquoise and ultramarine, but indeed dead if skies are overcast. The lagoon is a nature reserve, with public access 07:00-18:00 to the 1 km peninsula separating it from the open sea. They no longer charge a park admission fee, but expect to pay again and again for parking, beach entrance, beach chair, parasol, and very overpriced food and drink. The peninsula beach and underwater are gravel and rocks, so you need beach shoes. Since this is a nature reserve Turkish-style there's lots of strewn trash, and a cluster of hotels on the north shore. These have small artificial sand beaches but are reserved for their own guests.
 * : see separate page for this "ghost village".
 * : see also Kayaköy for this islet with Byzantine ruins.

Do

 * Paragliding launches from the summit of nearby Mt Babadağ, about 1900 m above sea level. The parachute is already open on launch, and an experienced pilot can soar along the mountain updraughts for hours before landing on the beach. Beginners take a tandem-ride, strapped in front of an instructor, for a one hour flight - you need proper trainers, not flipflops or barefoot. Operators may pick up from hotels here and in Fethiye. They include Ölüdeniz Paragliding, Rota Fethiye, Sky Fethiye, Fly Infinity, Hanuman Travel, Fethiye Tours and a dozen more.
 * Belceğiz beach is sandy and the best area for kiddy-bathing, unlike the gravel peninsula of the lagoon. Paragliders also prefer to land here.
 * Boat trips putter along the coast west towards Gemiler island or south to Faralya. You'll find half a dozen operators touting along the beach.
 * Scuba diving: Bubbles and Lykia World are the two diving centres. Blue World has closed down.
 * Hiking: the Lycian Way is a 540-km marked hiking trail. Its western terminus is Fethiye, with the first stage 9 km to the ghost village of Kayaköy then a further 5 km into Ölüdeniz. The trail continues east to Faralya (allow 5 hours) and Kabak (another 5 hours), and eventually to Antalya. The views of the sea, the mountains and the beaches are great, but there is little shade, so try to avoid the noon heat, and bring enough sunscreen and water. The sections near Ölüdeniz can easily be done by hiking one way and taking a dolmuş back, or vice versa.

Buy

 * Lots and lots of little stores, open late daily. Ölüdeniz Shopping opposite Club Hotel Meri is open 24 hours.
 * If you're passing through Fethiye, Carrefour is next to the bus station.

Eat
The two main eating strips are along Belceğiz beachfront, and through Ölüdeniz / Hisarönü. Lots and lots of places, no standout, offering trad fare: typical Turkish / East Med, pizza, and "Full English All-Day Breakfast" and pub fare like a sunny version of Blackpool.

Other cuisines are harder to come by, but there's Saffron Indian plus a handful of Chinese in Hisarönü.

Drink
Cafes and restaurants serve alcohol. There are free-standing bars along the beach and in Hisarönü, where Paddy's Irish Pub (daily 09:00-04:00) completes the resemblance to Blackpool.

Sleep
Ölüdeniz and Ovacık are cluttered with hotels, most of which have an online presence and can be found through various hotel-booking websites.

Connect
Ölüdeniz and its approach roads have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of June 2023, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next

 * Fethiye has Lycian rock tombs gazing down upon town.
 * Kayaköy is a ghost village. Its Greek population was deported in 1923, and unlike others it was not re-settled by Turks deported from Greek territory.
 * Faralya to the south is at the foot of Butterfly Valley, a scenic canyon. Kabak is further south but its canyon is easier to access.