20 Photos Of Marmaris Old Town, A Surprising Turkish Delight

When I decided, after a lot of contemplation, to visit Marmaris for the day from Rhodes, I honestly wasn’t sure how enjoyable it was going to be. Did I really want my first experience of Turkey to be of a tacky resort town, packed with hotels and cheap tourist tat aimed towards people who couldn’t care less that they’re in one of the richest cultural countries in the world as long as they get their annual sunny holiday?

I realised that I was being a total travel snob, but equally I didn’t want it to be a waste of a day that could have been spent in Rhodes.

Disclaimer: this was part of a trip to Rhodes, which was hosted by Jet2 Holidays, however the itinerary and all content are completely my own.

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In the end, I decided to go anyway – to prove myself wrong, and to find out if there was more to Marmaris than the resorts.

Boy, am I glad I did.

I found some real surprises in Marmaris, although admittedly it took me a little while to be convinced when I first arrived. From the ferry port, I could have hopped on a bus tour, but by the sounds of it, it was one of those tours that takes you to shops and expects you to buy things and that’s the entire tour – exactly the type of thing I was trying to avoid.

Instead, I wanted to make my own judgement of Marmaris by doing it independently. I shared a taxi with another Scottish couple, and we were dropped in town next to what I guess is the high street (it’s actually not very far at all, and I walked back to the ferry later, but it got us into the town quickly and it was only about 7€). After parting ways for the day, I wandered towards the waterfront to get my bearings, a route which took me through the Grand Bazaar. I wasn’t exactly expecting anything like the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, but it was something I was looking forward to seeing.

I was greeted by a £5 shop selling knock-off designer t shirts for – you’ve guessed it – £5 (or 6€ or $7 – nothing advertised in actual Turkish lira though!). Opposite that was a shop with a simple “H And M” sign, and next to that was one with a ticker sign that read “J D Sports”. All very legitimate.

My heart sank a bit at this point, but at least I’d given it a go. (Spoiler alert – I did end up finding some gems in the bazaar, but I’ll write about that in another post!)

I reached the waterfront and found ridiculous Pirates Of The Caribbean ships akin to something you’d find in a fake Disneyland. Men called out to me to join them on a boat tour, or to go to a Turkish bath, while I avoided the construction work going on along the promenade. I reckon the prom will actually be really nice once it’s done, and there’s a beach further along which has some amazing views. Don’t get me wrong – I didn’t dislike it at this point, but I decided to take some time out and get a cup of tea in Fredonia while I got my bearings with some wifi.

Suitably caffeinated, I knew that the one thing I needed to do was visit the castle, which meant a short walk into the “old town”, something that at this point I thought nothing of.

The second I entered, the whole atmosphere changed.

The first street I walked up was gorgeous! And so was the next one. And the next one.

I reached the castle and veered off to the left instead, just to explore some more before going in. There were so many little streets to photograph!

And, thanks to the weather not being great AGAIN, it was dead quiet, which meant I wanted to make the most of it.

I loved it!

And so it was that I took far too many photos. So many, in fact, that I am literally dedicating a blog post to them!

Soon afterwards, the sun came out and the old town got busy. After visiting the castle, I grabbed some lunch, very glad that I’d got all these photos while I could!

And, of course, cats!

Honestly, if it wasn’t for this area, I wouldn’t have loved Marmaris. Instead, I’ve previously described this as one of the biggest surprises of all my travels, and I stand by that statement.

I think partly it’s down to expectations and the first hour or so living up to that. Was it because of the town itself, or was it because my mind was expecting what I was seeing, and honed in on that in an unconscious bias? Either way, nothing I’d read about had prepared me for just how pretty the old town was!

Lesson learned – don’t be a travel snob! Or as my friend at Barefoot Backpacker says, “everywhere is interesting”. A big part of why I travel is to discover that yes, everywhere has something that makes it worth visiting. (Except maybe Milton Keynes.)

I’ll be writing more about my day in Marmaris, and the logistics of getting there from Rhodes. I just wanted to share some of my favourite photos from the day, as I’d taken so many of the old town – and I especially wanted to write about what a surprise it was!

Don’t, as they say, judge a book by its cover.

In the meantime, fancy reading about some more places that really took me by surprise?
⭐ Sofia: A City Of Colour And Contrast
⭐ A Day Trip Guide: San Marino From Bologna
⭐ Sunshine, Lakes & Statues In North Macedonia
⭐ Arches National Park and a Surprising Stop In Moab
⭐ Bratislava: The Unexpectedly Pretty Capital Of Slovakia
⭐ Is Wanaka One Of The Most Picturesque Places Ever Or What?
(Genuinely did not line these up in length order deliberately, but it’s made me happy. It’s the small things, eh?)