Dalyan

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Turkey, Dalyan, Iztuzu beach with Dalyan Delta

Getty Images/Westend61

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Overview

Laid-back little Dalyan may be prime package-tour fodder, but away from the main street, lined cheek-to-jowl with restaurants and bars, it retains much of its original sleepy riverside character. Once a small farming community, today the atmospheric ruins of Kaunos and the hinterland of fertile, beautiful waterways bring an armada of excursion boats from Marmaris and Fethiye during summer.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

İztuzu Beach

Dalyan

An excellent swimming beach, İztuzu (Turtle) Beach is one of the Mediterranean nesting sites of the loggerhead turtle, and special rules to protect it are…

Kings' Tombs

Dalyan

Dalyan's famous Carian rock tombs are carved into cliffs across the Dalyan River, southwest of the centre. You can get good views of the tombs by walking…

Kaunos

Dalyan

Founded in the 9th century BC, Kaunos (also spelled Caunus) was an important Carian city by 400 BC. On the border with Lycia, its culture reflected…

Sea Turtle Research, Rescue & Rehabilitation Centre

Dalyan

At the southern end of İztuzu Beach is the headquarters of this turtle rescue centre, established in 2009 largely through the influence of Englishwoman…

Sea Turtles Statue

Dalyan

Proudly proclaiming Dalyan's environmental credentials, this mother and her baby turtles swim among the circling traffic on a roundabout at the end of the…