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Voykit pocket guide · Türkiye (Turkey)
Dalyan
Stay 2–3 nights: one day for Kaunos and the mud baths, one for Iztuzu beach by boat. Base in the centre, not on the beach road.
Dalyan is a small river town on the Lycian coast, 29 km from Dalaman airport, built around the ruined port of Kaunos and a 5 km turtle-nesting sandbar. It is a slow place: boats, mud baths, ruins and a beach you reach by water. Two nights covers it; three if you want a lake day or a lazy beach day.
- Country
- Türkiye (Turkey)
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot, crowded), and the May–Oct turtle-nesting closures on parts of Iztuzu
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- TRY
- Money
- Currency is the Turkish lira (₺, TRY). About ₺56 to €1 in late September 2026 — check; inflation was still in the double digits, so prices rise several times a year.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₺1,200–2,000 excl. bed · Mid ₺2,000–3,500 excl. bed · High ₺3,500+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Turkcell, Vodafone and Türk Telekom sell tourist SIMs at airports (passport needed); they are dearer than in town shops — check.
- Emergency
- All emergencies 112
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Standard European two-pin; UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Lokanta / simple café: Leave the coins or round up.; Sit-down restaurant: 5–10% in cash, even if the card machine does not offer a tip; check for a 'servis' charge first.; Taxi: Round up to the next ₺10–50.; Hamam: 10–15% to the attendant (tellak/natır).; Guide / driver day: €10–20 for a guide, €5–10 for a driver per day.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ₺50–100.
- Water
- Tap water is treated and chlorinated but tastes of it; locals buy bottled or 19-litre dispenser water. Restaurants charge for bottled water.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels, malls and restaurants; squat toilets (alaturka) in older mosques and bus stops. Public toilets (WC) cost ₺10–30 — carry coins or small notes. Most toilets have a bidet spray; paper goes in the bin in older buildings.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | ₺60–120 |
| Simple meal (kebab, pide, salad) | ₺200–400 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at A101 | ₺120–180 / ₺60–90 |
| Mud bath entry | ₺50 (check) |
| Kaunos ferry, foot passenger | ₺10 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ₺250–500 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DLM · Dalaman Airport
- 29 km (18 mi) east; coach transfer about 40 min, taxi or dolmuş via Ortaca18 mi (29 km) east; coach transfer about 40 min, taxi or dolmuş via Ortaca
Typical fares
- Dalaman Airport → Dalyan, coach transfer
- about 40 min (check)
- Kaunos ferry, foot passenger
- ₺10 each way, then 500 m walk (check)
- Kaunos ferry, car
- ₺50 (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The town is walkable. The Dalyan–Kaunos ferry crosses on demand; foot passengers pay a small fare and walk about 500 m to the ruins, cars pay more. Muttaş bus 8-10 runs to Iztuzu only twice a day, so use a dolmuş or a river boat instead. Buses 8-8 and 8-9 link Dalyan with Ortaca, where you change for Dalaman, Fethiye and the D400.
See and do
Known for
- Rock-cut Tombs of the Kings at Kaunos
- Iztuzu Beach and loggerhead turtles
- River boats through the delta
- Mud baths
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Iztuzu Beach | River boat from the centre, or dolmuş by road to the east end | 20–40 min |
| Turtle Sanctuary (DEKAMER) | Dolmuş or car to the east end of Iztuzu | About 30 min |
| Köyceğiz Lake | Boat upstream from Dalyan | Half day |
| Dalaman | Dolmuş to Ortaca, then bus or dolmuş | About 1 h |
| Göcek | Bus or dolmuş via Ortaca and the D400 | 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- Town centre (Atatürk Cd and Maraş Cd)
- Walk to restaurants, bars and the Kaunos ferry; buses and dolmuşes stop along Atatürk Cd, there is no bus station.
- Riverside south end (near the ferry pier)
- Hotels facing the water and the tombs; a few minutes' walk to the centre.
- North side (Gülpınar Cd)
- Quieter apartments and hotels, 10–15 min walk from the ferry.
- İztuzu road, 1 km south
- Resort-style stays with pools; you need a dolmuş, boat or car for the beach.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Merhabamer-hah-BAH |
| Thank you | Teşekkürlerteh-shek-kewr-LEHR |
| How much is it? | Ne kadar?neh kah-DAR |
| The bill, please | Hesap, lütfenheh-SAP, lewt-FEN |
| Where is the ferry? | Feribot nerede?feh-ree-BOT NEH-reh-deh |
| Can I pay by card? | Kartla ödeyebilir miyim?KART-lah ur-deh-yeh-bee-LEER mee-yim |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; 'Merhaba' (hello) or 'Selamün aleyküm' in conservative areas; cheek kisses between friends of the same sex; avoid: Offering a hand to a conservative woman first — wait for hers
- Mosques: Covered clothing, headscarf for women, shoes in hand, quiet voice; avoid: Walking in front of people praying; visiting during Friday midday prayer
- Hospitality: Accept tea or at least a sip; bring sweets or pastries to a home; avoid: Refusing food repeatedly; showing the soles of your feet
- Politics and history: Listen; let hosts raise it; avoid: Opinions on Atatürk, the Kurdish issue, Armenia or Cyprus with people you just met
- Ramadan: Eat discreetly in conservative towns during the day; avoid: Eating, drinking or smoking in front of fasting people in small towns
- Gestures: A slight upward head nod with a tut means 'no'; avoid: The OK hand sign (can be read as rude) and a thumb between fingers
- Dress in town: Shorts are fine in Istanbul and resorts; longer clothes in the interior and east; avoid: Swimwear away from the beach
- Names: First name plus Bey (men) or Hanım (women): 'Ahmet Bey'; avoid: Using the surname alone
Scams and watch-outs
- Sections of Iztuzu Beach close in the May–Oct nesting season: check locally before walking the whole strip.
- The Kaunos ferry and the ruins' access can be closed at short notice; the tombs are still visible from the modern cemetery.
- Mud baths are warm, piped water and feel touristy; agree the price before you get in.
- July and August are hot and humid; do ruins and the beach early.
- River boats and taxis quote per boat or per trip: confirm the total before boarding.
Dalyan is a small, low-crime resort town and safe for tourists. The real risks are heat in July–August, uneven ruin paths, boat and taxi prices quoted without a total, and the nesting-season closures on Iztuzu.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Dalyan yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Rock-cut Tombs of the Kings at Kaunos
- Iztuzu Beach and loggerhead turtles
- River boats through the delta
- Mud baths
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Go Türkiye — Dalyan: goturkiye.com/
- DEKAMER turtle sanctuary: www.dekamer.org.tr/
- Muttaş regional buses: ulasim.muttas.com.tr/
- Wikivoyage: Dalyan, revision 5065505 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5065505
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Dalyan
Bu adrese, lütfen
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- All emergencies112
Most embassies and consulates are in Ankara or Istanbul; the UK and Germany have consulates in Marmaris and Antalya (check).
112 works for police, fire and ambulance.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/dalyan). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.