Old Datça Population: 500
For those who wonder why Datça has almost no old buildings, Eski (Old) Datça offers the answer which is that the original settlement was about 3km inland from where most of the action is now.
For many years Eski Datça was completely abandoned. Then a few hoteliers latched onto the potential of its quiet cobbled streets and pretty stone houses draped with bougainvillea. Even the mosque here is small and boats a stumpy stone minaret that blends nicely with its surroundings.
Now Eski Datça has been well and truly discovered and boasts all sorts of hotels, pensions and apartments, many of them with a New Age vibe.
If you’re not on a yoga retreat there’s nothing much to do here other than wander the streets in admiration and perhaps browse the handful of fairly tasteful handicraft shops near the bus stop. There, too, you’ll find a teahouse where long-time Eski Datça resident and poet Can Yücel (1926-99) used to while away the hours. A half-drunk glass of wine is preserved in his memory.
Sleeping
Dede Pansiyon
The Dede (Grandfather) Pansiyon consists of a cluster of self-contained apartments, each named after a different artist, and facing onto a wonderful pool and garden.
Tel: 0252-712 3951
Yağhane Pansiyon
Nearby, the Yağhane Pansiyon is a tiny yoga retreat run by a Turkish woman who once walked, with her British husband, all the way from the UK to Turkey.
Tel: 0252-712 2287
Transport info
Regular buses from Datça to Eski Datça continue on to Reşadiye. They are hourly in winter and half-hourly in high summer.
Nearby areas
In memoriam Can Yücel
