North of Çeşme, the small harbour settlement of Dalyan is the best place to go for a fish supper with long lines of restaurants lined up all the way along an inlet to the sea. A statue of the great Ottoman admiral Turgutreis (1485-1565), after whom the small town on the Bodrum Peninsula was named, stands looking back towards the village where he spent the winter of 1525.
At the sea end of the inlet stand some fine modern villas that attest to Dalyan as a place where comfortably off locals choose to live. Further inland the houses are still pleasant enough but look as if the residents get by on lower incomes.
There are no great sights to see here although the Dalyan Cami turns out to have started life as a 19th-century church with shady porticoes on two sides – one still offers a lovely view out over local gardens. A lovely black and white pebble mosaic pavements like the one in Alacatı that are a local feature both here and around Antalya stretches out in front of the mosque. Internally there is nothing of particular interest to see.
Sleeping
Most people will probably prefer to stay in Çeşme but there are some options here too if you’d prefer to be away from some of the summer hassle.
Dalyan Residence. 0232-724 8000
Kaya Otel. 0232-724 7859
Sisus Hotel. Tel: 0232-724 0330
Transport info
Buses to Dalyan leave Çeşme otogar every 20 minutes, stopping at the main transport interchange in the town centre as well.
Admiral Turgutreis looks over Dalyan village
