Icmeler

Icmeler lies 8 km southwest of Marmaris, at the closed western end of Marmaris Bay in Mugla province, with pine-covered mountains rising directly behind the seafront. It was a farming village known for its spring water before tourism arrived, and it still works as the quieter half of the Marmaris resort strip: the same warm sea and long sandy beach, less traffic and less noise. Offshore to the west, Yildiz Island marks one of the best-known dive sites on this coast.

Icmeler Beach

The beach runs the length of the town, a wide band of sand and fine shingle backed by hotels and a pedestrian promenade. The water shelves gently and stays shallow well out from shore, which is the main reason families with small children choose Icmeler over Marmaris. Showers, changing cabins and toilets are on the front, and much of the lounger and umbrella space along the public stretch is free to use.

Cafés, pubs and takeaways line the beachfront path, and the promenade itself gets used for early-morning runs and late walks once the heat drops. By day the sand fills with swimmers, sunbathers and water-sports operators; after dark the lit promenade stays busy well into the evening.

The bay is well sheltered by the headlands at either end, and many gulet cruises from Marmaris call in here before heading south towards Turunc and the Bozburun peninsula.

Walking, Off-Road and Canyon Trips

• Marked tracks climb from the back of the village into the pine forest on the mountain behind Icmeler, opening out to views over the whole bay.
• Jeep safaris and quad-bike tours follow the forest roads in the hills above the town — the standard half-day excursion sold along the seafront.
• Icmeler canyon, inland from the resort, is a narrow gorge of rock walls, small waterfalls and cold pools, run as a guided trip with scrambling, abseiling and swimming.
• The dolphinarium on the seafront between Marmaris and Icmeler, open since 2012, runs watching, meeting and swimming sessions with bottlenose dolphins.

Shopping

Prices in Icmeler are generally lower than in Marmaris, and the main street through the centre carries most of the shops: beachwear and clothing, holiday basics, souvenirs and jewellery, much of it made to order. The narrow side lanes, still cobbled in places and lined with grey stone houses, hold smaller boutiques, Turkish delight shops and craft workshops.

The weekly market is held every Wednesday. It is the cheapest place in town for fruit and vegetables, and the stalls also sell clothing, textiles and customisable jewellery.

Nightlife

Icmeler's nightlife is smaller and calmer than Marmaris Bar Street, and most of it sits either on the beach or just behind it. Tiki Beach and Scotia Bar are the best-known beachfront venues, open late with tables out on the sand. Ambience Nightclub and Club Ace are the main dance venues, with resident and guest DJs, live shows and late closing.

Away from the clubs, a good number of restaurants and bars run live music, dance acts and themed nights through the season, and cocktail lists are long and cheap by resort standards. Dining runs from Turkish grills and meze to the full range of international menus the resort trade expects.

Day Trips from Icmeler

Pamukkale and Hierapolis — the white travertine terraces and the ruined Roman spa city above them, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. It is a long day out: roughly three to four hours inland each way.

Fethiye — Saklikent Gorge, an 18 km canyon entered on a boardwalk and then on foot through cold water, and the Blue Lagoon at Oludeniz, about two and a half hours east along the coast road.

Dalyan — Iztuzu Beach, a protected loggerhead turtle nesting site, the riverside mud baths, and a boat trip up the Dalyan channel past the rock-cut tombs of ancient Kaunos carved into the cliff face.

Atlantis Waterpark — the waterpark on the Marmaris side, with slides, pools and shallow play areas, an easy half-day for families staying in Icmeler.

Closer to home, the villages in the hills behind the resort are the simplest way to see how this stretch of coast worked before tourism: village kitchens, weekly markets and small-scale farming a few kilometres from the beach.