Health & Insurance

Fethiye is fortunate in the field of sanitary services. There are two State Hospitals with a capacity of 200 beds. In addition there are 12 village clinics located in the centre of the town and communities. Besides these there are private hospitals such as Letoon Hospital and Lokman Hekim Esnaf Hospital, Likya Health Services, all possessing adequate technical equipment and capacity. Private institutions have contracts drawn up with insurance firms abroad whereby they fulfil the legal formalities in connection with services rendered to patients within the scope of the their insurance policies.

Mobile Phone (GSM)

At present there are 3 Mobile Telephone networks in Turkey. You can obtain a pre-paid line from any of these for cheaper calls especially within Turkey, also benefiting from GPRS and WAP facilities. For a prepaid line, it is enough to submit your identity card or your passport.

Food & Beverages

All kinds of vegetables and fruit are grown in the fertile soil of Fethiye and therefore you can find all the delectable dishes of the Turkish cuisine. There are numerous restaurants in the centre of the town and in Ölüdeniz, Çalis and Göcek, serving sea food, kebab, spit k ebab, hors d'oeuvres, pastries and vegetarian menus. If you wish to have a different lunch or dinner, you can cook your own meat on a brazier, while enjoying the outstanding panorama of Kaya Köyü, feast on trouts at Yakapark and around Saklikent, buy your fish or meat from the market place and have it cooked at the small restaurants, or have a taste of the pancakes, filled with herbs typical to the region.

For entertainment during the night, you will find bars with a different atmosphere in Ölüdeniz, Hisarönü, Çaliþ, Göcek, Paspatur and around the Marina. If you wish to go to these later, you can sit at one of the cafes along the seashore and sip your Turkish coffee while watching the fishermen repairing their nets.

Market Place & Shopping

Bazaars

The covered market place at the centre of the town, renovated recently while preserving its traditional architectural features, is one of the most interesting and colourful spots of Fethiye. The covered market place has two sections, with shops in the first section and open stands in the second section. All kinds of herbs, herbal teas, medicinal plants, fresh fruit and vegetables are sold here. In the second section is also known as the fish market. You can buy fish and meat from fishermen's stands, butchers and sellers of dairy products.

  While shopping at the Covered Bazaar, you can stop for a meal at the small restaurants in the Fish Market. There you can buy your fish from the Fish Market and the restaurants will cook it for you at a reasonable price, serving it with salad and other foods. The Covered Bazaar is open every day of the week.

The traditional open markets in Fethiye are set up in town on Tuesdays and Fridays and at Günlükbaþi on Sundays. You can shop at smaller open markets which are set up in other districts on various days of the week. At these markets, villagers offer their own fresh fruit, vegetables and other greenery, and dairy products such as milk, yoghurt and cheese for sale. Another feature of the bazaars on Tuesdays and Sundays is that there are stands for textiles. At these stands you can get various clothes, locally woven cloths and handcrafts. For shopping at the market places, payment in cash is preferred rather than the use of credit cards.

Paspatur

Paspatur, known as the Old City, is one of the most colourful shopping and entertainment centre of the town. There are 7 entrances two of which are on the main streets. It displays an extraordinary panorama for those camera-addicts with its restaurants, old buildings under protection, streets, bath, mosque, cafeterias on the sidewalks and bars. Paspatur means "water channel -trench", named after the irrigation system built for the town in the past. A popular belief about Paspatur is that "those who take a drink of the waters of Paspatur, will come to Fethiye again..."

At the Paspatur Market, shops are open until very late at night, selling all kinds of goods ranging from traditional handcrafts to souvenirs. Some shops are open also during the winter months.

Festivals & Public Holidays

National and religious holidays in Turkey are the periods when schools, some bureau, banks and government offices are closed. The religious holidays are observed by traditional rules. Care is taken to display attitudes strengthening the friendship and peace among the people, contributing to mutual respect and love. There are 2 religious holidays in Turkey:Ramadan and Sacrificial Bayram.

Ramadan Bayram: On the basis of the Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated every year 10 days before the date of the previous year at the end of the fasting month, Ramazan, for 3 days. It is also called Þeker (Sugar) Bayram. The main traditional feature of this period is sweets and holiday.

Kurban Bayram : It is celebrated 2 months and 10 days after Þeker Bayramı. The main traditional feature of 4 days period is sacrificing the animals and holiday.

23 April - National Sovereignty and Children's Day

19 May - Ataturk's Commemoration and Youth & Sports Day

30 August - Victory Day

29 October - Republic Day