Dalaman is a resort town in Lycia on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The town and surrounding district had a population of 43,036 in 2020. In tourist literature, "Dalaman" can refer to any of the resorts served by Dalaman airport, the largest being Dalyan and Marmaris west, and Fethiye east, described on their own pages. Dalaman town itself is a workaday nondescript place, but there's a beach and cluster of hotels at Sarıgerme 10 km south.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
This area is rugged, but the small Dalaman river has carved out a fertile plain, so around town is agricultural - one notable landowner was Abbas II the last Ottoman ruler of Egypt and Sudan. Dalaman town was (and remains) an insignificant market centre, until western tourism to Turkey got going from the 1970s. The flat plain was an obvious site for an airport, so this was built just south of town to open in 1981. It's been upgraded since, with the second terminal opening in 2018, and has boosted tourism along a 200 km stretch of coastline that had previously involved a long coach transfer from airports such Izmir or Antalya.
Muttas Bus 8-12 runs hourly between Dalaman town centre and Sarıgerme. Bus 8-5 runs every 15 min from Dalaman Hospital and downtown to the bus station and Ortaca village. Buses also run to Gürleyik, Köyceğiz, Menteşe and Sarsala beach.
Dalaman town is modern. The central mosque (Merkez Cami) is in traditional style but only built in 1991, and Düç Mosque west end of main street is similar. 1 "Railway Station" is really the State Farm offices, Tarım İşletmesi Müdürlüğü, but a modern myth tells that it's a station built by mistake, hundreds of km away from any railway. Abbās Ḥilmī Pāshā (1874-1944) was the last Khedive of Egypt and Sudan (the hereditary Ottoman viceroy) and owned vast tracts of farmland around Dalaman. In 1905 he supposedly commissioned a hunting lodge here plus a railway station in Alexandria, and the plans and materials got swopped. Some versions of the legend add a stretch of railway track leading nowhere.
1 Sarıgerme beach is sandy, with water sports shacks. Scuba diving here is mellow and suitable for beginners. Sarigerme Diving offer courses.
The hotels are the best bet and may serve non-residents. Dalaman town has a cluster of little eateries, no stand-out.
As with eating, hotels are the best bet. Several cafes in Dalaman town serve alcohol.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Jul, Dalaman typically sees ~35°C daytime highs and 0 rainy days.
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