Datça | Datça Peninsula, Marmaris, Turkey

Datça is located down the Datça Peninsula from Orhaniye and is now a lovely drive as the once scary road along the ridge of the Peninsula has now been widened and improved.

It has a busy harbour as the yachts use Datça as the nearest Turkish port when sailing between Turkey and the Greek island of Simi, so it has a relaxed cosmopolitan feel to it. It is a great place to hang out in the local cafes and bars, and watch the world sail by.

A 45 minutes drive from Datça along wonderful countryside brings you to the ancient city of Knidos, once home to a famous medical school and a statue of Aphrodite. The whole area is still being excavated, but you are free to wander around and explore the remains of the Hellenistic theatre and two Byzantine basilicas, which are among the best-preserved in Turkey.