Marmaris & Kızkumu

Natural Wonder / Scenery

A broad bay embraced by pine forests, a historic castle, and the legendary Kızkumu — a sandbar you walk across the middle of the sea.

One of Muğla’s largest holiday centres, Marmaris sits on the shore of a sheltered bay ringed by pine-clad mountains — a geography that gives it both a clear sea and a lush green backdrop. At the city’s heart, Marmaris Castle was rebuilt in the 16th century by Süleyman the Magnificent as a base for his Rhodes campaign and today serves as a small archaeology museum; the narrow cobbled lanes, old bazaar and marina around it are Marmaris’s most enjoyable corners.

In the Hisarönü Gulf north of Marmaris, at the village of Orhaniye, lies the region’s most astonishing natural phenomenon: Kızkumu. Thanks to a path of fine sand stretching about 600 metres out into the sea, people can walk toward the middle of the bay as if walking on water — in most places it is only knee-deep. Popular legend says this sand path was formed by a princess who poured sand into the sea to escape pirates. Scientifically a coastal spit (a tombolo-like deposit), Kızkumu offers unique photographs with its water turning gold at sunset. Marmaris is also an important departure port for blue-cruise routes toward Datça, Bozburun and Ekincik.