Marmaris is overwhelmingly about the water. The town itself has the Ottoman-era castle, a small bazaar, and a long marina, but the headline experiences are out on the bay — boat trips to the surrounding coves, day cruises to Cleopatra's Island, gulet charters along the coast, and the cooler, clearer water at İçmeler eight kilometres west. Inland, the pine-forested Marmaris National Park wraps the bay; further out, Dalyan, Ephesus, and Pamukkale are all doable as long day trips.