Above the harbor, the old quarter of Marmaris survives as a tangle of steep, narrow lanes climbing to a small stone castle, a pocket of history that the modern resort grew up around. The fortress was rebuilt by Suleyman the Magnificent in 1522, when he gathered his fleet and army here for the campaign against Rhodes, and it now holds a modest archaeology and ethnography museum with a pretty courtyard and, from its walls, the best view over the bay, the marina and the red-tiled old houses. The whitewashed lanes below have been softened with bougainvillea, boutique guesthouses, craft shops and quiet cafes, so the old town makes a welcome contrast to the brash seafront just downhill. It is a short but steep climb up from the harbor. Allow an hour or so to tour the castle and wander the lanes, ideally in the late afternoon when the light over the bay is at its best.
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