Eski Datça (Old Datça)

As the name suggests, Eski Datça (Old Datça) was one of the peninsula's lived-in villages long before the harbour town grew up on the coast. About 3 km inland, it has kept much of its old fabric of thick-walled stone houses and narrow lanes. Many houses that once stood close to abandoned have been restored in recent decades, and the village has come back to life. Leave the car at the edge and walk in, and the town below feels much further away than it is.

The lanes are cobbled, bougainvillea spills over the stone walls and doorsteps are crowded with potted plants. Most houses are built of local stone, one or two storeys high, with wooden doors and window frames, and many have an almond or fig tree in the courtyard. Some of the restored houses now hold small hotels, cafés and galleries selling crafts, jewellery or paintings, yet this is still a neighbourhood where people live.

The poet and translator Can Yücel spent the last years of his life in Datça, which made Eski Datça a familiar name among Turkish book lovers. His memory is still closely tied to these lanes and is part of the village's quiet, slightly bohemian feel. Some cafés and shops open only in season, and in winter the village is much quieter. Sitting in a café and watching people pass between the stone walls is one of the best ways to take it in.

Eski Datça is small, and an hour or two is enough, but it rewards an unhurried pace. Summer evenings bring more people into the lanes; for a quieter wander, come in spring or autumn, or in the morning. You can walk on to the peaceful lanes of Reşadiye just to the north, then head down to the harbour in the late afternoon. The Datça sections of the Carian Trail also start in Eski Datça; following the waymarks for a short stretch is a good way to see the olive groves and hillsides around the village.