Marmaris, Turkey

Marmaris is a town in Turkey, along the Aegean coast in the province of Mugla. It has around 28 000 inhabitants, however the population can be up to 250,000 during the height of the tourist-season. The once-sleepy fishing village of Marmaris sits on the marvellous natural harbour where Lord Nelson organised his fleet for the attack on the French at Abukir in 1798. The setting may still be glorious but the picturesque old part of town around the harbour and castle is now all but lost in the concrete sprawl trailing off to the west. In the summer the town's population swells to around 200, 000, mostly package holiday-makers. The bazaar is full of expensive souvenirs and budget tourists, the streets are full of traffic, and the restaurant scene is based on fish and chips with beer by the gallon. But, to its credit, the town council has woken up and the harbourside promenade now boasts some handsome albeit modern stone buildings. The town also has a disarmingly liberal attitude – there aren't many other places in Turkey where a bikini-clad, tattooed tourist draining a can of beer on the main street at noon doesn't raise an eyebrow.