Babadag mountain’s newly opened cable car is the icon of Fethiye and Oludeniz.
It’s home to the take-off point for one of the best paragliding in the world. You can ride the cable car up and get a 360 view of the incredible landscape below. The cable car was everyone’s wish for the last few decades, and in the summer of 2021, it finally opened up.
Babadag is a part of the Taurus range that goes across southern Turkey. What makes Babadag itself so unique is that it rises directly from the beach of Oludeniz to a summit of almost 2000 meters above it.
In this blog, we will tell you all about it and our personal experience, as well as what to expect when visiting.
About the Babadag cable car in Oludeniz
We researched the top things to do in Fethiye and Oludeniz before coming here, but none of the blogs mentioned it.
As luck would have it, we saw it while passing by and decided to check it out. Later we learned it’s an entirely new thing and definitely deserves to be among the top things to do while here!
The Babadag/Oludeniz cable car takes you from Oludeniz to the top of the Babadag mountain, from where you can enjoy a fantastic 360 view of the area. It is an excellent, newly opened attraction that will just continue getting better with time.
There are a few different so-called levels of the mountain, and you can even grab something to eat or drink while enjoying the scenery.
The cable car takes you to the first stop at 1200 meters and the second at 1700 meters. From there, you can also get even higher with a chair lift. From where the chair lift stops, a path leads even higher and reaches the top of the mountain at 1900 meters.
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Things to do at the Babadag Mountain
1. Enjoy one of the restaurants
The restaurants at Babadag Mountain are a great place to grab some food or a drink while enjoying the spectacular view.
Restaurants at Babadag Mountain:
- 1200 Anatolian Restaurant
- 1700 Grill & Wine Bar
- 1800 Burger House (coming soon)
- 1900 Tapas & Taco Bar (coming soon)
Visit before the sunset for some extra magic, especially with many paragliders dotting the sky below.
TRAVEL TIP: Babadag Mountain has become quite a hotspot of Oludeniz, so if you want to get a spot for sunset in a restaurant, it might be wise to make a reservation.
> Click here to find out how to make a reservation at Babadag’s restaurants.
2. Observe paragliders
Paragliding is one of the top things to do while in Fethiye or Oludeniz, so we highly recommend you to do it here, at one of the best spots for that in the world.
However, if you don’t want to do it yourself, at least enjoy the view of the sky filled with paragliders (both solo and tandem). Here you can witness them take off above the mesmerizing scenery of Oludeniz.
The Babadag Mountain has six take-off spots on different levels and from both sides of the mountain. Although, not all of them were open yet, and not all of them are active at the same time. But whichever time of the day, there will be someone taking off.
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3. Enjoy 360 views of the area
As there are four different levels of the Babadag Cable Car, you can take in the views from all the sides and heights.
However, the best views at Babadag start at 1700 meters.
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4. Ride the chairlift
Don’t skip the chairlift that goes to 1800 meters. Although the ride takes only a few minutes as you go up just 100 meters higher, it’s a fun experience, especially if you haven’t ridden in one before.
You can find a Burger house on that level, and the trail to get to the very top of Babadag starts here. However, none of these worked when we were there, so we could only admire the views, and peaceful atmosphere as almost no one came here.
Most people stay at 1700 meters as there are the most facilities there.
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Price of Babadag’s cable car
The Babadag/Oludeniz cable car price is about $9 for a round ticket per person, and it also includes the chairlifts, of course.
Keep the ticket with you, and don’t throw it away while you’re up, as you will need it to come down (you scan it on the ticketing machines).
Note: Please check the official ticket and cable car usage rules for information about free tickets for children and discounted tickets for visitors with disabilities.
Duration of Babadag’s cable car ride
The duration of the Babadag cable car ride is 16 minutes. The ride starts on the hill just above Oludeniz and takes you to 1700 meters. While you can also stop at 1200 meters, there’s not going on there at the moment. If you go higher with the chairlift, it’s another 5 minutes.
A round-trip on the Babadag cable car ride will take you about 30-40 minutes.
Opening time of Babadag cable car
Oludeniz’s cable car to Babadag Mountain is open from 7 am until 8 pm every day.
However, check this information as this is a new touristic attraction, and it might still change a few times.
Note that some stops on Babadag may close a bit sooner. For example, the highest open point at around 1800 meters was closing at 5 pm when we visited.
Please check the table below with the latest opening times displayed on the official site.
| MONTH | 1200m | 1700m | 1800m | 1900m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JANUARY | 10:00 / 19:00 | CLOSED | CLOSED | CLOSED |
| FEBRUARY | 10:00 / 19:00 | CLOSED | CLOSED | CLOSED |
| MARCH | 10:00 / 19:00 | CLOSED | CLOSED | CLOSED |
| APRIL | 10:00 / 20:00 | CLOSED | CLOSED | CLOSED |
| MAY | 08:00 / 21:00 | CLOSED | CLOSED | CLOSED |
| JUNE | 08:00 / 21:30 | 08:00 / 21:30 | 13:00 / 19:30 | CLOSED |
| JULY | 08:00 / 21:30 | 08:00 / 21:30 | 13:00 / 19:30 | CLOSED |
| AUGUST | 08:00 / 22:00 | 08:00 / 22:00 | 13:30 / 19:30 | CLOSED |
| SEPTEMBER | 08:00 / 21:00 | 08:00 / 21:00 | 13:30 / 19:30 | CLOSED |
| OCTOBER | 08:00 / 20:00 | 08:00 / 18:00 | CLOSED | CLOSED |
| NOVEMBER | 08:00 / 19:00 | CLOSED | CLOSED | CLOSED |
| DECEMBER | 08:00 / 19:00 | CLOSED | CLOSED | CLOSED |
Things to know for visiting the Babadag cable car
Keep in mind that it’s a bit colder at the top of the Babadag mountain, especially outside the summer months, so take a jacket or something with long sleeves to keep you warm.
Before getting in, you need to pass the security similar to the airports. You walk through a metal detector, and your bags go through a separate check.
Our favorite travel clothes for these types of trips, when we need something warm but breathable, are from Unbound Merino (use code SHIPPEDAWAY for 10% off ♥).
For all the photographers and videographers out there, it’s essential to know that drones are forbidden here.
As mentioned above, you need to pass through security, and they will see it for sure. We were allowed to bring one to the top as we genuinely didn’t know about this, but we promised not to fly because it’s obviously not safe anyway with all the paragliders in the sky all around.
So we suggest against flying a drone on Babadag.
Facilities on the Babadag mountain
There are four restaurants, each on one level. The most popular ones are the 1200 Anatolian restaurant and the 1700 Grill & Wine Bar, as they offer a great view of the area, and the one at 1700 meters also of the paragliding take-off spot.
On the highest two levels, where you go with a chairlift, you can find the 1800 Burger House and, even higher up, the 1900 Tapas & Taco Bar, which will both open soon (hopefully this season).
There are free-of-charge, modern, and super-clean toilets at the 1700 meters level, and likely on other levels now as well.
There is a big parking lot a few minutes walk from the ticket office and the starting point of the Babadag cable car.
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Is the Babadag Cable Car wheelchair accessible?
The Babadag Cable Car is wheelchair accessible up to the station at 1700m, and the staff will help you out if you need any assistance.
Time needed for the cable car ride
Expect to spend at least 1 hour for a round-trip with the cable car to the top of Babadag mountain, and if you stop for a drink or a meal, it can quickly become 2 or 3 hours. It all depends on how much you will like the place. 🙂
How to get to the Babadag cable car
The Babadag cable car starts on the hill just above the town of Oludeniz, so if you’re coming from Oludeniz, just head up the road towards Fethiye for a few minutes, and from Fethiye head to Oludeniz, and it will be on the last downhill road.
So it should take only around 15 minutes to reach the Babadag cable car starting point from Fethiye by car or the local bus/taxi.
“Hey guys the dolmus from Fethiye centre to Oludeniz is signed Ovacik/Oludeniz and in the peak season the journey takes a little longer, as buses stop at many hotels and stops. I would write 30 minutes to get to the Cable Car departure station from Fethiye. Buses leave every 15 minutes in peak season. If visitors get a chance to purchase a blank Mugla Kent Card from a stationers shop in town, and top it up with credit, this discounts all dolmus bus travel during their stay. A top up machine is located at Fethiye dolmus station ( behind mosque section) and in main Otogar too. Happy travels!”
Carol Reid
Thank you, Carol Reid, for all the information about the local bus (dolmus)!
Can you hike up Babadag mountain instead?
Hiking Babadag mountain is possible in a full day, and the trail length up to Babadag’s summit is about 13km.
Thank you to our reader Tony for asking about hiking the Babadag mountain!
Here’s what we found about hiking Babadag online.
“Although no rock climbing is necessary the person who intends to do this trip must be familiar with mountain walking and be fit enough to walk a long distance on an uneven path.”.. “If you are fit, you can walk up and return in one day. To do so you must start in the morning since it’s cooler and a duration of about 9-10 hours needs to be allowed.”
Turgut Tarhan @ turguttarhan.com/hikingbabadag
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Our experience at the newly opened Babadag cable car
We enjoyed our time on the Babadag mountain, and it’s definitely worth it to check it out, as it’s the place to get the best views of the area.
And if you’re brave enough (you should be), you might as well do what others do there and go paragliding.
The only thing we disliked was the type of glass on the cable cars. It gave off a weird reflection during the sunset when the whole sky was on fire, so it was impossible to take some good photos of it at that time. But that’s just us, probably. 😁
Is the cable car to Babadag mountain on your to-do list?
If you have any questions, just let us know in the comments.
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