Private yacht charter in Bodrum
Bodrum sits on the south shore of its peninsula, on Turkey's Aegean coast. Its landmark is the Castle of St Peter, begun by the Knights of St John in the early 15th century and now home to the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology, and its boat is the gulet: the Bodrum gulet, a wooden hull with a clipper stem and a rounded stern, is the boat of the Blue Voyage along this coast. A Bodrum yacht charter looks south-east into the Gulf of Gökova, south to the Datça peninsula, and west to the Greek island of Kos.
The distances are short: Knidos, at the western end of the Datça peninsula, and Çökertme, in the Gulf of Gökova, are each about 20 nautical miles from Bodrum.
The Turkish Aegean from the water
The Bodrum peninsula. Yalıkavak, on the north-west of the peninsula, is the superyacht marina, with Turgutreis to the west and Milta Bodrum Marina in the town. Kara Ada, just off Bodrum, makes a last anchorage before the return.
The Gulf of Gökova. A special environmental protection area since 1988, with six no-fishing zones declared in 2010, and home to Mediterranean monk seals and sandbar sharks. In Boncuk Bay, a sandbar shark nursery, fishing and diving are banned. Sedir Island, or Cleopatra's Island, is an archaeological site with an entry ticket, where swimming is allowed but the famous sand is roped off.
Knidos and the Datça peninsula. Knidos was an ancient city at the western end of the peninsula, with two harbours and the remains of a theatre and temples; Praxiteles made his Aphrodite of Knidos for it. Datça, 20 miles east, is a harbour town known for its fish, honey and almonds.
The Hisarönü gulf and Loryma. South of the Datça peninsula, a gulf of many bays and safe moorings, and beyond it the castle of Loryma, a walk up from the anchorage.
Kos and Symi. The Greek islands across the water. A visit means exit stamps on leaving Turkey and passport formalities on return, and whether a given yacht can enter Greek waters depends on its flag and licence. The Greek side is covered on our Rhodes yacht charter page.
A week from Bodrum
A loop through the Gulf of Gökova runs from Bodrum to Çökertme, Mersincik, Datça, Knidos and Kara Ada, in passages of a few hours. A one-way week continues from Datça across the Hisarönü gulf to Loryma, Ekincik and Dalyan, where Iztuzu Beach is a nesting ground for loggerhead turtles, and ends in Göcek.
When to go
The season runs from May to October. June and September are calmer, and July and August are the peak months, when the meltemi, the north wind of the Aegean summer, blows at its strongest and routes favour the sheltered bays. The Kurban Bayramı holiday, whose dates move each year, fills the airport, and in October the Bodrum Cup brings the gulets together for a regatta at the end of the charter season.
Marinas and arrival
Milas-Bodrum Airport is about 36 kilometres from the town and 50 to 60 minutes by road from Yalıkavak. It has a general aviation terminal for private aircraft. Yalıkavak Marina takes yachts up to 140 metres, with port-of-entry status, a helipad and duty-free fuel. Milta Bodrum Marina takes yachts from small boats to superyachts, and D-Marin Turgutreis completes the choice.
Yachts and what a week costs
The fleet runs from gulets, with their spacious cabins and wide decks, to motor yachts and superyachts. A gulet suits a slow week in the bays, a motor yacht a wider range. Charter in Turkish waters follows Turkish cabotage rules: foreign-flagged commercial yachts over 39 metres need a permit from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and pay a contribution set by length, so each yacht's flag and licence are checked before anything is committed.
As a Mediterranean guide, a 20 to 30 metre motor yacht runs from around EUR 30,000 to EUR 80,000 a week before running costs, a 30 to 45 metre yacht from around EUR 80,000 to EUR 250,000, and yachts above 50 metres from around EUR 250,000, quoted individually. Sailing yachts usually sit below motor yachts of the same length. The Advance Provisioning Allowance is typically 25 to 35 percent of the base rate, and gratuity customarily 5 to 15 percent. The applicable tax for the cruising area is set out before anything is signed. What a yacht charter costs explains each line.
How a Bodrum charter is arranged
The first choice is the yacht, gulet or motor yacht, and the second the direction: Gökova and Datça, or south-east to Göcek. We shortlist the yachts that suit your group, check each one's status in Turkish waters, and plan any crossing to the Greek islands. Our guide to choosing the right charter yacht sets out the trade-offs, and the Turkey page covers the rest of the coast.
Tell us your dates, the size of your group and what you have in mind, and we will come back with a shortlist. Start the conversation.
