Boating Vacation In Turkey: Never Have Boring Holidays Again Private Yacht Charter, Bare Boat Rental Direct - YachttoGO Viktoriia Sittseva
You must visit these places during your boating vacation in Turkey.
Yes, exactly “must”.
Why?
Because our goal is your unforgettable holidays.
And if you are with us on the same boat, then, raise the sails!
And keep reading, of course:)
Unfortunately, hot tour advertisements at the start of the 2000s left a wrong impression of Turkey in our minds.
A journey to this country still conjures up images of endless, identical hotels, animators, water parks, and other conveniences.
Although, this is not the case in reality.
Turkey is a stunning country!
And the best way to explore Turkey’s fantastic nature, with its cedar forests mixed with palm trees, an incredibly azure sea, tall cliffs, and the coastline is, of course, on a yacht (or another sea vessel:)).
And you can not only visit all of the interesting places, but you can also make every day an adventure.
By the way, if you don’t own any sea vessels, you can always charter a yacht or rent a boat in Turkey.
If you have never tried a boat rental or a yacht charter, we recommend you read these articles:
Boating In The Turkish Riviera For Dummies: Charter Made Easy
Rent. Charter. Love: Types of Boats in Turkey For Rent
The Mediterranean Coast Of Turkey: Why Do We Love It?
The Turkish Mediterranean coast, also known as the Turquoise Coast or the Turkish Riviera, stretches eastward from Marmaris to Antakya on the Syrian border.
In between, you will find vast expanses of unexplored coastline interspersed with lively holiday resorts, quiet fishing villages, and the ruins of ancient cities.
The south-western provinces of Turkey, between Marmaris and Kas, are home to some of the most breathtaking scenery.
The Mediterranean is a region of stunning natural beauty indeed!
And the snow-capped Taurus Mountains rise behind the seashore at various points along the coastline.
They are definitely creating an impressive backdrop for the resorts.
In fact, you can go skiing in the morning and swim in the sea in the evening if you go to Antalya in the spring.
Yes, this is Mediterranean Turkey:)
A Little About The History Of The Mediterranean Coast Of Turkey
The Mediterranean provinces are steeped in history and legend and are littered with ancient ruins.
The Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks, Crusaders, and Ottomans all left their marks on the coastline in the past centuries.
Some of the early cities as Attaleia (Antalya), Selimiye (Side), and Alexandretta (Iskenderun) were developed and are now principal ports and resorts.
Others, such as Termessos(Fethiye), Perge, and Aspendos were allowed to fall into ruin and are now among Turkey’s greatest archaeological sites.
Choosing The Right Time For The Boating Vacation In Turkey
What is the best month to go to Turkey?
A lovely, temperate climate prevails along Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.
There is almost always sunshine from April to October. And the winters are pleasantly mild, with temperatures rarely falling below 7°C.
So, July and August are ideal for sun worshipers, with temperatures reaching highs of 30°C.
But if that sounds a little too hot, try late spring or early autumn, when temperatures hover around 22°C.
Even though you can travel to the Mediterranean all year long, don’t plan on doing any serious tanning after November:)
Also, you should know that from November to March, some places are completely closed.
So plan your boating vacation in Turkey in advance.
First Stop During The Boating Vacation In Turkey: Bodrum
Bodrum, which is located on the southeast coast of the Bodrum Peninsula, is formed by two bays that are divided by the huge Castle of St. Peter.
Bodrum and its surrounding beach towns attract sun-seekers from around the world and spoil them with sophisticated hotels, a buzzing nightlife scene, and remarkably unspoiled historic sites.
Bodrum’s signature is the tiny, white soapbox homes that rise from the town and cover the slopes and mountains beyond.
Do you want to learn about Bodrum more? Check this:
Places to See in Bodrum
Bodrum: Home of the Blue Voyage
Bodrum—One Of The Turkish Sailing Centers
Numerous yachts and sailboats are moored along the waterfront. And a large jetty protects the harbor in Bodrum.
The harbor is lined with dozens of seafood restaurants and small outdoor cafés.
By the way, Bodrum is the important starting point for the Blue Voyage, a yachting cruise along the Turquoise Coast.
Downtown Bodrum, starting from the foot of the castle and winding along the narrow Dr. Alim Bey Caddesi and Cumhuriyet Caddesi, bustles with activity in summer.
These two connected streets are lined with lively bars, restaurants, tavernas, small stores, and gift shops selling carpets, leatherware, local jewelry, handmade sandals (for which the town is especially famous), and more.
And young artists display their paintings on street corners, old men peddle colorful sponges, and vendors in traditional costumes sell dondurma (ice cream).
Second Stop: Marmaris In Turkey
It’s hard to say exactly where the Aegean coast ends and the Mediterranean coast starts.
But the fishing village of Marmaris is generally thought to mark the confluence of the two seas.
Built on the shores of a sheltered bay, this popular resort lies 110 miles east of Bodrum and 110 miles west of Fethiye in the south-western corner of the country.
Marmaris is by no means a large resort.
But it is also one of the busiest yachting centers in Turkey.
Further reading:
Historic Sites to See in Marmaris
What Is Marmaris In Turkey Known For?
This big, brash resort city has two faces, and they are hard to reconcile.
From the sea, a line of hotels stretches around the northern edge of a great bay, the whole encircled by a magical necklace of pineclad mountains.
And behind those same hotels, however, the city has been overwhelmed by boxy concrete development and streets lined with a hundred similar eateries.
But for the international traveler, there is little about Marmaris that can’t be savored elsewhere in Turkey.
While the area around Marmaris is rich in history, the resort itself does not have much to offer in terms of sightseeing.
Up until the seventh century BC, the prosperous port of Marmaris, known in ancient times as Physcus, was part of the Hellenic Kingdom of Caria, and it enjoyed strong trading links with Egypt and Rhodes.
The ruins of a fifteenth-century Selar Fortress and an Ottoman Caravanserai, which now serve as museums and tourist shops, are the only remnants of the town’s past.
The most interesting part of the resort is the Old Town, which is located between the main harbor and the yacht marina, which gives you some impression of how the town looked before the tourists arrived.
A Hidden Gem Near Marmaris: Chiftlik Bay
Ciftlik is a fairly large bay, located very close to the exit from the bay of Marmaris. You only need to travel five nautical miles to get there. There are many accessible piers with excellent communication, woodlands, lovely beaches, and many top-notch restaurants serving seafood from the Mediterranean.
A word of advice: Chiftlik looks exactly to the east, where the sun will rise.
Stay here for perhaps one of the most beautiful sunrises of your life.
You are always welcome:)
A Hidden Gem On The Way From Marmaris To Gocek: Dalyan Valley
Iztuzu, a famous huge beach, is not far from the bay of Marmaris exit. Because loggerhead turtles enjoy building their nests there, it is also known as the “turtle coast.”
Immediately behind it, the Dalyan River flows into the sea. And this river was once the center of the Lycian Kingdom.
On a calm day, you can dock your boat at one of the floating pontoons or anchor it at this beach to take a trip upstream.
So Dalyan is a broad, calm river. And you will have to explore it on one of the boats with locals waiting for you right on the beach.
In addition to fantastic landscapes, there are a host of ancient ruins of stunning beauty: well-preserved amphitheaters, tombs carved into the rocks, the ruins of the ancient city of Kaunos, and much more.
Third Stop During The Boating Vacation In Turkey: Gocek
Gocek is perfect for visitors who want to sample the grandeur of the Turquoise Coast but have little time to spare. But despite its smallness, Gocek is a town of international character indeed.
This tranquil resort offers gorgeous views of the sea and mountains and easy access to the water.
Plus, you will find upmarket places to eat, sleep, and shop here.
Gocek focuses on a pleasant and calm pace of life. And it avoids the excesses of package tourism and overdevelopment.
Three marinas make it an important center for Turkey’s yachting world.
From Gocek, you can reach the natural beauties of Dalyan, the sights around Fethiye/ Oliideniz, or great Lycian sites like Tlos and Xanthos in just one hour.
Also, from Gocek it is possible to make a trip to the 12 Islands of the Gulf of Fethiye, one of the most secluded and beautiful areas on the Turquoise Coast.
Further reading:
Marinas in Göcek
A Corner of Paradise in Turkey: Göcek
Fourth Stop During The Boating Vacation In Turkey: Fethiye
Once a minor market village, Fethiye has become a thriving tourist center in recent times.
Fethiye is a yachting center for Blue Voyages into the Gulf of Fethiye, the 12 Islands, and the unforgettable region around Kekova Island, which has some of the most mysterious sunken cities and ruins in the world.
Due to an earthquake in 1958 that razed many of its greatest antiquities to the ground, Fethiye now has a modern, somewhat nondescript town center.
And all that remains from the past are some fascinating Lycian tombs and the ruins of a medieval fortress.
But in many ways, Fethiye resembles Bodrum.
It has a rich nightlife with many pubs, discotheques, and bars. Its downtown is lined with hundreds of gift shops, selling everything from carpets and leatherware to colorful T-shirts and blue glass beads to fend off the evil eye.
Further reading:
Rest&Relax Like Elon Musk: Rent Or Charter A Yacht In Fethiye
A Hidden Gem Near Fethiye: Wall Bay
The true beauty of Fethiye Bay is the natural gulfs where you can easily hide from the wind and waves.
There are so many of them that it is impossible to say which one is better.
We think, that the feelings and emotions this place gives you are more important. And the nature here is magical!
Rocks, coniferous forests, motionless transparent waters, and moorings can be seen here and there. Choose any bay and feel free to stop.
But our recommendation is Wall Bay with Adaia restaurant. And the main bonus of this bay is trekking.
Absolutely any path will lead you to the mountains, to places where you can see amazing sunsets from a height. Then, while listening to the sounds of the fire, admire the starry sky.
Look into Cleopatra’s font, where the famous Egyptian queen once loved to bathe. And admire the remains of an ancient wall that provided protection for local settlements.
Fifth Stop During The Boating Vacation In Turkey: Kalkan
Kalkan is a well-to-do harbourside town located on hills that look down on an almost perfect bay. And it is justly famous for its excellent restaurants and its small but central beach.
A thriving Greek fishing village called Kalamaki until the 1920s, Kalkan is now largely devoted to high-end tourism.
And development continues up the hills, with scores of new villas appearing each season.
But look for Kalkan’s charms in the compact old town.
Sixth Stop During The Boating Vacation In Turkey: Kas
Like most towns on the Lycian coast, Kas (pronounced somewhat like “‘cash’’) is wedged between mountains and the sea.
And it has become a popular stopover for yachts on the Blue Voyage.
Kas now has many fish restaurants by the port, lined with visiting yachts, surprisingly for such a small town. There are also a few international gourmet restaurants.
By the way, Kas has an extensive bazaar area! There you will discover numerous gift shops.
Kas was the location of the ancient city of Antiphellus. However, little of the old settlement has survived to this day.
So there are several sarcophagi around the town, including one by the port.
And an ancient amphitheater is situated on Kas’ long peninsula, a short walking distance from the town.
A short boat trip from Kas brings one to UluBurun, where a team of Turkish and American underwater archaeologists has been excavating the oldest known shipwreck since 1984.
Be sure to take a look:)
Sunken cities: Kas is also the center for boating trips to the nearby sunken cities around Kekova Island and the fishing village of Kale, famous for its necropolis of Lycian tombs.
This is a full-day trip with stopovers in numerous bays. And it takes five hours to reach KalekGy, the last destination.
Final Thoughts About The Best Locations For The Boating Vacation In Turkey
I hope that this brief overview of our favorite locations inspires you to new heights:)
And once again prove that Turkey is a great country for boating vacation.
Remember that there are no boundaries in the sea, and you are free to build a route at your discretion.
That is why boating is for everybody.
And everybody will find something special in it.
YachttoGo wishes you unforgettable holidays!
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