BOAT-COMPARATOR Guide
Bodrum, Göcek, Fethiye, Marmaris: Chartering a Gulet for a Turkish Blue Cruise
Four departure ports, one shared way of life aboard a wooden gulet: classic routes, the best season and budget for a blue cruise on the Turkish riviera.
The "blue cruise" (Mavi Yolculuk) is one of the most authentic ways to explore the eastern Mediterranean: a week aboard a gulet, the traditional wooden schooner built on this coast, drifting between empty coves, sheltered gulfs and fishing villages. Four Turkish ports handle most of the departures, each with its own character.
Four ports, four styles of sailing
Bodrum is the historic and liveliest gateway, with a large marina overlooked by the Castle of St Peter — the town sits on the site of ancient Halicarnassus, whose mausoleum ranked among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Göcek, tucked inside a closed gulf, packs twelve islands and dozens of anchorages within two hours' sailing — the regulars' favourite playground. Fethiye opens onto the Ölüdeniz lagoon and Butterfly Valley, while Marmaris pairs a huge marina with quick access to the Gulf of Hisarönü.
The classic week-long routes
Two loops come up again and again with gulet operators. From Göcek: Göcek–Fethiye–Marmaris, or the tighter Göcek–Kaş–Kekova–Kalkan–Fethiye–Göcek loop, which stacks up anchorages over white sand. From Bodrum: Bodrum–Datça–Marmaris, a more open line that follows the Datça peninsula before reaching the Gulf of Gökova, known for calm water sheltered from the prevailing winds.
Saturday to Saturday, almost always crewed
Like most sailboats chartered by the week, a Turkish gulet is booked Saturday to Saturday, in high season from June to September. It nearly always comes with a captain and crew included — our guide to sailing and gulets in Turkey explains how these crewed cruises work, quite different from a bareboat charter.
Budget
A gulet is generally priced like a crewed catamaran or sailboat: budget €800-1,500 a day in peak season, or €3,000-8,000 a week depending on the boat's size and cabin count. Meals prepared by the crew are often included in the package — worth confirming precisely at booking, as with any skippered charter. Some operators also offer a "cabin charter" format, letting you share a gulet with other travellers for a more affordable per-person budget.
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