Gulet Charter: The Complete Guide

What a gulet actually is

A gulet is a broad, wooden, motor-sailing cruiser built in the boatyards of the Turkish coast — Bodrum and Marmaris especially — and crewed for you. The sails are mostly for show and shade; a gulet runs on its engine between anchorages and moors stern-to for the night. What you are really chartering is a floating guesthouse with a captain, a cook, and a deckhand, moving at walking pace between quiet bays.

If a bareboat sailing charter is about doing it yourself, a gulet is the opposite. You do nothing but choose the next bay and when to jump in.

Cabin charter or private charter

There are two ways to book a gulet, and they suit very different people.

Cabin charter. You book one cabin, like a room in a small hotel, and share the boat with other guests. It is the cheapest way onto a gulet — often €600–€1,200 per person for a week — and a sociable one, but you follow a fixed route and share the space.

Private charter. You take the whole boat for your group. You set the itinerary within reason, eat when you like, and share with nobody. A whole gulet runs from roughly €8,000 a week for a modest boat to €40,000+ for a large, well-crewed one, before extras.

What is included

This varies, so read the offer, but a typical private gulet week includes:

• The boat, the crew, and the fuel for a normal cruising itinerary.
• Cabins with private bathrooms and daily housekeeping.
• Often half board or full board — the cook prepares meals aboard, and you pay a separate "transit log" and food/beverage kitty on top.

Marina fees on nights you come alongside, drinks, and crew gratuity (customarily 5–10%) are usually extra. Ask for the full list before booking; the headline price is rarely the final one.

The Blue Voyage

The classic gulet route is the "Blue Voyage" along Turkey's Turquoise Coast — a week drifting between Bodrum, Göcek, Fethiye and the bays in between, stopping at Roman ruins, pine-backed coves, and the odd waterside restaurant reachable only by boat. Croatia and the Greek Dodecanese also run gulets, but Turkey is the home of the boat and the best value.

Days settle into a rhythm: a short motor to the next bay, a long swim and lunch aboard, an afternoon at anchor, dinner as the light goes. Nobody is in a hurry, which is the entire point.

Who it suits

A gulet suits groups who want to be looked after rather than to sail — extended families, groups of friends, anyone who likes the idea of the sea without the work of it. It suits mixed-ability groups where not everyone wants to crew. It does not suit sailors who want to actually sail, or anyone on a strict budget booking privately.

For a first, effortless week on the Turkish coast with the cooking and navigating handled, it is one of the best things you can do on the water.