Gulet Holidays in Turkey: Everything You Need to Know

Gulet holidays in Turkey: everything you need to know

The gulet is one of the most distinctive charter experiences available anywhere in the world — a traditional Turkish wooden vessel, crewed by a captain and cook, drifting between ancient ruins and turquoise bays on a week-long voyage that has barely changed since the 1940s. Here is everything you need to know before booking your first Blue Voyage.

The history of the Blue Voyage

The Blue Voyage (Mavi Yolculuk) was invented — or rather named and described — by Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı, a Turkish writer and intellectual known by his pen name "Fisherman of Halicarnassus." Exiled by the Turkish courts to the coastal town of Bodrum in 1925, Kabaağaçlı spent his years swimming in the Aegean, fishing from wooden boats, and writing about the coast's ancient ruins and small fishing villages. His 1939 book Mavi Yolculuk described a voyage along the coast that captured the imagination of Turkey's intellectual elite.

By the 1960s, small wooden motor-sailers were being built in Bodrum's boatyards specifically for these coastal voyages. By the 1980s, the modern charter gulet had arrived — larger, better appointed, carrying eight to twelve guests in private cabins. Today, several hundred gulets operate from Bodrum, Marmaris, Göcek and Fethiye, carrying hundreds of thousands of guests per year.

Types of gulet

Economy/Standard: 15–18m, sleeping 6–8 guests. Basic but clean cabins with en-suite shower rooms. Captain, cook and one deckhand. Simple but genuinely excellent home cooking. Prices from £2,000 per week for the whole boat.

Comfort: 18–22m, sleeping 8–10 guests. Better-appointed cabins, air conditioning, wider deck space. Slightly more attentive service. Prices from £3,500 per week.

Deluxe: 22–28m, sleeping 10–12 guests. Well-furnished cabins, good sound systems, proper dining table on deck. Chef with a stronger repertoire. Prices from £6,000 per week.

Luxury: 28–35m, sleeping 12–14 guests. Private cabin bathrooms with proper showers, air conditioning throughout, bar, sunbeds, sometimes a small plunge pool. Prices from £10,000 per week.

What's included

All gulet charters include:

• The boat and all navigation equipment
• Professional captain and deckhand
• Cook and all meals: Turkish breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon cake
• Bed linen and towels
• Snorkelling equipment
• Mooring fees in most bays (some harbour fees extra)

What's NOT included

• Alcohol: Turkish supermarkets are inexpensive. Buy your wine and beer at the first provisioning stop and keep it in the boat's refrigerator.
• Day trips ashore: Entry fees for ruins, boat trips to sea caves, etc.
• Port fees: Some marinas and town quays charge a nightly fee not covered by the charter price.
• Crew gratuity: 5–10% of the charter fee is customary and appreciated. Prepare cash.

The Classic Blue Voyage route

The definitive Blue Voyage runs between Bodrum and Fethiye over seven to fourteen days. The standard one-week itinerary (Bodrum to Göcek or vice versa) covers approximately 200 nautical miles and includes:

Day 1 — Bodrum to Datça Peninsula: Motor out of Bodrum harbour in the late morning, anchor in a quiet bay on the Datça Peninsula for lunch, continue to Cnidus anchorage for the evening.

Day 2 — Cnidus to Bozburun: The ruins of Cnidus at the tip of the peninsula reward an early morning visit. Sail south toward Bozburun, the traditional boatbuilding village.

Day 3 — Marmaris: Provisioning stop and a chance to explore the old castle and town.

Day 4 — Göcek and the 12 Islands: The finest cruising ground on the coast. Anchor in a new bay each night, swim in the morning.

Day 5 — Butterfly Valley: Approach from the sea, anchor on the beach below the cliff, swim through the waterfall.

Day 6 — Ölüdeniz: The famous Blue Lagoon — a landlocked saltwater lake with turquoise water, accessible only through a narrow channel.

Day 7 — Fethiye: The endpoint. Ancient Lycian rock tombs carved into the cliff face above the town. A final dinner at the harbour front.

Daily rhythm on a gulet

Dawn brings tea on deck, brought by the deckhand. The captain studies the day's anchorage options over his charts. At 7am, the engine starts and you motor gently to the first bay of the day. Breakfast appears on the aft deck: tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, white cheese, honey, fresh bread, boiled eggs, strong tea.

By 9am you're anchored in a turquoise bay, steps from the stern ladder, the captain swimming alongside the hull to check the anchor. The morning is for swimming, reading, occasionally helping with the lines.

Lunch is served on deck: mezze — hummus, grilled aubergine, dolma, fresh calamari — followed by grilled fish and salad. The afternoon siesta is not optional; it is a physical inevitability.

By 5pm the engine starts again for the evening anchorage, usually a small harbour town where the cook buys tomorrow's fish directly from the quayside fishermen.

Dinner on deck under the stars, the lights of the village reflected in the water. Mint tea. Sleep.

Practical tips

• Sea sickness: The open stretches between Bodrum and Datça can be rough with a southerly swell. Bring scopoderm patches.
• Tipping: Tip generously. The crew works six days a week for these voyages. 5–10% of the charter fee divided between captain and cook is appropriate.
• Clothing: Light cotton, a fleece for evening, good sandals for walking on hot decks.
• Sunrise: Set an alarm for 5:30am once. The Aegean at dawn, alone on the bow, is worth every lost minute of sleep.

Explore gulet charter holidays in Turkey on HeyBoat.