Welcome to Bodrum & Bodrum Peninsula, Yalikavak, Gumusluk
One of Turkey’s best known resorts, a byword for lively nights and bohemian chic, its charming whitewashed buildings with their blue woodwork are set around a beautiful bay overlooking a fairytale castle
Bodrum known in ancient times as Halicarnassus, home to the famous historian Herodotus, Bodrum is the most cosmopolitan and almost certainly the best known of Turkey’s resorts.
It first became popular with artists, musicians and actors in the 1960s and ‘70s and quickly established a reputation as a bohemian party capital. Whilst nightlife is still a huge draw, these days Bodrum has re-established itself as Turkey’s capital of chic, home to boutique hotels, stylish bars and elegant eateries.
Despite its popularity, Bodrum retains a unique charm and relaxed ambience. It is exceptionally striking, its dazzling whitewashed houses draped in cascades of bright pink and purple bougainvillea. Narrow streets wind down towards the sea and the formidable Castle of St. Peter dominating the resort’s twin bays.
The town is overlooked by the remains of the ancient city of Halicarnassus, once ruled by King Mausolus, whose grand tomb or Mausoleum became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Bodrum was the birthplace of the famous Blue Cruise, the route plyed by the traditional wooden sailing boats known as gulets, and is still the yachting centre of Turkey. Take a day trip to explore the stunning coastline and myriad of rocky coves and sandy beaches nearby.
Alternatively, the smaller bays, beaches and villages of the Bodrum peninsula are easily accessible by regular dolmus services from the resort centre or by Taxi.
Yalikavak
Yalikavak is a town near Bodrum in Mugla Province, on the Aegean coast of Turkey. It is 18 kilometres (11 miles) from Bodrum, on the northern side of the Bodrum peninsula. Yalikavak is surrounded by hills providing views of the town and surrounding Aegean coastline, and there are several beaches and bays in the vicinity.[2]
The Yalikavak area has been inhabited since around the second millennium BCE.[3] Formerly the Bodrum area’s main sponge diving port,[4] Yalikavak is now a tourism hub and location for many chick boutique hotels, holiday residences. The town has a bustling centre with weekly markets (Tuesdays produce, Thursdays textiles and household items) and numerous shops and restaurants.
Gumusluk
Bodrum Gumusluk is one of the first places that come to mind in Bodrum. The small town has become a brand with its unique atmosphere, its fishermen lined up at the sea front and Gumusluk International Jazz Festival where important artists from Turkey and around the world take stage. Gumusluk is a ‘must see’ destination if you are on holiday in Bodrum. Enjoy staying in this peaceful village that is under protection as a historical archeological site.
There is more to Gümüslük than the small area near Rabbit Island, the actual village stretches further inland.
Bodrum is a peninsula and Gumusluk is on the farthest west side of the peninsula so it is not very close to Bodrum town center. There are buses that run regularly from Gumusluk to Bodrum or vice versa. It is 23 kilometers away from Bodrum. The buses go on until late at night in the summer.
Average Temperatures in Bodrum Region