The Best Gulet Charter Routes in Turkey: 7-Day Itineraries Compared (2026)

Turkey's south-western coast is divided by sailors into five charter sub-regions, west to east: Bodrum/Gökova, Datça/Hisarönü, Göcek/Twelve Islands, Fethiye/Western Lycia, and Kaş/Kekova. Each has its own weather pattern, anchorage style, vibe, and ideal traveller. This guide compares all five with realistic 7-day itineraries so you can pick the right one before you talk to a captain.

At a glance

1. Bodrum & Gökova — the original

This is where the Blue Cruise began. You start from Bodrum marina, sail into the Gulf of Gökova (a long, narrow gulf that's wind-protected on three sides), and bay-hop along its south shore — the calm, undeveloped side. On the return leg you swing past the Bodrum peninsula's lively north coast for one or two nights of restaurants and live music.

Suits: First-time charterers, mixed groups who want a balance of nature and nightlife, anyone flying into BJV.

Sample 7 days, Bodrum to Bodrum:

• Day 1: Embark Bodrum 16:00. Short hop to Karaada or Çökertme.
• Day 2: Çökertme → Sedir Island (Cleopatra's Beach, with white sand Mark Antony reportedly imported for the queen).
• Day 3: Sedir → English Harbour (Değirmenbükü) — pine-ringed, glassy.
• Day 4: English Harbour → Yedi Adaları (Seven Islands) — best snorkelling of the gulf.
• Day 5: Yedi Adaları → Akbük — fish-restaurant village stop.
• Day 6: Akbük → Bodrum peninsula north (Türkbükü or Gümüşlük).
• Day 7: Disembark Bodrum 09:00.

Skip if you want maximum solitude in August — the gulf gets busy.

2. Datça & Hisarönü — for the snorkeller

The Datça peninsula juts west from the Turkish mainland toward the Greek islands of Symi and Kos. Its south side opens to the Gulf of Hisarönü — one of the cleanest, clearest stretches of water in the eastern Mediterranean, with low boat traffic and bays still backed by uninterrupted pine forest. This route trades nightlife for absolute peace.

Suits: Couples on a quiet honeymoon, snorkellers, anyone who has done the Bodrum route once and wants the next level of calm.

Sample 7 days, Bodrum to Marmaris:

• Day 1: Embark Bodrum. Sail south to Knidos — ancient harbour at the peninsula's tip.
• Day 2: Knidos → Palamutbükü — pebble beach, perfect grilled-fish village.
• Day 3: Palamutbükü → Bençik Bay — a deep narrow inlet, eerily quiet.
• Day 4: Bençik → Selimiye — small village with a handful of waterfront restaurants.
• Day 5: Selimiye → Bozburun — boat-building village, slower pace.
• Day 6: Bozburun → Loryma (Bozukkale) — Hellenistic fortress overlooking the bay.
• Day 7: Loryma → Marmaris disembark.

Skip if you want lively villages every night — Datça's joy is its emptiness.

3. Göcek & the Twelve Islands — for families

A protected bay system inside the Göcek-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area. The Twelve Islands aren't really twelve and aren't really islands; they're a constellation of small islets and bays with calm, warm water and almost zero swell. Anchorages are minutes apart, so a captain can move the boat between morning swim and lunch.

Suits: Families with young children, anyone seasick-prone, first-timers with anyone who's nervous about open water.

Sample 7 days, Göcek to Göcek (or to Fethiye):

• Day 1: Embark Göcek 16:00. Hop to Yassıca Adalar — flat sandbar bays for swimming straight off the beach.
• Day 2: Yassıca → Tersane Island — ruined Greek shipyard, swimming through stone arches.
• Day 3: Tersane → Domuz Adası — pine-fringed, swim-up coves.
• Day 4: Domuz → Sarsala Bay — long crescent, completely calm.
• Day 5: Sarsala → Wall Bay (Manastır) — Byzantine ruins behind the beach.
• Day 6: Wall Bay → Gemiler Island (St Nicholas) — historic Christian pilgrimage site.
• Day 7: Gemiler → Göcek or Fethiye disembark.

Skip if you want active sailing days — distances here are tiny and the boat doesn't really "sail."

4. Fethiye–Ölüdeniz–Western Lycia — for the active

This is the route for travellers who want their charter to feel like a real coastal voyage rather than a string of anchorages. You'll cover more ground, see bigger landscapes (Butterfly Valley, the Blue Lagoon, the cliffs above Kabak), and have the option to step ashore and hike sections of the Lycian Way.

Suits: Active couples and groups of friends who'll swap a snorkel session for a half-day hike. Photographers — the light here is the most dramatic on the whole coast.

Sample 7 days, Fethiye to Fethiye:

• Day 1: Embark Fethiye. Hop to Kuleli Bay or Boynuzbükü.
• Day 2: → Butterfly Valley — moor up, swim ashore, hike up to the waterfall.
• Day 3: → Kabak — cliff-backed beach below the village of the same name; option to hike up to Kabak village.
• Day 4: → Gemiler Island — Christian ruins, sunset swim.
• Day 5: → Ölüdeniz (the Blue Lagoon) — paragliders overhead, the most photographed beach in Turkey.
• Day 6: → Soğuksu or Boncuklu — quiet last-night bays.
• Day 7: → Fethiye disembark.

Skip if you have small children or anyone who needs flat water — this coast is more open and afternoon meltem builds.

5. Kaş & Kekova — for the history-lover

The eastern end of the charter coast, around the towns of Kaş and Kalkan, is the quietest stretch. The signature site is Kekova: an entire Lycian city slowly slid into the sea after an earthquake in the 2nd century AD, visible just below the surface as you swim above the foundations. Anchorages are wider, settlements rarer, and the water has the deepest blue on the whole route.

Suits: Travellers who've already done Bodrum or Göcek and want something different. History readers, divers, anyone who likes a route that stops at three or four small towns rather than one big city.

Sample 7 days, Fethiye to Antalya (or reverse):

• Day 1: Embark Fethiye. Sail east to Kalkan harbour.
• Day 2: Kalkan → Kaş — pretty Lycian-era town, lively quay.
• Day 3: Kaş → Kekova — moor over the sunken city.
• Day 4: Kekova → Üçağız — fishing village with Lycian rock tombs visible from the boat.
• Day 5: Üçağız → Gökkaya — quiet pine-shaded anchorage.
• Day 6: Gökkaya → Adrasan — long beach for a final swim.
• Day 7: Adrasan → Kemer/Antalya disembark.

Skip if you want a "classic" gulet route — Kaş–Kekova is the modern boutique end of the market and prices reflect that.

How to actually choose

If you only do one of these in your life, do Bodrum & Gökova — it is the prototype and you'll know what you missed from anywhere else.

If you want family-proof calm, the answer is Göcek & the Twelve Islands without further debate.

If you want the trip your friends haven't done, Datça & Hisarönü. For active travellers who'd hike if the boat let them off, the Fethiye–Lycia route. For history, Kaş–Kekova.

The other variable is airport: Bodrum-Milas (BJV) for routes 1 and 2; Dalaman (DLM) for routes 3 and 4; Antalya (AYT) at the eastern end of route 5. A captain happy to do a one-way charter (Bodrum to Marmaris, Fethiye to Antalya) opens up combinations that aren't possible on a round-trip — and many will, for a modest delivery fee. Just ask.

Once you've picked a region, browse the MaviSail vessel directory filtered by your home port to see what's available on your dates.