Things to Do on a Turkish Blue Cruise: Beyond Swimming and Sunbathing

The most common worry from first-time charterers is "won't I get bored on a boat for a week?" The honest answer: people are usually surprised how full the days are. A blue cruise is part beach holiday, part gentle adventure, part history trip — and the pace is entirely yours. Here's what there actually is to do between the swim stops.

At a glance — the daily menu

• In the water: swimming, snorkelling, sea kayaking, paddleboarding, the odd towable toy.
• Ashore: ancient ruins, fishing villages, hidden-cove hikes.
• From the sky: paragliding at Ölüdeniz (the world's top tandem site).
• Aboard: long lunches, sundowners, stargazing, doing very little.

In and on the water

Snorkelling & swimming

The headline activity, and the reason the water's the real destination. Most gulets carry masks and snorkels; the clear bays of the Twelve Islands and the Gökova Gulf are full of seagrass meadows, little reefs and the occasional submerged ruin to drift over.

Sea kayaking & paddleboarding

Most modern gulets carry kayaks and SUPs. They're the best way to nose into a cove too shallow for the boat, or to drift quietly over the Kekova Sunken City at first light.

Watersports

Some larger gulets and motor yachts carry towables, a wakeboard, or even a small tender for waterskiing. If active watersports matter to your group, say so when booking — it varies boat to boat. See what's included in a charter.

Ashore

Ancient ruins you reach by sea

Half the magic of the Turkish coast is the history you can only get to from the water:

• Kekova — a whole Lycian town under the sea, plus Simena castle.
• Gemiler (St Nicholas) Island — terraced Byzantine churches.
• Cleopatra Island (Cedrae) in the Gökova Gulf — amphitheatre and the famous golden-sand beach.
• Tersane Island — a Byzantine shipyard you swim ashore to explore.

Fishing villages & shore dinners

Most evenings you'll tie up near a small harbour — Üçağız, Çökertme, Kaş — for a dinner ashore of grilled fish and meze, or stay at anchor for a crew-cooked feast. The food is a highlight in its own right; see food on a Turkish gulet.

Walks & hikes

Butterfly Valley's waterfall walk, the climb to Simena castle, the terraces of Gemiler Island, or a stretch of the Lycian Way that meets the coast — there's always a short leg-stretch on offer for those who want it.

From the sky

Ölüdeniz, just west of Fethiye, sits under Babadağ — the world's most popular tandem paragliding mountain. Many charterers build in a morning flight (you launch from 1,900 m and land on the beach) as a once-in-a-trip add-on. It pairs naturally with a Fethiye-based charter.

Aboard — the art of doing little

Plenty of the holiday is, gloriously, nothing: a long lunch under the awning, an afternoon nap as the boat motors to the next bay, a sundowner on the foredeck, and — because you're anchored away from town lights — some of the best stargazing you'll ever get. Couples especially rate the quiet; see couples-suitable boats.

A day in the life

The route bends around what your group wants — more ruins, more swimming, more quiet. For how a full week strings together, see our typical-week itinerary.

FAQ

Will I get bored on a gulet for a week? Most people worry about this and then wish they'd booked longer. Between swimming, kayaking, ruins, village dinners and shore walks, the days fill themselves.

Do gulets have snorkels and kayaks? Most carry masks, snorkels and usually kayaks/SUPs. Towables and powered watersports vary by boat — check before booking.

What can I do ashore? Visit ruins, walk to waterfalls and castles, and eat in fishing villages — much of it reachable only from the sea.

Is there anything for active travellers? Plenty — paragliding at Ölüdeniz, hiking sections of the Lycian Way, sea kayaking, and diving in several spots along the coast.

What about kids? A blue cruise is brilliant for children — swimming, kayaking and beaches all week. See the gulet-with-kids guide.

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Find a gulet with the toys and route your group wants in the MaviSail directory, or start the find-charter wizard and we'll match the experience to your week.