Open to Families and All
This gulet cruise for families offers a marvellous mix of fantastic ancient sites, gorgeous landscapes and superb swimming opportunities. This newly announced trip is open to all, families and non-families alike. We head west from Göcek to Bodrum, ancient Halicarnassus, along a gorgeous and virtually undeveloped coastline.
We visit some of the greatest gems on Turkey’s southwest coast: Kaunos with its exquisite rock-cut temple tombs, and beautifully preserved Knidos, a monumental marbled city arranged around a double harbour.
As well as these celebrated monumental sites where excavations have been going on for decades, we visit ancient towns like Phoenix and Lydae, set in remote and beautiful locations, that remain completely untouched.
This cultural family tour in Turkey is a perfect combination of magnificent sites, quiet coves, wondrous walks, breathtaking vistas and glorious swims.
Our family tours are designed to be relaxing and stimulating, fascinating and fun. Like our other escorted tours they are cultural gulet cruises and led by an expert guide. Visits to ancient sites will take you and your children deep into the past. You’ll explore the world of the Greeks and Romans in colourful detail: from what they ate to how they built temples, from what their loos were like to how they were treated at the doctors. All this and more in places boasting some of their finest artistic and architectural glories.
Our gulet holidays offer plenty of opportunities for families with children to swim, kayak or snorkel in azure seas, to lie back and read as the world goes by, and to enjoy delicious home-cooked food. When we hike off into the hills, we’re almost certain to see goats, tortoises, and creepy crawlies, and while at sea there is always the chance we’ll see some dolphins!
If you’d like to know more about this family tour or if you’re interested in your own tailor-made family gulet cruise, please get in touch.
Request a brochure or to book your place, please contact our office.
Day 1: Our boat is about 30 minutes from Dalaman airport at Göcek, a pretty harbour on the Bay of Fethiye, on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. Welcome drink and dinner on board.
Day 2: We head south to the beautiful inlet of Ağlımanı and walk up an ancient track to the city of Lydae. Monumental tombs stand on the crest of a hill overlooking a forgotten valley filled with the tinkle of goat bells.
Day 3: Cruising west we take a boat through a lagoon into the reed lined Dalyan River to see the city of Kaunos. Its monumental public buildings, surrounding a silted up harbour, speak of its once great wealth and fame.
Day 4: We head inland to explore Phoenix, a wild and remote citadel city, with beautiful landscapes and grand vistas all around.
Day 5: To Loryma, a magnificent Rhodian fortress guarding a strategic bay, a glorious spot for a swim.
Day 6: West to spectacular Knidos. We explore the city that once housed the fabled first statue of a nude goddess: Praxiteles’ Aphrodite.
Day 7: A last chance to swim as we cruise north, to explore Halicarnassus, Mausolus’s great capital city, on Turkey’s south west shore. A final opportunity to shop.
Day 8: Transfer from our gulet to Bodrum airport, approximately 40 minutes away.
Arrival and Departure Information
Arrival Airport - Dalaman
Departure Airport - Bodrum (Milas)
We recommend you arrive at the gulet in Göcek (approx 30 minutes from Dalaman airport) in the late afternoon/evening on July 21st, and leave the boat in Bodrum (approx 40 minutes from Bodrum airport) first thing in the morning of July 28th. We will arrange local transfers from Dalaman airport at the start of the tour, and to Bodrum airport at the end of the trip.
Guests can board the gulet after 5pm on the first day. You are more than welcome to arrive earlier to drop off your bags, but please be aware that the crew will be busy cleaning and tidying until late afternoon making everything ready for your group.
Suggested Flights
If you are staying in or connecting via Istanbul then the easiest way to get to and from the gulet is to fly. There are a number of airlines that offer domestic flights in Turkey. Here is the recommended flight time with Turkish Airlines the national flag carrier in Turkey.
Arriving Saturday July 21
Turkish Airlines TK2558 departing Istanbul Ataturk at 17.20 arriving in Dalaman at 18.40.
Departing Saturday July 28
Turkish Airlines TK2505 departing Bodrum at 10:50 arriving Istanbul Ataturk at 12:00.
Turkish Airlines has a much larger selection of flights on these days and there are alternative flights to and from Istanbul with some of Turkey’s low cost airlines such as Atlas Jet, and Onur Air
Please note: Flights are subject to change. Please contact Turkish Airlines for exact details.
Booking Flights
The cheapest way to book flights is directly with the airline online.
If you prefer to book with a travel agent, we are happy to recommend specialists in a number of countries around the world, please contact our office for more details.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is a requirement of our booking conditions and we recommend you investigate the options thoroughly to make sure that your trip is properly covered.
In the UK we work with specialist travel insurers Milsom Howard Ltd. 22 Highfield Drive, Ickenham, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB10 8AN, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1895 234 919 • Fax: +44 (0) 1895 231 864 • Email: globetrotter@milsomhoward.com.
Our travel insurance specialist in the US is Julie Gorny, Email: juliannegorny@yahoo.com • Tel: +1 773 445 7537 • Mob: +1 773 972 8849.
Alternatively you might like to look at an online travel insurance company like World Nomads to give you a comparison in terms of price and coverage.
If you would prefer not to take out travel insurance you will need to complete a travel insurance waiver form.
Visas
Visas are easily obtained on arrival at Istanbul airport (or other local airports). A visa costs £10 for UK Nationals, $20 for USA Nationals and AUS $20 for Australian Nationals. Only US dollars and Euros are accepted at the airports and visas must be paid for in cash. Once you have arrived in the terminal, do remember to obtain your visas before queuing up for immigration control. You can get your visa in advance, before you arrive in Turkey, from any Turkish Consulate, but it entails time and an extra visa processing fee.
Istanbul
If you are planning to stay in Istanbul before or after your gulet tour we have included below links to more information and things to see and do.
Istanbul Destination Guide
Istanbul Travel Article
Custom Tours
If you are thinking of extending your trip to Turkey to include visits to Cappadocia, Ephesus, Istanbul or further afield, please contact our office for further information.
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