This journey is not simply a relaxing cruise focusing on sunbathing and swimming, like most gulet holidays in Turkey — it’s a carefully curated gastronomic and cultural exploration led by expert guides. You will get involved in food preparation and see demonstrations in traditional Turkish homes, conjuring up some of the excellent Turkish dishes you’ll eat. You’ll cook with local Turkish people on land and onboard and prepare classic dishes. You’ll also visit world‑class ancient sites such as Knidos and Kaunos together with one that is little visited, Lydae. Each day blends swimming, cruising, superb food, and deep gastronomic, cultural and historical insight, creating a uniquely enriching experience.
Fitness Level
‘This cruise reminded me why I travel in the first place.’
– The Globe and Mail
‘One of the top 10 food and drink holidays in Turkey.’
– The Telegraph (UK)
Rated One of ‘The World’s Tastiest Cruises’
– The Sunday Times (UK)
So many of our guests have raved about the food served on our gulet cruises in Turkey and asked for recipes, that we decided to create a trip with an even more gastronomic flavour.
Not only will you enjoy all the usual dishes served up by the on-board cook, on this trip you will see demonstrations in small traditional restaurants and get involved in the cooking, conjuring up some of the excellent Turkish dishes you’ll eat. You’ll cook with local Turkish people and prepare regional delicacies.
This is a journey to treat your taste buds, a voyage of discovery through Turkish Mediterranean cuisine. But you won’t miss out on the wider culture. Your specialist guide is steeped in the archaeology, history and culture of Turkey as well as being a foodie with a great passion for Turkish cuisine. He will lead you on a culinary and cultural adventure through one of the least developed and most stunning areas of natural beauty in Turkey.
You’ll explore some of Turkey’s most impressive ancient sites, including monumental wonders like Kaunos with its exquisite rock-cut temple tombs, and beautifully preserved Knidos, a stunning marbled city arranged around a double harbour. You’ll also enjoy some wonderful walks in magnificent scenery and visit ancient towns like Lydae, set in remote and beautiful locations, which remain as yet completely unexcavated.
Prefer a longer tour? We have a 2-week version of this trip – A Gastronomic Gulet Cruise in Turkey: Extended Edition
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Day 1: Our boat is about 40 minutes from Bodrum airport in the harbour.
Day 2: We cruise along the Carian coast and then head inland to a rustic house surrounded by pine forest. We prepare lunch with a local village lady renowned for preparing special dishes for wedding feasts in the area. Our very first local feast!
Day 3: We head south trying some Turkish recipes which we'll later have the chance to savour. In the afternoon we reach the spectacular Greek and Roman city of Knidos, on the tip of a long and sinewy peninsula to the south of Bodrum. With a double harbour offering shelter to ships plying north and south, Knidos made its mark on Greek history and grew rich from its stunning natural position, and we’ll see the results in the grand and ordered city rising in tier upon opulent tier. Like many a classical predecessor, we’ll anchor in the eastern harbour, the heart of the ancient city rising above us. Decades of excavation have freed a beautifully planned city from the soil, allowing us to wander through its streets and along terraces festooned with temples to be met with a magnificent view across the Aegean.
Day 4: East along the Datça peninsula to the main county town, Datça. We head inland to visit a small local winery producing a range of lovely wines from vines which thrive in the region. Wine production has been at the heart of the local economy for well over 2,000 years. Knidos, the ancient city we visited yesterday, produced huge quantities of wine from vineyards stretching throughout the peninsula, transported in locally made amphorae all over the Mediterranean. We'll savour a variety of wines in a delightful setting and then head into town to have lunch at a traditional lokanta, where you'll sample a number of classic Turkish dishes. You then have some free time to wander in town before we cruise on for another wonderful swimming opportunity
Day 5: We cruise east and then head inland into the gorgeous Resadiye peninsula. We’ll see how olive oil has been produced both in the past and today in the scenic village of Bayir where an old friend has laboured to conserve and restore his grandfather’s historic mill. Just downhill, we find the main working olive oil mill in the region, family-run for other locals and small farmers. We’ll enjoy a wonderful lunch, including a very special cold-pressed extra virgin olive and traditionally-produced herb oils. We spend the night in another beautiful bay.
Day 6: We take to a flat-bottomed river boat and make our way up the reed-walled Dalyan River to a small hamlet where we cook and eat with one of the village ladies who prepares food each summer for the archaeological team that works here. We then continue to the ancient city of Kaunos, spread between two great rocky outcrops, some set with tombs cut into the rock. A theatre and opulent public buildings, a late antique church and a castle high above them all strain to gaze ever more steeply over an ancient harbour doomed by silting to pass from busy activity to sit green and silent in testimony to the city’s passing.
Day 7: We cruise east and drop anchor in the beautiful inlet of Ağlımanı and make our ascent by an ancient track. A slow and steady pace is all that is needed to crest the ridge and see monumental tombs standing nearly complete overlooking the Mediterranean Sea below. We’ve arrived at the isolated ancient settlement of Lydae, its ruins a diffusion of sculpture and inscriptions in the bowl of a valley silent but for the occasional tinkle of goat bells. We break bread and have wild sage tea with a local goatherd and see the traditional olive press where he and his family produce the most delicious olive oil. A last chance to swim then on to Göcek, a pretty harbour on the Bay of Fethiye for our final farewell dinner.
Day 8: Transfer to Dalaman airport about 30 minutes away.
I would like to book, what else do I need to know?
For information not covered below please refer to our FAQ’s or contact us directly on [email protected]
Arrival and Departure Information
Arrival Airport – Bodrum (Milas)
Departure Airport – Dalaman
Arrival Location – Bodrum Harbour (approx. 40 mins from airport)
Departure Location – Gocek Marina (approx. 30 mins from airport)
Embarkation and departure is planned for approx.17:00. 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 making everything ready for your group so you will not be able to settle into your cabin.
If your travel plans or flights do not allow you to arrive before 17:00 we recommend arriving the day before the tour starts. This would also allow time to relax, recover from any jet lag and arrive at the boat on time for embarkation and departure.
If you arrive at the gulet after 17:00, we will do our best to enable you to join the tour at a later time and place.
Please Note: Departure time is subject to change depending on weather, harbour, or other conditions.
Disembarkation is around 09:00. We will arrange local transfers on the first and last day of the tour.
Booking 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. The cheapest way to book flights is directly with the airline online.
Please note: Flights are subject to change. Please contact the airline for exact details.
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: We consider adequate travel insurance to be essential. You should ensure that you take out a suitable policy, to make sure that your trip is properly covered. Please be advised some insurers may require you to take out a policy within 15-20 days of booking your holiday to receive all of their insurance benefits.
Visas: You must check to see if you require a visa to enter Turkey. Visas are easily obtained online at eVisa and must be purchased before you travel.
Istanbul: If you are planning to stay in Istanbul before or after your gulet tour we would be happy to help with suggestions and information and things to see and do. Please get in touch.
Custom Tours: If you are thinking of extending your trip to Turkey to include visits to Cappadocia, Istanbul or further afield, please contact our office for further information.
Suggested Books: If you’d like to read about Caria in advance of the trip, do take a look at our
Carian Turkey: Book Suggestions
Tour Includes:
Full board accommodation with water, tea and coffee and wine with dinner
Airport transfers on the first and last day of the tour
Travel by private minibus
Harbour fees and crew services
All entrance fees and tips on land
The services of your expert tour leaders throughout the entire trip
WiFi (coverage permitting)
Not included:
Flights and airport taxes
Visas
Travel insurance
Gratuities on the gulet. It is customary to tip the crew at the end of a tour (we recommend a minimum of 20Euro per day per guest)
Tips for guides
What makes this trip different from other gulet holidays in Turkey?
What is life like aboard the gulet?
Your home for the week is a beautiful traditional Turkish gulet, offering comfort, character, and a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere. All cabins are en‑suite and there are generous deck spaces for dining, reading, or simply watching the coastline drift by. Meals are freshly prepared on board, featuring superb traditional Turkish dishes and local produce. The gulet travels with us along the Carian coast, so you can enjoy the pleasure of discovering ancient ruins by day and then returning to the serenity of the sea and our beautiful boat each evening.
Who leads this tour?
Your expert guides are archaeologists and historians, together with certified local guides, who are steeped in the archaeology, history and culture of Turkey as well as being foodies with a great passion for Turkish cuisine. Please click on the tour experts’ names under the tour dates to read full bios and testimonials.
Will there be opportunities to swim?
Absolutely, yes — and they are one of the great pleasures of this journey. Depending on the day’s schedule, the gulet will anchor in a quiet bay or cove in the morning or afternoon, giving you time for a refreshing swim in azure waters before or after one of the site visits on this turquoise coast. On some days, according to where we overnight, you can also choose to swim first thing in the morning before breakfast. As well as cabin towels, swimming towels are also provided, together with floats, kayaks and paddle boards ladders.
How much walking does this tour involve?
Our Gastronomic Gulet Cruise includes regular walks through archaeological sites, historic towns, and natural landscapes. Distances vary, but you can expect some uneven and broken ground, some inclines and declines on hillsides, and occasional longer site visits. The most challenging walk section is a hike of about 45 minutes up a beautiful hillside (then the return descent) to explore the ancient site of Lydae. We take everything at a measured pace, with time to pause, absorb the atmosphere, and enjoy expert commentary. Good walking shoes and a reasonable level of fitness will ensure you get the most from the experience. The tour is rated 3 out of 5 on our intensity scale, meaning it is classed as intermediate. You can find out more by visiting the fitness levels page on our website.
