This journey is not simply a relaxing cruise focusing on sunbathing and swimming, like most gulet holidays in Turkey — it’s a carefully curated archaeological and cultural exploration led by expert guides. You’ll visit world‑class ancient sites such as Xanthos and Patara together with sites that are far from the usual tourist routes and little visited such as Teimiussa. Each day blends swimming, cruising, superb food, and deep historical insight, creating a uniquely enriching experience.
This cultural tour and gulet cruise in Turkey explores a magnificent stretch of coastline behind which developed an extraordinary culture and a fiercely independent people – the Lycians.
Travelling aboard a beautiful Turkish gulet there are plenty of opportunities to swim in the crystal waters of the turquoise coast. Mooring in secluded bays, we set out on foot to walk on paths lined with wild herbs, or stroll through olive groves strewn with rock cut tombs.
Once a day we visit one of the ancient cities that adorn this timeless coast. Highlights include Xanthos, the great capital of ancient Lycia, whose great treasures caused an extraordinary stir when they were brought to the British Museum; and Gemiler, where a small town clings to the slopes of a rocky island. It blossomed for just a couple of centuries in Byzantine times, decked out with houses and resplendent with a processional way and five churches.
We also have the opportunity to see Patara where archaeologists are uncovering a massive and monumental site, birthplace of St. Nicholas (Santa Claus), besieged by Brutus (the murderer of Julius Caesar) and visited by St. Paul.
Prefer a longer tour? We have a 2-week version of this very trip – Cruising the Lycian Shore.
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Day 1: Our gulet is 30 minutes from Dalaman airport, at the charming marina village of Göcek, overlooked by the steep mountains at the head of the Bay of Fethiye, on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. From its sparkling ultramarine waters, we’ll look out at a story-book bay filled with islands, and enjoy our welcome dinner on board.
Day 2: The journey out of the bay is a thing of beauty in itself, and about the prettiest curtain raiser we could wish for. We take the route east, like venturesome sailors for millennia, though we’re seeking different reaches. We come to the island of Gemiler. Close to shore it provides protection for boats within a myriad of inlets, coves and anchorages, all framed by green wooded hills and studded with islets that look like droplets in the shimmer from their heights. On the island’s shoulders we see tiers of ruins, the first of a complex of early Byzantine churches that clamber up the spine of the island to a peak with stunning views. This pilgrimage centre to St Nicholas has a history that spans the end of the ancient world and the beginning of the mediaeval, ending when the seas brought dangers from afar. Now the water is perfect for swimming and snorkelling.
Day 3: We cruise on to Kaş, a beautiful harbour town of white-washed houses covered with purple bougainvillea. Deep green hills and rounded islands are matched as if by an artist against an underlying bedrock that reddens beautifully in the afternoon light. The ancient city, Antiphellos, is threaded through the modern town: Lycian sarcophagi can be found within the streets, and rock-cut tombs dot the hillsides. Past its terracotta-coloured Greek temple, we come to a gleaming theatre on a rise with a magnificent sea view, the arms of the surrounding bay stretching out to each other to offer the spectator a natural lyrical masterpiece.
Day 4: Our course takes us east to the picturesque village of Üçağız, another of the havens that ancient sailors relied on so heavily on the Lycian coast. A little place of rough stones, it lies on top of ancient Teimiussa, which here and there reveals itself – a fine Roman doorway here, a Lycian sarcophagus amid a riot of flowerpots there. As the lanes peter out, ancient walls stand amid the scrub near one of the most evocative Lycian burial sites: threaded along the shore, an absolute forest of tombs, some with their ancient Greek inscriptions to memorialise their long-gone owners. Then to nearby Kale, something of a fantasy destination where perched above a jumble of Lycian sarcophagi lies a crusader and Ottoman castle crowning the hill with its distinctive crenellations. One of the most romantic settings of the holiday.
Day 5: We set off west for Kalkan, to be found in the dictionary under ‘beautiful’, an archetype for a pretty beach coast. Then it’s inland, up a famously fertile valley to the great ancient city of Xanthos, the centrepoint of ancient Lycia, from which powerful lords dominated the region, and in whose famous and picturesque tombs they found their rest. One of antiquity’s most notable sites, attacked in turn by Persians and Brutus, the slayer of Caesar, its importance is reflected in the scale and impressiveness of the remains, with more still being revealed by archaeologists. The vast theatre, expansive Roman structures and the great Xanthian Obelisk, with its long inscription in the characteristic angular, half-recognisable alphabet of the Lycians make this a real highlight.
Day 6: We head to Patara, birthplace of St. Nicholas (Father Christmas) and a major naval and trading port of ancient Lycia, making it a waystation for saints Paul and Luke on their travels. Once again we come to a sprawling and outstanding complex of remains scattered over a wide area, its pretensions announced by a formidably impressive monumental arch dedicated to a Roman governor. Within are extensive and well-preserved remains, brought out of the sand-dunes by excavation, from the massive platform of a pharos-lighthouse (the oldest standing) to the column-lined arcaded streets to its historically most important gem. This is the imposing parliament building of the Lycian League, still standing in serene and imposing grandeur, once capital of a federal state of Lycia whose constitution was a formative influence on that of the United States.
Day 7: A last dip before cruising into Fethiye’s welcoming embrace. But we’re not yet finished: we make a visit to the rock-cut tombs of ancient Telmessus, the greatest of them with huge temple-facades, all rising in tier upon tier up the massive russet cliff-face. A magnificent, piercingly memorable final site before we descend for a last chance to shop and wander before our final meal together. A rousing finale for this inspirational Turkish odyssey.
Day 8: Transfer from our gulet back to Dalaman airport.
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 – Dalaman
Departure Airport – Dalaman
Arrival Location – Gocek Marina (approx. 30 mins from airport)
Departure Location – Fethiye Marina (approx. 1 hr 20 mins from airport)
Embarkation and departure is planned for approx.16:45. 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 16:45 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 16:45, 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.
Tour Includes:
September 2026 – Cruising aboard the 8-cabin gulet Sunworld IX
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
Athena Trakadas
Athena is an archaeologist whose passion is investigating how past coastal communities lived and engaged with the marine environment, and how this can inform our present and future. She holds degrees in Classics & Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley (USA), MAs in Nautical Archaeology & Roman Archaeology from Texas A&M University (USA), and Aarhus University (Denmark), respectively, and a PhD in Archaeology from the University of Southampton (UK). Athena has been a professor of maritime archaeology at the University of Southern Denmark, the Centre for Maritime Archaeology at Alexandria University (Egypt), and ARKAIA Institute, Aix-Marseille University (France) and works closely with UNESCO’s Culture Sector and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. Largely focused on the Mediterranean, she has conducted fieldwork on land and under water in Morocco, Italy, Montenegro, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, and Greece; other archaeology projects span from Iran to Abu Dhabi, Germany, and Denmark.
When not in the field, Athena is Senior Researcher at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, and Visiting Associate Professor of Classical and Maritime Archaeology at the Saxo Institute, University of Copenhagen.
What previous guests have to say about Athena:
"Our guide, Athena, was really fabulous. She added huge value to our tour - and made our on-shore visits particularly interesting and rewarding. Our experience with Peter Sommer travel was fabulous. Every aspect from booking, to pre-tour information, the quality of the guides and crew, and the comfort of the boat was wonderful. We were sad when the tour came to an end!" Sarah Nicolson
"Our archeologist guide, Athena, was superb - extremely informative and always very helpful and patient. Truly great, a very engaging communicator." Arush Sarwar
"Dr Athena Trakadas was a powerful combination of high intelligence and competence in making our expedition rewarding. Dr Trakadas was very well prepared and knowledgeable but as an archeological scientist, researcher and University Professor she was absolutely ready to go. She was always helpful and amusing and very enthusiastic. Simply outstanding. The trip exceeded my expectations." Edward Michael Shumate
"Briefings by Athena were a major highlight of the tour. I have been on other ancient history tours who had good guides but Athena was very very good." Peter Chapman
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 Lycian 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, with long experience of working in Turkey. Their knowledge of the region from the ancient prehistoric civilisations through the Lycians and the classical world of Greece and Rome, and via the Byzantine, medieval and Ottoman periods together with the region’s living traditions brings the sites and landscapes vividly to life. 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 Cruising Western Lycia trip 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. 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.
