We visit some of the greatest gems on Turkey’s southwest coast aboard a glorious traditional Turkish gulet.

This tour offers a marvellous combination of superb archaeological sites and a remarkably beautiful maritime landscape – a gorgeous and undeveloped stretch of Turkey’s turquoise coast.

Starting from the lively harbour of Bodrum, ancient Halicarnassus, the birthplace of Herodotus, this cruise follows the convoluted shoreline of Caria, made up of deep inlets and long peninsulas forming a complex and diverse geography where land and sea constantly embrace one another. It ends at Göcek, a quiet small town in a lovely setting on the Gulf of Fethiye.

Along the way, we visit a series of fascinating archaeological sites, each of them with its own story to tell about the past of Caria, a region that often found itself at the intersection of different cultural and political realms, adopting and adapting features from all of them. They include famous ancient cities like Knidos, in a stunningly beautiful peninsular location overlooking twin harbours, and spectacular Kaunos, overlooked by uniquely elaborate rock-cut tombs. We also get to explore more remote spots, such as the mighty Rhodian fortification at Loryma, one of the best examples of defensive architecture to survive from antiquity, the virtually unknown town, surrounded by evocative grave monuments, and long-forgotten Lydae, hidden away on a wild promontory far away from roads, towns and modern life.

And it’s not all archaeology. We aim for all of our trips to be gastronomic adventures where you can enjoy the local food and wine. Near the lovely little town of Datça, you’ll visit a small winery to try a few bottles and then have lunch at a traditional lokanta, where you’ll be able to sample a variety of delicious, freshly cooked home-style Turkish dishes.

Along with this engrossing narrative about the fate and deeds of humankind throughout time, the gulet cruise also offers many opportunities to just sit back and enjoy the magnificent scenery, dip into the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean, or stroll through landscapes of unforgettable beauty – a perfect combination of cultural experience and quality time.

Day 1: Your gulet awaits you in the Grand Harbour of Bodrum, about 40 minutes from Bodrum airport. Welcome drinks and dinner on board.
Day 2: Our first voyage takes us to 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 3: We head eastwards 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 4: We skirt the Greek island of Symi, travelling south-east until we come to the magnificent gleaming walls of the fortress at Loryma. Rhodes, the great island sometimes visible off to the south-east, made sustained efforts to control this whole coast, and the catapults once positioned in Loryma’s squat towers provided a powerful means to dominate the fine bay below, then noted for its strategic value, now peaceful enough to provide a glorious spot for a swim. An easy walk across rugged ground allows us to explore the walls and shrines that fortified the soldiers before returning to this natural night-time anchorage.
Day 5: We treat you to a fantastic site that will nevertheless contend with the uniqueness of the journey to reveal it as the greatest memory of a superb day. We drop anchor in a bay and taking to a flat-bottomed river boat, we enter a lagoon filled with turtles and make our way up the reed-walled Dalyan River. Our route twists and turns through narrow waterways, other channels appearing and disappearing, until we glimpse the great slab-sided horn of rock that tells us we’re close to our destination, the ancient city of Kaunos. We disembark at this striking site, spread between two great rocky outcrops, with others marching into the screens of distant hills, 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 6: We cruise towards the gulf of Fethiye today, where a choice of marvels lies open to us. We drop anchor in the beautiful inlet of Ağlımanı and make our ascent by an ancient track, steep in places, but 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. Two thousand years ago, a settlement flourished here, now it lies beautifully desolate at the hand of earthquakes, leaving mounds of sculpted rubble, a scatter of ancient buildings and, strewn between, a profusion of ancient sculptures and inscriptions, columns and capitals, lying as if they’d never before been found.
Day 7: We continue into the of the Gulf of Fethiye, a picturesque stretch often blessed with strong winds in the afternoon, so this could be a day given over to pure relaxation as we make our way to Göcek, at the head of a beautiful bay with impossibly ultramarine waters thronged with islands. A sublime view to accompany swimming and sunbathing in the morning, cruising or sailing in the afternoon.
Day 8: Transfer from your gulet 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 info@petersommer.com

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

Peter Sommer

Peter studied Ancient History and Archaeology at Birmingham University before completing a Masters on the archaeology of Central Asia. He has taught at Birmingham University and Istanbul’s Bogaziçi Üniversitesi (Bosphorus University). In 1994 he walked 2,000 miles across Turkey, retracing the route of Alexander the Great, and fell deeply in love with the country. For this epic journey he received The Explorers Club of America Young Expeditioners’ award. Two years into a PhD. at University College London, he was seduced into television to work on In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great (BBC/PBS).

An award-winning documentary producer, he filmed around the world for acclaimed series like Millennium: A thousand years of history (BBC/CNN), Commanding Heights: the Battle for the World Economy (PBS/BBC), and Tales from the Green Valley (BBC).

Peter created and led his first archaeological tour in 1995 and founded Peter Sommer Travels, specialising in expert-led archaeological and cultural tours for small groups in 2002.

What previous guests have to say about Peter:

"Peter, you are meant to be a historian and tour guide! You have a natural gift to tell stories to help us visual the past. It is also your passion and enthusiasm for history that I admired too. You were always engaging, thoughtful and quite organized. Thank you for being such a great tour guide!...the tour we took with Peter Sommer as our tour guide and his fellow expert Cem was exceptional and so much fun! Peter’s historical knowledge, passion and story telling has a way of bringing pieces of history to life as we toured different ruins. The traditional homemade food, the places you explore, swimming in secluded bays with each day being unique from the day before is a tour for anyone who wants a historical and delicious adventure. My husband and I can’t wait for our next tour!" Kelly Lussenden

"I loved the talks by Peter before, during and after each trip to land to view a new site. They were informative, intelligent, nuanced, and engaging. One of the best guides I have come across. His knowledge of the history and archaeology of the area was immense.This tour was probably the best we have ever been on. From the beautiful waters of that wild, lonely section of the Turkish south coast east of Bodrum, to the experience of visiting the amazing ancient sites of Knidos, Loryma, Kaunos and Lydae, and their interpretation for us by Peter. Perhaps my favourite moment was his description as we all sat inside the ruins of the grand tomb that had supported the great marble Lion of Knidos after a morning's walk in the sun. The lion is no longer there of course - it now sits in the Great Court of the British Museum - but Peter's description of the lion, its history, its significance and rediscovery in the 1800's, its transport down to the coast and to England had us spellbound. Of many travels on every continent over many years, both self-guided and guided this was one of the very best experiences I have had." Ian Close

"Peter's combination of warmth, knowledge and professionalism was outstanding. A highlight of the tour was listening to and watching Peter eliciting details from ruins and hillsides with a passion that brought ancient temples and agoras and olive groves alive. I truly appreciated the generosity of his sharing a very personal love for the history of the places we visited. He made every question seem worthwhile and never flagged in his willingness to share both his historical knowledge and his personal adventures. Peter has not lost any of the passion that first inspired him to trace the footsteps of Alexander the Great. In dynamic and engaging style, he elicits accounts of daily life of over 2 millennia ago out of the rocks of worn hillsides or the carvings on fallen pillars. Watching his hand outline the contours of earthquake-ravaged city walls, they almost stand tall again. As he swivels to identify the boundaries of an ancient town — the temple, agora, city gateways almost come alive with bustling crowds." Georgina Frampton

"Peter's ability to communicate 3,000 years of history in an exciting storytelling manner that a layperson such as myself could understand and find fascinating and fun was thrilling. Peter is incredibly congenial, intelligent, knowledgeable and has a great ability to turn what could be a dry recitation of history into an engaging story that anyone can understand. ...simply brilliant. Finding enough superlative words to describe the tour is a challenge - the tour was a fantastic experience and perfect blend of sightseeing, education, relaxation, fabulous food and an immersion into Turkish culture and history. Tour organization and planning was flawless. Peter and his fellow guide Cem are exceptionally knowledgeable, gracious and welcoming. I felt the trip surpassed the descriptions in the marketing materials and was one of the most positive travel experiences I’ve had in recent years. The whole package was above and beyond my expectations." Rachel Feldman

"Peter did a wonderful job! He was knowledgeable, personable, enthusiastic, and engaged with the tour members. I can't compliment him enough! It was a terrific learning experience." Bill Skelton

"Peter was wonderful. He enthusiastically delivered historical knowledge which helped bring ancient sites to life for us. Overall, an amazing trip, exceeding our expectations. We plan to book again on another tour. My wife and I count the two weeks of our tour as one of our most memorable travel experiences." Steve Patrick

"The highlight of our trip were the archeological tours with our excellent archeologist, Peter Sommer! He really brought these sites to life with his knowledge and enthusiasm. He added so much to the experience." Susan Mitchell

"I loved the talks that Peter gave. It's wonderful to have someone who not only has an impressive grasp of the history and archaeology of the place but can impart so interestingly. Outstanding! So much so that I've taken a book out of the library on ancient civilizations and am signing up for a course on reading the Iliad! I cried when our trip was over. The beautiful Turquoise Coast mimicked the excitement of learning about the past and wanting to learn more. I yearn for another such trip." Sarajane Milder

"It was such a pleasure to be guided by Peter on our trip. He could, and often did, bring just a dusty hole in the ground to life. Enthusiastic, deep historical knowledge, logistically perfect and very personable and patient. Peter is a top class guide. This tour exceeded our expectations in every way. The guides and crew were excellent, the boat was beautiful, comfortable and a great way to travel, the food was to die for and the ancient sites that we visited and often had nearly to ourselves were fascinating. We will definitely go with Peter Sommer Travels again in the future." Ed Tompkins

"Peter was great. His preparation and knowledge was outstanding. Could not have found anyone better. The favorite part of the trip for me was the enthusiasm and professionalism of Peter and his fellow tour guide, Cem. They truly were the best tour guides we have ever had the pleasure of travelling with. The archeological visits were truly memorable. A perfect mix of archeological and gastronomic experiences, while cruising the turquoise waters of the Turkish coast, led my two outstanding guides that one could easily become friends with. What more could you ask for?" John Mitchell

"Our archeological expert guide, Peter, was one of the highlights of our trip. I was delighted to have Peter personally guide us on this tour. He was so knowledgeable and energetic, but also very engaging, personable and charming. His interest and knowledge in the sites we visited, paired with careful attention to details and the specific needs of their guests made it a perfect trip! This Gulet cruise was all we had hoped for!" Lorraine Patterson

View Peter Sommer's Biography

Accreditations

Tour Operator of the Year 2015 Gold Award AITO logo Tour Operator of the Year 2017 Gold Award AITO logo Tour Operator of the Year 2018 Silver Award AITO logo Tour Operator of the Year 2019 Silver Award AITO logo Tour Operator of the year Gold Award 2022 AITO logo Tour Operator of the year Silver Award 2023 AITO logo British Travel Awards Best Travel Company for Arts and Culture Holidays Silver 2022 logo Member of ABTA the Association of British Travel Agents Member of ASTA The American Society of Travel Advisors Member of ABTOI the Association of British Travel Organisers to Italy

Rated as Excellent on Aito Reviews with over 500 reviews