Four harbours, four cruising areas
The coast of the Blue Voyage runs from Bodrum in the west to Fethiye in the east, folded into gulfs, peninsulas and islands. We sail it from four harbours: Bodrum, Marmaris, Göcek and Fethiye.
Each route has a colour, the same one we use in our booking calendar. Blue routes sail the Gökova Gulf, green ones the Datça and Bozburun peninsulas and yellow ones the islands of Göcek and Fethiye. Purple routes are one-way passages to or from Bodrum, and orange ones link Marmaris with the Fethiye Gulf.
All of them are sample weeks: the captain adapts each day to the wind and, where possible, to your wishes.
The Gökova Gulf: short sails from Bodrum
The Gökova Gulf opens east of Bodrum, its shores covered in pine. It is the gentlest week of the Blue Voyage: short hops between sheltered bays, a swim before every meal, and the same harbour at the start and the end.
On the way you anchor off Sedir Island, where a boardwalk leads to Cleopatra Beach and the ruins of ancient Kedreai; in English Harbour, the bay where British boats hid during the Second World War; among the islets of the Seven Islands; and by the warm-spring grotto of Karaada, before the last miles into Bodrum.
It suits a first Blue Voyage, families with young children and anyone who would rather swim than sail.
Datça, Hisarönü and the Bozburun peninsula
South of Bodrum, the long, narrow Datça peninsula reaches west into the Aegean. At its tip lies Knidos, one of the great cities of the ancient Greek world, with a theatre, temples and two harbours; it was once home to Praxiteles’ famous statue of Aphrodite. Beyond it, the Hisarönü Gulf and the Bozburun peninsula hide quiet villages and deep bays.
Expect Palamutbükü, a long pebble beach with simple fish restaurants; Bozukkale, an anchorage below the walls of ancient Loryma; the waterfront village of Selimiye; Bozburun, where gulets are still built by hand; and Serçe Harbour, known for the 11th-century glass wreck found on its seabed.
You can sail this coast as a round trip from Bodrum (Datça & Hisarönü) or from Marmaris (Bozburun Peninsula). The open water off the tip of the peninsula is one of the more exposed stretches of the coast, so captains round it on a calm morning.
Göcek, Fethiye and the Twelve Islands
At the eastern end of the Blue Voyage, the Göcek gulf is scattered with green islands and has some of the most sheltered water on the coast. Hops are short, the bays are deep and calm, and the water is ideal for paddleboards and kayaks.
Highlights include the low Yassıca Islands and their shallow turquoise channels; Tersane Island, with the ruins of an old boatyard among olive trees; Sarsala Bay, next to Bedri Rahmi Bay and its painted fish; Gemiler Island, with its Byzantine churches; and Butterfly Valley, a gorge you reach from the sea, with a short walk to a waterfall.
Göcek & the Twelve Islands and Fethiye Bay are round trips; Fethiye to Göcek is a short one-way week through the same islands. This is the area we suggest to families and to anyone who worries about seasickness.
One-way routes: more of the coast in a week
One-way routes start in one harbour and end in another, so you see more of the coast in the same seven nights. Bodrum to Marmaris and Marmaris to Bodrum pass Knidos and the Bozburun peninsula; Bodrum to Göcek and Göcek to Bodrum are the longest passages, covering almost the whole Blue Voyage coast.
Between Marmaris and Göcek or Fethiye, the routes stop at Ekincik, the base for a river trip to Dalyan: the ancient city of Kaunos, the Lycian rock tombs and İztuzu beach, where loggerhead turtles nest.
A one-way week also means two airports: fly in to Bodrum and home from Dalaman, or the other way round. Our guide to getting to your gulet explains which airport serves which harbour.
Which route is right for you?
Every route has its own character, and the right one depends on who is coming. A few rules of thumb:
- A first Blue Voyage, or young children: the Gökova Gulf or Göcek & the Twelve Islands — short sails and sheltered water.
- Ancient sites: Datça & Hisarönü for Knidos, or a route between Marmaris and Göcek for Kaunos and Dalyan.
- Quiet villages and fish restaurants: the Bozburun Peninsula.
- As much coast as possible: Bodrum to Göcek or Göcek to Bodrum.
