Bodrum

Bodrum is a district of Muğla province, built over ancient Halicarnassus on Türkiye's Aegean coast. In the 15th century, the Knights of Saint John raised a castle where the first settlement stood. Today that castle holds the country's only museum of underwater archaeology. Because the town sits on a peninsula of bays, we plan Bodrum as a base for the bays and for Carian Milas.

Bodrum at a Glance

Bodrum sits on a peninsula southwest of Beçin, the medieval town near Milas. In antiquity, the city of Halicarnassus stood here, in the region of Caria. Caria covered all of today's Muğla province and part of Aydın. In the late 19th century, the town lived from sponge diving and fishing. Then, after 1965, it grew quickly as a holiday resort. For where to stay today, see our picks of the best hotels in Bodrum.

Quick facts

• Good for: a knights' castle and its shipwreck museum, Carian history, peninsula bays, the Blue Voyage
• Best combined with: Milas, Datça

Bodrum Town and Ancient Halicarnassus

The castle, the Mausoleum, the theater and the Myndos Gate all belong to Halicarnassus. Their remains still stand in the modern town. Above the town, eight stone windmills stand in a row on the Değirmenburnu ridge, looking over the bays of Bodrum and Gümbet toward the castle. Their sails turned into the second half of the 20th century. For the areas compared, read where to stay in Bodrum.

Bodrum Castle and the Knights

The Knights of Saint John built Bodrum Castle in the 15th century. Its towers carry the names of the knights' nations: French, Italian, German, Spanish and English. Of these, the French Tower rises highest, at 47.5 meters (156 feet) above sea level. Since 2016, the castle has been on Türkiye's UNESCO tentative list. Our castle page follows the knights, the Ottomans and the Mausoleum stones in its walls.

The Museum of Underwater Archaeology

Inside the castle, the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology has been open since 1964. It is the only museum in Türkiye devoted to underwater archaeology. Most of its finds come from excavations off the Turkish coast since 1960. Its best-known wreck sank off Uluburun in the 14th century BC. Another hall holds the cargo of the Serçe Limanı glass wreck. In 1995, the museum won a special commendation in the European Museum of the Year competition.

The Mausoleum and the ancient theater

Mausolus moved the capital of Caria from Mylasa to Halicarnassus around 367 BC. In his time, work began on his tomb, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Work on the theater started in his reign as well, and it is one of the earliest theaters in Anatolia. After he died in 353 BC, his wife Artemisia of Caria ruled for two years. Our Mausoleum page explains how the tomb looked and where its sculptures went.

The Zeki Müren Arts Museum

The singer Zeki Müren lived in a two-story house in town from 1980 until his death in 1996. He ranks among the great names of classical Turkish music. The Ministry of Culture restored the house and opened it as a museum on June 8, 2000. The ground floor stays as he lived in it, while the upper floor shows his costumes, photographs and belongings.

The Bodrum Peninsula

Outside the town, the peninsula holds the site of Myndos, two marinas and a string of bays. For hotels, beach clubs and days at sea, see our luxury Bodrum guide.

Gümüşlük and ancient Myndos

Gümüşlük, on the western side of the Bodrum Peninsula, stands on the site of ancient Myndos. Mausolus founded the city in the 4th century BC. People lived there until the late Byzantine period. Its walls run from the Kocadağ ridges to Tavşan Adası, or Rabbit Island, where excavators found the ruins of a church. Because the castle museum dug Early Bronze Age cemeteries around the city, their finds are now on show there.

Yalıkavak, Turgutreis and the bays

Yalıkavak Marina lies 18 km (11 miles) from town, while the D-Marin marina at Turgutreis lies 20 km (12 miles) away. Besides Gümüşlük and those two towns, the bays along the peninsula include Göltürkbükü, Torba, Gündoğan and Gümbet. For Yalıkavak and Gümüşlük in one day, join our Bodrum peninsula tour.

History of Bodrum

Halicarnassus, city of Caria

The Carians and the Leleges were the native peoples of the region. Herodotus, a native of Halicarnassus, and the geographer Strabo both credit Dorian settlers with founding the city. When Mausolus made it his capital, he moved the people of six of the eight Leleg towns into it. Later, in the spring of 334 BC, Alexander the Great took the city early in his campaign to the east.

Knights, Ottomans and the shipyard

Early in the 15th century, the Knights of Saint John took the city. They built their castle with stones from the ruins and the Mausoleum. The town then came under Ottoman rule during Süleyman the Magnificent's campaign against Rhodes. After the Ottoman navy's disaster at Çeşme in 1770, a shipyard opened here around 1775. Until the 1830s, its builders launched about ten galleons. Later, from 1885, the castle served as a prison and a place of exile into the early Republic.

Sponge divers, the Fisherman and the Blue Voyage

In the late 19th century, about 200 boats worked from the town. Half went sponge diving, and the other half went fishing. In 1925, the writer Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı received three years of exile in Bodrum. After a year and a half, a pardon ended his exile, yet he settled here before he moved to İzmir. He earned his living mainly as a tour guide. For his pen name, the Fisherman of Halicarnassus, he took the city's ancient name.

The name of the Blue Voyage, the gulet cruise along this coast, goes back to his works. Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, Sebahattin Eyüboğlu and Azra Erhat share the credit. In 2024, the Bodrum gulet became a registered indication of origin (mahreç işareti), number 1647. The boats first carried cargo, then worked in fishing and sponge diving, and today belong to the Blue Voyage.

Eat, Drink and Evenings in Bodrum

Bodrum mandarins

Bodrum Mandarini, the local mandarin, became a registered appellation of origin (menşe adı), number 162, on November 20, 2012. Before that, the local citrus growers' union had applied for it in December 2009.

Evenings by the harbor

Evenings here bring bars, clubs, nightclubs and shows. Behind the harbor, a street holds a continuous row of restaurants and cafés. When the ferries come in at sunset, the quays make a good place to watch them. For our picks, see the best restaurants in Bodrum. For coffee and breakfast, see the best cafés in Bodrum.

Our notes for Bodrum

• Princess of CariaThe castle museum has a Princess of Caria hall among its land finds.
• Stage costumesZeki Müren designed many of his own stage costumes.
• Datça ferry pierFerries to Datça leave from Bodrum Kale Limanı, the castle harbor.

Our suggestion Start with the castle museum, walk on to the Mausoleum, then end the day at Gümüşlük on the site of Myndos.

Around Bodrum

Milas and inland Caria

Before Mausolus moved to Halicarnassus, the Hecatomnid dynasty ruled from Mylasa, today's Milas. Milas lies closer to the airport than Bodrum does. Our Carian heritage tour visits Milas, Euromos and the sanctuary of Labraunda. Two Muğla sites joined Türkiye's UNESCO tentative list in 2012. They are the medieval city of Beçin near Milas and the tomb and sanctuary of Hecatomnus, Mausolus's father. Elsewhere in the province, Stratonikeia joined the list in 2015. Our Stratonikeia tour adds the temple of Hekate at Lagina.

Datça by ferry

Bodrum Feribot sells tickets on a ferry line between Bodrum and Datça. When you return, its ferries leave Datça from Kairos Marina. Timetables and fares change, so check them with the operator before you plan the day.

Day trips from Bodrum

With your own driver and guide, our day tours go to Ephesus, Pamukkale, Didyma and Miletus, Milas and Euromos and Akyaka. Ephesus and Pamukkale make long days, while the Milas and Euromos day is shorter.

Planning Your Days in Bodrum

Our suggestion for two days

Spend the first day in town at the castle and its museum, then walk on to the Mausoleum and the theater. Our Bodrum city and boat tour covers that day and adds a private boat. On the second day, drive out to Gümüşlük for the site of Myndos, then continue to Yalıkavak and its marina.

Our suggestion for a longer stay

Add a day inland at Milas, near the airport, and another by ferry to Datça. After that, you can leave by sea on a Blue Voyage, or fly home from Milas-Bodrum.

Getting to Bodrum

Milas-Bodrum Airport

Milas-Bodrum Airport lies 37 km (23 miles) from the center of Bodrum and 17 km (11 miles) from Milas. Near the airport, Lujo Hotel climbs a terraced hillside down to its own beach and marina. At the airport, you find HAVAŞ and MUTTAŞ shuttles, municipal minibuses, taxis and rental cars. For the flight and the road from Istanbul, read how to get here from Istanbul.

Ferries from Bodrum to Kos

Kos is a Greek island of the Dodecanese. Dentur Avrasya runs a service between Bodrum's Kaleiçi and Kos. The Bodrum passenger pier, Turgutreis and Yalıkavak are permanent sea border gates. Ferries to Kos cross an international border, so bring your passport and check Greece's entry requirements before you go. We check the current timetable with the operator.

Museum opening hours

The underwater archaeology museum opens every day. The Zeki Müren Arts Museum closes on Mondays. We time your visit to the season and arrange your entry as part of the day.

Updated: October 23, 2026.

Seeing Bodrum with Us

We plan Bodrum as a base for the castle, the Carian sites and the peninsula's bays. Our driver service covers the airport and the day trips by road, while our yacht service and Blue Voyage cruises cover the sea. For the wider coast, see our pages on the Aegean and the Turquoise Coast.