If you have never visited possibly the most famous resort in Turkey, now is the time to go.  It is quiet; many restaurants, cafes and bars stay open all year round, so there are no problems finding places to eat and drink, and on a sunny day it is glorious to sit out by the sea admiring the scenery without the frantic summertime hordes breathing down your neck.

Bodrum is home to the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and, whilst the best carved bits of the Mausoleum now reside in the British Museum, the actual site has been excavated and can be visited all year round.  The Crusader Castle of St. Peter, a central icon in Bodrum, houses a Museum of Underwater Archaeology which is unique in Turkey, and also open all year round.

{mosimage}Best of all, in this writer’s opinion, are the back streets of Bodrum where you’ll find old Greek and Ottoman houses, still occupied as family homes, and at this time of year you can wander for hours in the narrow streets without any hassle.  Visually Bodrum is a far cry from Fethiye as local planning regulations decree that all buildings must be painted white and none can be over three storeys.  This gives a very different visual effect to the multi-coloured maelstrom that is Fethiye and environs these days.

Bodrum is also a shopper’s mecca.  On the ring road try the Oasis Mall (Marks & Spencer amongst others) and then drive on to Kipa (Tesco in its Turkish incarnation).  Mudo (the Turks equivalent to Heals) is another shop you won’t find in Fethiye but Bodrum has three branches: one on the ring road, one on the harbour and a third in the Yacht Marina.

{mosimage}These days the word ‘Bodrum’ doesn’t just refer to the original town but is used as the name for the whole peninsula on which Bodrum lies.  Head out of town on the ring road, through Ortakent, and take a look at Turgutreis.  Head north to Gumusluk and eat lunch at one of the fish restaurants on the beach; then carry on round the peninsula to Turkbuku (Turkey’s St Tropez where a beer can cost 25YTL in high season), round to Torba and from there complete the circuit back to Bodrum itself.

Go to Bodrum in the winter and we guarantee you won’t want to go in the summer again.

Getting to Bodrum

{mosimage}By Car - Take the road to Mugla and continue to Yatagan. Follow the signs to Milas then Bodrum. The journey takes around 3 hours.

By Bus - Take a bus to Mugla. There are frequent services from Fethiye as all the intercity coaches stop at Mugla bus station. Change at the Mugla bus station and take the Bodrum bus. There are express services available to Bodrum that won't pick up en route.  Get off at the main bus station in Bodrum which is very close to the centre of town. The journey take up to 5 hours.

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