Gulet cruise

On Turkey's south-west coast, the way to go to sea is on a gulet, the wooden sailing boat of this coast. The crew handles the boat and the meals; passengers spend the day between the deck and the water, from one cove to the next, along the Lycian coast between Göcek and Kekova.

The Gulf of Göcek, the starting point

Most gulets leave from the Gulf of Göcek, 26 km from Dalaman airport, about forty minutes by road. The town is small, but its gulf has six marinas: four in the central bay and two in Büngüş Bay. The gulf is enclosed, so the water stays calm. Boats anchor in the coves of Osman Ağa, Boynuz Bükü, Sarsala, Yavan Su, also called Martı, and Göbün, the most sheltered, or near Domuz Island.

Two ways to sail

A private gulet is chartered by the week, Saturday to Saturday, with its crew. One example found at Göcek Marina: a 27 m boat with seven cabins, each with a bathroom, for up to 14 people, with captain, cook and deckhand, from €1,890 a day for the whole boat. Food, drinks, fuel and fees at the marinas along the way are extra. This is the option for families and groups of friends.

A cabin on a scheduled circuit suits a couple or a solo traveller. These circuits leave from Fethiye, an hour from Dalaman airport, for Olympos or Demre. A 4-day, 3-night circuit, with meals cooked on board, sold for €450 per person in May 2026; drinks and entry fees for the sites visited along the way are not included. The boat takes up to 16 passengers, and solo travellers share a cabin.

Fethiye to Kekova, a typical cruise

From Fethiye, the gulet heads south to Butterfly Valley, a protected natural area reached by sea, home to more than 80 species of butterfly. It sails past the Ölüdeniz lagoon and spends the evening at St Nicholas Island, Gemiler Island, where you visit the ruins of five Byzantine churches from the 4th to the 7th centuries.

The second day begins in Aquarium Bay, near Kalkan, where you swim with mask and snorkel, before the boat reaches the harbour of Kaş. On the third, it sails along Kekova island, whose north shore holds a town partly sunk by earthquakes: steps, houses and quays go down to 4 or 5 m below the surface, visible from the deck. Opposite, you go ashore at Kaleköy, ancient Simena, to climb to the castle above the bay; entry costs €5 from 1 April 2027. On the last morning, you disembark at Üçağız after breakfast.

The trip idea Gulet cruise and the Lycian coast in 8 days frames these three nights on board with two stays ashore, near Fethiye and then at Çıralı, arriving at Dalaman and leaving from Antalya.

Before or after the cruise

D-Resort Göcek, a five-star hotel of the Doğuş group, stands at the head of Göcek bay, next to D-Marin marina, where many gulets set off. It has a private beach with two jetties, a spa and its own motor yacht, the Sundowner, for the coves and islands of the gulf. It is the place for a night or two before boarding.

Elsewhere on the coast

Further west, from Bodrum, gulet cruises to the Gulf of Gökova also run by the week, by the cabin or by chartering the whole boat. To try it out, a day cruise with lunch on board leaves Bodrum from about €42 per person. On the other shore of the gulf, the Datça and Bozburun peninsula has several coves that can only be reached by boat.

When to go

The gulet season runs from May to October. At Göcek, the sea is above 24 °C from June to October and reaches 28 °C in August; it hardly rains from June to September. At Fethiye, the sea is still at 20.7 °C in May, and average highs exceed 35 °C in July and August. The best months are May, June, September and October.