Bodrum

Introduction

Bodrum Castle from theatre

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Bodrum is a town on the Aegean coast of Turkey which is popular among tourists and Turkish celebrities. The ancient city of Halikarnassus, which is one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World, is located in Bodrum.

Bodrum in the last 10 years has been one of the most popular holiday destinations in Turkey. Lively night life and beautiful small villages around the peninsula attracts more than 500,000 tourists every summer. The most wonderful part of this small Aegean resort is the crystal clear sea around the resorts. You have perfect visibility for snorkelling and scuba diving.

If you get a chance to visit Bodrum try the earlier months of the summer season, like April and May as it is extremely hot in the high season. October and early November are equally good.

Sights and Activities

• Gumbet resort is probably the busiest out of the main 12 small villages around the Bodrum peninsula. Gumbet beach is one of the largest and very busy during the summer months.
• Turgutreis is the up and coming resort and there is a new marina built to attract more businesses and tourists to town.
• One of the favourite villages must be Gumusluk. Very calm and romantic resort inviting everyone who enjoys walks and beautiful scenery.
• As far as activities goes, there is so much to do around the peninsula. You can take a boat trip,scuba dive or just shop around the bazaar any day of the week. There is a local market every Tuesday for clothes and every Friday for food shopping. You must try out your negotiation skills as there are no set prices.

Windsurfing in Bodrum

Kadikalesi is great spot for windsurfing and one of the best places on the whole of the Bodrum peninsular if not Turkey. Kadikalesi is situated between Gumusluk and Turgutreis and only takes about 15 minutes to walk from Turgutreis. The wind is cross shore and you can plane straight from the beach. There are also waves that you hit about 100 metres from the shore line and outside there is nice swell as well! In the mornings the wind is light and the water is shallow for about 150 metres, making it very easy to learn windsurfing. In the afternoons the wind picks up for the more advanced. Best time to go to Kadikalesi is during July and August when the wind is strongest. The equipment and instructions are excellent, with previous guests being able to learn to get into the harness and foot straps from complete beginner within two weeks, check out the [http://www.puretourism.co.uk/windsurfing]] website for more details.

Akyarlar situated near to Turgutreis is a great location for a windsurfing holiday. Fener beach benefits from the wind being squeezed between Kos Island and the shore line. The wind is cross shore and is light just by the shoreline. However once you go 200 metres you hit the wind where there is nice swell. The area is great for beginners and advanced windsurfers.

Bitez has the benefit of being 15 minutes from the centre of Bodrum. During the 1980s Bitez was extremely popular, however now days the bay has been overbuilt and the wind is not the same by the shore as it used to be. The bay is still good for windsurfing, the flat Gentle breezes in the morning and good winds in the afternoon make it the good spot for beginners and more advanced

Events and Festivals

Gümüşlük International Classical Music Festival

A great festival to go to is the Gumusluk classical music festival. The festival started in 2004 and now has internationally renowned musicians and other up and comers. The concerts start in early July and through August in a 250-year-old church which is situated near to the Dolmus station.

Getting There

By Plane

1. Dalaman Airport (DLM) is one the three main airports along the south/southwestern coastline of Turkey, the others being the Bodrum Airport and Antalya Airport. Several dozens of airlines serve well over 100 destinations throughout Turkey, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

To/from the airport:

• Car: Getting to the airport by car is easy by just following the D400 motorway and exit towards the south on route 5, which goes to Dalaman and the airport. There are signs to the airport from the motorway. There are about 400 short-term and 400 long-term parking places, taxis and car rental facilities available at the airport. Avis, Budget and Europcar are the best and largest car rental companies.
• Bus: Havas operates airport buses to and from Marmaris and Fethiye. There are no buses going between the airport and Dalaman town centre or Dalaman's bus station, which is located some distance north of town. To get into town it is necessary to take a taxi. From there buses go to the bus station north of town. Intercity bus services depart from there to other cities and towns in Turkey.

2. Also, Milas-Bodrum Airport (IATA: BJV, ICAO: LTFE) is an important airport and is located 36 km north east of the town of Bodrum, and 16 kilometres south of Milas. Airlines flying into this airport include Corendon Airlines, First Choice, SunExpress, Onur Air, Thomas Cook Airlines and Thomsonfly. Starting in April 2009, EasyJet will provide cheap flights as well.

3. Finally, Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB) is located 18 kilometres from Izmir and although it has less charter flights, it serves some more cities on a regular basis. A few dozens of airlines serve the city, with some main destinations including Istanbul, Tehran, London, Berlin, Cologne, Munich, Tel Aviv, Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, Vienna, Zürich, Ankara, Athens, Frankfurt, Oslo, Stockholm, Paris, Brussels, Dublin and Belfast.

Getting Around

By Public Transport

Dolmush is the mini bus that runs within the city and also to nearby villages and towns.

By Bike

You can hire mountain bikes from Turgutreis and Bodrum, it is however not recommended doing this as Turkish drivers can be a bit crazy. If you do want to take the risk, the best time is first thing in the morning to avoid the mid-day heat.

Eat

• Sunger Pizza - 'Sunger Pizza' is not your typical pizzeria. It is located on fancy Neyzen Tevfik Street, across the Bodrum Marina, but is among the few quality and budget restaurants in Bodrum. The majority of tables are on the side of the street with a great area on the top of the Restaurant as well, giving fantastic views of the harbour area. The place is popular with locals, Turkish and foreign tourists as well.
• Limon Café - Is a quirky restaurant situtated just outside Gumusluk. Limon serves good food and has amazing sunsets. Expensive compared to the rest of the Gumusluk however not to be missed even if you only go there once during your stay.
• Yakamoz - Another great restaurant in Gumusluk is Yakamoz, this is situated in the Gumusluk harbor amongst the main fish restaurants, this restaurant does excellent fresh fish and the price is comparable with any of the other restaurants in this area.

Drink

There are many bars in Bodrum!

• Bars are always changing but a favourite is the Adamik bar. It isn't worth visiting before 11:30pm, however after this time there is a great DJ playing classic rock tunes!
• Another is Korfez bar, which is similar to the Adamik but does get busier.
• Kule bar is a great Rock bar in the centre of Bodrum, Kule plays great music and is always busy even in the winter.
• The Mavi Bar in Bodrum is another favourite. Set in a typical Bodrum Stone house and covered with bougainvillea. The Mavi Bar has a great atmosphere, regularly featuring good musicians playing anything from covers of Muse to classic jazz.

Outside of Bodrum centre there are many other bars:

• The best bar in Kadikalesi is Pitos. In Pitos you can soak up the atmosphere on a cushion around the fire or in a hammock listening to Bob Marley playing in the background. Pitos has a great range of drinks and bar snacks as well as a great menu if you want something more substantial to eat.
• Ozack Bar in Gumusluk - this bar is excellent during high season (mid July to the end of August). It is situated at the far end of the bay. Sit around the camp fire on bean bags or take in the atmosphere around the circular bar. Good music and friendly staff.
• Bati Bar in Gumusluk - Quite bar situated in the harbour, good to chill out on the cushion area during the day or in the evening. Also good value for money food.
• Mars Café in Gumusluk - Nice bar situated near to the Dolmus station. Smiley the owner will give you a real Turkish welcome!
• Gümüs Café in Gumusluk - Good bar to chill out or play backgammon in during the day. Wireless internet is available here.

Sleep

Budget

Keep Connected

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Post

PTT is the national post service. Services are generally moderately fast but quite reliable. Sending a standard letter or postcard costs €0.65 within Turkey and €0.80 (letters) or €0.85 (postcards) internationally. There is an extended price list on the PTT website. For sending packages one might also use international companies such as DHL and UPS and local companies such as Yurtici Kargo. Post offices bear the distinctive yellow PTT sign and are generally open between 9:00am to 12:00 noon and 1:30pm to 5:00pm from Monday to Friday.