Bodrum Essential: Castle of the Knights of Saint John, the Mausoleum Wonder of the World Site, Gulet Marina and Blue Cruise, Halicarnassus Disco, Bodrum Peninsula Beaches, and the Turkish Aegean Nightlife
The Bodrum essential circuit covers the Castle of the Knights of Saint John as the Crusader fortress and Underwater Museum, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus as the Wonder of the World site, the gulet marina and the Blue Cruise departures, the legendary Halicarnassus open-air disco, the best beaches of the peninsula, and the Bodrum nightlife.
- 1
Castle of Saint John: The Crusader Fortress and Museum
The Castle of Saint John in Bodrum, built by the Knights Hospitaller of Rhodes between 1404 and 1523 using the marble blocks from the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus that the earthquake had destroyed and using the antique columns and friezes as building material, is the most visually impressive Crusader castle on the Turkish coast and the home of the most important underwater archaeology museum in the world. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology in the castle towers houses the Bronze Age Uluburun shipwreck cargo of 1305 BC, the Byzantine glass wreck from Yassiada, and the ancient glass collection that collectively represent the most important single underwater archaeological find collection in existence.
- 2
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus: The Wonder Site
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the enormous tomb of the Carian satrap Mausolos built between 353 and 350 BC and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, gave the English language the word mausoleum and was one of the most architecturally influential buildings of antiquity before the earthquake and the Knights of Saint John reduced it to the foundation level that is now the Mausoleum archaeological site in central Bodrum. The British Museum holds the Mausoleum frieze sculptures, the horse and rider statues, and the colossal portrait statues of Mausolos and his wife Artemisia that the Knights excavated to complete the castle walls.
- 3
Bodrum Marina: The Blue Cruise Capital
The Bodrum marina, the largest private marina in Turkey with 360 berths for the yachts and the gulets, is the primary departure point for the Bodrum Blue Cruise - the 3 to 7-day gulet wooden boat voyage along the turquoise coast to Gocek, Fethiye, and Marmaris that is the most popular Turkish sea cruise among the European and Turkish visitors. The gulet boats, the distinctive wooden sailing vessels built in the Bodrum yards that were the center of gulet construction, represent the most important single boat-building tradition in Turkey.
- 4
Halicarnassus Disco: The Open-Air Party Legend
The Halicarnassus open-air disco in Bodrum, the legendary nightclub built around the ancient ruins adjacent to the castle that was the most famous night venue in Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean from its opening in 1979 through the 2000s, is the nightlife institution that established Bodrum as the Turkish party destination for the sophisticated European and Istanbul market. The Halicarnassus events under the stars in the warm Aegean air, with the illuminated castle visible from the dance floor, created the template for the open-air nightclub format that the Bodrum nightlife continues to offer.
- 5
Bodrum Peninsula Beaches: The Best Coves
The Bodrum peninsula beaches range from the Bitez windsurfing beach to the Gumbet party beach, the Torba family beach to the Turgutreis market town beach, and the Yaliciftlik secluded cove to the Aspat Bay hidden beach accessible only by boat. The most beautiful single beach on the peninsula is the Bagla and the Akyarlar cove on the western tip with the clearest water and the view to the Greek island of Kos, and the beach circuit by car around the entire peninsula provides the most complete survey of the Aegean coast in the Bodrum area.
- 6
Bodrum Nightlife: The Turkish Aegean Social Season
The Bodrum nightlife from June to September, when the Istanbul social elite migrates to the Bodrum peninsula for the summer season and the waterfront bars, the rooftop cocktail restaurants, and the pool parties at the boutique hotels create the most concentrated luxury social scene in Turkey, is the defining character of Bodrum as a destination for the Turkish and the European visitor who seeks both the cultural and the social experience in the same Aegean setting. The Bodrum Bar Street and the harbour promenade evening are the most animated public social spaces in the Turkish Aegean summer season.