Gulet Cruise Turkey: Blue Cruise Routes, Cabin or Private, Costs

A gulet cruise in Turkey is a 4 to 8-day trip on a traditional wooden motor-sailer along the Aegean and Mediterranean coast, sleeping on board and stopping in bays to swim, with all meals cooked by the crew. The season runs from about May to October, and the most booked route is Fethiye to Olympos, four days and three nights past Butterfly Valley, Kaş and the Kekova sunken city. On the big booking sites in October 2026, a shared cabin on that route was listed at roughly $526 to $692 per person, while a whole private gulet costs from about €8,750 a week in May or October to €17,000 or more in high summer.

Turks call it Mavi Yolculuk, the Blue Voyage, and it is still the most relaxed way to see the coast between Bodrum and Antalya. This guide compares the main routes, explains the difference between a cabin charter and a private gulet, lists what is and is not included in the price, and shows how to fit a cruise into a trip that starts in Istanbul. We run four gulet itineraries ourselves, all on private boats with meals included.

Quick facts: gulet cruise Turkey

What is a gulet cruise?

A gulet is a broad wooden boat with a rounded stern, built for centuries in the yards of Bodrum and Bozburun for fishing and cargo. Modern gulets are built for guests: 20 to 40 metres long, with 4 to 8 en-suite cabins below deck, a shaded dining table aft and sun cushions on the foredeck. Most carry two or three masts, but in practice they cruise under engine most of the time and raise sails only on a good wind.

The holiday itself has a literary origin. The writer Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı, known as the Fisherman of Halicarnassus, began taking friends on simple fishing boats around the Bodrum peninsula in the 1940s; most accounts date the first trip to 1945. The name "Mavi Yolculuk" was coined by the writer Sabahattin Eyüboğlu and made famous by Azra Erhat's 1962 book of the same title. The fishing boats became tourist gulets in the following decades, and today hundreds of them work the coast every summer.

What makes it different from a cruise ship is scale. There are no ports full of other passengers, no fixed timetable, and the captain chooses the night's bay depending on the wind. You swim off the back of the boat before breakfast.

The best gulet routes in Turkey

Turkey's gulet coast splits into two parts. West of Marmaris it faces the Aegean, with stronger summer winds and the Greek islands on the horizon. East of Fethiye it is the Mediterranean Lycian coast, with calmer water, mountains dropping straight into the sea and ruins on the shore.

What is the best gulet route in Turkey? For a first trip, Fethiye to Olympos. It packs the coast's best-known stops into four days, runs on the calmer Lycian side, and finishes near Antalya airport. For a week, the Fethiye and Kekova loop gives you the same places with more time at anchor. The Aegean routes from Bodrum and Marmaris suit people who want fewer boats in each bay and do not mind a breeze.

One rule to know at Kekova: the bay was declared a specially protected area in 1990, and swimming and diving over the submerged ruins of the sunken city are not allowed. Boats pass slowly over the walls so you can see them through the water, and the swim stops are in nearby coves instead.

Our gulet cruises

All four of our gulet cruises are private, with accommodation on board, breakfast, lunch, dinner, a fruit plate, bottled water, equipment and local taxes included. Drinks, museum and site entrance fees, personal expenses and the crew tip are extra.

• Fethiye to Olympos gulet cruise, 4 days: Butterfly Valley, the Blue Lagoon at Ölüdeniz, Kalkan, Kaş, St Nicholas Island, Demre and the Kekova sunken city, ending at Olympos.
• Olympos to Fethiye gulet cruise, 4 days: the same coast in the opposite direction, with the Lycian tombs of Myra, Aquarium Bay and Tarzan Bay.
• Fethiye and Kekova gulet cruise, 7 days: a week-long loop from Fethiye harbour with Patara, Simena castle, Demre and nights in quiet bays. Fethiye hotel transfers are not included.
• Fethiye to Bodrum gulet cruise, 8 days: Dalyan and the rock tombs of Kaunos, İztuzu beach, Marmaris, Bozburun, Datça, Knidos and Bodrum castle.

Prices depend on the month, the boat and the number of guests, so we quote each date separately. Write to us on WhatsApp with your dates and group size and we will send the boats that are free. The itinerary can change with weather and sea conditions; the captain makes that call, and safety comes first.

Cabin charter or private gulet?

This is the first decision, and it changes everything else.

Cabin or private? A cabin charter is the cheaper way in and a good social trip, but you share the deck with strangers and cannot change the schedule. A private gulet becomes good value once you fill it: a 6-cabin boat sleeps about 12 people, and a low-season weekly price around €9,000 works out at well under €1,000 per person for seven nights. For families with children, we nearly always recommend private.

How much does a gulet cruise in Turkey cost?

Real 2026 figures, from what the market published:

• Cabin cruises, Fethiye to Olympos, 4 days: booking sites listed one operator from $526 per adult for a mid-October date and the same cruise from $692 on another platform; TourRadar showed a similar trip from $573. Prices rise in July and August.
• Longer cabin cruises: an 8-day Fethiye and Kekova gulet trip was listed from $875 per person, with a minimum of two travellers.
• Private gulets: a Turkish charter company's 2026 guide put standard gulets at €10,000 to €17,000 per week in summer, and 6-cabin boats at roughly €8,750 to €10,500 per week in May and October. Luxury gulets for 12 guests start around €16,000 a week in shoulder season, and the largest boats pass €30,000.

Watch what the price covers. On broker charters, the weekly rate usually includes the crew, fuel for a normal cruising day, water, port fees and the transit log, while food and drink are often extra. On cabin cruises, meals are included and drinks are sold from a bar on board. Site entrance fees are rarely in the price; one operator noted the Simena castle fee of €4 as an extra.

Prices vary by season, boat and group size; for a current price, write to us with your dates.

When is the best time for a blue cruise?

May and June are our favourite months. The sea is clean and quiet, prices are lower, and the days are long. The water is still cool in early May; by mid-June most people swim happily.

July and August are the peak. The water is at its warmest, every bay is busier, and prices are highest. On the Aegean side around Bodrum and Datça, the summer north wind (the meltem) can be strong in the afternoons, which makes the Lycian coast east of Fethiye the more comfortable choice for anyone who gets seasick.

September and October bring warm water, softer light and fewer boats. Late October is the end of the season, which is why some of the lowest 2026 cabin prices were for mid-October dates.

From November to April most gulets are out of the water for maintenance, and cabin cruises stop.

Is a gulet cruise all inclusive?

Not usually. A standard gulet cruise in Turkey is full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner cooked on board, plus water, tea and fruit. Soft drinks, beer, wine and spirits are extra, paid at the end from a bar tab, and some operators sell drinks packages. On private charters through brokers, even meals may be on a separate account, often paid in advance as a provisioning deposit.

Our gulet cruises include all three meals, the fruit plate and bottled water. Drinks and tips are the main extras, so bring some cash in lira or euros for the bar and the crew.

A day on a gulet

The rhythm is the same on almost every boat. Breakfast at anchor around 08:30, with eggs, olives, cheese, tomatoes and bread from the last village. A swim. The anchor goes up mid-morning and the boat moves for two or three hours to the next bay. Lunch is the big meal: mezes, salads, grilled fish or chicken. In the afternoon there is a stop at a ruin, a village or a beach, then another swim. Dinner is on deck after sunset, and in July many guests take their pillow up and sleep under the stars.

Cabins are small, usually a double or twin bed with a tiny private bathroom. On many gulets the air conditioning runs only while the generator is on, often in the evening and part of the night, so ask before you book if you sleep badly in the heat.

Practical tips before you board

• Pack soft bags. Hard suitcases do not fit in gulet cabins. Most ports have a place to leave them.
• Bring cash. Village shops, the bar tab and boat taxis in small harbours prefer cash.
• Plan for seasickness if you are prone to it; the Lycian side and the Göcek bays are the calmest water.
• Reef-friendly sunscreen, a hat and water shoes for rocky beaches.
• Phone signal is patchy in remote bays; a Turkish SIM or eSIM helps.
• Swimming over the Kekova sunken city is not allowed; your crew will choose another cove.

Getting to a gulet cruise from Istanbul

Most of our guests start in Istanbul and fly south. Turkish Airlines, AJet and Pegasus fly from Istanbul to Dalaman (for Fethiye and Göcek), Bodrum-Milas (for Bodrum) and Antalya (for Olympos and Kekova) in about an hour to an hour and a half. We arrange private cars from each airport to the harbour: see our Dalaman airport transfer, Bodrum airport transfer and Antalya airport transfer pages.

A common plan is three or four days in Istanbul, then the gulet, then a final night at the coast or back in Istanbul. Our multi-city packages combine both, and if you want a first taste of life on a boat before you go south, our private Bosphorus yacht tour for up to 12 guests starts at $299 per hour. The full list of boats is on our yacht tours page. If you are choosing between boats in Istanbul too, our guide to which Bosphorus cruise to book compares the ferry, lunch boat, dinner cruise and private yacht.

A gulet cruise or day boat trips?

If you only have a day or two on the coast, a gulet is not the right tool. Day boats from Antalya, Kaş and Fethiye cover single stretches well. Our Kekova sunken city boat trip with the Myra tour from Antalya, with lunch, costs $120, and our Antalya day trips page compares the other boat days from the resort hotels.

A gulet earns its price from the third day on: once you have woken up in a bay with no road, you stop counting the hours. For the wider southern coast, see our guides to Fethiye and Bodrum. With a spare day in Fethiye before or after the cruise, our guide to Oludeniz paragliding explains the tandem flight from Babadağ.

Frequently Asked Questions