10 Best things to see & do in Bodrum

Deserted, aquamarine bays, steep cliffs dense with bottle-green pines and the constant hum of cicadas creates a blissful backdrop to a typical week cruising Turkey’s southwestern ‘Turquoise’ coast. This absorbing stretch of coastline runs from Cesme to Anamur, including the towns of Kusadasi, Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye, and Antalya.

These small-boat sailing holidays are the perfect detox from everyday life, with days falling into a routine of swimming before breakfast, lazing on deck, more swimming, forays ashore and dinner under the stars, at anchor.

Book either as a single, a couple or a family and meet like-minded people, or charter your own gulet and choose our route. Boats come fully crewed and you don’t have to lift a finger.

This tangle of streets is shopping heaven, if you don’t mind the odd bit of pressure selling. Everything from kitchen utensils to kids’ clothes is on offer, along with fresh produce, ceramics, jewellery and the ubiquitous fake handbags and clothes. Barter hard.

The monumental Temple of Apollo is largely intact within its hem of tottering or fallen fluted columns. Home to one of the great oracles of the ancient world, the temple stood for hundreds of years without ever being completed, as the mason’s marks on uncarved stonework reveal.

A restored Roman amphitheatre that can seat up to 13,000, the site dates back to the 4th century BC. Some of the names of those who bought seats can still be seen carved into the stonework.

Occupying a spectacular position at the tip of the Datca Peninsula, with its harbours still used by visiting gulets, Knidos is in the midst of an extensive archaeological restoration. Works continue along the ancient stoa, the theatre and the numerous temples.

This open-air market is the largest on the Bodrum peninsula, held every Saturday, is packed with stalls selling local produce – olives, cheese, meze, seasonal fruits and vegetables – plus the usual fare of textiles and crafts.

Tucked away in the heart of Bodrum, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Designed by Greek architects Satyros and Pythius, the structure soared to approximately 45 metres. It was richly adorned with friezes and statues by renowned sculptors of the time, its marble reliefs capturing the power and artistry of the ancient world.

It was built around 350 BCE by Artemisia II as a grand tomb to honour her husband and brother Mausolus – giving us the word mausoleum.

Sadly, though, earthquakes between the 12th and 15th centuries reduced this ancient splendour to ruins – and that remains today is a small site of foundations and scattered sculptural fragments.

It’s a quiet but evocative space: low stone foundations, fragments of carvings, and a small museum that helps you reimagine the wonder that once stood. It may not rival nearby beach clubs for most visitors to Bodrum, but for those drawn to history’s lost masterpieces, it’s a chance to walk among the ghosts of one of antiquity’s greatest architectural achievements.

Bodrum’s weekly market, held in the Pazar next to Dolmus station, takes place on Tuesday (for textiles) and Friday (fruits and vegetables). The textile market is famous throughout the region; alongside the beautiful cottons and linens, there are also kilims (carpets), clothing and kitchenware on sale.

Go for the full package – hamam, sauna, exfoliation, oil massage and water massage at this simple hammam opposite Bodrum’s bus station.

Interesting, small museums with exhibits including jewellery and artefacts from underwater necropolis and the skeletons of historic vessels. It’s housed in the Castle of St. Peter, a 15th-century fortress situated on a rocky peninsula between two sheltered bays.