Turkey yacht charter
Deep gulfs and sheltered bays
Deep, pine-covered gulfs and sheltered bays, with the Greek islands across the water. May, June, September and October are milder and emptier than high summer. It suits families and couples most.
Turkey's south-west coast is made of deep gulfs and pine-covered headlands, with bays you reach only from the sea. Many of them have a restaurant jetty and little else. The season is long, the evenings are warm, and the Greek islands are often in sight across the water.
Why go, and whom it suits
Families
The bays of Göcek and the Gulf of Gökova are sheltered, so the water is flat most days and the legs are short. Children can swim off the stern morning and evening. Ashore it is quieter than the busiest Greek or Croatian islands.
Couples and honeymoons
Long, warm evenings, dinners at anchor, and bays that empty after the day boats leave. The coast also suits a slower pace than an island-hop: fewer harbours, more time in each bay.
Friends and celebrations
Bodrum has the nightlife, the beach clubs and the restaurants. The gulfs give the group quiet days in between.
From Bodrum east to Kaş
Bays you reach only from the sea, many with a restaurant jetty and little else.
Turkey is the eastern end of our Mediterranean destinations, and its charter coast runs from Bodrum east to Kaş.
Bodrum and the Gulf of Gökova
Bodrum's castle and harbour, then the long gulf to the east, with its wooded bays and Sedir island, a protected archaeological site where taking the sand of its Cleopatra Beach is forbidden. Knidos, at the tip of the Datça peninsula, is in reach.
Göcek and Fethiye
A bay full of small islands, with sheltered anchorages a short way apart. Fethiye, Ölüdeniz and the Butterfly Valley are along the coast to the south-east. This is the gentlest area on the coast.
Marmaris and Datça
(page to follow). Marmaris' big bay, and the quieter coves of the Hisarönü and Datça peninsulas. Rhodes is across the strait.
Kaş and Kekova
(page to follow). Further east, on the Lycian coast: a small harbour town, the sunken ruins at Kekova, and the Greek island of Kastellorizo just offshore, in sight of the town.
Istanbul
(page to follow). The Bosphorus by yacht, often for days rather than a week: shorter than a week is possible on many yachts, priced per day from the weekly rate.
When to go
From May to October: one of the longer seasons in the Mediterranean. July and August are hot ashore, and the sea is warmest late in summer. May, June, September and October are milder, and the bays are emptier. Summer brings an afternoon breeze, and the captain chooses the bays to suit it.
The busiestCalmer
What a week costs here
The charter fee is each yacht's own weekly rate. Her page shows it "from", which is her lowest season; July and August cost more.
- Tax. Turkey is outside the EU. A foreign-flagged yacht may take charter guests in Turkish waters only if she is a commercial yacht licensed by Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism; a private yacht may not be chartered there. The yachts we show in Turkey hold that licence. A Turkish-flagged yacht charges 20% VAT; for a foreign-flagged one, any tax or permit cost is in the quote.
- APA, the Advance Provisioning Allowance, is paid with the balance. The captain holds it for fuel, food, drinks, berths and similar costs, spends it on your instructions and accounts for it at the end; anything unspent is returned. Budget up to 40% of the charter fee for it.
- A week that starts in Greece and enters Turkey adds formalities: the yacht must clear in at one of Turkey's frontier ports.
Our guide sets out what a crewed charter costs, line by line.
The weekly rate on each yacht’s page. "From" is her lowest season.
An advance for fuel, food, drinks and berths, spent on your instructions and settled at the end.
Set by the country the charter starts in, added to the fee.
A sample week
Göcek and the gulf. A round week with short legs, a different bay each night, and two days ashore.
- Day 1: Göcek. Board in the afternoon, a short drive from Dalaman airport. Dinner in the marina village.
- Day 2: The Göcek islands. A morning among the islands, then a quiet bay for the night.
- Day 3: Bays on the gulf's west side. Snorkelling and paddleboards, with lunch at a jetty restaurant.
- Day 4: Gemiler island and Ölüdeniz. The Byzantine ruins on Gemiler in the morning, then a swim off Ölüdeniz's lagoon coast.
- Day 5: The Butterfly Valley. Anchor below the cliffs and take the tender ashore. Back towards Fethiye in the evening.
- Day 6: Fethiye. The town's market and the rock tombs above it. A last night in a bay on the way back.
- Day 7: Göcek. Disembark in the morning.
The yacht, the weather and the group decide the real route; this is one way it can go.
The yachts that cruise here
Most of the yachts we show in Turkey are motor yachts, many of them over 40 metres, and most take 11 or more guests.
Every one of these also cruises Greece. In practice, a week in Turkey on one of them may start on the Greek side, or add a delivery fee to a Turkish port, stated before you sign. The ones we show in Turkey hold the commercial charter licence.
Gulets. Gulets are the wooden motor-sailers Turkey is known for, and Soreto arranges them too: tell us if a gulet is what you have in mind.
The yachts on this site are a selection, not the limit of what we arrange: ask about any yacht, of any size.
Chartering in Turkey
Rene GaspersicYour broker
Where do charters in Turkey start?
Usually Bodrum, Göcek, Marmaris or Fethiye. The airports are Milas-Bodrum (BJV) and Dalaman (DLM).
Do we need a visa?
That depends on your passport. Some nationalities need a visa for Turkey, usually an e-visa obtained online, and some do not. Check before you travel.
Can we combine Turkey and Greece in one week?
Often, yes. Bodrum and Kos, Marmaris and Rhodes, and Kaş and Kastellorizo are close. But crossing between the two countries means leaving one officially and entering the other at a port of entry, with passport and customs formalities. On the Turkish side, the ports of entry on this coast include Bodrum, Datça, Marmaris, Fethiye and Kaş. It takes part of a day, so plan for it.
Is the sea calm?
Inside the gulfs and around Göcek, usually yes. Around Bodrum the summer afternoon breeze can be fresh. The captain plans the day around it.
Do you arrange gulets?
Yes. A gulet is the traditional wooden motor-sailer of this coast: roomy, slow and made for long days at anchor. Tell us how many you are and how you like to travel, and we propose the ones that fit.
Is Turkey good for children?
Yes: flat water, short distances and bays to swim in. Some days have long stretches with little ashore, so bring things to do.
What is it like ashore?
Quieter than the busiest Greek islands: bay restaurants with their own jetties, small towns and markets, and Bodrum when you want it lively.
How far ahead should we start planning July or August?
For high summer, start early: the autumn or winter before is common. The shoulder months leave more room.
Do we pay in euros or lira?
Each yacht's rate is in its own currency, shown on her page. Ashore, lira and cards are both common.
Is tax included in the "from" price?
No. The "from" price is the fee alone. Tax, if any, and the APA are added, and each yacht's quote shows both.
Turkey's south-west coast | Greece's Dodecanese | |
|---|---|---|
Distances | Short, inside gulfs | Short to moderate, between islands |
Wind | Sheltered gulfs; fresher near Bodrum | The meltemi in July and August, less in the south |
Ashore | Bay restaurants, few towns | An island town most nights |
Season | May to October | May to October |
Talk to a broker
Tell us roughly when, how many of you there are, and what the week is for: a family summer, a honeymoon, a birthday with friends. Dates and budget can stay loose. We come back with a short list of yachts that fit, say plainly what each one is like, and stay your contact from the first email to the last day on board.
Rene Gaspersic
charter broker
Email info@soretoyachting.com · Phone +44 7342 933198 · WhatsApp +44 7342 933198
Plan
Turkey.
Two short steps. Dates and budget can stay loose. We reply personally, by email, phone or WhatsApp.