Bodrum
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Bodrum is a village on the Aegean coast of Turkey, popular with tourists from all over the world.
[edit] Understand
Bodrum is the site of the ancient city of Halikarnassus, the location of the famous Mausoleum of Halikarnassus (built after 353 BCE) - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Unfortunately, the ancient monument was destroyed by earthquakes in the Middle Ages - some of the remnants can be seen in London's British Museum.
Bodrum is a fascinating place as it has a pleasing contrast between the Ancient city - where there are discernable fragments everywhere in the town, and a playground for rich Turks and an array of foreign visitors. It is one of the centres of the Turkish Tourist industry and is the market town for the Bodrum Penninsula which consists of a number of towns and villages nestling on the edge of the Coast. Until the 1960's the town was a fishing village which changed when a number of Turkish intellectuals gathered and wrote about Bodrum. Most notable of the these was Cevat Sekir 'The Fisherman of Hallikarnassus', an Oxford Educated Turk who devoted his time to writing and planting numerous plants and trees which continue to dot the landscape of the Town. His book the 'Blue Voyage' describing gulet trips around the Turkish coast, and his descriptions of the astoundingly clear Blue Seas of the Aegean and the delights of a trip around the coasts adjacent to Bodrum inspired a whole generation who have come to emulate his trips. Bodrum has therefore grown as a sailing destination and thanks to it's warm but not humid climate has become a top destination for visitors who enjoy the combination of the ancient past together with all the usual tourist paraphernalia. There are large numbers of shops and restaurants - from humble cafe's to exquisite Turkish cuisine served by an array of waiting staff.
Modern Bodrum strangely seems to have two contrasting sides to it.
The east half of the town has a long thin but reasonable beach, which has been added in the last few years, with the Authorities trying and largely succeeding in creating a good beach. Behind the beach lay all the bars restaurants and night clubs that are typical of Mediterranean resort towns. This means open fronted bars that do not come alive until 10pm when everybody goes out. As well as some nice beach fronted bars (e.g. cafe del mar being a reasonably chilled out and attractive bar, with attractive staff so that helps) it also has some terrible ones, if you do not like the hard drinking culture of some Tourists. It does have some reasonable clubs. Halikarnas being the obvious one as it is huge (4000 people). It also is mostly outdoors and hosts foam parties on regular occasions.
The other half of the town is the west side. This manly revolves around the Marina and Yacht Club. Here life is a little more sedate with shops catering mainly to those who have stepped of their boats. Expensive supermarkets with proper wine and olive oil as well as the obligatory Helley Hanson to be able to purchase your new jacket. There are a number of nice restaurants if you look hard enough and some good clothes shops. Like all resorts being directly on the sea front increases the prices. During the evenings there is a wonderful atmosphere as the locals and tourists all seem to promenade along the sea front.
There are many cultural events - notably the Ballet Festival in August, a wide range of pop concerts at the Castle or in the Amphitheatre which has been restored in the last few years, having been built some 2,000 years ago.
[edit] History
According to Herodotus, born B.C. 484 in Halikarnassus (ancient name for Bodrum), the city was founded by the Dorians. Megarans enlarged the city B.C. 650 and changed its name to Halikarnassus, and then Persians started to rule the city from B.C. 386
Halikarnassus had its glorious days, when it was the capital of the Karia B.C. 353. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Mausoleum, was built there by Artemisia for the memory of King Mausolos.
After the Roman and Byzantium rule for ages, Ottomans have conqured the city in 1522, during the time of Suleyman, The Magnificent. The city was named "Bodrum" after the Turkish Republic was declared.
[edit] Mausoleum
Known as one of the Seven Wonders of The Ancient World, The Mauseloum was built by Artemisia, the sister and the wife of King Mausolos, B.C. 355.
This work of art, stood on a 21 stepped pyramid which was 46 metres high and carried a horse car symbolising victory on it, had 36 marble columns in Ionian style.
The mauseloum was destroyed in an earthquake; and the ruins were used in building of the Halikarnassus Castle. Many statues and reliefs from the mauseloum were carried to The British Museum by archeologist C. Newton, in 1856 and now lies there for public viewing.
[edit] Get in
- Travel Guide of Bodrum - Nightlife and Tourism
[edit] By plane
Bodrum-Milas airport is 35 km away from Bodrum and many flight companies operate charter flights to Bodrum in Summer season. There are also Dalaman and Izmir Airports which are 3 hours far away from Bodrum.
From the Airport: There are Havas Shuttle services in accordance with each planes' arriving to the domestic lines of Bodrum Milas Airport. Ticket Fee from airport to Bodrum Center is 14.00 YTL
There is also an airport taxi service which is more expensive than the shuttle service. You can find the price list in front of the taxi lane.
[edit] By boat
Bodrum is reached by sea from Cos and Rhodes (Greek Islands). Daily ferryboat services from/to Cos and Rhodes to Bodrum are available during the summer season.
[edit] By bus
There are many intercity bus companies which operate bus services to Bodrum from major cities of Turkey such as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Bursa, Konya ,etc... After arriving at any of these cities, Bodrum is reached by bus. By bus : from Istanbul to Bodrum 13 hours; Izmir to Bodrum 4 hours; Ankara to Bodrum 10 hours.
[edit] Get around
[edit][add listing] See
[edit] Landmarks
The castle is quite pretty and the views are spectacular.
- Bodrum Castle / the Castle of St Peter (Bodrum Kalesi) [1]. Built from 1402 by the Knights Hospitaller, the Castle is easily the most prominent landmark in the city. The castle now operates as a museum, with the focus on the Museum of Underwater Archaeology (see below). It is one of the world's best preserved monuments dating back to medieval times. The supervision of the construction of the castle was assigned to the German architect Heinrich Schlegelholt, so that the latest developments in castle design were included.
[edit] Museums and Galleries
- Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology, inside Bodrum Castle, tel +90 252 316 25 16, fax +90 252 313 76 46, [2]. Tu-Su 9AM-12PM, 2PM-7PM, closed Mondays. established in 1961, this great museum has won numerous awards, and displays amazing finds from underwater excavations along the Turkish coast. Includes the famous Uluburun Shipwreck, one of the earliest and richest wrecks yet discovered. Not to be missed.
[edit][add listing] Do
Gumbet has a great beach and recommended is hire of a private boat for your own trip around the bay. Make sure all passengers have and wear lifejackets and that there is an emergency oar and kit on board. Taking a mobile phone in a plastic bag is advisable. Try snorkeling (go for good quality glass based goggles and kit available in most shops at around 20 Lira).
- Hamam — Bodrum has a fine hamam, also known as a Turkish Bath, located a few blocks inland from the harbour. Facilities are separated by gender with both sexes enjoying the same hours of operation.
- Further afield there are the mud baths to visit. You go down the river on a rickety of chug-chug jump in bit baths of mud and roll around (The fun bit) and then clean off and go home. It’s also easy to go across to Kos or Rhodes for a day or two. When arriving there get a scooter (very dangerous but the best and easiest way to get around). There is of course loads of old architecture to visit around if you like that kind of thing.
- Windsurfing — There are some good possibilities for windsurfing at nearby Vass. It has a bit of a hippy air to it with lots of hire stands for boards and sails. Some may find there are just tooooo many people around in high season for it to be much fun, especially when there are competitions running.
- Diving - There are many diving clubs doing daily scuba diving tours all around the region, fees usually include lunch and snacks prepared on boat.
- Boat Tours - Public boat tours are arranged from almost all the beaches. Alternatively, you can make early reservation with the tour operator of your choice, many tour operators are located in the Bodrum Marina. Boat tours are a good way to explore various beaches surrounding Bodrum, as well as some must see island strands you can't reach by road.
[edit][add listing] Buy
Always haggle for a better (if not half price) deal and go for clothing. Some great quality designer labeled outfits, shoes and trousers (fake or not) are definitely worth the lira being asked.
[edit][add listing] Eat
The home of the doner kebap offers more tasty treats, try local delicatessens for flavoursome vegetable, pulses and meat dishes.
[edit][add listing] Drink
Gumbet seems to be the second choice for Brits to go out drinking in. There are more Brits and Aussies here than any where else in turkey. The bars generally ban the locals which can cause small grievances my generally don’t cause large problems. Gumbet club scene is mainly bars with open windows, music is based on current R&B and dance but is full of local men constantly chasing foreign ladies.
- Try Club X on corner of bar street (bouncers at door) which have more sophisticated clients and music is excellent mix of R&B, Dance, Funk and Turkish Pop.
- Halikarnassus is the name of the huge, outdoor night club (the largest in the world, they say). It is for the trendy, young euro crowd and is especially busy in the peak season.
- Kuba is a resto-lounge restaurant with an upscale menu.
- Bodrum Marine Club is a club built into a large boat. The boat is a catamaran style, with a glass deck for the dance floor. At night the boat sets out to a point in the harbour where lights have been set into the ocean floor, pointing up. The local fish have learned that this is a good spot to hang out and get scraps thrown overboard, and you can see them swimming along under the dance floor. Watch out for the ticket hawkers set up on the streets in town though, if you arrive before the peak season hits they will go to great lengths to sell you a ticket. Claims of a "special party" that night will be made, often mentioning a big name European DJ like Tiesto. When you get on the boat you'll find it's just an ordinary night, no special party, and especially no Tiesto. If you go back to the ticket stand the next day to confront the person who made the false claims, they'll suddenly forget how to speak English. Continuing to harass them will result in a grudging admission that there was a "schedule change". I don't doubt that this club fills up and has great parties when there are lots of people in town, but if you're there in late March - early June, don't bother.
[edit][add listing] Sleep
Around Bodrum are a number of small towns/villages dominated by western resorts (Mark Warner, ClubMed SunSail, and Neilson). These resorts are normally aimed at families of water sports people.
It seems hard to find a place to stay in Bodrum which is calm and quiet since holiday villages, hotels and resorts are packed with families with children. There is however, a small family-run boutique hotel called Atami Hotel located in Paradise Bay which serves adults only. Paradise Bay is one of the few unspoilt, peaceful and quiet bays in the region. It is a must-see and must-visit natural beauty. The bay is located behind Golkoy village and you should either walk or take a taxi from the village to get there. Or alternatively, you can stay at the hotel and spend your holiday at Paradise Bay.
- On the western side of the town there is a very nice Marina. Especially for private sailing boats.
- Hawthorn Suites [3] Stunning panoramic views over the Mediterranean sea, exceptional quality and style and unmatched personalized service await you at the Hawthorn Bodrum, Karaca Resort hotel in Turkey.
- Su Hotel, [4]. The Su Hotel Bodrum is located close to the harbor in the quieter Western Bay, close enough to walk easily to the city center. The hotel is decorated with local crafts, art and antiques and the courtyard hosts a fine collection of Mediterranean plants and flowers including fig trees, oranges, cacti, pomegrantes to name but a few.
[edit] Get out
In the high season, there is direct boat service to:
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