How to Spend a Port Call in Bodrum
(Left) Beachfront restaurants line Bodrum’s bay.
(Center) A spread at Asmali Cardak.
(Right) Cooling off at a café.
The Turkish city’s streets pulse with art, history, and unexpected coastal charm.
Cruising into Bodrum’s impressive marina, with its super-yachts and tantalizing beach clubs among hills and ruins, you’d be forgiven for assuming the Aegean port is Turkey’s answer to Ibiza or perhaps Mykonos. But look closer and you discover a town with a distinctive bohemian vibe, inventive menus, and a timeless character woven into every wall and winding path – a sense of history and place refined over 3,500 years.
Originally known as Halicarnassus, Bodrum was once home to the tomb of Mausolus – you can still stroll around its crumbled 350 BC base – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Over time, the wonders only expanded as the city was influenced by the Persians, Greeks, Romans, and Ottomans, each leaving their mark; you can feel it in the way philosophical debate comes so easily in Bodrum’s many whitewashed cafés and art spaces.
These days, Bodrum is celebrated for its creative spirit, artistic communities, and irresistible Mediterranean charms. You might come for a shore excursion, but you’ll get hooked on the laid-back pace and breezy contentment. Not to mention the unfiltered coffee – those powerful, finely ground beans, served with such care and elegance, keep you energized to explore until you’re back on board.
Teatime at Ortakent Pazari.
9:30 a.m.
From the cruise port, it’s a quick taxi ride to many of Bodrum’s main landmarks, including the centuries-old windmills of Gumbet or fifteenth-century Bodrum Castle; its impressively preserved towers and battlements built by the Knights of Saint John now house the Museum of Underwater Archaeology. For a more flavorful immersion, head to Ortakent Pazari, a canopied bazaar that’s serene and manageable enough to feel like a boutique farmers’ market. Vendors in colorful dress from nearby villages sell dried fruits and spices, local honey, and teas. And it’s never too late for Turkish coffee or too early for the piping-hot flatbread known as lahmacun, topped with minced meat and herbs or vegetables, and still crackling from the griddle.
11 a.m.
Twenty minutes from the bazaar by car, Asmali Cardak is a sweet and atmospheric garden café on Turkey’s glamorous northwest coast. This entire region is famous for its mandarins, which residents transform into wildly delicious juices, jams, and dips for local specialties. Soft and spreadable kaymak cheese somehow seems made to pair with a citrus punch. Yachters from around the Med tie up at ultra-chic Yalikavak Marina to shop at retail spaces such as Vakko Mare, known for its textiles and leather goods, and Beymen, which carries both local and international designer labels. For a glimpse of the booming art scene, head to Pilevneli Yalikavak, a 6.5-acre park with a sprawling exhibition space showcasing bold contemporary sculptors and painters from Turkey and beyond.
12:30 p.m.
Much like Turkish towels, beach clubs are part of the fabric of Bodrum. The only stress: picking one from the embarrassment of luxury options. In Yalikavak, the Bodrum Edition has a contemporary, sophisticated ambience that’s at once exclusive and playful; its splendid beach club looks out to white sand and sports a private jetty with daybeds for day-trippers. For a truly unforgettable experience, stick around long enough to dine at Kitchen, where Osman Sezener has earned a Michelin star for the likes of Aegean blue-tail shrimp and Bodrum sea bream tartare with Adana black caviar. A few coves over, Mandarin Oriental, Bodrum spreads out on 150 secluded acres with long crescents of sand. Book a sun lounger or private cabana at the Blue Beach Club & Bar and savor a leisurely lunch (its Turkish kebabs and doners elevate those street classics to high art) without ever leaving the beach.
Karnas Vineyards.
4 p.m.
There are worse ways to wind down a Bodrum afternoon than with award-winning wines and a few bites at Karnas Vineyards, tucked away in a valley about 45 minutes from the Mandarin Oriental. The bucolic family-owned winery wins raves for its zinfandel, syrah, and cabernet franc varietals, produced using sustainable, regenerative farming practices. Be sure to ask about the thousand-year-old olive tree still producing fruit for the olive oil you’ll undoubtedly be shipping home.
8 p.m.
Back in the heart of the city, culinary tradition and glorious sunsets are on order at Orfoz Restaurant, overlooking the bay. The Bozcaga brothers are known for their seafood: The squid is perfectly grilled, the tuna sashimi has just a touch of Asian flair, and the oysters arrive with a dash of Parmesan foam. Wrapping up a day here gives new meaning to the words “Turkish delight.”
