A week under sail from Marmaris
7 days · 100 nm · starts in Marmaris · Turkey
Marmaris
Boat handover after 17:00, provisioning at the Migros supermarket by the marina, night on the pontoon. If there is time, a short hop to Kumlubük bay (8 nm).
Marmaris → Çiftlik
Lunch at anchor off Kadırga island; by evening, Çiftlik bay: sandy bottom, restaurant pontoons, a quiet night.
Çiftlik → Bozburun
Round the cape and into the Hisarönü Gulf. Bozburun is the gulet-building capital: a waterfront, a solid breeze after 14:00, and the best marinated tuna at the market.
Bozburun → Selimiye
A short leg — a day for swimming. Selimiye is a postcard village with a dozen restaurants on the water; tie up at the Sardunya pontoons or anchor deep in the bay.
Selimiye → Dirsek
Dirsek is a bay with no road and no signal: just a restaurant on stilts and goats on the slopes. The quietest night of the week.
Dirsek → Datça or Orhaniye
The town option: Datça and its Saturday market. The nature option: Orhaniye and the Kız Kumu sandbar, where people walk 'on the water'.
Back to Marmaris
Leave in the morning, lunch stop at Turunç, fuel dock and handover by 17:00. Night on the boat in the marina, fly out the next day.
The Hisarönü Gulf west of Marmaris is the most rewarding part of Turkey for a first week on your own boat: legs of 3–4 hours, wind after lunch, dozens of sheltered bays where you can anchor or tie up to a restaurant pontoon for free (have dinner and the berth is yours). The route is a loop of about 100 nautical miles and suits a monohull and a catamaran alike.
Practicalities
- Wind: in summer a steady 12–20 knots from the west during the day, dying in the evening. Storm closures are rare — the area works from April to November.
- Berths: restaurant pontoons are free if you have dinner; nights at anchor in Çiftlik, Dirsek and Orhaniye. The only marina is in Marmaris — budget for it on the first and last night if it is not included.
- Formalities: the transit log and the security deposit are paid at the base at the fleet's price list. Sailing into Greek waters (Rhodes and Symi are close) needs separate clearance — within a week it rarely makes sense.
When to go and what it costs
Turkey is cheapest in winter — a median €252 per person per week; spring, by contrast, is the most expensive (€442) because of the May holidays. In summer reckon on about €350 per person, and two years of data show Turkish prices barely rising (+2% year on year).
RYC Rentals data, 2,062 offers from 2024–2026, as of 13 Aug 2026 · full breakdown →