Bodrum Town Centre

A look around

What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.

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Where it sits

The circle is Bodrum Town Centre and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.

How far is everything?

From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.

• A boat trip / Blue Cruise22 min walk1.9 km
• The peninsula's beaches8 min taxi2.7 km
• Türkbükü beach clubs39 min taxi12.9 km
• Aegean meze & raki44 min taxi14.5 km
• Yalıkavak & Türkbükü (beach)44 min taxi14.6 km
• Yalıkavak Palmarina44 min taxi14.8 km
• A drive round the peninsula villages48 min taxi16.1 km
• Sunset seafood at Gümüşlük53 min taxi17.6 km

On your doorstep

What you’re living next to if you stay here.

• 1.Bodrum Castle & the Underwater Museum — The town's landmark — the Castle of St Peter, built by the Knights Hospitaller from the stones of the ancient Mausoleum, standing guard between the two bays. Inside is the superb Museum of Underwater Archaeology, with Bronze Age shipwrecks and their cargoes. The essential sight; climb the towers for the best view over Bodrum.
• 2.The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus — The ruins of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World — the vast tomb built for King Mausolus that gave us the word 'mausoleum'. Little stands today, but the site and its small museum tell the story of ancient Halicarnassus. More for the history than the spectacle; a quiet, atmospheric stop between the beaches.
• 3.Bar Street & the nightlife — Bodrum's after-dark engine — Cumhuriyet Caddesi, better known as Bar Street, a solid run of bars and clubs along the eastern bay, anchored by the open-air megaclub Halikarnas on the water. Loud, late and legendary in Turkey; dive in for a big night, or just walk it for the spectacle.
• 4.The marina & waterfront — The palm-lined harbour front curving between the castle and the town — gulets and yachts moored alongside, waterfront cafés and restaurants, and the evening promenade where all of Bodrum strolls. The heart of town life; come at sunset for a drink with the castle lit up across the water.
• 5.The whitewashed old town — Behind the front, a maze of narrow lanes climbs the hill in a tumble of white cubic houses, blue shutters and cascading bougainvillea, dotted with boutiques, galleries and courtyard cafés. A lovely, cooler wander away from the harbour crowds; the prettiest, most photogenic side of Bodrum.
• 11.The Ancient Theatre — One of the oldest theatres in Anatolia, carved into the hillside above the town in the 4th century BC and still used for summer concerts — its stone tiers frame a superb view over Bodrum, the castle and the bay. Free, floodlit at night, and a great spot for sunset; a quick, rewarding climb from the centre.
• 13.The Bodrum windmills — A row of old stone windmills stands on the ridge between Bodrum and Gümbet, a classic sunset viewpoint looking down over both bays and the castle. Drive or walk up in the golden hour; a lovely, breezy spot for photos and a moment above the resort bustle.
• 15.A Turkish bath — A proper hammam is the classic Turkish ritual — steam on a heated marble slab, a vigorous foam scrub and a massage that leaves you glowing. Bodrum has several, from traditional town baths to spa versions in the resorts. A brilliant, cheap treat after a day on the beach; go for the full scrub-and-foam.
• 16.The Myndos Gate & ancient walls — The surviving western gate of ancient Halicarnassus, where Alexander the Great laid siege in 334 BC — twin towers and a stretch of the old city walls, with a moat and a small site to wander. Low-key and often deserted; a genuine slice of the ancient city for history buffs, a short way from the centre.
• 17.A Turkish breakfast — Turkey does breakfast like nowhere else — a sprawling spread of cheeses, olives, tomatoes, eggs, honey and clotted cream, fresh bread and endless tea, best over a lazy morning before the heat. Seek out a village 'kahvaltı' spot or a garden café on the peninsula; a feast, and the local start to any good day.