Experiences · 9 min read
Turkey Blue Cruise gulet holidays: a UK travellers complete guide (2026)
6 May 2026
A traditional Turkish gulet yacht week is one of the most under-rated holidays available to British travellers. Here is everything we tell our clients before they board: routes, costs, cabin types, and what to actually pack.
What a Blue Cruise actually is
A Blue Cruise (Mavi Yolculuk in Turkish) is a multi-day cruise on a traditional wooden two-masted Turkish yacht — the gulet — along the southwest coast between Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye, Göcek, Kas and Kekova. The gulet was originally a fishing and trading vessel; modern tourist gulets are 18-30 metres long with 4-12 cabins, all en-suite with air conditioning, a sun deck for breakfast and lounging, a shaded aft deck for dinners, a tender for shore visits, and a captain plus crew of 2-5 (depending on size). Most cruises run 4 to 7 nights, with the boat moving by day to a new bay and anchoring overnight. The pace is genuinely slow — swim, snorkel, read, eat, swim again, sleep on deck under the stars.
The four classic routes (and which one to pick)
1) Bodrum Loop (Bodrum-Kos-Datça-Knidos-Bodrum, 4-7 nights): best for first-timers, excellent food stops at Datça village restaurants, calm Aegean swimming. 2) Bodrum-Gocek (4-7 nights, one-way): includes the stunning 12 Islands of Göcek, sea-kayaking in Cleopatra Bay, the sunken city at Kekova on extended versions. 3) Marmaris-Fethiye (7 nights, one-way): the proper Turquoise Coast experience — Ekincik turtle beach, the Dalyan rivermouth, Tersane Island, and arrival into Fethiye marina. 4) Fethiye-Kekova (4-7 nights): the most dramatic scenery, Lycian rock tombs at Simena, the underwater ruins at Kekova, Kas town, Aperlae, and Kalkan. We recommend route 3 for first-time British clients and route 4 for couples seeking quieter coves.
Cabin charter vs full boat charter (the cost question)
Cabin charter: you book one cabin on a shared boat, joining 6-10 other passengers (mix of UK, German, Dutch, Australian travellers). Cost: 650-1,200 GBP per person per week including all meals, mooring fees and crew, drinks paid extra. Best for solo travellers, two adult friends, or budget-conscious couples. Full charter: you rent the entire boat for your group of family or friends. Cost: 4,800-12,000 GBP per week for a 4-cabin gulet (up to 8 guests), 8,000-22,000 GBP for premium 6-cabin gulets, 25,000+ GBP for ultra-luxury yachts with hot tubs and tenders. Best for families of 6+, two-couple holidays, milestone birthdays, and honeymoons. Full charter gives you control over the daily itinerary, music choice, dinner times, and crucially — no strangers on the boat.
Who actually loves a gulet (and who does not)
Loves it: couples 30-65 years old who want disconnect time, families with confident swimmer children 8+ (the boat is a swimming platform 8 hours a day), groups of friends, multi-generational holidays where younger guests want activity and grandparents want shade and meals brought to them, and honeymooners on the premium end. Hates it: couples expecting Mykonos-style nightlife (gulet evenings are anchored bays, not beach clubs), guests with severe sea-sickness (the Med is calm but you still feel small swells at anchor), under-7 children (water depth, ladder boarding, no kids club), and travellers who need a different restaurant experience every night (food is served on board mostly — Turkish home cooking, very good but limited choice).
What it costs all-in for British travellers
A typical seven-night gulet experience for a British couple looks like this: flights London-Dalaman or Bodrum return (180-380 GBP per person depending on month), one-way airport transfer to gulet pier (40-80 GBP per couple), cabin charter on a shared comfortable gulet (700-950 GBP per person including all meals), crew tips at end (10% of charter, typically 80-120 GBP per couple), drinks bill on board (Turkish wine and beer, typically 220-380 GBP per couple per week), and a final-night hotel in Fethiye, Marmaris or Bodrum if your flight is the next day (90-180 GBP). Total per couple: 2,400-3,800 GBP. Full charter at the premium end runs 8,000-15,000 GBP per couple but includes everything.
When to book and what to actually pack
Best months: May, June, September, October. July and August are doable but the Med is at its busiest and crowded coves are common. Avoid November-April (gulet season is closed). Book 4-9 months ahead for full charter, 2-4 months ahead for cabin charter, longer for July-August dates. Pack: soft duffel bag (cabins have no space for hard suitcases), sailing or waterproof shoes (slippy decks), polarised sunglasses, SPF 50, a hat with a chin strap (the breeze takes hats overboard), a light fleece for evenings on deck, two swimsuits (one always wet), reef-friendly sunscreen, motion sickness tablets if prone (rare but happens), small denominations of GBP/EUR for crew tips and shore restaurant lunches at Datça or Cold Water Bay.
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