Bodrum: The Crusader Castle looking out to Kos
Bodrum is a popular tourist destination, though many visitors will rarely leave their resorts scattered around the peninsula.
In the town itself, there’s plenty to see from cultural attractions such as the Castle, Mausoleum and Amphitheatre, to the many shopping opportunities in the bazaar and elsewhere.
The place heaves with restaurants and bars though as is often the case, most near the centre are unremarkable with more interesting options out towards the marina, or up the main street towards the bus station.
Bodrum: View from the top of the Roman Amphitheatre
The bazaar is a maze of open air pedestrianised streets and alleys offering everything from clothing to jewellery, and souvenirs to tattoo parlours. As with Marmaris, there are bargains to be had, but plenty of fakes to catch out the unwary.
There are also more traditional markets twice a week, focusing on clothing on Tuesdays and a fruit and veg on Fridays.
Bodrum has all the facilities you would expect of a fair sized town. There are several large supermarkets just outside town, with a smaller one on the main street, which will probably suffice for most yacht provisioning. There are also plenty of mini markets, bakers, butchers, chemists, banks, ATM’s, money changers, and a post office.
Bodrum: The Castle and harbour by night
Bodrum is a large charter base and many people will start or finish their charter there. For those stopping on the way through the high marina fees can be a deterrent but it’s an excellent place to take a break from the sailing and either head over to Kos for the day or spend a day sightseeing.