Two towns in one
Bodrum has two sides, and it is worth knowing both before you go. One is historic: this was Halicarnassus, the birthplace of Herodotus and the site of the Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The other is the Bodrum of today: the marina, whitewashed houses draped in bougainvillea, the bays of the peninsula and a nightlife that barely pauses in August.
Both fit into the same trip. Spend the morning at the castle and the ruins, head out by boat to a bay in the afternoon, and have dinner by the water in the evening.
What to see
Castle of St Peter
The Knights Hospitaller began building it in 1402, using stone from the Mausoleum, which earthquakes had already brought down. The castle commands both of the harbour's bays, and inside it still keeps the towers of the order's different “tongues”, its national branches: English, French, German and Italian. A walk round it takes a couple of hours, and the view from the battlements is the best in town.
Museum of Underwater Archaeology
It is housed inside the castle and is one of the most important museums of its kind in the world, bringing together shipwrecks recovered off the Turkish coast. The star is the Uluburun ship, which sank around 1300 BC and is one of the oldest wrecks ever excavated. Its cargo (copper ingots, Baltic amber, ivory and a gold scarab bearing the name of Nefertiti) tells the story of Bronze Age trade across the Mediterranean better than any book.
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Of the tomb that Artemisia raised for her husband Mausolus, the monument that gave us the word “mausoleum”, what remains is the site itself, the foundations and a few column fragments; its reliefs are in the British Museum in London. It is not spectacular, but with someone to explain it you can grasp the scale of what once stood here, some 45 metres high, and why it was counted among the Seven Wonders.
The ancient theatre
It sits on the hillside above the town, with room for 13,000 spectators and views over the harbour. It is one of the oldest theatres in Anatolia and still hosts concerts in summer.
The bays of the peninsula
Gümüşlük, with the ruins of ancient Myndos under the water and fish restaurants with their tables on the sand; Yalıkavak and its marina; Türkbükü, the fashionable spot; and Gölköy, which is quieter. The best way to see them is a day on a boat, stopping to swim at several of them.
When to go
May to June and September to October: the water is mild, the bays are not crowded and prices are reasonable. July and August are the real high season, with the peninsula full and prices through the roof. In winter Bodrum empties and many businesses close.
How to get there
Milas-Bodrum Airport is 35 km from town, with daily flights from Istanbul (about 1 hour 15 minutes) and direct flights from many European cities in season. By road, Kuşadası and Ephesus are two and a half to three hours away. There is also a ferry to the Greek island of Kos, from about 20 minutes on the fast boats: take your passport and check Greece's entry rules for your nationality.
What to eat
Fish and seafood, above all. Cold meze dressed with Aegean olive oil, grilled octopus in Gümüşlük, artichokes and fresh broad beans in spring, and the Bodrum mandarin, which has its own protected geographical indication and turns up in everything from desserts to cocktails.
How to fit it in
Two or three days. Bodrum works well as a relaxed finale to a route along the Aegean, after Ephesus and Pamukkale, or as the start of a trip that carries on along the coast to Fethiye and Kaş.