Yacht rental in Turkey

Turkey's charter coast splits between the Aegean, with Bodrum and the Datça peninsula, and the Turquoise Coast further east around Göcek, Fethiye, Marmaris and Kaş. Yacht charter in Turkey also covers a boat type found nowhere else in the Mediterranean at this scale: the gulet, a traditional wooden motor-sailer built for exactly this coastline.

Why Sail in Turkey

The Aegean coast, including Bodrum and Datça, is shaped by the meltemi, a north to north-westerly wind that blows mainly from June to September. It typically builds through the late morning, peaks in the afternoon at 20-30 knots and drops away by evening, though during multi-day spells it can persist through the night at similar strength. The Turquoise Coast around Göcek and Kaş is more sheltered, with mountains breaking up the wind and a coastline of narrow bays rather than open water.

A week on a gulet or sailing yacht here is often called a Blue Voyage, a term used locally for a multi-day cruise between bays rather than marina towns, with anchoring overnight in a different cove each evening.

When to Go

• May, June and September: calmer meltemi, fewer boats, lower charter prices.
• July and August: warmest sea and air, strongest and most consistent meltemi on the Aegean coast, highest prices.
• The Turquoise Coast around Göcek and Kaş stays sailable with lighter winds than the open Aegean through most of the season.

Charter Options: Bareboat, Skippered, Crewed

Bareboat charter in Turkey. You skipper the boat yourself. Turkish port authorities require a recognised sailing qualification, such as an International Certificate of Competence or an equivalent national licence, and will not issue the mandatory Transit Log without seeing it. The Transit Log itself is arranged by the charter company at check-in and is valid for one year or until the boat leaves Turkey.

Skippered charter in Turkey. A professional skipper handles navigation and the boat, useful for crews without the right qualification or for entering unfamiliar bays. Every charter boat, skippered or not, is also linked to Turkey's digital waste-tracking system, which records each pump-out of the holding tank against the boat's Transit Log.

Crewed charter in Turkey. The usual way to charter a gulet: a captain plus one or two crew who handle sailing, cooking and anchoring, with no sailing qualification required from guests. Cabins typically sleep 4 to 16 people depending on the gulet's size.

Types of Boats in Turkey

Sailing yacht rental Turkey (monohull)

From around nine-metre boats with two cabins to fifteen-metre yachts with four or five. Common brands include Beneteau, Jeanneau, Bavaria and Dufour. Sails closer to the wind than a catamaran or gulet, suited to crews who want to work the meltemi rather than motor through it. Available bareboat or skippered.

Catamaran rental Turkey

Two hulls, minimal heeling, shallow draft and more deck and cabin space than a monohull of similar length. Usually 4-6 cabins for 8-12 people, splitting the cost across a group. The shallow draft helps for anchoring close to the narrow bays around Göcek and Kaş. More expensive than an equivalent sailing yacht.

Motor yacht rental Turkey

Engine instead of sails, so distance along the coast is covered quickly, useful for combining Bodrum, Datça and the Gulf of Gökova in a single week. Sizes range from small day boats to crewed yachts over 20 metres. Higher fuel use, less time under sail.

Gulet rental Turkey

A wooden motor-sailer built on the Turkish coast from local pine, with wide decks, a shaded dining area and cabins for 4 to 16 guests, each usually with its own bathroom. Gulets developed from working fishing and cargo boats into the standard vessel for the Blue Voyage, and are almost always chartered with a captain and crew rather than bareboat.

Where to Sail in Turkey

Yacht charter Bodrum

Bodrum sits on the site of ancient Halicarnassus, opposite the Greek island of Kos across the Gulf of Gökova. Bodrum Castle, built from 1402 by the Knights of St John as the Castle of St Peter, incorporated marble columns and reliefs taken from the nearby Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the tomb of King Mausolus and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Yacht charter Datça

The Datça peninsula separates the Gulf of Gökova from the open Aegean. At its western tip lie the ruins of Knidos, a Dorian port city dating to around 400 BC, where the "Lion of Knidos" statue was excavated in 1858-1859 and later moved to the British Museum.

Yacht charter Göcek

Göcek and its bays have been a specially protected area since 1988, with rules since 2010 requiring boats to moor to a buoy, pier or marina rather than anchor freely in the restricted zones, and banning overnight stays for boats without their own waste tanks. Bedri Rahmi Bay, one of the area's best-known anchorages, is named after the Turkish painter who carved a fish motif into its rocks and sits near the ruins of the ancient Carian town of Krya.

Yacht charter Marmaris

Marmaris is one of the main departure ports for Blue Voyage gulets, along with Bodrum, Göcek and Fethiye, and its marina is among the largest on this stretch of coast. Routes from here typically run along the Datça peninsula or south-east toward Fethiye.

Yacht charter Kaş

Kaş is the usual base for reaching Kekova, a specially protected area since 1990 covering around 260 km², where an earthquake in the 2nd century AD submerged part of the ancient Lycian town of Dolchiste. Swimming and diving over the sunken ruins are banned, but boats can pass slowly above them.

What It Costs

Price swings less predictably by season here than boat type would suggest. A sailing yacht for a week (Saturday to Saturday) has run anywhere from about €940 to €1,252 across the weeks checked, with no consistent gap between July-August and the quieter May-June-September window - the cheapest available boat changes from week to week regardless of season. A motor yacht and a catamaran both held steady at about €1,000 and €2,450 in both periods checked. A gulet, Turkey’s traditional crewed sailing vessel, runs from about €3,325 in the quieter months up to €3,500 in July-August.

Yacht rental in Turkey

Charter a yacht and explore Turkey! Prices start from 44 € per day. Choose from the largest selection of gulets, motor yachts, sailing yachts, catamarans, motor boats and power catamarans.

Boats are available in many of the country's most popular regions, including Mediterranean Sea, Mugla Province, Gulf of Fethiye, Aegean Sea, Marmaris District, Antalya Province, Istanbul Province, Izmir Province, Gulf of İzmir, Balikesir, Aydın Province, Elazığ Province, Mersin Province, Bursa Province, Trabzon Province, Samsun Province and Adana Province.