From the outside, a Blue Cruise looks like a boat holiday. For those who have lived one, it is something else: a week in which clocks lose their authority, days are divided by swims rather than hours, and the loudest sound of the evening is the anchor chain. This way of travelling was born on the Turkish coast, and it has a name, a history and a few unwritten rules. This page covers all of it.
The Story Behind the Name
Blue Cruise is not a marketing phrase. Its origin goes back to Cevat Sakir Kabaagacli, a writer exiled to Bodrum in 1925 who fell so deeply for the town that he took the pen name Fisherman of Halicarnassus. He would take his friends out on sponge divers' boats to the bays of Gokova, coves that barely appeared on maps at the time, telling stories of the sea and of Aegean mythology along the way.
In the 1950s a circle of writers and scholars, among them Azra Erhat and Sabahattin Eyuboglu, carried the tradition on. Erhat collected her experiences in a 1962 book titled Mavi Yolculuk, the Blue Voyage, and the name settled into the language. Step aboard a gulet today and you join the latest chapter of a literary tradition more than half a century old. Its traces are still on the route: the bays of Gokova, the shores of Datca and the smell of the boatyards of Bodrum.
What Makes It Special
In a hotel the view is fixed; on a Blue Cruise you wake up in a different bay every morning. There are no crowded beaches, because the cove you anchor in is usually yours alone for the night. The programme bends to you: if you love a bay, you stay; if the wind turns, the captain turns with it. Gulfs without phone signal feel like a lack on day one and like freedom by day three.
Then there is the rhythm of the boat itself. Early swimmers, long-breakfast people, deck readers and children who never leave the swimming platform all have their own holiday on the same boat. That is the real skill of a Blue Cruise: everyone finds a corner of their own.
The Classic Routes
- Gocek and the Gulf of Fethiye: The calmest waters of all, ideal for a first cruise. Yassica Islands, Bedri Rahmi Bay, Sarsala and Gobun are the classic stops. Boats departing from Gocek keep the distances short.
- Bodrum and Gokova: The waters where the tradition was born. Village restaurants in Cokertme, the shallows of Seven Islands and the story of English Harbour make this the most literary route. See boats departing from Bodrum.
- Marmaris, Hisaronu and Datca: A route through towns that kept their seafaring soul, like Selimiye and Bozburun. Distances are a little longer, and the reward is fewer crowds. Browse Marmaris boats.
- Fethiye to Kekova: The fullest itinerary, for those with two weeks or a one way plan. It passes the shores of Kalkan and Kas, anchors at Ucagiz and swims above the sunken city of Simena.
Gulet Culture
The traditional boat of the Blue Cruise is the gulet: built of wood in the yards of Bodrum and Bozburun, broad in the stern, with a deck designed for living. The big dining table on the aft deck is the heart of this culture; three meals a day, evening conversations and the tea hour all happen there.
On a crewed gulet the captain handles the route and safety, the cook runs the galley and the crew takes care of everything else. The guest has a single duty: doing nothing. If sailing itself is your joy, a sailing yacht covers the same routes; large families lean towards a catamaran, and those who want speed and luxury choose a motor yacht. The gulet, though, is the original, and you can browse the options on our gulet charter page.
When to Go
The season opens in May and closes at the end of October. June and September are known as the balance months: the sea is warm, the bays are quiet and prices sit below the peak. July and August are the hottest and liveliest weeks, when a captain arrives early to claim the evening spot in popular bays. May and October belong to those who value calm above heat, to photographers, and to swimmers who like their water fresh.
Planning and Budget
A Blue Cruise budget has three main lines: the charter fee, food and drinks, and running costs. On crewed boats the catering is usually managed through a per person provisioning budget or an APA arrangement, itemised for you at the end of the trip. The real price drivers are the boat type, the number of cabins and the week you choose. We explain the week by week planning in detail on our weekly yacht charter page, and if you only have a single day, there is always a daily charter.
We are a TURSAB licensed agency based in Gocek and we know our boats from the quay, not just from photos. Send us your dates and group size and we will reply not with a long list but with a few right boats to choose between. The quote form takes two minutes, and our contact page is always open for questions.