Ancient Halicarnassus – birthplace of Herodotus, and the city whose ruler Mausolus gave the world the word “mausoleum” – is today Bodrum, Turkey's most famous holiday peninsula. Your driver collects you from your hotel on the peninsula; in the morning you visit the castle, the Mausoleum and the ancient theatre, look out over the bay from the windmill hill, and spend the afternoon at the waterside tables of Gümüşlük and in Yalıkavak.
The Castle of St Peter and its Museum of Underwater Archaeology, the Mausoleum – one of the Seven Wonders – the ancient theatre, the windmills, the fishing village of Gümüşlük and Yalıkavak marina: Bodrum's history and coves by private car, free of traffic and parking worries. Suggested duration 6 hours; pickup from hotels in Bodrum Center, Gumbet, Bitez and the rest of the region. Prices start at €320 per vehicle, paid to the driver on the day.
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Bodrum's historic sights are in the centre, its prettiest villages at the western and northern tips of the peninsula; in summer, narrow roads, minibus changes and parking make it hard to combine the two in one day. With a private car you step out at the castle gate, lunch by the water in Gümüşlük and can stay on for the sunset.
The programme covers Bodrum Castle and the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Myndos Gate and the ancient theatre, the windmills, Gümüşlük and Yalıkavak. Stops can be changed as you wish, and a beach or cove break can be added.
Pickup from Bodrum centre, Gümbet, Bitez, Torba, Ortakent, Yalıkavak, Göltürkbükü, Gündoğan, Turgutreis and Akyarlar is with the six-hour package; to watch the sunset in Gümüşlük we recommend the eight-hour package. The price is per vehicle, not per person.
Stops are shown in a typical order; your driver waits at every stop.
The Knights of St John from Rhodes built the castle from 1402, partly with stones from the Mausoleum, and dedicated it to St Peter; the name Bodrum is thought to derive from this “Petronium”. Its English, French, German and Italian towers bear the names of the knights' home nations. The view from the walls over the marina and white houses is one of Bodrum's finest.
Housed in the castle, the museum is one of the most important of its kind in the world. It displays the Uluburun wreck, found off Kaş and dating from around 1300 BC, with its cargo of copper and tin ingots, glass, ivory and gold jewellery, and the 11th-century Glass Wreck. Some halls may be closed at times for restoration.
Built in the 4th century BC by Artemisia II for her husband Mausolus, the Carian satrap, this monumental tomb was counted among the Seven Wonders of the World and gave us the word “mausoleum”. Toppled by earthquakes, its stones went into the castle and its sculptures are now in the British Museum; on site you see the foundations, a model and remains.
On the slope of Göktepe, the 4th-century BC theatre with room for about 13,000 spectators and a view over the bay still hosts concerts today. To the west of town, the Myndos Gate is part of the walls built by Mausolus; Alexander the Great's siege of 334 BC was fought here.
Built over ancient Myndos, Gümüşlük is a protected archaeological site and so has kept its low buildings and fishing-village feel. Restaurant tables stand almost in the water; you can wade knee-deep across to Rabbit Island and see the remains of the ancient city in the shallows. Its sunset is the most famous on the peninsula.
The stone windmills lined up on the hill between Bodrum and Gümbet make a viewpoint over two bays at once. In the north of the peninsula, Yalıkavak has turned from a sponge divers' village into a luxury marina; with its old windmills, narrow lanes and marina cafés it is the last stop of the day.
Times are an example; your driver adapts the day to traffic, season and your wishes.
Ancient Halicarnassus is where Herodotus, the “father of history”, was born in the 5th century BC. In the 4th century BC the Carian satrap Mausolus moved his capital here from Mylasa (Milas), endowing the city with walls, a harbour and grand buildings; after his death the tomb built by his wife Artemisia joined the wonders of the ancient world.
Alexander the Great besieged and took the city in 334 BC. Centuries later, at the start of the 15th century, the Knights of St John from Rhodes built the Castle of St Peter on the peninsula at the harbour's tip; when Suleiman the Magnificent took Rhodes in 1522, the knights abandoned Bodrum too.
In the 20th century Bodrum was a small town of sponge divers and boatbuilders. The writer Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı, exiled here in 1925, described Bodrum and its coves as “the Fisherman of Halicarnassus” and started the tradition of the Blue Voyage. In the 1960s pioneering work in underwater archaeology began at the castle; today the town is a world-famous holiday peninsula.
Prices are per vehicle and include fuel, motorway and bridge tolls, parking and the driver. Guide, meals and hotel are added as options.
| Duration | FirstClass Van (1–6) | Vip Sprinter (1–16) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 hours | €320 | €420 |
| 8 hours | €370 | €560 |
| 12 hours | €580 | €780 |
| 24 hours · 1 night | €720 | €820 |
| 36 hours · 1 night | €1060 | €1450 |
| 48 hours · 2 nights | €1560 | €1980 |
| Add-on | Price | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed guide | €200 | Per day, whatever the group size |
| Lunch | €15 | Per person, for each lunch in the package |
| Dinner | €15 | Per person, for each dinner in the package |
| Hotel accommodation | €60 | Per person per night (sharing a double room) |
Example – 2 persons, 6 hours, FirstClass Van: Private vehicle & driver + Lunch = €320 + €30 = €350
Can be added as options: Licensed guide, Lunch, Dinner, Hotel accommodation.
Distances are approximate road kilometres to the main sight (one way). We also pick up from hotels and addresses not listed – just enter yours in the form.
| Area | Distance | Suggested package | Airport transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodrum Center | ≈ 1 km | 6 hours | Bodrum Center transfer |
| Gumbet | ≈ 3 km | 6 hours | Gumbet transfer |
| Bitez | ≈ 7 km | 6 hours | Bitez transfer |
| Torba | ≈ 7 km | 6 hours | Torba transfer |
| Ortakent | ≈ 12 km | 6 hours | Ortakent transfer |
| Yalikavak | ≈ 18 km | 6 hours | Yalikavak transfer |
| Golturkbuku | ≈ 20 km | 6 hours | Golturkbuku transfer |
| Gundogan | ≈ 18 km | 6 hours | Gundogan transfer |
| Turgutreis | ≈ 20 km | 6 hours | Turgutreis transfer |
| Akyarlar | ≈ 22 km | 6 hours | Akyarlar transfer |
Ideal for holidaymakers in Bodrum who want to give a day to history and the peninsula's villages, for families, couples and photographers. Walking is light; most of it is on the castle steps.
A guide is optional. Without one, your driver takes you to each stop, waits and helps along the way, but does not give tours inside museums and sites. For in-depth explanations, tick the guide in the form.
No other passengers and no waiting for anyone – the car is yours all day.
The order and length of stops are flexible, with no compulsory shopping stops.
The price is fixed at booking and paid to the driver on the day.
Vixride is a TÜRSAB-licensed travel agency (licence 14798); vehicles and drivers are insured.
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In Turkey only licensed tourist guides may give explanations in museums and archaeological sites; your driver does not guide inside the castle and museum. Whether a guide is required in this region, and the fee, are shown in the booking form – if required, the fee is added automatically.
Yes. We can add an hour's swim at a cove around Bitez, Gümüşlük or Yalıkavak; in the six-hour package one stop gets shorter, while the eight-hour package leaves time for everything.
With the eight-hour package, yes: we spend the afternoon in Yalıkavak and return to Gümüşlük for sunset. In summer we recommend reserving a table at the waterside restaurants in advance.
Yes. We can pick you up at the Bodrum cruise port or Milas-Bodrum Airport; on tours starting at the airport your luggage stays in the car and you are dropped at your hotel at the end of the day.
Of course. The route is flexible: instead of the castle we can add the coves of Turgutreis, Akyarlar and Karaincir, or Gölköy and Türkbükü. Just write your wish in the booking notes.
The tour price is per vehicle: the package costs the same whether one or six people travel in the van. Only lunch, dinner and hotel accommodation are charged per person. The guide fee is per day and does not depend on the group size.
Nothing is charged online at booking; you pay the driver on the day of the tour in cash (EUR, USD, GBP, TRY) or by card. Free cancellation and date changes; please let us know at least 24 hours in advance.
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