Private Gulet Charter
in Turkey for Your Dream Blue Cruise

Known in Turkey as a Blue Cruise or Blue Voyage, it is a holiday on a traditional wooden boat that moves between bays along the southwest coast, with the crew taking care of sailing and life on board.

Gulets are wooden sailing vessels traditionally built along the Turkish coast and now fitted out as motor-sailers. Boatbuilders in each region have their own designs, and the best-known gulets sail from Bodrum, Marmaris and Fethiye. An average gulet has four to six cabins below deck.

Most cruises are tailor-made: you can choose one of our gulet cruise itineraries or ask for a route planned around your dates. A private cruise usually lasts a week, from Saturday to Saturday, and the crew comes with the boat. If you would like to know more about life on a gulet and the main cruising areas before you decide, read our gulet cruising guide.

A Day on a Gulet Cruise

You board at 15:30 on the first day and leave after breakfast at 10:00 on the last. The gulet cruises for two to four hours a day and anchors in at least two bays, so most of each day is spent swimming, relaxing on deck or going ashore. Because the boat stays at anchor, meals are served on board, on full or half board, from a standard, deluxe or vegetarian menu.

You can take a gulet cruise in two ways: charter the whole boat for your group, or book a single cabin on a shared boat.

With a private charter, the gulet, its crew and the route are yours alone, and the price is a weekly rate for the entire yacht. Crew, fuel, water, Turkish harbour dues, the transit log fee, bed linen and towels are included, while food, drinks and VAT are paid separately; our prices page explains what a private charter includes.

A cabin cruise is sold per person on a shared gulet, with guaranteed departures on fixed days and routes of three, four, six or seven nights. Our cabin charter cruises suit couples, solo travellers and small groups. For a side-by-side view of both options, compare private and cabin charters.

Which Option Suits Your Group Size?

Couples, solo travellers and small groups who are happy to share the boat with other guests are the travellers cabin cruises are designed for. Families and groups of friends who want the gulet to themselves charter the whole boat: our fleet ranges from yachts for 4 guests to gulets for 36, and the most common sizes take 8, 10 or 12 guests. Most of our gulets sail with a crew of three to five. Tell us how many of you are travelling, and we will suggest boats that fit.

The gulet season runs from April to October. Low season is April, May and October, mid season is June and September, and high season is July and August.

Weekly rates rise from low to high season, so the same boat costs less in May or October than in August; you can compare seasonal charter prices before choosing your dates. Charters shorter than a week are mostly arranged in low season, as a weekly rate may be charged for short stays in high season.