Last updated: 22 October 202610 min read
Bodrum boat hire means reserving a whole boat for your group alone; it's also known as a private boat trip. You can hire a boat for a full day, a half day, a sunset or just a few hours. Boats leave from and return to Bodrum Harbour. You plan the route with the captain: Black Island (Karaada) and its bays, Orak Island, or the bays along the peninsula's south coast.
At a glance
- What you hire: The whole boat; only your group is on board
- Durations: Full day (7–8 hours), half day (about 4 hours), sunset (about 3 hours), 1–3 hours
- Boat types: Gulet, motor yacht, speedboat, sailing yacht, catamaran
- Departure: Bodrum Harbour, in front of the castle and at Kumbahçe (Bodrum, Muğla)
- Routes: Black Island and its bays, Orak Island, south coast bays (Aquarium Bay, Çelebi Island, Kargı Bay)
- Price: Per boat; varies by boat type, duration and date, with the current price on the boat's card
How does boat hire in Bodrum work?
To hire a boat in Bodrum, choose your date, duration and group size, pick a boat and agree the route with the captain. The boat will be waiting for you at Bodrum Harbour on the day and at the time you choose.
- Choose your date, duration and group size. Boat cards show capacity and availability.
- Pick a boat. The boat's page lists what's included, the facilities on board and the house rules.
- Plan the route. You decide the stops with the captain, who has the final say depending on weather and sea conditions.
To book, all we need is your date or date range, the approximate number of guests, the duration and any special requests (decorations, a cake, a special menu).
A private boat trip and boat hire are the same service: in both cases the whole boat is reserved for your group.
Shared trips, where you join other guests and pay per person, are on our Bodrum boat trips page.
Which hire duration suits you?
A full-day hire suits seeing 4–5 bays around Black Island, Orak Island or the south coast. A half day or 1–3 hours is enough for a short swim in the nearby bays, while a sunset hire is for an evening on the water.
| Duration | Approximate hours | Typical route | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full day | 7–8 hours; starts around 10:00–10:30 | 4–5 bays around Black Island, Orak Island or the south coast | Families, larger groups, first-time visitors |
| Half day | About 4 hours; morning or afternoon | 2 swim stops around Black Island and Tavşan Burnu | Families with children, those spending half the day ashore |
| Sunset | About 3 hours; leaves before sunset | A swim in a nearby bay, then sunset at sea | Couples, celebrations |
| 1–3 hours | 1–3 hours | Bodrum bay and around Black Island | A short break on the water or a photo shoot |
To stay on board for a few nights, see the Bodrum blue cruise.
Which type of boat suits you?
A gulet suits families and larger groups, a motor yacht a fast and comfortable day, and a speedboat seeing many bays in a short time. If you'd like a quiet sail, choose a sailing yacht or a catamaran.
| Boat type | Key feature | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Gulet | Wide deck, shade, wooden build | Families, larger groups, a full day |
| Motor yacht | Fast, comfortable interior | Small and medium groups; longer routes such as Orak Island |
| Speedboat | Fastest type, small capacity | Half-day and hourly hire |
| Sailing yacht | Quiet sailing under wind | Couples and small groups |
| Catamaran | Twin hulls, wide and stable deck | Those who want space and a calm ride |
Each boat's capacity and facilities are shown on its card.
For a traditional wooden boat over several days, see gulet charter.
Which routes can you take on a private trip?
Three routes are popular for a private boat from Bodrum: Black Island and its bays, Orak Island and the peninsula's south coast. The route depends on how long you hire the boat, and you plan it with the captain.
- Black Island and its bays (half or full day): The hot spring cave on Karaada, German Bay, Poyraz Bay, Meteor Bay and Tavşan Burnu. As the closest route to the harbour, it also suits shorter hires.
- Orak Island (full day): An uninhabited island at the mouth of the Gulf of Gökova. On the way you can stop at Pabuç Burnu, which is sheltered from the wind. The journey takes between 1 and 2.5 hours; a motor yacht shortens it.
- South coast (full day): Aquarium Bay (Adaboğazı) between Gümbet and Bitez, Çelebi Island off Bitez, and Kargı Bay near Ortakent, with its shallow, sandy shore.
There's no settlement, jetty, toilet or shade on Orak Island, so everything you need is on the boat. Around Çelebi Island the wind picks up in the afternoon, so mornings are better for calm water.
For an overview of sailing areas along the coast, read our guide to yacht charter in Turkey.
How are Bodrum boat hire prices set?
Boat hire in Bodrum is priced per boat and covers the whole boat. The amount depends on the boat's type and size, the duration and the date; the current price is shown on the boat's card.
- Boat: Its type, size and level of comfort.
- Duration: Full day, half day, sunset or hourly.
- Date: June to September is peak season; demand is lower in April, May and October.
- Route: Longer routes such as Orak Island mean more time under way than the bays around Black Island.
- Menu and extras: Whether you'd like food on board, plus requests such as decorations or a cake.
Whether the captain, fuel, food and drinks are included differs from boat to boat and is shown on each boat's page. In Bodrum, day hire usually comes with a captain.
For more on how hire works, read everything you need to know about boat rental in Turkey.
What time is a sunset trip in Bodrum?
A sunset trip in Bodrum lasts about 3 hours, and the departure time is set by the time of sunset. In June and July the sun sets at around 20:30, and in October closer to 18:35.
| Date | Sunset in Bodrum (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 15 April | 19:44 |
| 15 May | 20:10 |
| 15 June | 20:31 |
| 15 July | 20:30 |
| 15 August | 20:04 |
| 15 September | 19:20 |
| 15 October | 18:35 |
Times were calculated astronomically for Bodrum's coordinates; they're in Turkish time and may differ by ±2 minutes. You watch the sunset from the sea, off Black Island or in Bodrum bay; the exact departure time is in your booking.
Can you celebrate a special occasion on board?
Yes. You can hire a boat for a full day or a sunset for a birthday, a proposal, an anniversary or a company outing.
If you mention decorations, a cake or a special menu when you book, the day is planned around them. For a proposal, a short hire timed with the sunset is a popular choice.
Departure point and getting there
Hired boats leave from the quays in front of the castle and at Kumbahçe in Bodrum Harbour, and return to the same spot. Bodrum town is 36 km from Milas-Bodrum Airport (BJV), about 35–40 minutes by car.
The harbour can be reached by road from Gümbet, Bitez, Ortakent and Turgutreis. In summer the town centre gets busy and parking is limited, so we suggest arriving early. For boats that leave from another marina, the departure point is on the boat's page.
Sources: Bodrumluculuk (Bodrum bays), Barbaros Yachting (Orak Island), Habertürk (Bodrum bays, 14 June 2026), Transfeero (Milas-Bodrum Airport distance); sunset times by astronomical calculation. Last updated: 22 October 2026 · By Andrea Yachting
