Last updated: 22 October 202612 min read
A Marmaris blue cruise is a boat holiday that leaves Marmaris Harbour and spends several nights in the bays of the Bozburun Peninsula, the Hisarönü Gulf and Datça. Andrea Yachting offers two sample routes: 3 nights around the Bozburun Peninsula and 7 nights around the Hisarönü Gulf and Datça. You can hire the whole boat or book a cabin. Below you'll find the day-by-day plan, what's included and the best months to go.
At a glance
- Duration: 3 or 7 nights; the number of days can be planned around you
- Boats: Gulets with cabins, motor yachts, sailing yachts and catamarans
- How you book: The whole boat (priced per boat) or a cabin (priced per person)
- Departure: Marmaris Harbour (Marmaris, Muğla)
- Route: Kumlubük, Amos, Serçe Harbour, Bozukkale, Datça, Bencik, Selimiye, Orhaniye, Bozburun
- Included (whole boat): The boat, captain and crew, fuel for the planned route, port entry and exit costs
- Getting there: Dalaman Airport (DLM) 98 km, about 1 hour 30 minutes
What is a Marmaris blue cruise?
A Marmaris blue cruise is a 3–7 night boat holiday from Marmaris Harbour, anchoring in a different bay each night. The captain and crew handle the sailing, anchoring and running of the boat, while you set the pace.
Most blue cruises from Marmaris head south-west, to the Bozburun Peninsula and the Hisarönü Gulf. The Hisarönü Gulf lies south of the Datça Peninsula, and Selimiye and Orhaniye sit on its shores.
If you'd rather spend a single day at sea without staying overnight, see Marmaris boat trips for shared trips or Marmaris boat hire for a private boat.
How many nights? Route options
Three nights are enough to see the southern bays of the Bozburun Peninsula; seven nights also take you to Datça and the bays of the Hisarönü Gulf. The route and number of days can be planned around your group; the routes below are examples.
| Duration | Route | Highlights | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 nights | Southern coast of the Bozburun Peninsula | Kumlubük, Amos, Serçe Harbour, Bozukkale, Kadırga | First-time blue cruisers, a short break |
| 7 nights | Marmaris–Hisarönü Gulf–Datça–Marmaris | Serçe Harbour, Bozukkale, Datça, Bencik, Selimiye, Kızkumu, Bozburun | Those with a week, anyone keen to see both peninsulas |
Routes heading east from Marmaris, towards Dalyan and Göcek, are also possible.
For routes among the 12 Islands, see the Göcek blue cruise; for routes to Kaş and Kekova, see the Fethiye blue cruise.
3-night route: the Bozburun Peninsula
The short route links the bays south of Marmaris with Serçe Harbour and Bozukkale at the tip of the Bozburun Peninsula. You move one or two bays a day, leaving plenty of time to swim.
- Day1
Board at Marmaris Harbour in the afternoon, first swim at Paradise Island
Overnight: Kumlubük
- Day2
Morning walk up to ancient Amos, afternoon sail to Serçe Harbour
Overnight: Serçe Harbour
- Day3
Swim at Bozukkale and the walls of Loryma, afternoon sail to Kadırga
Overnight: Kadırga Bay
- Day4
Morning swim, then disembark at Marmaris Harbour around midday
Serçe Harbour is a sheltered cove with a narrow entrance. A merchant ship that sank here around AD 1025 was found in the bay, and its finds are displayed at the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology. At Bozukkale, the walls of the ancient city of Loryma rise above the bay.
7-night route: the Hisarönü Gulf and Datça
The long route rounds the tip of the Bozburun Peninsula to Datça, then returns to Marmaris through the bays of the Hisarönü Gulf. The total distance is about 99 nautical miles; Bencik, Selimiye and Kızkumu are its highlights.
- Day1
Board in the afternoon, meet the crew, dinner on board
Overnight: Marmaris Harbour
- Day2
Swims at Kumlubük and Amos, afternoon sail to Serçe Harbour
Overnight: Serçe Harbour
- Day3
Swim at Bozukkale and the walls of Loryma
Overnight: Bozukkale
- Day4
Sail to Datça; an optional trip to ancient Knidos
Overnight: Datça
- Day5
Bencik Bay, Selimiye in the afternoon
Overnight: Orhaniye (Kızkumu)
- Day6
Dirsek Bay, Bozburun in the afternoon
Overnight: Bozburun
- Day7
Kadırga Bay, back to Marmaris in the late afternoon
Overnight: Marmaris Harbour
- Day8
Disembark after breakfast
Bencik Bay is a narrow inlet about 1.5 nautical miles long that opens onto the Hisarönü Gulf. Beyond the Balıkaşıran isthmus at its head lies the Gulf of Gökova. Kızkumu in Orhaniye is a shallow sandbar that runs about 600 metres out into the sea, and you can walk along it. Bozburun is a fishing town known for its craftsmen who build wooden gulets.
Whole boat or cabin?
In Marmaris you can take a blue cruise in two ways: hire the whole boat or book a cabin. With the whole boat, the route and number of days are planned around you; with a cabin you pay per person and share the boat with other guests.
| Whole boat | Cabin charter | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Per boat | Per person |
| Who's on board | Your group only | Guests from different groups; your cabin is yours |
| Route and days | Planned with the captain | The boat's programme |
| Departure day | To suit you | The boat's departure days |
| Meals | Offered as a separate full-board package | Shown on the boat's page |
| Best for | Families, groups of friends | Solo travellers, couples, small groups |
For cabin charters, the departure days, route and meal arrangements are on each boat's page. The number of cabins and the capacity are also shown on the boat's card.
What does the blue cruise price include?
When you hire the whole boat, the price is per boat and includes the boat, captain and crew, fuel for the planned route and port costs. Meals are offered as a separate full-board package.
| Included | Not included |
|---|---|
| Boat hire | Meals (offered as a separate full-board package) |
| Captain and crew | Drinks |
| Fuel for the planned route | Extra routes and additional fuel |
| Port entry and exit costs and transit log | Private marina nights and mooring buoy fees in the bays |
| Fresh water, bed linen, final cleaning | Dalaman Airport transfer (paid, on request) |
| Boat insurance | Knidos and other site entry fees, tips |
The full-board package covers breakfast, lunch and dinner and is added when you book. The price depends on the type and size of the boat, the number of nights and the date; the current price is on the boat's card.
For a weekly charter, see weekly boat rental; for traditional wooden boats, see gulet charter.
What is a day on board like?
On a blue cruise the day starts with breakfast, carries on with a swim stop in a bay around lunchtime and ends at anchor in another bay. Most sailing is done in the morning and the afternoon.
- Breakfast and a morning swim.
- A short sail to the next bay.
- Lunch and a long swim stop.
- An afternoon sail; a visit to ruins or a village where there's a suitable stop.
- Anchoring in a bay for the evening, dinner and the night.
Protection rules around Datça and Bozburun
The Datça and Bozburun peninsulas have been the Datça-Bozburun Special Environmental Protection Area since 1990. The 1,443 km² area stretches between the Gulf of Gökova to the north and the Hisarönü Gulf to the south. Seagrass meadows (Posidonia) and the Mediterranean monk seal are among the protected species.
The area uses a system of moorings, shore lines and buoys at sea, and fishing is restricted across large parts of it. Because of this, the captain decides where to anchor and moor. Mooring buoy and private marina fees in the bays aren't included in the price and are paid as they're used.
Best months for a blue cruise
June and September combine warm water with quieter bays. July and August are the hottest and busiest months; in May and October the bays are calmer and the sea a little cooler.
| Month | Aegean average | Mediterranean average |
|---|---|---|
| May | 18.8 °C | 20.8 °C |
| June | 22.1 °C | 23.9 °C |
| July | 24.2 °C | 26.7 °C |
| August | 24.6 °C | 28.1 °C |
| September | 23.3 °C | 27.0 °C |
| October | 20.8 °C | 24.6 °C |
Figures are MGM's 1970–2025 averages for the Aegean and the Mediterranean; they aren't measurements specific to Marmaris, which sits where the two seas meet.
For more on timing, read the best time for a blue cruise in Turkey.
Getting there and boarding
Blue cruise boats leave from and return to Marmaris Harbour. You board in the afternoon of the first day and disembark after breakfast on the last day; the exact times are in your booking.
Marmaris is 98 km from Dalaman Airport (DLM), about 1 hour 30 minutes by car. Airport transfers aren't included in the price; they can be arranged for a fee on request.
What to pack
Space on board is limited, so a soft bag is more practical than a hard suitcase.
- Swimwear, a beach towel, sun cream, a hat and sunglasses
- A light cardigan or windproof jacket for the evenings
- Water shoes and your own snorkel set
- Walking shoes for Amos and Knidos
- Personal medication and some cash (useful for site entry fees and village stops)
For blue cruises that start from other harbours on the same coast, see the Bozburun blue cruise and Datça blue cruise pages.
Sources: Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change (Datça-Bozburun Special Environmental Protection Area), Barbaros Yachting (Hisarönü Gulf route), Wikipedia (Serçe Limanı shipwreck, Kızkumu), MedGulets (Bencik Bay), Küre Encyclopedia (Amos), Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) sea temperature statistics, Transfeero (Dalaman Airport distance). Last updated: 22 October 2026 · By Andrea Yachting
