Last updated: 22 October 202610 min read
Marmaris 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 Marmaris Harbour. You plan the route with the captain: Paradise Island and Marmaris Bay, Kumlubük and Amos, or the bays of Çiftlik and Kadırga.
At a glance
- What you hire: The whole boat; only your group is on board
- Durations: Full day (6–8 hours), half day (about 4 hours), sunset (about 3 hours), 1–3 hours
- Boat types: Gulet, motor yacht, speedboat, sailing yacht, catamaran
- Departure: Marmaris Harbour (Marmaris, Muğla)
- Routes: Paradise Island and Marmaris Bay; Kumlubük and Amos; Çiftlik and Kadırga
- Price: Per boat; varies by boat type, duration and date, with the current price on the boat's card
How does boat hire in Marmaris work?
To hire a boat in Marmaris, 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 Marmaris 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 Marmaris boat trips page.
Which hire duration suits you?
A full-day hire suits seeing 4–5 bays towards Paradise Island, Kumlubük or Kadırga. 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 | 6–8 hours; starts around 09:30–10:00 | Paradise Island and its bays, Kumlubük and Amos, or Çiftlik and Kadırga | Families, larger groups, first-time visitors |
| Half day | About 4 hours; morning or afternoon | 2 swim stops around Paradise Island and nearby bays | 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 | Marmaris Bay and around Paradise Island | A short break on the water or a photo shoot |
To stay on board for a few nights, see the Marmaris 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 Kadırga |
| 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 several days on board, see gulet charter and weekly boat rental.
Which routes can you take on a private trip?
Three routes are popular for a private boat from Marmaris: Paradise Island and Marmaris Bay, Kumlubük and Amos, and Çiftlik and Kadırga. The route depends on how long you hire the boat, and you plan it with the captain.
- Paradise Island and Marmaris Bay (half or full day): Paradise Island (Cennet Adası, also called Nimara), about 8 km from Marmaris, plus Phosphorus Cave and Aquarium Bay. As the closest route to the harbour, it also suits shorter hires.
- Kumlubük and Amos (full day): The long beach at Kumlubük, about 6 nautical miles from Marmaris by sea, and the village of Turunç. From Kumlubük, a half-hour walk leads to the ancient city of Amos and its theatre for about 1,000 people.
- Çiftlik and Kadırga (full day): Çiftlik Bay, ringed by pine forest on the way to Bozburun, and Kadırga Bay, about 7 nautical miles from Marmaris. Kadırga is known for diving, with fragments of ancient amphorae on the seabed.
Bays in the Hisarönü Gulf, such as Bozburun, Selimiye and Orhaniye, are too far for a day hire; they're best seen on a blue cruise.
For an overview of sailing areas along the coast, read our guide to yacht charter in Turkey.
How are Marmaris boat hire prices set?
Boat hire in Marmaris 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 Kadırga or Kumlubük mean more time under way than the bays around Paradise 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 Marmaris, 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 Marmaris?
A sunset trip in Marmaris lasts about 3 hours, and the departure time is set by the time of sunset. In June and July the sun sets at around 20:27, and in October at around 18:32.
| Date | Sunset in Marmaris (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 15 April | 19:40 |
| 15 May | 20:06 |
| 15 June | 20:27 |
| 15 July | 20:27 |
| 15 August | 20:00 |
| 15 September | 19:16 |
| 15 October | 18:32 |
Times were calculated astronomically for Marmaris's coordinates; they're in Turkish time and may differ by ±2 minutes. You watch the sunset from the sea, off Paradise Island or in Marmaris 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 Marmaris Harbour and return to the same spot. Marmaris is 98 km from Dalaman Airport (DLM), about 1 hour 30 minutes by car.
The harbour can be reached by road from İçmeler, Armutalan, Siteler and Turunç. In summer the town centre gets busy, so we suggest arriving early. Boats that leave from elsewhere, such as İçmeler, list their departure point on their own page.
Sources: Wikipedia (Paradise Island), Küre Encyclopedia (Amos), Barbaros Yachting (Kumlubük, Kadırga), Hürriyet (Marmaris bays, 27 August 2012), Transfeero (Dalaman Airport distance); sunset times by astronomical calculation. Last updated: 22 October 2026 · By Andrea Yachting
