Car Hire Bodrum - Mini guide to Bodrum

Bodrum has become Turkey's number one seaside tourist destination, a perfect balance of whitewashed stucco hillside houses dripping in bougainvillea, and magnificent vistas, historic imprints, and vibrant nightlife.

St. Peter's Castle dominates every corner of Bodrum from its spot at the middle of Bodrum's twin harbours. A museum is housed in St. Peter's Castle and the castle juts out into the center of Bodrum's two harbours. It was once the island of Zefirya, named after Zephyros, the God of the West Wind.

The crumbled yet enduring remains of the Mausoleum, one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, also resides in Bodrum.

Also known as the ‘party destination’, Bodrum jazzes up in the summer. The city's twin harbours become densely packed with hundreds of the wooden gulets offering trips to the nearby islands or for the Mavi Yoluculu (the ‘Blue Cruise’) with week-long journey’s offered along the glorious coastlines of the Mediterranean.

Meanwhile, Bodrum's nightlife ups the ante with all-night parties organized by club owners each trying to outdo the excesses and spectacle of the other. Bar Street, which empties onto an open harbour of more outdoor cafes and bars, is illuminated by a laser show emanating from the famed Halikarnas Night Club and a great place to see and be seen. From every vantage point in town, there's St. Peter's Castle, illuminated by spotlights shining on the ramparts.

A day or overnight car trip along the Bodrum Peninsula offers many rewards, including boutique hotels and beaches of Torba and Türkbükü in the expansive seasides at Yalikavak, Türgüt Reis, Ortakent, and Akyarlar, and in the poetry of the sunken ruins and waterside fish restaurants of Gümüslük. Despite the party atmosphere Bodrum still has quite a long way to go before becoming just another one of Turkey's overbuilt seaside resorts.

Visitors to Bodrum can fly into Milas about 32km (20 miles) away and reachable in under a half-hour by way of the coastal road. Turkish Airlines has five daily direct flights from Istanbul, as well as one direct flight from Ankara, and connecting flights from other major domestic cities.