Activities

Surfing, Kiting and Sailing

Reliable wind in Alaçatı, waves on Gökçeada and a week on a wooden sailing boat through the Lycian coves: the Turkish coast is a first-class water sports area.

Best months: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Alaçatı: learning to windsurf and kite

Alaçatı lies on the Çeşme peninsula near Izmir. The bay is shallow, standing depth for hundreds of metres, and the meltemi blows reliably offshore from June to September on over 300 days a year. That is ideal for learning: you fall into warm, shallow water and the wind does not push you out to open sea. Several surf stations at the southern end of the bay offer courses and equipment; a 10-hour beginner windsurfing course costs CHF 150 to 250 (about EUR 160 to 270), equipment rental CHF 40 to 60 per day or CHF 200 to 300 per week. You learn to kite at the kite station in the neighbouring bay of Pırlanta for similar prices, beginner kite courses from CHF 300. The town of Alaçatı itself, with its stone houses, wine bars and boutique hotels, is the most expensive spot on the Aegean; hotels cost CHF 100 to 300. If you want to save, stay in Çeşme or Ilıca and take the dolmuş. July and August are crowded; June and September are ideal.

Gökçeada and the northern Aegean

Gökçeada (Imbros in Greek) is the largest island in Turkey, lying off the Dardanelles and reachable by ferry from Çanakkale or Kabatepe. The island has reliable wind, a kite station with a lagoon and salt lake on the south-west coast near Aydıncık, and is much quieter and cheaper than Alaçatı. The wind here often comes from the north east with waves, which is more fun for advanced riders than for beginners. Courses and equipment cost around 20 percent less than in Alaçatı, guesthouses CHF 40 to 80 (about EUR 43 to 86). The island has Greek villages, wineries and almost empty beaches; you need a car. The season is shorter, June to early September, and the infrastructure is rudimentary. Allow a day to get there from Istanbul. Gökçeada is the right choice if you want wind, quiet and a place without gloss.

Sailing from Bodrum, Marmaris and Göcek

The Turkish south-west coast between Bodrum and Antalya is one of the best sailing areas in the Mediterranean: lots of sheltered coves, short distances, steady afternoon winds, warm water. You book yacht charters from Bodrum, Marmaris, Göcek or Fethiye. A sailing yacht with four cabins costs CHF 2000 to 3000 (about EUR 2140 to 3200) per week in low season, double that in August; a skipper is CHF 150 to 200 per day extra. You need a recognised licence (ICC or an offshore certificate); skippered cruises do not require one. Marinas are good but cost CHF 50 to 150 per night; most people anchor in coves or tie up at restaurant jetties, where you stay for free in return for dinner. The Bodrum Cup in October is the best-known regatta in the country, a week with wooden sailing boats from cove to cove. Datça with its harbour and Knidos at the tip of the peninsula is a highlight of any cruise plan.

The Blue Cruise: a week on a gulet

The Mavi Yolculuk, the Blue Cruise, is the Turkish version of a cruise: a wooden gulet with 6 to 12 cabins, crew and cook, sailing from cove to cove for a week, usually from Fethiye to Olympos or from Bodrum around the peninsula. You swim in the morning, eat on board, sleep on deck or in your cabin. Prices: CHF 500 to 900 (about EUR 535 to 965) per person per week in a cabin with full board from cabin-charter operators, drinks extra. A whole boat for a group of 8 to 12 people costs CHF 5000 to 12000 per week. Book through an established operator, not the first person you meet at the harbour; ask about the age of the boat, air conditioning and whether it really sails or just motors (usually the latter). The best time is May, June, September and October; in August the coves are full. Four days from Fethiye to Olympos is enough for many; the week is the classic version.

Datça, stand-up paddling and other water sports

The Datça peninsula is a microcosm of its own: the ruins of Knidos at the tip, coves in between where the Aegean and the Mediterranean meet, and villages with almond trees. In the harbour of Datça and in Palamutbükü you can rent kayaks and SUP boards (CHF 10 to 20, about EUR 11 to 21, per hour) and paddle along the coast. Windsurfing is also possible at Datça, with less infrastructure than Alaçatı but reliable wind. For waterskiing, jet skis and parasailing the big resort towns such as Bodrum, Marmaris, Alanya and Side are the places; prices are CHF 30 to 60 per go and negotiable. Surfing is only possible to a limited extent in Turkey, most likely in winter on the Black Sea coast near Istanbul (Kilyos, Şile) or on Gökçeada in a northerly wind. If you are after waves, you are better off in Portugal; if you want wind and calm coves, this is exactly the right place.

Tours worth booking

Beginner windsurfing course in Alaçatı

Multi-day course at one of the surf stations in Alaçatı bay, with equipment, wetsuit and instructor. Flat water and reliable wind make getting started easy.

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Kitesurfing course Alaçatı or Gökçeada

Beginner course with kite, board and radio, usually 6 to 10 hours over three days. After the course you can rent equipment and ride on your own.

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Blue Cruise gulet trip from Fethiye to Olympos

Four days or a week on a wooden sailing boat with cabin, full board and swim stops at Butterfly Valley, Kaş, Kekova and Olympos. The classic route, bookable as a cabin charter.

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Day sailing trip from Bodrum

A day on a sailing yacht or gulet from Bodrum to the islands and coves off the town, with lunch and swim breaks. A good taste of a longer trip.

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Stand-up paddling or kayaking in Kaş

Guided paddle tour along the coast near Kaş or over the sunken ruins of Kekova. No prior experience needed; boards and life vests provided.

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Twelve Islands boat trip from Fethiye

The classic from Fethiye: a day trip by boat to the islands in the Gulf of Fethiye with swim stops and lunch. Cheap and ideal for a relaxed day on the water.

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Where

Flights approx. 321 EUR

Marmara

Çanakkale

What a week on the Dardanelles really costs, how to see Troy without disappointment and why Bozcaada is the most beautiful island hardly anyone outside Turkey knows about.

Flights approx. 321 EUR

Aegean

Izmir

The most open-minded city in Turkey: a long waterfront promenade, a living bazaar quarter and the best-preserved ancient city, Ephesus, only 40 kilometres away.

Flights approx. 310 EUR

Aegean

Bodrum

Whitewashed lanes, a Crusader castle on the harbour, one of the Seven Wonders in ruins and the quietest bays on the Aegean coast: Bodrum is more than a summer party destination.

Flights approx. 300 EUR

Aegean

Çeşme

What a week at the tip of the Aegean really costs, where Alaçatı is more show than substance and which bays are worth it.

Flights approx. 268 EUR

Mediterranean

Antalya

Direct flights from Zurich, turquoise water, a 2,000-year-old old town, and far more than the all-inclusive resort most people book.

Flights approx. 332 EUR

Mediterranean

Fethiye

Turquoise lagoons, ancient Lycian rock tombs and one of the wildest gorges in Turkey: Fethiye is more than the most famous paragliding spot in the country.

Flights approx. 375 EUR

Mediterranean

Kaş

What a week in the most relaxed town on the Turkish Mediterranean costs, why no package-tour buses stop here and which experiences are really worth it.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the best place to learn windsurfing or kiting?

Alaçatı, without a doubt. Shallow, standing-depth water, offshore wind on almost every summer day and lots of good schools. Gökçeada is the quieter and cheaper alternative with more waves, better for advanced riders.

What does a Blue Cruise cost?

CHF 500 to 900 (about EUR 535 to 965) per person per week in a cabin with full board from cabin-charter operators. A whole gulet for a group from CHF 5000 per week. Four-day versions from CHF 300.

When is the best season?

For wind, June to September, strongest in July and August. For sailing and the Blue Cruise, May, June, September and October, when the coves are empty and temperatures pleasant. The water is warmest in September.

Do I need a licence to sail?

For bareboat charter, yes; ICC, offshore certificates and similar licences are recognised. For a skippered charter and for the Blue Cruise on a gulet you need nothing.

Is Alaçatı expensive?

The town, yes: hotels cost CHF 100 to 300 (about EUR 107 to 320) and the restaurants charge Istanbul prices. The surf courses are fair. If you want to save, stay in Çeşme or Ilıca, 10 minutes away, and take the dolmuş to the bay.

Related events

Apr 9

Alaçatı Herb Festival (Ot Festivali)

Festival · Turkey

9 April 2027 Early to mid April, usually one weekend Alaçatı near Çeşme

The herb festival celebrates Aegean cuisine and its wild herbs: stalls with chard, fennel and purslane, cooking competitions, herb walks and concerts in the lanes of Alaçatı. Tens of thousands of visitors from Izmir and Istanbul come for the weekend; it is the biggest festival on the peninsula before the surf season.

For travellers: Hotels in Alaçatı are sold out and expensive on the festival weekend; arrive by dolmuş from Çeşme or Izmir rather than by car.

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Oct 18

Bodrum Cup Sailing Regatta

Sport · Turkey

18 October 2027 Third week of October, around a week Bodrum

The best-known sailing regatta in Turkey, held since 1989: around 100 gulets and sailing yachts race for a week in stages from Bodrum to the coves and islands nearby and back. You can sail along through charter companies that offer berths on regatta gulets, from around CHF 800 (about EUR 855) for the week. Parties in the harbour in the evening, races with wooden boats in front of the castle by day.

For travellers: The harbour and hotels in Bodrum are full during regatta week; the rest of the coast is quiet in October and the water still warm.

Official site ↗ Activities →