This cultural holiday and archaeological gulet cruise interweaves the magic of the Turkish coast with two awe inspiring Greek islands. We set sail on our gulet and head west from Göçek, to Bodrum, ancient Halicarnassus, site of the Mausoleum, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

On this escorted tour we visit some of the greatest archaeological gems on Turkey’s southwest coast: Kaunos with its exquisite rock-cut temple tombs, and beautifully preserved Knidos, a monumental marbled city arranged around a double harbour.

We’ll also travel to visit one of the best preserved medieval cities in the world, Rhodes, (a powerhouse in antiquity too) and the neighbouring Greek island of Symi, decked out in the finest neo-classical style.

Rock-cut tombs, Caunos

This archaeological tour weaves together a cornucopia of simple pleasures: magnificent sites, quiet coves, wondrous walks, breathtaking vistas and glorious swims. As with all our gulet cruises in Turkey, delicious Turkish food is a key component.

Taking a luxurious sailing vacation on the Turkish gulet, Almira, our ever changing horizon is a wild, remote and mountainous landscape cut into long peninsulas, deep inlets, secluded coves and pine-fringed fjords. Exploring this unspoilt coast, we rediscover the ancient realm of Mausolus, ruler of Caria, 2400 years ago. With such rich and strategically vital cities, the area was a crossroads of civilisations. Alexander the Great liberated it from Persia, Rhodes sought to carve it into an empire, and the legacy of Crusader castles still speaks of the epic battle between Christianity and Islam.

A holiday in Turkey designed to inspire and relax in equal measure.

We cannot recommend highly enough our guide Peter Sommer, whose knowledge and attention to detail was exceptional. Not only were we taken care of wonderfully in the practical details but learned and enormous amount due to his enthusiasm and not least his immensely likeable personality. Patty Auchincloss, Connecticut, USA