Turkish Riviera – A Great Sailing DestinationAcross the country’s southwest, the turkish riviera stretches along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts—picture wide sandy strands, bright-blue coves, pine-covered slopes and a shoreline threaded with ancient ruins. Add a warm climate, polished resorts and lively nights, and it’s easy to see why this region is a flagship for holidays and turkey sailing.
Often called the Turquoise Coast, the turkish riviera mainly covers Antalya and Muğla provinces, with parts of İzmir. Mountains tumble to the sea, forming a chain of coves and islands tailor-made for unhurried cruising. Culture lovers mix days on the water with stops at theatres, temples, tombs and old harbours that span millennia.
It’s where the Blue Voyage began: leisurely weeklong cruises on a gulet
—the traditional wooden schooner crafted in Türkiye. These journeys anchor in quiet creeks, invite swims over clear shallows, and slip ashore to ancient cities before guests return to the comfort of the boat. For many travellers, a
turkey sailing holiday on a gulet is the defining way to explore this coast.
Legend and learning run through this shoreline. Mark Antony is said to have chosen part of it as a wedding gift for Cleopatra; St. Nicholas—later the inspiration for Santa Claus—was born in nearby Patara; and Herodotus, the “father of history,” hailed from Bodrum (ancient Halicarnassus). Past and present meet here—classical ruins by day, gold-tinted sunsets from your gulet by evening—making the turkish riviera a sailing destination with real depth.