Göltürkbükü, Bodrum, Turkey

Last Updated on October 16, 2023

Two villages, Gölköy and Türkbükü, came together to form what is, for many foreign visitors, the unpronounceable name of Göltürkbükü (gul-TURK-bew-kew) on the north shore of Turkey’s Bodrum Peninsula () with a 20 km distance from the center. 

This is a holiday resort famous both for its blue-flagged sea and for its entertaining beaches and clubs. Apart from this, of course, it is necessary to mention the fresh fish and tangerine gardens. Türkbükü beach is one of the most ideal places to swim in Bodrum. Here you can swim and sunbathe all day. 

Although Türkbükü is a pleasant place both in summer and in winter, the coastal road is closed to traffic in summer and the beaches, restaurants, cafes, and boutiques along the coast are always lively.

The Beach

The beaches here are narrow and composed of coarse sand and gravel, with a stony sea floor just offshore, but this has not stopped eager vacationers from sunning and swimming in these idyllic bays on the Bodrum peninsula‘s north coast.

This resort town compensates for its narrow beach by providing lots of wooden swimming docks extending from the beach into the sea.

Public Beaches

If your preference is to spend a holiday with a lower budget but still enjoy the sea to the fullest, these suggestions will make you happier. The first is the public beach operated by the Bodrum Municipality, located on the Türkbükü beach. Besides being able to swim in the sea for free, Türkbükü Cafe makes it even more enjoyable: you can rent sunbeds for very low prices, and you can have both breakfast and lunch at the cafe that serves affordable but delicious products. You can buy alcoholic and non-alcoholic cold drinks as well as tea and coffee. In this establishment, which also has tables and chairs in a large area, you can enjoy the sea and the food without overheating, accompanied by the beautiful windy weather of Türkbükü.

Another good suggestion is the recently opened public beach of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Bodrum Türkbükü. This wonderful facility, opened by the Ministry in 2023, is a place that will meet all your expectations. Located next to the famous resort Maçakızı, this establishment provides access to an incredibly beautiful sea. When you first enter the facility, a large restaurant welcomes you. Here you can have breakfast when you arrive in the morning, and lunch or snacks later in the day at affordable prices. Afterward, small ring vehicles take you to the beach from here. You get off at the beach door after a short while, watching the view. Here you can rent sunbeds at affordable prices.

This beach, which has been designed in a long and thin way on a wooden platform, will delight you. Here it also meets your needs such as clean showers and changing cabins. There is also a bar where non-alcoholic hot and cold drinks are sold. In addition to the sun loungers here, if you have a group of a few people, you can also rent a lodge with a bed for your comfort at the far end of the platform. In this facility, you enter the sea not from the beach, but from a wide platform built on the sea. You can enter from the stairs or have fun by jumping into the sea. The sea is clean; don't forget to watch the fish by taking swimming goggles with you.

Another factor that makes this place beautiful is the view. Seeing the jet skis, and boats passing outside the area surrounded by pontoons while swimming and watching the moored yachts around the small island makes for an enjoyable experience.

What to Do

If you want to enjoy the green nature besides enjoying the sea by swimming and trying water sports in Türkbükü, you can go hiking and trekking.

If you want to buy souvenirs from Türkbükü, you can find classic holiday gifts such as magnets, mugs, and coasters, as well as a wide variety of stylish jewelry and clothes. At the same time, the lighting products made from carved gourds in the shops here may attract your attention.

Where to Go

It should be mentioned that Türkbükü is a relatively expensive place. There are very famous beaches, restaurants, and night entertainment venues here. Note that private beaches operate either with an entrance fee system or with a spending limit system, sometimes even both. Where there is an entrance fee, this fee is paid per person for your entrance to the beach and sun loungers. In places where there is a spending limit, you must consume the minimum amount of food and/or beverage specified. If this is your expectation from your holiday, then you can choose from these suggestions.

Best Suggestions

Of course, the first place that comes to mind is Maçakızı. This place is famous for its food, beach, and hotel, so famous that it is indispensable for celebrities in Turkey during their Bodrum holidays. It promises a lot of fun during happy hour hours.

Another well-known place that immediately comes to mind is Üzüm Kızı. Incredible dinner concerts are held here in the evenings, and during the day it is possible to swim from the beach. It also has a boutique hotel.

Daze Türkbükü is one of the other famous places serving the concept of beach, restaurant, and bar for years.

Another Türkbükü legend is Kuum Beach, which has made a name for itself for years both with its beach quality and its hotel.

Lucca By the Sea is a prominent restaurant located in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, reinterpreting traditional Turkish seafood with a contemporary approach.

For a nice meal, you can try Köşebaşı Türkbükü, which has branches in various parts of Bodrum.

Arnavutköy Balıkçısı Türkbükü is a restaurant you can choose if you want to eat delicious and fresh fish.

Sess Türkbükü is a place where you can go to have fun at night.

Garos and Miam are very good fish restaurants preferred by customers with a slightly higher average age.

Bi Tatlı Bi Tuzlu should be preferred as a bakery, and Türkbükü Doğal Dondurma should be chosen as an ice cream shop.

Lodging

Small hotels and villas fill the land inland from the beach, and large holiday resort complexes dot the landscape beyond the towns. 

You can also rent a villa here to stay for a longer period of time.

Transportation

Traveling by car in Bodrum is always a better choice. Although there is a parking problem and parking lots are expensive, it may be more enjoyable to take a car to explore Bodrum. If you want to go to Bodrum by plane, you need to use Bodrum Milas Airport. You can reach the city center from the airport by buses called HAVAŞ. Afterward, you can choose the minibusses (dolmuş) to go from the center to Türkbükü.  You can also come to Bodrum by intercity buses.

Minibuses travel between Bodrum‘s Otogar (bus terminal) and Göltürkbükü frequently throughout the day and it takes 25 minutes to reach without the traffic. 

—by Melike Kocaer

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