The region
Gümüşlük
A village that keeps its own time, far from Bodrum’s glamour. A few minutes from our homes.
A village on ancient Myndos
Gümüşlük stands on the remains of Myndos, a harbour town on the Carian coast founded by Dorian settlers from Troezen. In antiquity it was known for its strong walls and its sheltered port.
In 334 BC, while besieging Halicarnassus, Alexander the Great tried to take Myndos by surprise. Helped by reinforcements from Halicarnassus, the town drove him off. In the Byzantine centuries Myndos became the seat of a bishop.
Today the ruins are scattered around the bay: in garden walls, among olive trees, on the floor of the clear water. Parts of the waterfront are thought to have sunk after an unrecorded earthquake. Swimming here means swimming over history.
Ancient writers knew the place. Herodotus tells the story of Scylax, a ship’s captain from Myndos, in the run-up to the Ionian Revolt. Athenaeus noted that the wine grown around Myndos was good for the digestion. A small town, then, but one that was never quite forgotten.
Rabbit Island
A path through the water
You can walk out to Tavşan Adası, Rabbit Island, from the beach. The water is shallow, knee-deep in most places, and under your feet lie the foundations of ancient buildings.
There are remains of Myndos on the island too. Bring water shoes for the slippery stones, and go early in the morning or just before sunset.
The sunset
Gümüşlük faces west. In the late afternoon people drift down to the shore. Some sit on the jetty, some stand ankle-deep in the sea, some have booked a table hours ago. As the sun drops behind the islands, voices drop with it.
Here the sunset is less a view than a habit. The same hour, the same place, every evening: a small ritual repeated without fuss. The ancient Greeks gave this hour to Hespera, goddess of evening and of the golden light of sunset. We took our name from her.
Tables on the sand
Fish and meze restaurants line the bay, their tables set on the sand a few steps from the water. Meze come first: wild greens, vegetables cooked in olive oil, samphire. Then the catch of the day, with rakı or a glass of white wine.
Gümüşlük is still a working fishing harbour. You can watch the boats come in and choose your dinner from what they brought back. Summer evenings are busy, so book your table ahead.
Morning to night
A day in Gümüşlük
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A swim in the still bay
In the morning the water is calm and the shore is empty. Wade across to Rabbit Island and back over the ancient foundations.
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By the harbour
Breakfast at a table facing the fishing boats. If it is Wednesday, walk through the weekly village market.
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Up to Karakaya
Climb to Karakaya, the old stone village above Gümüşlük. Narrow lanes, old houses and the bay laid out below.
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Shade and a book
Sit out the heat under a tree. See what is on at Gümüşlük Akademisi, the arts centre nearby, or simply rest.
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Down for the sunset
Reach the shore before the sun goes. Find a spot on the jetty or the sand and put your phone away.
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Fish on the sand
Meze, the day’s catch, a slow table. Feet in the sand, lights on the water.
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Music in the quarry
Between mid-July and early September, a festival concert in the Ancient Stone Quarry at Koyunbaba. Then back to Kadıkalesi and a quiet garden.
On water, on sand, on stone
The International Gümüşlük Music Festival has run every summer since 2004. Organised by the Bodrum Classical Music Association, it fills roughly mid-July to early September with classical music and jazz.
Its main stage is the Ancient Stone Quarry at Koyunbaba, about 2,500 years old. Stone for the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus is said to have been cut here. Hearing a concert between those rock walls, under an open sky, stays with you. Series called “Suda, Kumda, Taşta” (on water, on sand, on stone) move the music to the shore and the water’s edge, and since 2012 the festival has also hosted a piano competition.
Winter
Mandarins and quiet
The peninsula is full of citrus groves. From November to February the Bodrum mandarin is harvested, and you can smell it along the village lanes. Our own garden has mandarin and orange trees.
In winter the summer crowds leave and the village belongs to the people who live here. Some summer places close, the shore path empties, and daytime highs often sit around 15 °C with plenty of sun. Winter in Gümüşlük is a different journey.
Gümüşlük in winter
Winter is when you get to know Gümüşlük. The boats are tied up in the harbour, and the shore path holds a few walkers and a neighbour with a dog. Tea at a sunny table facing Rabbit Island on a January afternoon feels a long way from a grey northern winter.
It gets dark early, but the sun still sets in the same place. In the few restaurants that stay open you eat in the same room as the villagers. For long-stay guests, this is a Gümüşlük summer visitors never see.
Karakaya, Koyunbaba, Dağbelen
Small villages sit in the hills behind Gümüşlük. Karakaya is an old hillside village looking down on the bay; its sunset shows you the whole coastline at once. Koyunbaba is home to the festival’s quarry. Dağbelen lies further inland and is quieter still. Nearby, Gümüşlük Akademisi brings arts and culture events to these quiet hills.
You can see them all by car in an afternoon. On foot or by bike, though, you feel the slow rhythm of this side of the peninsula far better.
A few notes before you go
- Wear water shoes to wade to Rabbit Island; the stones are slippery.
- In summer, book dinner ahead, especially for sunset.
- The village market is on Wednesdays.
- Check the festival programme early; quarry concerts fill up.
- The bay is a protected site: don’t climb on the ruins or take stones home.
- In winter, ask İrfan which places are open.
Men of Myndos, shut your gates, or your city will run out through them.
Diogenes of Sinope, on the oversized gates of little Myndos
From Kadıkalesi to Gümüşlük
Our homes are in Kadıkalesi, between Gümüşlük and Turgutreis. Gümüşlük is roughly 5–7 minutes by car, and the dolmuş stop 100 m from the complex will take you there too.
Spending the day on the calm beach at Kadıkalesi and heading to Gümüşlük for the evening is one of the pleasures of staying here. So is leaving the village at its busiest hour and coming back to a silent garden.
İrfan recommends
Sunsets, tables, history
The host’s own favourite places in and around Gümüşlük.
Rabbit Island and Myndos
The remains of ancient Myndos are scattered around the bay and across Tavşan Adası. On calm days you can wade over from the beach along an old submerged path, the water about knee-deep.
İrfan’s tipThe island is an archaeological site and access is sometimes restricted, so message me before you go and I’ll tell you how things stand that week.
DirectionsGümüşlük waterfront fish restaurants
Along the bay, fish and meze restaurants set their tables on the sand, a few steps from the water. As a protected archaeological zone, the shore has kept its low-rise village character.
İrfan’s tipChoose your fish at the counter rather than from the menu, and in summer always book a table for sunset.
DirectionsAncient Stone Quarry, Koyunbaba
A quarry some 2,500 years old at Koyunbaba, said to have supplied stone for the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. In summer it is the main stage of the International Gümüşlük Music Festival.
İrfan’s tipThe festival runs from mid-July to early September, so book early for an evening concert among the stones.
DirectionsKadıkalesi Greek church
The ruin of a 19th-century Greek Orthodox church in the village. Only the walls still stand, but it is the loveliest trace of the village’s past.
İrfan’s tipIt is a two-minute detour on the way to the beach, and the late-afternoon light suits those stone walls beautifully.
DirectionsTurgutreis sunset shore
The long beach and seafront promenade of Turgutreis are known for their sunsets, with the sun sinking behind the islands offshore.
İrfan’s tipWalk to the northern end of the promenade, towards the fishermen’s harbour, where the crowd thins out.
DirectionsBodrum Castle
Begun by the Knights of St John in 1402, the castle now houses the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology.
İrfan’s tipGo in winter, when the courtyards are almost empty and you can look out over the harbour from the walls for as long as you like.
DirectionsMap
Gümüşlük and around
Beaches, sunset spots, ancient remains, restaurants and villages.
Stay
Stay close to Gümüşlük
Three quiet homes in a garden, minutes from the village. Every month of the year.