What Is a Gulet? The Turkish Gulet Boat, Its Types and the Gulet Cruise Explained

A gulet is a traditional wooden boat from the southwest coast of Turkey, built mainly in Bodrum. It usually has two masts, a rounded stern and a wide deck. Gulets once carried cargo, fished and served sponge divers. Today they are the classic boat of the Turkish “Blue Cruise”, and despite their sails they travel mostly under engine power. This guide explains what the word gulet means, where the boat comes from, the main gulet types, how big a gulet is and how many guests it can take, and what a gulet cruise is like and costs. More than 1,300 gulets are listed for gulet charter on viravira.co. The platform figures in this article come from those listings. The history and technical details come from the Turkish Patent Office, the Bodrum Maritime Museum and academic research.

What Is a Gulet?

A gulet, or gulet boat, is a traditional Turkish boat known for its wooden hull, broad deck and two masts. In 2024 the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TÜRKPATENT) registered the “Bodrum Gulet” as a geographical indication (document in Turkish). The registration describes it as a wooden boat with a rounded stern and a clipper bow. It usually has two masts, with the taller mast at the back and the shorter one at the front.

Today the Turkish gulet’s job is holidays. Its wide aft deck, private cabins and professional crew make it the boat of choice for cruises that move from bay to bay for a few days or a week. Gulets are a familiar sight in the harbours of Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye and Göcek, where they are widely used for traditional Blue Cruise holidays.

Feature	Gulet
Hull	Rounded stern and clipper bow. A flat-sterned version (aynakıç) is also common.
Material	Traditionally wood. Some gulets are built in steel or composite.
Masts	Usually two, three on some large gulets
Length	15 to 50 m (49 to 164 ft) in the Bodrum Gulet registration. The average gulet on viravira.co is about 21 m (69 ft).
Cabins	Usually 2–8 cabins on gulets in Turkey, with some larger gulets offering up to 16 cabins.
Guests	Gulets in Turkey accommodate around 12 overnight guests on average, with some larger gulets offering accommodation for up to 36 guests, depending on their certification.
Propulsion	Mainly engine. Sails go up when the wind is right.
Crew	Captain, cook and deckhand. Larger gulets add a hostess or steward.
Where it is built	Boatyards on Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean coast, Bodrum above all

Gulet Meaning: Where Does the Word Come From?

In Turkish, gulet is simply the name of this boat. The word itself is a loan. Most sources trace it to the French goélette, meaning “schooner”, which reached Turkish through the Venetian and Italian sailors of the Mediterranean. The Turkish etymological dictionary Nişanyan Sözlük dates the earliest known Turkish record of the word to 1836.

At first, gulet described a rig, not a hull. The Bodrum Maritime Museum explains that the word originally meant the schooner rig and became a hull term in Turkey. Some of those schooner-rigged boats had rounded sterns. So over time “gulet” came to mean a boat with a rounded stern, and the schooner rig took the Turkish name uskuna instead.

How Do You Pronounce Gulet?

In Turkish, gulet is pronounced roughly as “goo-LET”, with the stress on the second syllable (IPA: [ɡuˈlet]). English speakers sometimes misspell the word as “gullet” or “goulette”, but “gulet” is the standard spelling used in the yacht charter industry.

History of the Turkish Gulet: From Cargo Boat to Blue Cruise

According to the TÜRKPATENT registration, the Bodrum gulet was first used to carry cargo and later for fishing and sponge diving. Bodrum’s main sponge-diving boat, however, was the tirhandil. A 2024 PhD thesis on the development of the Bodrum gulet at Istanbul Technical University (in Turkish) names the first gulet-shaped boats in Bodrum as two trawlers, Ege Gülü and Mustafa, built in 1957 and 1958.

The gulet’s second life as a holiday boat began with the writer Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı, known as the Fisherman of Halicarnassus. According to the same thesis, he organised the first trip in 1945 on a fishing boat called Macera, together with Sabahattin Eyüboğlu and Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu. The writer Azra Erhat joined these trips in 1957. Her book Mavi Yolculuk (“Blue Voyage”) made them famous, and the name stuck. In English it is usually called the Blue Cruise.

The thesis identifies BOTAŞ, a 17-metre (56 ft) boat built by Ziya Güvendiren in 1967, as the first gulet built in Turkey for tourism. As visitor numbers grew in the 1970s, gulets got bigger and gained cabins. From the mid-1980s, builders began making large flat-sterned boats with an extra raised cabin at the back. By the 2000s some gulets were longer than 40 metres (131 ft).

On 9 October 2024, TÜRKPATENT registered “Bodrum Gulet” as a geographical indication under number 1647, following an application by the Bodrum Chamber of Commerce. The name is now protected as a symbol of Bodrum’s boatbuilding tradition and a set of technical features. This does not mean that every gulet built in Turkey or elsewhere carries the indication.

Types of Gulets

The Bodrum Maritime Museum groups today’s Blue Cruise boats into three categories: gulets, aynakıç boats and tırhandils. The clearest difference between them is the shape of the stern, the back of the boat. Strictly speaking, the tirhandil is a different traditional boat, but charter companies often list all three as gulets.

Round Stern Gulet (Karpuz Kıç)

The classic gulet has a rounded stern. The Bodrum Maritime Museum calls “the clipper stem and the round stern” the distinctive features of the Bodrum gulet. Turkish builders call this stern kepçe kıç (“scoop stern”), and in the charter trade the type is often called karpuz kıç, or “watermelon stern”. The TÜRKPATENT registration describes the hull as “heavy, balanced and seaworthy” and says the wide, rounded stern gives the boat its elegant look. In the past, the museum notes, only this round-stern type was called a gulet.

Transom Stern Gulet (Aynakıç)

An aynakıç (literally “mirror stern”) gulet has a flat, vertical transom instead of a rounded stern. The museum describes it as “another version of the gulet hull with a square stern rather than a round one”. The flat stern makes room for a bigger aft deck and larger cabins, which is why many charter gulets built for comfort use this form. Today both the round-stern and the transom-stern versions are called gulets.

Tirhandil: The Aegean Double-Ender

The tirhandil is pointed at both ends, which is why the museum calls it the “Aegean double-ender”. Its design probably goes back thousands of years, and it was built in large numbers as sponge diving grew. The ITU thesis dates the tirhandil to roughly 200 years before the gulet, with lengths of 8 to 20 metres (26 to 66 ft). Only a few tirhandils remain among today’s Blue Cruise boats.

Type	Stern	Main feature	Background
Round stern gulet	Rounded (kepçe, karpuz)	Balanced, classic look	Built as trawlers in Bodrum in the late 1950s
Aynakıç	Flat, square	Bigger aft deck and cabins	Large examples from the mid-1980s
Tirhandil	Pointed (double-ender)	Narrower and smaller, 8 to 20 m	Oldest type, the sponge divers’ boat

Gulet types compared. Sources: Bodrum Maritime Museum and ITU PhD thesis on the Bodrum gulet (2024).

How Big Is a Gulet and How Many People Can It Take?

The TÜRKPATENT registration gives a length of 15 to 50 metres (49 to 164 ft) for the Bodrum gulet. Boats outside this range are also sold as gulets in the charter market. The average gulet listed on viravira.co is about 21 metres (69 ft) long.

You will see two different capacity figures. One is how many guests can sleep on board. The other is how many people a gulet can carry on a day trip. On overnight charters most gulets take a maximum of 12 guests, and the reason is regulation. Article 23 of Turkey’s Maritime Tourism Regulation (in Turkish) defines a yacht as a vessel carrying no more than 12 passengers. The same article also covers boats registered as yachts that carry up to 36 passengers, on condition that they stay within 100 nautical miles on coastal voyages and no more than 20 nautical miles from the nearest land. Internationally, the SOLAS convention treats a ship carrying more than 12 passengers as a passenger ship, with much stricter rules. This is the “12-person rule” you often hear about in yacht charter.

Gulet size and capacity also change by region. The table below is based on current gulet listings on viravira.co.

Region	Gulets listed	Average length	Overnight guests	Cabins
Turkey (all)	About 1,300	~21 m (69 ft)	6 to 36	2 to 8
Bodrum	300+	~23 m (76 ft)	6 to 17	2 to 7
Fethiye	About 200	~21.5 m (71 ft)	7 to 36	3 to 8
Göcek	150+	~20 m (64 ft)	6 to 16	2 to 6
Marmaris	100+	~23.5 m (77 ft)	6 to 24	2 to 8
Croatia	35+	~30 m (97 ft)	9 to 21	4 to 9

If you want to see the biggest and best-equipped boats, take a look at our list of the most luxurious gulets in Turkey.

How Is a Gulet Built?

According to the TÜRKPATENT registration, a Bodrum gulet can be built in wood, steel or composite. Wooden gulets are built in one of two ways. The traditional method uses a single layer of planking. The laminated method uses two or more layers, depending on the size of the boat. Construction usually starts by setting up the keel and the stem and stern posts.

Local timber has always mattered. The ITU thesis notes that pine is the most widely used wood in the Bodrum area. Red pine is used for the frames, the ribs of the hull, and black pine for the cabins. Master boatbuilder Erol Ağan, interviewed in the thesis, explains that oak or teak is used for the deck. Laminated hulls also use imported woods such as mahogany and teak.

Does a Gulet Sail or Use an Engine?

A gulet has masts and sails, but it travels mainly under engine power. The TÜRKPATENT registration says it plainly: in the Bodrum gulet, “engine power is mainly used for navigation”. The same document adds that the heavy, balanced and seaworthy hull still allows sailing even in strong winds. A gulet can access many sheltered bays and coastal anchorages, but how close it can approach the shore depends on its draft, local sea conditions and the captain’s judgement.

On a gulet holiday the sails usually go up only for short stretches when the wind is right. If sailing is the main goal of your trip, a sailing yacht is the better choice. A gulet is about time in the bays, a big deck and a relaxed holiday.

Gulet vs Motor Yacht vs Sailboat vs Catamaran

When people plan a boat holiday, the most common question is how a gulet differs from other boat types. The table below compares the four main options.

	Gulet	Motor yacht	Sailboat	Catamaran
Hull	Single hull, mostly wood	Single hull, mostly fibreglass	Single hull, mostly fibreglass	Twin hull, fibreglass
Propulsion	Mainly engine	Engine	Sail or engine	Sail or engine
Pace	Slow, long stops in bays	Fast, more places per day	Depends on the wind	Moderate, calm and stable
Living space	Very large deck	Comfortable interior	Tighter living space	Wide space across two hulls
Crew	Chartered with crew	Chartered with a captain	With a skipper, or bareboat with a licence	With a skipper, or bareboat with a licence
Best for	Larger groups, families, the Blue Cruise	Speed and luxury	People who want to sail	Families and groups seeking spacious living areas and sailing experiences

Besides gulets, you can also compare motor yachts, sailboats and catamarans available for charter in Turkey.

What Is a Gulet Cruise?

A gulet cruise is a holiday on a crewed gulet that moves from bay to bay along the coast, usually for a few days or a week. In Turkey it is known as the Blue Cruise or Blue Voyage. On a week-long trip the gulet is both your hotel and your boat. Think of it as a small floating hotel.

There are two ways to book one. On a private charter your group has the whole gulet, and you agree the route with the captain. On a cabin charter you book a single cabin and share the boat, the deck and the meals with other travellers on a fixed route. Gulets on viravira.co are listed as crewed charters, so you book the boat together with its crew. Cabin charters are mostly sold by tour operators.

What Is It Like on Board?

The deck usually has two areas. At the back there is a cushioned lounge and a large table where everyone eats together. The front of the boat is kept for sunbathing. The gulet interior is below deck, where the cabins are. On most modern gulets every cabin has its own shower, toilet and air conditioning. The crew have separate quarters.

The crew comes with the boat. The captain handles the route and anchoring, the cook prepares the meals and the deckhand looks after the deck. A typical day starts with breakfast and a short cruise to a new bay. The day is spent swimming, and in the evening the gulet anchors in a quiet cove. Guest reviews on viravira.co provide first-hand insights into the gulet experience, including meals prepared on board, crew service and the overall comfort of the trip.

Is a Gulet Cruise Right for You?

A gulet cruise suits you if you want to:

• Travel with family or a group of friends and share one boat.
• Swim in a different bay every day without packing and unpacking.
• Have a crew do the sailing and the cooking.
• Reach coves that are hard to get to by road.

It may not suit you if you want to:

• Sail the boat yourself or spend most of the day under sail.
• Have hotel-sized rooms. Cabins on a gulet are compact.
• Cover long distances quickly. A gulet is slow.

Before you book, check exactly what the price includes. Some gulets are offered all-inclusive, while others charge separately for food, drinks or fuel. Our guide to all-inclusive gulet cruises in Turkey explains the difference, and you can find more tips in things to know about gulet charter.

How Much Does a Gulet Cruise Cost?

The price of a gulet charter depends on four things:

• Size and cabins: More cabins and guests mean a higher price.
• Season: Based on viravira.co data, the average weekly price of a gulet in Turkey is about 40 percent higher in high season than in low season. The gap is bigger in Bodrum and Marmaris.
• Charter type: Hourly, daily and weekly charters are priced differently. Overnight trips cost more than day trips. Most gulets are chartered by the day or by the week.
• Region and equipment: The destination, the age and condition of the boat, air conditioning, water toys and the level of service all affect the price.

Region	Average weekly price (whole boat)	High season vs low season
Turkey (all)	About €9,000	About 40% higher
Bodrum	About €10,500	About 50% higher
Fethiye	About €10,500	About 45% higher
Marmaris	About €12,500	About 50% higher
Greece	About €19,000	About 50% higher
Croatia	About €25,000	Not enough data

These are averages for chartering the whole boat, so the cost per person depends on how many of you share it. Gulets in Croatia cost more on average partly because they are bigger, close to 30 metres on average. Prices change by boat and date, so the listings are always the best guide. You can compare every option on our gulet charter Turkey page, or see gulets in all countries on the gulet charter page.

Where Can You Take a Gulet Cruise?

The gulet was born on Turkey’s southwest coast, and most Blue Cruise routes are still there.

• Bodrum and the Gulf of Gökova: where the Blue Cruise started and where most gulets are built.
• Marmaris and Bozburun: pine-covered bays and a long boatbuilding tradition.
• Göcek and Fethiye: sheltered bays and islands a short cruise apart. We cover them in our guide to the most beautiful coves and beaches of Fethiye.
• Kaş and Kekova: the Lycian coast, with sunken city ruins and very clear water.

If you want to spend a few days on board and explore the coast bay by bay, see our Blue Cruise options.

The gulet is closely linked with Turkey, but you can also charter one on some routes abroad. There are far fewer gulets outside Turkey. On viravira.co there are more than 35 gulets in Croatia, around 20 in Greece, fewer than 10 in Italy and a couple in Montenegro. Gulets in Croatia average close to 30 metres, so they tend to be bigger than in Turkey. To take your gulet cruise abroad, see gulet charter in Croatia, Greece, Italy and Montenegro.

Frequently Asked Questions