Find information on Turgutreis in our Travel Guide covering sights, foods and nightlife plus more...
Turgutreis lies on the Aegean coast of Turkey a short distance from Bodrum, with a transfer time from the airport of ninety minutes. Turgutreis has some of the best beaches on the Bodrum Peninsula which shelve gently into the clear blue sea and provide a small number of sporting activities. The many restaurants cater for all tastes and there is a good range of shops. Nightlife is fairly lively with many bars providing live music. A Turgutreis holiday offers relaxation in a charming town surrounded by mountains, hills and fragrant citrus groves.
Turgutreis possesses all the necessary ingredients for making a holiday memorable and for all the right reasons. A Turgutreis holiday offers guaranteed sunshine, warm clear sea, long swathes of beaches and a host of leisure activities. There are restaurants catering for every taste and plenty of shops. Evenings are lively without being raucous, reflecting the relaxed nature of the resort.
Turgutreis is popular with all age ranges and interests. Families with small children and sun worshippers will find a variety of beaches from dark coarse sand with safe shallow water, to pebbly coves. Active holidaymakers will discover wide ranging sporting opportunities and those with an interest in the ancient world with find the area littered with archaeological sites.
The holiday season lasts from early spring until late autumn when the temperature range is from 20 to mid 30 degrees, summer being the most popular time. The mild winter make it an ideal place for hikers and those wishing to visit the ancient sites away from the heat of the summer.
Turgutreis is a charming town offering a relaxing welcome to its summer holidaymakers. Surrounded by mountains and pine clad hills, it spreads out from the harbour with its white houses and mosque spires glinting in the sunlight. Turgutreis lies in a fertile area and is surrounded by citrus groves and orchards. With almost twenty kilometres of beaches, varying from dark sand to pebbles, holidaymakers are spoilt for choice. The sandy beaches slope gently into the sea providing safe bathing for children and weak swimmers. There is a bustling harbour and a modern marina that attracts many luxury yachts. Excursions leave from the harbour to the Greek islands of Kos and Rhodes which are clearly visible from the town. There are also trips to explore the coastline of the Bodrum peninsular which is ideal for scuba diving and snorkelling.
The town has many pavement cafes, bars and restaurants catering for most tastes and there are shops and a market providing holiday essentials as well as the usual gifts and souvenirs. The outskirts of the resort is where the noisier nightlife is found leaving the central area fairly relaxed.
There are many places of interest in the area including the ruins of the original walled town. The renowned archaeological site at Ephesus is not so far away. It is second only to Pompeii in showing well preserved examples of life in Roman times and is well worth a visit.
Turgutreis has many bars and restaurants providing a lively nightlife. Those on the edge of the resort offer live music and there are one or two discos. Many locals as well as tourists enjoy the simple pleasure of evening walks along the waterfront watching the spectacular sight of the sun setting over the islands in the Aegean.
Turgutreis is not a great centre for shopping although it has plenty of shops providing holiday essentials as well as gifts and souvenirs. There is a Saturday market where you can barter for your mementoes. Neighbouring Bodrum has more than an ample supply of opportunities for retail therapy. Shops, roadside stalls, bazaars and markets are usually selling their goods until late in the evening. Many shops don’t close until midnight. The shop keepers and stall holders have a very proactive approach to selling and you will be offered many ‘bargains’. There are many outlets for leather goods, carpets and gold and silver jewellery. Don’t forget to buy the blue glass beads to protect you from the evil eye!
Turgutreis bars and restaurants provide an enormous variety of eating experiences from traditional to fast food and from English style pub grub to haute cuisine. They really do provide for all tastes. As a fishing community, there are many excellent restaurants where you will be served the catch of the day which rarely disappoints.
Traditional Turkish food is very tasty and includes stuffed peppers and vine leaves, kebabs and of course feta cheese, olive and tomato salads. Rice dishes are also popular. If you wish to sample local cuisine, try a plate of meze, the Turkish equivalent of Greek Tapas, where you a given small portions of a variety of dishes.
The national drink of Turkey, apart from strong black coffee, is raki which is aniseed flavoured.
