Country Guides: Gocek

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A sailers paradise in Turkey, Gocek is a must-see destination

With easy access by land, sea and air, Göcek offers a distinctive holiday pleasure hand in hand with the thickly wooded outskirts and the calm sea, which are under state protection, unlike many widely-known holiday resorts in Turkey.

Göcek, a small southern town in Muğla’s Fethiye area, is a residential area mainly concentrated along the coastal line called Göcek Bay inside the Fethiye Gulf that is being rediscovered by many tourists for its natural beauty and great boating options. Surrounded by high mountains on three sides, Göcek is a unique, obscure retreat.

Known as a small, quiet village until the beginning of the 1980s, Göcek was rediscovered in line with the development of tourism consciousness in Turkey. Today it is highly popular, especially among English nationals, followed by German, Italian, Spanish and French tourists. Being a relatively secluded but classy town, Göcek is one of many unique jewels in Turkey. Generally many tourists come to Göcek by yacht.

With a permanent population of around 3,500 people, which rises to 7,000 during the summer months, Göcek is regarded as a popular Riviera with its excellent nature and sea views. Around 22 kilometers to the Dalaman International Airport, the town is expected to change the traditional understanding of a holiday with what it has to offer, including its four large marinas, Skopea, Port Göcek, Club Marina and Belediye Marina, which allow both domestic and international explorers of the sea to safely anchor their ships.

The Göcek marinas have a capacity of 1,000 yachts, including tour yachts as well as those owned by private people. The number of yachts with a foreign flag exceeds the number of those with a Turkish flag, and annual rental charges range from 2,250 euros ($3,550) up to 20,000 euros ($31,500), depending on the size of the yacht.

Pleasure of the Blue Voyage

Regarded as the best departure point for addicts of Blue Voyage’s boating packages, Göcek has access to the most convenient routes in the Mediterranean and southern Aegean seas, besides some wonderful destinations along these routes.

Blessings of Göcek

Among the other things Göcek has to offer to its visitors are a number of marvelous bays and small islands, the most famous ones being Gobun or Mağaralı Bay, Cleopatra Hamamı, and the Tersane and Yassı islands, located between Kapıdağ Peninsula and the Göcek Gulf.

The turquoise water, green pines leaning toward the sea, friendly dolphins wandering around the ships, the antique remnants of Lycian history and the friendly, modern residents who seem ready to help newcomers unfamiliar with the district are also among the bountiful offerings of Göcek, making the town a target for those who desire a dreamy holiday in a small town hand in hand with nature and the sea, rather than being wedged in among giant hotel complexes or huge holiday villages. During the tourism season, which lasts from April to November, Göcek offers holiday pleasures as never experienced before and memories that will never be forgotten. This premium experience is, indeed, worth having.

Property in Göcek

Property in Gocek is limited and prices are probably the highest out of all the popular resorts in Turkey. The lack of flat land and local building restrictions limit the amount of development possible, with most new property concentrated in the flat area between the town and the ring road. There are various resorts in the meadows and forests and although most of these properties are within walking distance to the sea very view can boast sea views. Prices in Gocek are not generally cheap and you can expect to pay around 500,000 Euros for a 3 bedroom villas close to the sea.

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