Daily Bodrum Tour from Istanbul – St. Peter's Castle, Mausoleum & Theatre

Bodrum Day Trip from Istanbul: Castle of St. Peter, Mausoleum and Ancient Theatre

Our daily Bodrum tour from Istanbul uses a same-day domestic flight to bring the Aegean coast within reach of a single day. Once you land, an English-speaking guide leads you through the three great landmarks of ancient Halikarnassos, modern Bodrum, so you can combine a stay in Istanbul with the history and sea views of one of Turkey's best-loved resort towns.

Shore Excursion for Cruise Passengers in Istanbul

Cruise passengers docking in Istanbul can book the Bodrum Tour as a convenient Istanbul shore excursion during their port call. With a private vehicle and guide, the day is timed to your ship’s arrival and departure, so you can enjoy the sights without worrying about the all-aboard deadline. Tell us how many hours your ship stays in port and we will confirm that the full programme fits comfortably. Just tell us the ship and the day it calls at Istanbul — we take care of the rest.

• Same-day domestic flights between Istanbul and Bodrum (arranged separately)
• The Crusader-era Castle of St. Peter and its four towers
• The Museum of Underwater Archaeology inside the castle walls
• The Mausoleum of Mausolus, counted among the ancient world's Seven Wonders
• The ancient theatre of Bodrum with panoramic views of the twin bays

The Castle of St. Peter is the emblem of Bodrum. The Knights of St. John raised it between 1402 and 1409 after losing their stronghold at Smyrna, today's Izmir, and moving to Halikarnassos. Its builders reused blocks from the ruined Mausoleum, and those carved stones can still be spotted in the walls. Four towers, named French, Italian, German and English, guard the fortress, the French Tower rising 48 metres above the sea. Inside, the castle displays finds from the Bronze Age to the Byzantine era and houses Turkey's largest underwater archaeology museum, famous for its reconstructed ancient shipwreck.

The Mausoleum was the tomb of King Mausolus, who ruled Caria from 377 to 353 BC and made Halikarnassos his capital. Completed by his sister and wife Artemisia, it was ringed by 36 columns around a burial chamber and gave the word mausoleum to the world; some of its sculptures are now in the British Museum in London. The day tour ends at the hillside theatre, begun in the time of Mausolus and once seating about 13,000 spectators. This daily tour is best suited to travellers with a full free day in Istanbul. Please note that flights, airport and hotel transfers and meals are not included in this daily excursion, so please arrange them, or ask us to quote them, when you book.