Fethiye To Göcek Boat Trip: Photo Story

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We posted about the boat trip from Fethiye to Göcek market last year and, last Sunday, we made the trip again. In this post, we’d like you to join us on our outing as we sail from Fethiye, across the bay to beautiful Göcek and back again.

Our journey begins at 11 am, just after all the other day trip boats have left their moorings and exited Fethiye harbour in a long procession. The sea has calmed by the time we set off and we can apply suncream and take photos of gülets and of Fethiye marina without worrying too much about having to adapt to our ‘sea legs.’

Our boat passes the lighthouse at Club Letoonia before heading out into more open sea and (sometimes) choppier waters. We’re lying on the top deck of the boat, enjoying the cool breeze from the sea. Some people are reading, others chatting. Some are already fast asleep. I’m taking photos.

The staff on the boat come round to ask us what we want for lunch; fish, chicken, köfte. Today, we’re with friends – the friends who we took to Göcek in winter – and we tell the staff we’re going to eat when we get to Göcek. ‘Our food is good,’ they tell us. ‘Göcek is expensive.’ Their faces are telling us, ‘On your own heads be it!’

After a 30-minute stop for a swim, those who are eating make their way to the bottom deck and we peer over the side of the boat to see what they’re eating. Improvements have been made since last year. The chicken is real chicken rather than a processed burger. Wafts of barbecued meat and fish hit our noses and we’re very hungry. We should have eaten on the boat!

At 1:15, we pull into Göcek harbour, packed with gülets and luxury private yachts. We rush down the gangplank to the sounds of, ‘The boat leaves at 3:15. Be back by 3:15.’ No problem there. We know exactly where we’re going – straight to West Cafe and Bistro for some long-awaited lunch.

We order a burger, plain köfte, fettuccine and our friend decides on a light lunch of tuna salad. Except, when it comes, it doesn’t look quite so light. It’s a creation and as usual, I covet what somebody else has ordered instead of my own choice. A quick Efes Pilsen and a stroll around the quiet streets of Göcek and then it’s back to the boat.

15 minutes later, we anchor at Flat Island for a 40-minute swim stop. While we inch into the cold, refreshing water, Barry and friend jump from the top deck, plunging deep into the water and causing a mini tidal wave for those all around! By now, we’ve had more than enough sun.

We decide to sit on the lower deck of the boat in the shade and we order a beer. Our friends are professional sunbathers and they go straight back to their sunbeds on the top deck.

After one more stop for a swim, we plough through the waves and head back to Fethiye, enjoying a couple more small Efes beers in the process.

Fethiye To Göcek Boat Trip – Useful Info:

• The Göcek Sunday Market boat trip is 25 lira (roughly £9 – summer 2011) per person, including lunch.
• Boats leave at 11 am and arrive back in Fethiye at 6:30 pm. There are usually 3 stops for swimming and around 2 hours in Göcek.
• We went with Oasis but there are a couple more companies doing the trip, too. Boards along the harbour advertise which companies do it.
• We’ve done this trip many times and the boat has never been too crowded, making it a relaxing – and good value! – day out.

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