The Bodrum peninsula extends about 35 kilometres west into the Aegean, with a series of small resorts, fishing villages, and beaches along its northern and southern coasts. Renting a car or scooter for a day and driving around the peninsula is a worthwhile excursion — the landscape is hilly and dry, dotted with old windmills and olive groves, with the sea visible on both sides from the higher ground.
The south coast faces the open Aegean with clearer water and stronger winds, better for windsurfing. The north coast, sheltered by the peninsula of Karaada, is calmer. The village of Türkbükü on the north coast has become fashionable with wealthy Turks and has the best (and most expensive) restaurants on the peninsula. Yalıkavak, at the far western tip, is a former sponge-diving village with a good harbour and a large, well-organized marina.