Bodrum's harbour is the centre of daily life in the town — a wide bay sheltered by two arms of land, lined with gulet boats and restaurants, with the Castle of St Peter rising from its promontory at the end. In the mornings, boat captains tout day trips to secluded bays and nearby islands; by evening the quayside fills up with people walking, eating, and watching the sunset turn the castle walls pink.
The gulet trips are worth taking if you have a day. The wooden boats depart around 10am and cruise to three or four bays around the peninsula that are inaccessible by road, anchoring for swimming and lunch. The better ones go to Orak Island and the bays around Karaada. It is a Turkish institution — slow, sociable, and very pleasant.