Journeys stopping off in Turquoise Coast

Deserted, aquamarine bays, steep cliffs dense with bottle-green pines and the constant hum of cicadas creates a blissful backdrop to a typical week cruising Turkey’s southwestern ‘Turquoise’ coast. This absorbing stretch of coastline runs from Cesme to Anamur, including the towns of Kusadasi, Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye, and Antalya.

These small-boat sailing holidays are the perfect detox from everyday life, with days falling into a routine of swimming before breakfast, lazing on deck, more swimming, forays ashore and dinner under the stars, at anchor.

Book either as a single, a couple or a family and meet like-minded people, or charter your own gulet and choose our route. Boats come fully crewed and you don’t have to lift a finger.

Cruising and the Mediterranean are the perfect match, thanks to gorgeous beaches, glamorous ports and cultural thrills galore, all packed into a relatively manageable area.

You could be basking on the beach in Mykonos one day and watching a fiery sunset over Santorini the next. Or cycling round the medieval walls of Lucca, or tucking into sweet cannoli with your cappuccino in Taormina.

Every kind of cruise ship criss-crosses the Mediterranean, from sailing ships around the Greek islands to luxury vessels along the Cote d’Azur or swish yachts exploring the pine-clad islands of the Croatian coastline. Take time to choose the right experience, whether a grand tour or a voyage that focuses in more depth on a smaller area, like the Balearics, or the Peloponnese.

You could opt for a fully-rigged, tall ship, or ‘clipper’. These authentic ships, modelled on the original ‘greyhounds of the sea’ from the early 20th century, fly over the water with no sound but the waves, wind and creak of the lines. There are few seagoing experiences as romantic as this.