Gümüşlük

Gümüşlük is a small harbour village in the Southern Aegean region of Turkey. It's sandwiched between the larger resort strips of Turgutreis (south) and Yalıkavak (north) but there's a prohibition on developing the one-km tract separating them, and Gümüşlük doesn't itself have large resort hotels and has retained more of its character as an old fishing port. It's no longer a census district, but its population is probably similar to the 2013 count of 4046.

Gümüş means "silver" but surprisingly little is known of the silver-mining days. The village stands on the site of ancient Myndus, which minted its own silver coins, and until the 19th century ruined workings and metal slag were visible. It's possible they mined low-grade galena rather than high-grade silver ore.

Get in

For long-distance travel see Bodrum, which has flights from Europe, and inter-city buses from Istanbul, Izmir and beyond.

Yeni Otogar the new bus terminal is 5 km northeast of Bodrum city, at the D330 junction for Torba. All local buses run from Yeni Otogar to downtown Bodrum then fan out across the peninsula. Bus 2-45 runs to Gürece, Gümüşlük and Gümüşkaya, hourly daily 07:00-22:00, taking 20 min from the city. The 2-37 winds along the coast from Turgutreis to Gümüşlük, Gümüşkaya, Yalıkavak, Gündoğan and Göltürkbükü, daily 07:30-19:00 every 90 min.

1 İskele or "Harbour" doesn't have a ferry service but is the focus of town. Buses and dolmuşes stop just inland on 1135th Sk, the street connecting İskele to the main approach road Atatürk Cd.

Get around

Most places are within a short walk.

The village taxi is on +90 252 394 3228.

See

• Gümüşlük village is a 3 km strip of ribbon development lining the road from Bodrum. It's 20th century whitewashed low-rise, not unpleasant but with no nucleus or feel of a traditional Ottoman settlement. You see enough of it on the way to the harbour and no point making an excursion.
• Yalı Mosque is 100 m north of the pier, with a stubby minaret.
• Myndus was a port of ancient Caria, now mostly buried beneath Gümüşlük. In its prime it may have been quite grand: Myndus Gate on the road out of the walled city of Halicarnassus (nowadays Bodrum) was substantial but the corresponding gate entering Myndus was even bigger. (The cynic philosopher Diogenes urged them to shut it before the whole town got out.) So while the main site appears lost, there are fragments here and there on the fringes of town, on Rabbit Island, and submerged in the bay. The latter are in shallow depths within snorkel-range; how and when they were inundated is not known.
• 1 Rabbit Island (Tavşan Adasi) is one of innumerable Turkish islets so-named, where excavations of Myndus continue - its amphitheatre may have been even bigger than that of Halicarnassus. You can wade out to it by a slippery causeway submerged a metre deep, however the island itself has been fenced off for years. This doesn't trouble the rabbits but as of 2023, there's no indication of when this significant site might become publicly accessible.
• 2 Kocadağ is the headland sheltering the bay, with a Turkish flag fluttering atop. There are fragments of Myndus here but no active archaeology site so you're free to stroll, ideally catching the sunset. The tracks along its shores can be driven by high-clearance 4WD but you're better hiking, and wear stout shoes.
• 3 Cavus Island is a military lookout glowering west into Greek waters, so stay clear.
• 4 Imia as they're known in Greece, or Kardak in Turkish, are two uninhabited islets that in 1995 became the subject of a border dispute. The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne awarded islands within three miles of the mainland to Turkey. Imia five miles out was considered awarded to Italy, subsequently ceded to Greece, but it's not named in the treaties and there is ambiguity in the wording and in cartography. "Kardak" means walnuts, though their strategic value more resembles peanuts. Nobody gave a cuss for Imia until an argument about salvage of a vessel escalated into a war of words, with military posturings and flag-raisings and tearings-down. The dispute has rumbled on for over 25 years: for the time being the situation is calm but unresolved.

Do

Rabbit Island

• Beaches are safe for bathing and snorkelling.
• Myndos Sailing Club is based here. But for boat trips and water sports head to one of the larger nearby resorts.
• Gümüşlük International Music Festival looks unlikley to resume in 2023.

Buy

• There's a couple of convenience stores by the harbour.
• The market is held daily 09:00-20:30, south edge of the village at Turgutreis Cd 31.

Eat

• Along the waterfront are Mimoza, Karafaki Erhan Usta, Okyanus, Yakamoz, Aquarium, Fonda, Fenerci, Club Gümüşlük, HİÇ and Mukellef.
• Heading up the street inland are Non Stop, Gümüşlük Balık Evi, Tasev and Poca's House.

Drink

• The cafes and restaurants serve alcohol. The stand-alone bars have folded.

Sleep

Early summer blooms

• Liman Hotel, 1120th Sk 52, ☏ +90 549 103 2323. Excellent little hotel by the harbour, clean and friendly. B&B double 1500 TL. (updated Mar 2023)
• Otel Gümüşlük a block back from the harbour has variable cleanliness.
• Pansiyons are a little further south, or inland along Atatürk Cd.
• Kadıkale 3 km south has typical Med high-rise hotels and resorts. This is the tentacle tip of Turgutreis sliding north to engulf Gümüşlük, so its accommodation is described on that page.

Connect

Gümüşlük and its approach roads have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of March 2023, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next

• Yalikavak is the next resort strip north along the coast.
• Turgutreis, named for the legendary Ottoman admiral, is the next resort strip going south.
• Bodrum is the nearby city and transport hub, with a well-restored castle.