There are plenty of road routes between Marmaris and Bodrum via Muğla – but if you want spectacular scenery, nothing beats taking the ferryboat out of Datça. Skip past the booking links below for a full guide to taking the ferry from Marmaris to Bodrum.
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Getting to Datça
To get to Datça you’ll first have to get yourself to the Marmaris bus station (Otogarı) – located at the back of town (on the right as you look at a map and just off the main route into town).
You’re looking for one of the smaller buses to Datça (normally parked on the right-hand side of the bus station). These short shuttles run regularly throughout the day.
This road between Marmaris and Datça is stunning. After a short climb out of Marmaris, you start hugging a remote and near-deserted coastline on the D400 road down to the town. Word to the wise – booking in advance is recommended as the buses are normally busy.
In total, it takes about an hour to get to Datça. When you arrive, come out of the station and take the first right down the hill towards the town (the bus “station” is located quite a way out of town). A little further down the hill, the road then splits – stay on the right all the way into town.
Finding the ticket office
The ferryboat ticket office is far from obvious and quite hard to find. Stay roughly right on the road until you near the beach and yet another statue of Ataturk. The bus station / ticket office is on the far side of this square.
You should arrive early as these buses can get very busy. The ferry didn’t leave til 6pm but we were still told to be there by 5 – and even then, people were left standing on this bus. The transfer is short but you might as well get a seat if you can.
Kormen harbour
Despite the fact Datça is located on the sea, the ferry actually leaves from Kormen harbour – a very remote port located about twenty minutes away from Datça on the opposite side of the peninsula. This drive is also very beautiful through remote scenery – the kind of places most package tourists simply don’t see.
The ferry ride
The ferry itself is pretty small – just enough room for a few cars on the lower deck, with seating on an open-air upper deck. I took a few ferries on my little jaunt across Europe last year but none came close to the Datça/Marmaris trip.
Firstly, the ride out of the harbour is stunning with the most beautiful tree-lined hills disappearing into the distance. The water was quite choppy – but that just added to the appeal of this trip across ancient seaways.
The waters in this area are strewn with ancient wrecks and are a haven for divers. Bodrum was once an important trading port – as evidenced by the antiquities in the local museum at Bodrum castle – and the waters around the town have provided a veritable treasure-trove of artifacts taken from the sunken wrecks.
Arriving in Bodrum
The trip over lasts around an hour and a half to two hours depending on sailing conditions. I can’t say for other times of day but the 6pm sailing out of Datça has the most dramatic and beautiful sunsets as you pull into Bodrum (I made the sailing in mid August).
Depending on the time of year, you should pull into Bodrum harbour around sundown. From there, you just need to find your accommodation.
Check out more summer guides and winter guides on the iRide website
Marmaris (Datça) > Bodrum ferry essentials
Cost – 60TL Single / 110TL Return
Time cruising – 105mins
Sailing times – Morning, noon and afternoon (summer months)
More details – bodrumferryboat.com
