Bodrum sits on a peninsula on the south-west coast of Turkey, facing the Greek island of Kos across a short stretch of blue water, and its history is longer than its reputation as a holiday town suggests. In the ancient world it was Halicarnassus, a city of Caria, and the birthplace of Herodotus, who has been called the father of history. In the fourth century BC the local ruler Mausolus began a huge tomb for himself, finished after his death by his wife and sister Artemisia, and the structure became one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. The word mausoleum comes from his name. Earthquakes toppled it, and the Knights of Saint John, who took the site in the fifteenth century, used its stones to build the castle that now dominates the harbour.
The Castle of Saint Peter, begun in 1402, stands on a rocky promontory between two bays, with towers named after the nations of the Knights, and it holds an excellent museum of underwater archaeology, with wrecks of Bronze Age and Byzantine ships recovered from the sea floor. The town below is white and low, with bougainvillea over the walls, a lively marina and a long strip of bars and restaurants that stay open late in summer. Fishermen still mend their nets at the quay in the morning.
The peninsula around has good riding if you avoid the weekend crush. Roads wind up and down between bays, through pine hills and groves of olive and tangerine, with views of the sea and islands around every other corner. The surface is generally good, with some patched sections, and in summer the traffic is dense, with minibuses, taxis and hire scooters on the roads. The meltemi wind can blow hard in July and August, and the rock and pine hills look beautiful in the evening light. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with warm sea and uncrowded roads.
Bodrum has fuel, repairs and every kind of shop, and the small resorts of Yalıkavak and Turgutreis, about fifteen kilometres away, also have supplies. Fresh fish, mezes and a glass of raki on the harbour, as the castle lights come on, is a good evening. Parking near the harbour is difficult in summer, so ask your hotel.