Best Beaches in Bodrum: Bitez, Ortakent (Yahşi), Camel Beach and Mazı

Because the shoreline directly in front of Bodrum Town (at Kumbahçe) is a narrow strip of pebbles designed more for evening dining and quick dips than all-day lounging, heading fifteen to twenty-five minutes west or east by dolmuş minibus or water taxi unlocks the peninsula's best sandy and pebble swimming bays.

1. Bitez Bay (15 minutes west of Bodrum Town, Best for Families & Calm Water)

Just over the hill west of Gümbet opens the wide, horseshoe-shaped bay of Bitez (ancient Pedasa). Unlike noisy, jet-ski-filled Gümbet next door, motorised water sports are restricted in Bitez, and the beachfront road is completely pedestrianised into a peaceful two-kilometre promenade shaded by tamarisk, palm and oleander trees. The water is shallow, warm and sandy underfoot for fifty metres out, backed by lush green tangerine orchards (mandalina bahçeleri) and garden restaurants where cushioned daybeds and sunloungers are free when you order lunch or drinks. The steady afternoon thermal wind at the outer western end of Bitez also makes it a top spot for beginner windsurfing and paddleboarding.

2. Ortakent, Yahşi Beach (20 minutes west, Longest Blue-Flag Beach)

Immediately west of Bitez stretches the 2.5-kilometre beach of Ortakent (Yahşi Yalısı). Facing south toward Kos, Yahşi has cooler, deeper, crystal-clear water than Bitez, a mix of coarse sand and smooth small pebbles, a wide free municipal public beach section (Ortakent Halk Plajı) and dozens of relaxed, mid-range family beach bistros along a car-free boardwalk.

3. Camel Beach (Kargı Koyu) and Karaincir (25 to 35 minutes south-west)

• Camel Beach (Kargı): one cove past Ortakent, famous for its wide curve of soft golden sand (rare on a mostly pebble-and-rock peninsula) and shallow, wind-sheltered water ideal for children.
• Karaincir and Akyarlar: at the southernmost tip of the peninsula facing the five-kilometre strait to Kos, Karaincir ("Black Fig") is protected by two headlands that block northern winds completely, creating a flat, lagoon-like sandy swimming bay alongside the windsurfing waters of Fener Beach in Akyarlar.

4. Mazı and Çökertme (45 minutes east, Unspoiled Pine Coves by Car)

If you have a rental car and want to escape beach clubs completely, drive east off the main peninsula through pine forests and olive groves down to the tiny fishing coves of Mazı (Hurma Sahili, İnceyalı and Çakıllıyalı) and Çökertme on the northern shore of the Gulf of Gökova, where family pensions serve fresh fish right on the pebbles.