Three cruise ships carrying a combined 3,216 passengers called at ports in Muğla province on Friday, as warm weather keeps the Aegean and Mediterranean cruise season going into late October.
In Marmaris, the German-market ship AIDAstella and the Palau-flagged Astoria Grande brought 2,916 tourists to Marmaris Cruise Port, according to the state news agency Anadolu. The 254-metre AIDAstella arrived from Antalya with 2,444 passengers, most of them German, and 651 crew, and was due to leave for the Greek island of Rhodes in the evening. The 194-metre Astoria Grande, coming from Bodrum, carried 472 mostly Russian passengers and 374 crew and was heading on to Antalya.
After customs checks, passengers toured the Marmaris bazaar, the old quarter around the castle (Kaleiçi) and the yacht harbour, while some joined day trips to nearby historic and natural sites.
Boutique ship in Bodrum
In Bodrum, the Bahamas-flagged Star Legend, a 159-metre boutique cruise ship, anchored with 300 passengers, mostly Americans, and 203 crew. It had sailed from Kuşadası and was scheduled to continue to Santorini in Greece the same evening. A day earlier, three cruise ships had brought about 650 day visitors to the resort, showing that the peninsula still attracts several calls a week this late in the year.
Cruise traffic extends the season
Cruise calls are a small but visible part of the Turquoise Coast economy. Day visitors spend money in shops, restaurants and on excursions, and autumn arrivals help businesses that are trying to stretch the season beyond the summer peak. Hoteliers on the Aegean coast have reported a mixed season, as covered in our report on autumn hotel occupancy in Bodrum and Kuşadası, while Antalya continues to draw large numbers of German and other European visitors.
Marmaris and Bodrum are both linked into itineraries that mix Turkish and Greek island ports, such as Rhodes and Santorini, which lets lines sell eastern Mediterranean routes well into autumn when the weather is still mild. Air links to the region are also expanding, with new direct flights from Germany to Dalaman and Bodrum planned for summer 2027.
For foreigners considering a move to the peninsula, our guide to living in Bodrum covers neighbourhoods, prices and year-round life in the resort.
Sources
- Muğla’nın Marmaris ilçesine AIDA Stella ve Astoria Grande ile 2 bin 916 turist geldi (Son Dakika / AA)
- Star Legend 300 yolcu ve 203 personelle Muğla Bodrum’a demirledi (Son Dakika)
- Bodrum’a aynı gün yanaşan üç kruvaziyer gemisi (Son Dakika)
Photo: engin akyurt / Unsplash License, via Unsplash
