It started out a bit ruff...
It started out a bit ruff since due to emergency of our tour guide the tour started a few hours later than planned. Also on the day of the tour she showed up even later than the changed time. I had planned this tour for 15 people so I was a bit frustrating. But when she did arrive it was a great experience. She made adjustments to our tour that I requested to make sure we arrived back before 7pm. The lunch that was provided was my favorite part. Me being a foodie I really enjoyed the food provided and the hospitality and presentation. We were welcomed as if we were family.
Great day out
Highly recommend. Thank you Sami!
Sami’s knowledge of all areas that we visited was just what we needed to be able to appreciate the history of this area. Erin Villlage and the lunch was amazing and they looked after us so well. Great day out.
Operator response
Thank you so much for your wonderful review and for recommending our tour!
We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your day with Sami and that his knowledge helped you appreciate the history and culture of Bodrum even more. We are especially happy that you enjoyed Etrim Village and the traditional village lunch — these authentic experiences are what make this tour special.
We truly appreciate your kind words and will be very happy to welcome you back to Bodrum one day.
And to our future guests reading this review: we look forward to giving you the same warm hospitality, personal attention and memorable day that our guests have experienced. We hope to see you in Bodrum soon!
Great day in Bodrum
Samy was a great guide. Really amazing historical sites jn Bodrum. Loved walking around town. Farm house lunch was exceptional
Operator response
Thank you so much for your wonderful review!
We’re delighted to hear that you had such a great day exploring Bodrum with Samy. From Bodrum’s fascinating historical sites and charming streets to the local countryside, this tour is designed to show our guests a side of Bodrum that goes far beyond the typical tourist route.
And we’re especially happy that you enjoyed the farmhouse lunch! For us, experiencing Bodrum is not only about seeing the sights, but also about discovering the local food, countryside and authentic Turkish hospitality.
For future travelers looking for a **private Bodrum experience**, this is a wonderful way to combine history, local life, beautiful scenery and a memorable traditional meal—all with your own guide and comfortable VIP minivan.
We’d love to welcome you back to Bodrum for another unforgettable day!
Highly recommended. Great day trip in Bodrum with our guide Sami. It was very interesting and exciting. Dank
Our day with Sami was very interesting and we got many great impressions of Bodrum. Even lunch in a village was very delicious and we liked it hugely. We can recommend the tour 100%. Thank you for a nice day.
Operator response
Vielen herzlichen Dank für Ihre wunderbare Bewertung!
Es freut uns sehr, dass Sie gemeinsam mit Sami einen so interessanten und abwechslungsreichen Tag in Bodrum erlebt haben. Besonders schön ist es für uns zu hören, dass Sie nicht nur die historischen und kulturellen Seiten von Bodrum kennenlernen konnten, sondern auch das leckere Mittagessen in einem traditionellen Dorf genossen haben.
Genau diese Kombination macht unsere private Bodrum-Tour besonders: **Bodrums Geschichte und Sehenswürdigkeiten entdecken, durch die Stadt spazieren und gleichzeitig das authentische Leben und die Küche der Region kennenlernen.**
Vielen Dank auch für Ihre 100%ige Weiterempfehlung! Wenn Sie Ihren Aufenthalt in Bodrum noch einmal genießen, würden wir uns sehr freuen, Sie bei einer unserer anderen privaten Touren wieder begrüßen zu dürfen. Und natürlich würden wir uns freuen, wenn Sie uns auch Ihren Freunden und Ihrer Familie weiterempfehlen.
Vielleicht sehen wir uns bei Ihrem nächsten Besuch sogar nicht nur für einen Tag, sondern für **eine ganze Woche an Bord einer unserer privaten Gulets** – jeden Tag eine neue türkisfarbene Bucht, gutes Essen und Ihr eigenes Boot mit Kapitän und Crew.
Bis hoffentlich bald wieder in Bodrum! 🇹🇷
Worth the cost!
We enjoyed this tour. Pretty easy going and flexible. Our guide gave us some options of sights and mentioned the ones she recommends and we kind of tailored the tour. She took us to some great shops where we found some great bargains and the took the drive out to the rural village. Lunch was good. We really enjoyed the carpet / rug demonstration and info. Of course they would like you to purchase one after but there was no pressure at all. We would recommend this tour to get an over view of Bodrum for a cruise ship port day.
Operator response
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience!
We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the flexibility of your private Bodrum tour. One of the advantages of having your own guide and VIP minivan is exactly that the day can be tailored to you—choosing the sights you are most interested in, discovering local shops and then escaping the city to experience the beautiful Bodrum countryside.
We’re especially pleased that you enjoyed the carpet and rug weaving experience in the village. Seeing the traditional weaving process and learning about the craftsmanship gives you a genuine insight into an important part of Turkish culture. There is absolutely no obligation to purchase anything, but for guests who fall in love with a particular carpet, kilim or handmade piece, it can be a wonderful opportunity to take home a **genuine piece of Turkish craftsmanship and a lasting memory of Bodrum.**
For cruise ship guests with limited time, we believe this is a great way to experience several different sides of Bodrum in one private day—from history and shopping to countryside, local food and traditional crafts.
Thank you also for recommending us! If you enjoyed your day with us, please feel free to recommend us to your friends and family. We would be very happy to welcome you back to Bodrum for another one of our private experiences—and perhaps next time, for **a full week aboard one of our private gulets**, exploring a different turquoise bay every day with your own captain and crew.
We hope to see you again in Bodrum! 🇹🇷
The good, the bad, the ugly….
First the good: we met our tour guide and driver at the port in Bodrum. The van was very nice and comfortable. The driver did a great job navigating our trip. My mother has somewhat limited mobility, so our guide recommended that we didn’t walk to the castle as it would be potentially difficult for my mother. She said we would get close to it, but we wouldn’t go in. I appreciated the recommendation. When we got to the village of Etrim, we were greeted by the restaurant owner who was very gracious and kind. It was outdoors with many tables and other groups were showing up at different times. So it was not just us sitting in somebody’s house. There were many dishes to try and they were all terrific! Then we got a demonstration of carpet weaving, and were shown multiple carpets by a very charismatic gentleman. Since we were the only ones in there, we felt a little uncomfortable about not buying a carpet after his demonstration. However, I will say that he handled it graciously and did not make us feel bad at all. After we departed, we got a nice ride through Bodrum’s city center and then dropped off back at the ship. It was really beautiful seeing the city center and the harbor.
The bad: Our tour guide joined us for the lunch portion of the excursion. It was nice to share the meal with her and gain her perspective on things. However, at the end of the meal, she insisted that we try the Turkish coffee. We explained to her that we did not drink coffee and did not really like it at all. . She kept pressuring us over and over and over again to try the coffee. I thought it was strange that she was so pushy. Afterwards my wife said that she was probably pushy because she wanted to have coffee. While we were seeing the demonstration of the carpets, our tour guide had coffee delivered for her to have during the presentation. All she needed to say was, I would like to have some coffee if you don’t mind. That would’ve been fine. You would be surprised how hard she was pressuring us to drink coffee. Also one minor thing. The description says that if you get beer and wine, you’ll be charged extra during the meal. That made sense to us. However, when two lemonades and one water cost $17, that was surprising. Not a big deal, but not great. Also, though I appreciate anyone who can speak multiple languages, it was a little challenging understanding our tour guide.
The ugly: early in the trip, we unexpectedly pulled into a candy store. We were assigned a personal sales person and were taken around the building to check out what they had to sell. They did have samples of just about everything they sold. So that part was good. However, as we found out later, the prices were anywhere from double to five times greater than at our next port of Kusadasi. All of that, however, was not the ugly part. When we were on line to pay for our purchases, our tour guide came up with a bag of candy and handed it to the cashier who was currently ringing up my mother’s order. We thought that maybe she was getting them for free since she brought business to them. However, we were wrong. She had my mother unknowingly purchase her candy for her. That was a little disappointing.
So they were parts of the trip that we enjoyed and parts of the trip that were disappointing. We usually do well with Viator. But this one I think I would consider a miss.
Operator response
Thank you very much for taking the time to share such a detailed and thoughtful review.
We’re pleased to hear that there were many parts of the day that you and your family enjoyed. We’re especially glad that the comfortable VIP minivan made the day easier for your mother, and that our guide was able to adapt the sightseeing to her mobility needs. We always want our private tours to be comfortable and enjoyable for every member of the family.
It’s wonderful to hear that you enjoyed Etrim, the warm welcome at the village restaurant and the variety of traditional dishes. We’re also happy that you found the carpet-weaving demonstration interesting and that the presentation was handled respectfully. The opportunity to see traditional Turkish carpets being made is an important part of discovering the culture of the region, and there is never an obligation for our guests to purchase anything.
We also appreciate your comments about the Turkish coffee, the drinks and the shopping stop. We understand that personal preferences are important, and we are sorry that the coffee conversation became uncomfortable for you. Your comments have been shared with our team so that we can make sure our guests always feel completely comfortable saying no.
Regarding the candy purchase, we understand why the situation could have appeared confusing and disappointing from your perspective. That was certainly not the impression we would want a guest to take away from the experience, and we appreciate you bringing it to our attention.
Your feedback about the beverage pricing and the communication during the tour is also valuable. We are continually working with our guides and partners to make the experience clearer and smoother for our international guests.
At the same time, we’re very happy that you enjoyed the countryside, the village lunch, the carpet demonstration and your drive through Bodrum’s beautiful city centre and harbour. These different experiences are what make this private tour more than simply a sightseeing trip—it is a chance to experience **Bodrum’s history, local food, countryside and traditional culture in one day**, with your own guide and comfortable private vehicle.
Thank you again for your honest feedback. We truly appreciate the opportunity to learn from our guests, and we hope that if you return to Bodrum, you will give us another opportunity to create the kind of experience you were hoping for.
And if you enjoyed discovering Bodrum by land, perhaps on your next visit you can experience the Aegean from the water with us—**maybe not just for one day, but for a full week aboard a private gulet**, exploring a different turquoise bay every day with your own captain and crew. ⛵💙
Please also feel free to recommend us to your friends and family, and we hope to welcome you back to Bodrum in the future.
Highlights of Bodrum
Derya , our guide, was excellent and very knowledgeable. Not only did we see all the sights but we learned about the history as well. The traditional village lunch and rug demonstration were amazing. Highly recommend Derya and this tour
Operator response
Thank you so much for your wonderful review!
We’re delighted to hear that Derya made your day in Bodrum so enjoyable and informative. We’ll be very happy to share your kind words with her. Her knowledge and passion for the history of Bodrum are exactly what we want our guests to experience.
What makes this private tour special is that it brings together several different sides of Bodrum in one day. You can discover the city’s most important sights and history, then leave the busy areas behind and experience the countryside, a traditional village lunch and the fascinating art of Turkish rug weaving.
We’re especially pleased that you enjoyed the village lunch and rug demonstration. Seeing how traditional Turkish rugs are handmade and learning about the craftsmanship behind them gives you a much deeper connection to the culture. And if you find a rug, kilim or handmade piece that you truly love, you can also take home a **genuine piece of Turkish craftsmanship** as a unique memory of your trip.
Thank you also for recommending Derya and our tour! Please share your experience with your friends and family, and we would be delighted to welcome you back to Bodrum for one of our other private experiences.
And perhaps next time, instead of discovering Bodrum for just one day, you can join us for **a full week aboard one of our private gulets**, waking up in a different turquoise bay every morning and exploring the beautiful Turkish Aegean at your own pace. ⛵💙
We hope to see you again in Bodrum! 🇹🇷
Toured museum
Enjoyed the castle with Ufuk as our tour guide. Hot day but made the most of it. Bring lots of water and sunscreen when it’s hot.
Operator response
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us!
We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed visiting Bodrum Castle with Ufuk. The castle is one of the places we always recommend to guests who want to understand Bodrum beyond its beaches — it brings together the town’s fascinating maritime history, archaeology and centuries of Mediterranean culture.
Having a private guide like Ufuk also makes a real difference. Rather than following a fixed group itinerary, our guests can explore at their own pace, ask questions along the way and spend more time on the places that interest them most. And after walking through the castle and historic streets, having your own comfortable VIP minivan makes it much easier to continue exploring Bodrum, especially on a hot summer day.
For future travelers planning a visit, we recommend bringing water, sunscreen and comfortable shoes — Bodrum’s summer sun can be intense, but it is also part of what makes discovering this beautiful town so memorable!
Since 1990, we have welcomed thousands of guests to Bodrum and continue to design private experiences that combine the important sights with local knowledge, good food and the flexibility that comes from having your own guide and vehicle.
Thank you again for choosing us. We hope to welcome you back to Bodrum for another private experience — perhaps a village and cultural tour, or a private gulet day on the Aegean. ⛵💙
Fabulous!
Bodrum was amazing and "Shining Star", the name our guide went by was absolutely fabulous. She took us around and we walked through the castle, the mausoleum of halicarnassus, the turkish rug demostration and overall tour of the area. Really appreciated "Shining Star's" insight and care during our time together.
Operator response
Dear Keri,
Thank you for the **“Fabulous!”** review! ❤️ We are so happy that you loved Bodrum and had such a wonderful day with **Shining Star**.
A great private guide can completely change the way you experience a destination. Instead of simply seeing **Bodrum Castle, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and traditional Turkish carpet weaving**, you hear the stories behind them, ask questions and experience the city with someone who actually knows it.
That's exactly what a **Private Bodrum Tour** should feel like.
For anyone reading this while planning a **cruise stop in Bodrum**, you don't have to spend your limited hours ashore following a large group.
Your **private guide and VIP minivan can meet you directly at the cruise port**, and the day is yours. Interested in history? Spend more time at the Castle and Mausoleum. Curious about Turkish carpets? Enjoy the demonstration and learn how they are traditionally made. Prefer local food, shopping or simply walking through Bodrum? Tell your guide.
**We build the day around you — and around the time your ship needs you back.**
That's why Keri's words about Shining Star's **“insight and care”** mean so much to us. A private tour isn't only about what you see; it's about how you're looked after along the way.
Thank you again, Keri. We'll make sure Shining Star knows she lived up to her name. 😊⭐
**One day in Bodrum can go surprisingly far when the vehicle, guide and itinerary are all yours.**
Warm regards,
**Bodrum Tour / Onelli Travel**
