By Mehmet Kurtkaya
Founder of Twarp.com, exploring Turkey since 1995
Last updated: May 10, 2026

Gümüşlük Travel Guide

Gümüşlük is famous for its fish restaurants. People from all over the Bodrum peninsula visit the place for a great fish lunch or dinner. You choose it from the display, do the bargaining, and they bring it to you the way you love it — broiled, grilled, or fried. Gümüşlük has a small authentic place where art workshops are organized. In summer, the place is a cafe.

Fish restaurant in Gümüşlük Antique shop on the beach Gümüşlük village scene

There are only a few guest house or apart hotel type of accommodation in Gümüşlük. They are very basic. Only private bathroom, electricity, and hot water in the rooms. Clean tiny village houses turned into revenue for the families who own them. It is forbidden to build new buildings in Gümüşlük. So in high season, almost all are booked. There are also some sea cottages.

Guest house in Gümüşlük View of Gümüşlük

View of the left cove and adjacent cove of Gümüşlük. A great sunset is reported to take place there!

Myndos ruins Road to Gümüşlük

On the road from Gümüşlük to Bodrum, you will see many small towns and condo complexes. But you also see some beautiful Bodrum houses detached in the middle of nature!

The village center remains protected as a SIT (protected area) region, so new construction is still prohibited. This means the authentic character of the old fishing village — the narrow streets, the fish restaurants by the water, the antique shop, and the art workshops has been preserved exactly as it was.

However, along the road from Gümüşlük to Bodrum and on the surrounding hills, significant new development has taken place. Luxury villas, boutique hotels, and gated communities now dot the landscape. These developments offer stunning sea views but are a short drive from the village center. The hills that were once empty are now built up.

If you are staying in one of these new developments, you will need a car to reach the village center. The authentic Gümüşlük experience, the fish restaurants, the sunset over the ancient Myndos ruins, the small beach, is still there, unchanged.

Insider Tip: Book your fish dinner in advance during July and August. The restaurants by the water fill up by sunset. The best time to visit is late afternoon, you can swim, then watch the sunset while eating fresh fish. The sunset over the water, with the silhouette of the ancient Myndos walls in the foreground, is unforgettable. Parking can be difficult in summer; arrive before 6 PM. Don't forget to bargain for fish.

About the Author

Mehmet Kurtkaya is the founder of Twarp.com, one of the web's longest-running Turkey travel resources (est. 1995). His research into Anatolia's ancient civilizations is published in Who Built Göbeklitepe and Echoes of the Ice: How Migrations Made Civilizations.