Bodrum Castle (Castle of St Peter) and Museum of Underwater Archaeology

Bodrum Castle, also called the Castle of St Peter, is the fortress the Knights of St John built at the start of the 15th century on the rocky point between Bodrum's two bays, and in 2026 a ticket costs €20 for foreign visitors aged 8 and over. Since 1964 it has housed the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, which the Ministry of Culture and Tourism describes as the only museum of its kind in Türkiye. People come for the shipwreck halls, for the towers still carved with the knights' coats of arms, and for the views over the harbour and the open Aegean. Our private Bodrum shore excursion starts here before going on to the Mausoleum and the ancient theatre.

Key details at a glance

A short history of the castle

In antiquity the point was called Zephyrion, and the town around it was Halicarnassus, home of the tomb of King Mausolus. Blocks of 4th-century BC green stone found inside the castle may be the foundations of his palace.

The Knights of St John, also known as the Knights Hospitaller, began building under Grand Master Philibert de Naillac early in the 1400s, and Bodrum became their most important position outside Rhodes. Part of the stone came from the ruined Mausoleum, and pieces of it can still be picked out in the walls. In the mid-15th century the knights added an outer wall with bastions and openings for cannon.

After Suleiman the Magnificent took Rhodes in 1522, the castle passed to the Ottomans. It became a prison in 1895, was badly damaged when a French warship shelled it on 26 May 1915, and served as the headquarters of Italian troops until 1921. The museum opened in 1964, and in 2016 the castle joined UNESCO's Tentative List of World Heritage sites.

The castle also explains why part of the Mausoleum is in London: in 1846 the British ambassador, Sir Stratford Canning, obtained the Sultan's permission to remove frieze slabs from the castle walls and gave them to the British Museum.

What to see inside

The collection fills the castle's halls, towers and courtyards.

• Late Bronze Age shipwrecks. The star is the Uluburun wreck, a merchant ship of the 14th century BC excavated between 1984 and 1994. Its main cargo was copper and tin ingots, including 354 copper "oxhide" ingots, and it also carried about 175 glass ingots; the Ministry calls it the greatest discovery of the 20th century in underwater archaeology.
• The Glass Wreck. The Serçe Limanı ship sank about a thousand years ago. Its cargo is the largest group of glass from medieval Syria, then the main centre of Islamic glass-making, and includes scrap glass collected for recycling.
• More wrecks and amphorae. Halls for the Tektaş, Bozukkale and Yassıada wrecks show how ships were built and what they carried. The amphora collection, one of the largest in the world, runs from the 16th century BC to the 12th century AD.
• Finds from the peninsula. Land halls cover the Müsgebi necropolis, the richest Mycenaean collection in any Turkish museum, as well as Pedasa, an Early Bronze Age necropolis and the Carian Princess.
• The towers. Each national group of knights had its own: the French, Italian, German, English and Spanish, or Snake, Towers. The English Tower has an exhibition on how the castle was built and carries the coat of arms of King Henry IV of England.
• Coats of arms and Ottoman touches. 249 separate coats of arms and carved designs survive on the walls. Look also for the minaret the Ottomans added to the chapel, the Turkish bath and the cisterns cut into the rock.

How to get there

The castle stands on the waterfront in the middle of Bodrum; its address is Barış Meydanı Sokak 36, off Kale Caddesi. From hotels in town you simply walk along the harbour.

• From the cruise port. Go Türkiye puts the port 1.5 km from the town centre, an easy walk along the seafront.
• From Milas-Bodrum Airport. The State Airports Authority gives 37 km to Bodrum town, about 40 minutes by car. Our Bodrum airport transfer guide compares shuttles, taxis and private cars.
• From the peninsula resorts. Minibuses (dolmuş) run into town from the bays; Gümüşlük, at the western end, is about 23 km by road. Parking near the harbour fills up in summer, so a minibus or taxi is usually easier.

Best time to visit

The summer timetable is the castle's big advantage: from 1 June to 1 October it stays open until 22:00. Much of the visit is on open walls and stairways, so in July and August the first hour after the 08:30 opening and the evening are the most comfortable; the shaded halls help at midday. On cruise days, guided groups often arrive soon after the ships dock, so later in the day can be quieter.

From October to May the castle closes at 17:30, but the halls are quieter and the air is cooler for the towers.

Combining the castle with nearby sights

Bodrum's other ancient sights fit into the same day:

• The Mausoleum site. About 1.1 km from the castle gate, roughly 15 minutes on foot, is the site of the tomb of Mausolus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Little stands, partly because the knights took its stone, so it makes more sense after the castle. It has its own entrance.
• The ancient theatre. The theatre of Halicarnassus is cut into the hillside above town, beside the main road into Bodrum, and looks out over the harbour.
• The Myndos Gate. About 2 km west of the castle on foot, it is one of the gates in the old city walls.
• Further afield. Our Bodrum peninsula private tour, from $650 per person, covers Gümüşlük, Türkbükü and the villages. Day trips go to Didyma, Priene and Miletus or Ephesus from Bodrum, and our guide to a Cappadocia tour from Bodrum compares flights and buses.

For a longer trip, see our Bodrum destination guide and the Istanbul and Bodrum holiday plan. Several of our coast tours continue to Fethiye for Ölüdeniz and the Blue Lagoon.

Practical tips

• Wear shoes with grip: the stairs and ramps between the towers are steep and worn smooth in places.
• Carry water and a hat in summer. There is a café inside, but much of the route is in full sun.
• An audio guide is available at the castle.
• If you will visit other Ministry museums and sites in İzmir, Aydın, Muğla or Denizli, compare the Museum Pass The Aegean: €95 for seven days at more than 40 places.
• Large parts of the route are stairs, so visitors with limited mobility should ask at the ticket office which halls are step-free.

Tours that visit Bodrum Castle

• Bodrum private shore excursion: castle, Mausoleum and theatre: about 7 hours with a licensed guide and private van, from $550 per person. The guide meets you at the ship; museum tickets are paid separately.
• Bodrum tour from Istanbul, 2 days: from $845 per person, with return flights, transfers, a hotel night, guiding and entrance fees.
• Bodrum and Fethiye by air, 2 days: from $845 per person, the castle, Mausoleum and marina on day one, then Ölüdeniz and Kayaköy.
• Istanbul, Bodrum and Fethiye, 3 days: from $1,110 per person, starting with a guided day in Istanbul's old city.

Frequently Asked Questions