Yachting remains a popular activity for residents as well as visitors to Turkey.

Over the past 40 years the industry has grown, and today a large number of marinas dotthecoastline between Istanbul and Antalya. These provide supplies, easy access to the shore at major resorts and safe harbors, as well as often becoming local entertainment venues in themselves. In Istanbul, yachtsmen will delight in splendid natural landscapes, open seas and magnificent sunsets, as well as a voyage through Byzantine and Ottoman history as they sail past the impressive castles, palaces and mosques.

While navigating the breathtaking Bosphorus and sailing under the two enormous bridges which span Europe and Asia, meandering along the mosque-lined Golden Horn or cruising in the coves and bays of the Princes' Islands, you can always return to one of the two large marinas in the area. Both Ataköy Marina on the European side and Setur Kalamiş -Fenerbahçe (Amiral Fahri Korutürk) Marina on the Asian side offer 24-hour service. From the North Sea through the European interior.

Yachtsmen can sail down the European channel system and the Rhine and Danube Rivers into the Black Sea harbors and to the Istanbul Bosphorus and Istanbul marinas-a safe and short way to get to the Turkish coasts. The Black Sea coast provides yachtsmen with a lush green coastal band where the environment is well-protected. There are coves and fishing harbors along this coast, and the weather is mild during the summer and winter.

Turkey's most established marinas lie on the southern Aegean and Mediterranean coasts at Izmir, Çeşme, Kuşadasi, Bodrum, Ayvalık, Mersin, Datça, Bozburun, Marmaris, Göçek, Fethiye, Kalkan, Kaş, Finike, Kemer and Antalya. In these well­equipped harbors, yachtsmen can find the services and provisions they require. Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, izmir and Istanbul airports provide quick links to all of Turkey's marinas. After an easy flight you can board your yacht and sail off all within a day.

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