Bodrum Castle

The Knights Hospitaller began the Castle of St Peter in 1402 on the rock that divides Bodrum's two bays, and quarried the collapsed Mausoleum of Halicarnassus for building stone, so fragments of one wonder are set into the walls of the other. Towers named for the nations of the order - English, French, German, Italian - stand at the corners, carved coats of arms are stacked along the gateways, and terraced gardens climb between them. Inside is the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, built on cargo raised off this coast: amphorae, glass ingots and the contents of the Uluburun ship, which went down in the Bronze Age carrying copper, tin and luxuries from half the Mediterranean.

What you'll find

• The English Tower - the banqueting hall with its heraldry and long views.
• The Uluburun collection - cargo from a Bronze Age wreck, reconstructed.
• The ramparts - the walk above the marina and the two bays.
• The gateway heraldry - carved coats of arms and reused ancient stone.

When to go

Shoulder seasons are best; the ramparts are unshaded and Bodrum in August is hot and packed. Mornings before the day boats return are quietest. Check which museum halls are open before you buy a ticket, as they rotate, and allow at least two hours if the shipwreck rooms are running.

Practical notes

Not every hall is open on any given day and the ticket is not cheap for what may be a partial visit. Cobbles and steps are steep and slippery in places. Cruise groups fill the courtyards at midday. The Mausoleum site itself, a few streets inland, is little more than a foundation pit.

Nearby

The Mausoleum excavation, the ancient theatre above town, and the Bodrum peninsula bays.

Key facts