Gümüşlük, Village on the Bodrum peninsula, Turkey
Gümüşlük is a small fishing village on the western tip of the Bodrum peninsula in Turkey. It sits around a sheltered bay, with narrow lanes, white houses with clay-tiled roofs, and a waterfront lined with seafood restaurants whose tables extend to the water's edge.
The village stands on the remains of the ancient city of Myndos, which was an active trading port during the Hellenistic period and resisted Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. The ruins of Myndos are protected today, and scattered stone remnants can still be seen around the village.
Gümüşlük has long drawn artists, musicians, and writers who settle here for the solitude and slow pace of the bay. Every summer, a classical music festival brings performers from across Europe, with concerts held in open-air spaces close to the water.
The village is best explored on foot, as the lanes are too narrow for cars and parking is available only at a lot set back from the bay. Mornings and early evenings are the most comfortable times to walk around, before the midday heat or when the waterfront restaurants fill up at sunset.
The small island just off the village, known as Rabbit Island or Tavşan Adası, can be reached on foot by wading through shallow water when conditions allow, which makes it unlike most island visits in the area. The island gets its name from the rabbits that once lived there, though today it is covered with low Mediterranean scrub.
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