Bodrum (Turkey)

"The Turkish St. Tropez" is how the lively beach resort in the Southern Aegean likes to be known. Idyllically situated below a Medieval fort, the town of Bodrum enchants visitors with its white houses, blue window frames, blooming bougainvillea and a pretty harbour.
Bodrum developed into a popular beach resort in a rather unusual way: the banished historian and author Cevat Sakir Kabaagaçli took such a liking to his place of exile that in the middle of the 1920s he found the most beautiful words to praise the advantages of the place in several articles. In the last 20 years, Bodrum has become a rendezvous point for artists and the affluent and continues to possess a lively and varied nightlife today.
It is, however, not only night revellers who appreciate the diverse offers of the town today, those interested in history will find much to please here, as the popular holiday resort looks back on a history thousands of years old. Founded as early as about 2,400 years ago, Bodrum was at one time the capital of the Carian Empire under Mausolos, whose monumental tomb was amongst the Seven Wonders of the World. During the Middle Ages, however, members of the Knights Hospitalers of Rhodes tore it down and built the fort of St. Peter on the site. Today, this fort houses the largest collection in the world of underwater archaeology. Dating back to the time of Alexander the Great is the well-restored theatre, the wonderful views over the town and fort alone making a visit worthwhile.