Bodrum in 3 days: the castle, ancient Halicarnassus and the bays

The rock between Bodrum's two bays was an islet in antiquity; the Knights of St John built their castle on it in the early 15th century, reusing stone from the nearby Mausoleum. The French, Italian, German and English towers recall the homelands of the knights who held them. Today the walls enclose one of the most important shipwreck collections in the Aegean: the cargo of the Late Bronze Age Uluburun wreck is counted among the great discoveries of underwater archaeology. The courtyards look over the harbour and the marina, and climbing the tower stairs slowly lets you read the castle's architecture step by step.

Step out of the castle gate and you are in the bazaar lanes between whitewashed houses. Wooden boats and gulets line the harbour, with cafés and fishermen side by side along the quay. After a busy morning in the castle this is where the day breathes: wander the narrow streets, walk both sides of the harbour and have lunch at one of the restaurants in the centre. If you plan a boat trip on the third day, the harbour is also where you see the options.

The monumental tomb built for the Carian satrap Mausolus was counted among the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, and its name lives on in the word 'mausoleum'. Little stands today: earthquakes and centuries of stone-robbing took most of it, and some of the blocks went into the knights' castle. Even so, walking among the foundations and scattered architectural fragments gives a sense of its scale. Knowing that some of the stones you saw in the castle that morning came from here ties the two stops together.

North of ancient Halicarnassus, the theatre leans against the southern slope of Göktepe, a hill once used as the city's necropolis, and it is one of the great viewpoints over Bodrum. From the seating rows you look down on the two bays, the castle and the marina, and out across the sea towards the island of Kos and the Datça peninsula. Sitting on the steps for a while lets you see the town you have been walking all day as a single picture.

By the time you are back in the centre the light is softening. Walk the waterfront as the castle turns into a silhouette over the harbour, and have dinner at one of the grill houses or taverna-style restaurants in the back streets. Bodrum's nightlife is concentrated here too; if you prefer a quiet evening, the harbour cafés are just as good.

Zeki Müren, a towering figure of Turkish classical music, spent the last sixteen years of his life in this two-storey house in Kumbahçe. The ground floor is kept as it was when he lived here; upstairs are his stage costumes, photographs and personal belongings. The contrast between the glittering costumes and the plain garden says a lot about the gap between the stage persona and everyday life in Bodrum. It is a short but moving visit, and much loved by Turkish visitors.

West of Bodrum, Bitez is a bay families love for its calm water and the promenade along the shore. Just beyond it, Ortakent is known for the peninsula's mandarin groves; the producers' union behind the protected-origin Bodrum mandarin is based here. Swim or walk along the shore in the morning and have lunch in Bitez. After the busy centre, this side of the peninsula shows a slower, more local face.

Near Gümüşlük, on the far side of Peksimet Mountain, Karaköy was founded in the 16th century on a hilltop set back from the shore and overlooking the gulf, to hide from pirates. The walls were plastered with mud and straw so the houses blended into the hillside, and from a distance the village is hard to pick out. Abandoned for a time, it has come back to life as houses were restored. Walking its stone lanes, you look down over the Gümüşlük gulf and the islands.

At the western tip of the peninsula, Gümüşlük, with tables lined along the shore and Rabbit Island across the water, is a much-loved place in Bodrum to watch the sun go down. This small settlement on the site of ancient Myndos is far quieter than the centre. Walk along the shore as the sun drops behind the islands, have dinner here and head back to the centre late.

Half of understanding Bodrum is seeing it from the water. Day boats leave the harbour, follow the peninsula's coast and stop in clear bays for swimming. If you are curious about what lies beneath, there are also dive sites along the coast, with reefs, caves and deliberately sunk wrecks. If you would rather not take a boat, a day on one of the peninsula's blue-flag beaches gives the same sense of calm.

Kumbahçe runs along the bay east of the castle, part of the centre but a little quieter. A table facing the sea and a dinner of fish or seafood make a good farewell to Bodrum. Walking back along the shore towards the castle afterwards closes the three-day route where it began.