Side days compared
Dolphin Boat or Turkish Bath in Side: A Day Out or a Treat In
This is less a choice than a question of order. A day on the boat and a visit to the hamam are such different experiences that one holiday week can hold both.
Short answer
The dolphin boat is a whole day out: hotel pickup, a calm river cruise, swims at the river mouth and at Dolphin Island, BBQ lunch on deck and a foam party home, with a chance — never a promise — of wild dolphins or turtles. A Turkish bath is a different kind of outing: warmth, steam and a traditional scrub. Pick the boat for the sea; pick the hamam to unwind. Doing both is easy.
Two kinds of experience
The dolphin boat is a day of open air. The boat leaves at 10:00, cruises down the river and out to sea, and is back at the harbour around 16:30–17:00. In between: three optional swims, lunch on deck, music and foam on the way home.
A hamam is the traditional Turkish bath: heat, steam and a scrub. It is indoors, quiet and about doing nothing at all — the opposite of a day spent in the sun.
Who each suits
- Couples: both. The boat gives you a shared day at sea; the hamam a shared spell of quiet. Our guide for couples has ideas for making the boat day feel like yours.
- First-timers in Türkiye: both are classic holiday experiences, and neither needs any preparation beyond what to bring. Our first-timer's guide covers the boat day.
- Families: the boat welcomes children, with a child aged 2 to 10 at €15 and under 2 free. The hamam's own site sets its age rules.
What the boat fare covers, and what it does not
The dolphin boat costs €21 per adult aged 11 and over. That includes the round-trip hotel transfer, the BBQ lunch, the foam party and music, professional guiding on board and full-day travel insurance. What it leaves out: drinks from the onboard bar, the optional drinks package, the optional photos, and whatever you spend on souvenirs. None of these has a published price, so bring a little cash for the bar.
The full price table is on our dolphin boat prices page. The hamam has its own fare and its own list of what is included.
Putting both in one week
One idea is to book the hamam for the day after the boat: a day of sun, salt water and swimming is a good reason for a warm scrub.
The hamam is sold by our sister site sideturkishbaths.com, which lists its own price, times and inclusions. The dolphin boat is reserved without any card details, the euros for it are due on the morning you go out, and calling it off costs nothing until 48 hours ahead.
