Bodrum, which is Türkiye’s top summer vacation destination for Turks and foreigners from all over the world, also has a thriving local expat community a significant portion of which choose to live there year-round. With the influx of a new wave of urban remote workers in recent years, the region, which mere decades ago was just a center and a series of small fishing villages, now is becoming somewhat of a metropolis with nearly a dozen adjacent regions almost as developed now as the historical city center, creating a lot of options for activities, dining and socializing available in winter. Coming from someone who has lived in nearly 10 different towns and villages along the coast, it is a comforting and exhilarating luxury to live in a region that is bustling with options of things to do in winter in what is normally a summer holiday spot. While it does get some rain, most days are sunny, the traffic is less heavy and you interact more with the locals in the offseason months. Many of its thriving local expat community will also concur that winter is in fact the best time of year to be in Bodrum.

I recently paid a visit to Bodrum and had the opportunity to take part in the annual "Ladies Lunch" event in which dozens of mostly expats and repats gather every year to meet, mingle network and dine on a three-course meal, which is followed by an appealing raffle. This year’s Ladies Lunch, which was the 20th such event, took place on Friday, Nov. 11, at the Bodrum Marina Yacht Club. This highly anticipated yearly event is a truly special one as the group of foreign ladies living in the region have actually been gathering for 22 years when including the pandemic two-year hiatus. It’s a wonderful social event with a mingling session at the start followed by a lunch in a large spacious restaurant with banquet seating and so you sit at large tables to get the chance to meet new people.

The Ladies Lunch ends with a bang in the form of a lottery drawing of gifts and services donated by local vendors and hotels. Gifts included fun stuff such as free massages and beauty care treatments, and breakfast and pizza dinners. Here's what to look forward to in winter...

Holiday markets and parties

This is just one of a number of the unique annual events that are held in Bodrum. In December, we can expect the resurfacing of a number of annual holiday markets, the most notably held at the municipality’s cultural center Trafo. Similarly, every year the Bodrum mayor holds a holiday party for the expats in the region. Having attended last years event, I can say it has become a true blowout event with hundreds of foreigners mingling and dining on appetizers and drinks, including freshly-squeezed orange juice from the grove’s the region is known for, all the while dancing to a live pop band. While admittedly not always such a grandiose affair, this is a tradition that has been ongoing annually in Bodrum for at least a few decades now. Similarly, when Christmas season approaches, there will also be dinners and events organized on the day and in the week leading up to it.

Socializing in winter

The Bodrum Herodotus Third Age Academy is a wonderful organization that has been ongoing for over a decade in which regular special interest groups, exhibitions, tours, hikes and breakfasts and gatherings take place regularly in the offseason months. Inspired by the International Third Age Academy concept, members, many of which are retirees but certainly not limited to, share their expertise in arts, history, exercise and a wide range of topics in weekly meet-ups based from their center in Gürece.

The InterNations professional expat network operates two different groups and events that hold regular meetups in the winter months. There is the regular networking gathering that takes place monthly as well as a dining group that sits down at a shared table together to dine. There are regular English language trivia nights organized by the social handle Bodrum Pub Quiz and most recently held at Pi Café Bistro.

While there are a variety of dance and art courses that are offered in winter, the Bodrum Lindy Hoppers is a fun community offering regular dance workshops from two different locations, one being at the Seashine Dance Academy in Oasis and the other from their studio in Gümüşlük. Some neighborhood organizations, such as The Herodot Culture Center hosts a number of seminars, exhibitions and performances as does the Bodrum Deniz Müzesi (Bodrum Maritime Museum), including children’s workshops.

A getaway to Greece

This winter the ferryboat services between Bodrum and Kos will continue albeit limited to from Bodrum center and only on specific days of the week. These boats set off in the morning and return in the afternoon serving as a fun daytrip or more.

Supporting a local football team is fun in Türkiye!

In many towns and cities in Türkiye, there is a steadfast tradition of going out to the bleachers to watch live matches in support of local football teams. The same interest has been shown by many an expat, which band together to be in the outdoors and to cheer their hearts out for their home teams playing football.