The best Turkish beaches

Golden sands and sparkling waters

Whether you love the feel of soft sand between your toes, the excitement of rock pools or the sound of waves breaking on fine shingle, Turkey has enough beaches to please the most discerning of beachgoers. An impressive 235 of Turkey’s beaches and 14 marinas have been awarded the coveted Blue Flag for cleanliness and safety.

All along the Aegean and Mediterranean coastlines there are plenty of long sandy stretches of golden sand, small rocky coves and gracefully curving bays all waiting to be explored.

Aegean’s West Coast Beaches

With its sparkling, turquoise and aquamarine waters, the beautiful west coast of Turkey has sandy shores and idyllic lagoons with pine forested headlands and signs of ancient civilizations at every turn.

Some of our favourite beaches are:

Alaçati Bay: Small stretch of beach which is a paradise for windsurfers, thanks to high winds out in the bay
Pirlanta Beach: Pirlanta,known, as the Diamond Beach for its sparkling white sand and crystal clear waters, is easy to get to by dolmus from Cesme town
Altinkum Beach: Has three lovely beaches and the golden sand, for which Altinkum is named, is at the most southerly tip of the peninsular
Bitez Beach on the Bodrum Peninsular: Beautiful sandy beach and astonishingly clear water, this is a great surfing beach in the right weather conditions
Gündoðan cove has been little changed by man and has a natural beauty – catch the scent from nearby tangerine orchards while you top up your tan

The Med’s South Coast beaches

Along this coastline, mountains sweep down to meet golden shores and there are plenty of beach resorts with all the amenities you need for a long sunny day on the beach.

Our favourites include:

Kleopatra Beach, Alanya: Kleopatra or Damlatas Beach is situated on the western side of the peninsula which splits Alanya into two and is Alanya’s best. The sand is finer and there are not many rocks or stones but the water does deepen more quickly than at the eastern beach.

The beach is named after Queen Kleopatra of Egypt who was given the area around Alanya as a present from the Roman general Marc Antony, and she is reputed to have bathed in the waters off the beach every day.

The 3.5 kilometre long beach is also known as Damlatas beach because of the Damlatas dripstone cave on the western side of the peninsula discovered in 1948.
Incekum Beach, Avsallar: Incekum Beach in Avsallar (20kms from Alanya) is often talked about as one of the best beaches on the south coast of Turkey. The beach is set in a natural bay and has fine sand and the crystal clear water of the Mediterranean deepens very slowly.

Because of the shallow water, the beach is especially recommended to families with young children.

As a back drop to Incekum Beach there is a natural forest and picnic area where visitors and locals alike gather to cook their barbecues.
Belek & Kadriye Beaches: Two beaches approximately 5 kms apart but joined by clean grainy sand. Both have recently been upgraded with their new facilities including restaurants, bars and shower facilities. Belek Beach is the busier of the two and is geared more towards the local market and prices of the facilities reflect this. Kadriye Beach is geared more towards the tourist market and the main beach area has been beautifully landscaped with trees and flowers.
Konyaalti Beach, Antalya: One of the city of Antalya's two blue flag beaches Konyaalti Beach is a long stretch of rough sand and pebbles running west for approximately14 kilometers. At the eastern end of this long dark sand and pebble beach is Antalya Beach Park with many restaurants, cafes, snack stands and other facilities (such as toilets, showers and dressing cabins) all set amidst shady trees. The beach extends westward almost to the Beydaglari Mountains behind which the sun sets each evening.
Saklikent: Ski-ing in the morning and swimming in the afternoon.

The Antalya region is known for its mild winters where swimming in the warm Mediterranean Sea is possible most of the year. However, at a distance of only 55 km. from Antalya and at a height of 3000 m. on the Sakli summer pastures is Saklikent, where winter sports are possible during the winter months.

The special attraction of this centre is that in March and April one can ski in the morning then drive down to one of the many local beaches and swim in the warm waters of the Mediterranean in the afternoons.