Today’s post will go over the most beautiful beaches in Turkey. We’ll go over all sorts of sandy beaches, including those suitable for families with children. Join us for a tour of Turkey’s beaches!
Where will you find the most beautiful beaches in Turkey?
Best beaches in Turkey
Turkey’s full of beautiful, small bays and wide sandy beaches. But where are most of them? You will see that they are scattered all over Turkey, but most can be found in the west and south of the country. Without further ado, though, here are the best beaches in Turkey, be they all-purpose, perfect for your children or for a date.
Çirali
A popular beach in Turkey
Çirali is easily one of the most beautiful beaches in Turkey. This pocket paradise is located right next to the mountains – the Çirali beach, alongside Olimpos, stretches out for a couple of kilometres. You’ll find plenty of restaurants, cafes, equipment hires and other beach essentials.
Turtles hatch on the Çirali beach, so part of it is often kept off-limits.
Kabak
A beach with beautiful views of Turkey
You’ll have to walk about 10 minutes to this beach from the car park situated above – it’s a beautiful beach at the side of Kabak Koyu Mağarası reserve. You can find a café, a few shops and lots of hippie tourists :). It’s a great spot, though it is a pebble beach, thus it may not be for everyone. Kabak is about 12 miles from Oludeniz.
Patara
A romantic beach in Turkey
Patara is one of the longest beaches you will see in Turkey – when combined with the adjacent Kumluova beach, they are almost 7.5 miles long. It is also a wide sandy beach, full of dunes and beautiful views. As for food and service outlets, there are not too many here, they are mainly at the very entrance. We’d argue that infrastructure is really a secondary matter when it comes to this beach – it’s a stunning sight, even if you have to do without equipment
By the way, this isn’t just a beach for beachgoers – you’ll also find many of Patara’s ruins here, ones Turkey is trying to get onto the UNESCO World Heritage List.
It’s a perfect beach for watching sunsets with your loved one – if you can, try to catch it when visiting Patara.
The car park is free if you approach the beach from the Patara Kum Tepeleri side of the Patara dune reserve.
Blue Lagoon, Ölüdeniz
A perfect beach for children in Turkey
This is a hugely popular beach and bay in Turkey. Including the bay, it is about 3 miles long. The blue lagoon itself is protected from the wind and there are no big waves, so it is ideal for children. Next to the beach, you will find a lot of bars, paragliding and beach equipment rentals.
The water is warm and deep blue, the beach is wide and is a mix of pebble and sand. The views from the beach are heavenly, making it one of the prettiest beaches in Turkey. We highly recommend it if you can stand the crowds.
Butterfly Valley, Kelebekler
A strong contender for the best beach in Turkey
This is a bay hidden in the middle of a large canyon, ending in a stunning beach. It’s another beach with a mixed pebble-sand type. You can get here by car from Oludeniz, about 4 miles (then walk down the tough path to the bottom – if you have a fear of heights, try to find a less steep way down), or by boat, also from Oludeniz, for about 50 TL. There’s a small reserve in the area, as well as a waterfall deeper into the valley. Butterflies are said to be found here in spring, though we’d say that the chances of that are relatively poor. The views, however? These are guaranteed.
İztuzu
A highly rated beach in Turkey
This is a highly rated beach in Turkey not just because it’s wide and sandy but also because, together with the Dalyan River, it forms an amazing delta. Parking costs 15 TL, sun loungers and umbrellas are from 15 to 25 TL, and of course you’ll find a café, showers and changing rooms (those are free). You can also get here by boat for about 30 TL per person. This is one of the beaches where you can meet caretta caretta turtles.
Kaputaş
Beach in Turkey
Compared to the massively long beaches mentioned prior, Kaputaş is a rather small one, though no less charming. You’ll find umbrella and sun lounger rentals, cafes, bars and nice golden sands here. To get to the beach, you have to descend a long steep staircase from a small car park by the road (there are two car parks in total, plus a couple of small bays between the cliffs where some people dare to park), so it is very difficult to park here in high season. Thankfully, buses from Kalkan and Kas can get you here. Sadly, other tourists can also use this trick, and the beach gets very crowded quite often.
Bodrum beaches
Which beach to choose in Bodrum?
We dedicate this point to the collective of beaches near Bodrum. Though we’d argue that all of them deserve a spot, our favourites are: Bodrum Yalıçiftlik Halk Plajı, Icmeler, Bodrum centre beach and Kumbahçe. There are plenty of beaches in the bay itself, usually well equipped with all the necessities.
You will also find Turkish coral reefs in the Bodrum area!
Cesme and Ilıca Halk Plajı
A sandy beach in Turkey
This is a beautiful, wide and sandy Turkish beach on the Cesme peninsula in Ilıca. The beach is long and equipped with everything you need for a beach day in Turkey. The sand is soft and the waters shallow, but it can be windy – so keep an eye on your little ones! You’ll find plenty of interesting beaches on this peninsula in general.
Side and Kumkoy
Side beaches
Side has a very long and mostly sandy coastline, where you can relax peacefully, rent a sunlounger and an umbrella and have a good time at the nearby club.
Sedir Island
Otherwise known as the Cleopatra Island
According to stories passed down, Cleopatra herself swam in the water at Sedir beach with Mark Antony. Even if it was not so, the place is equally beautiful nonetheless. You can get here by water taxis or boats from the mainland. The harbour is located to the north of Marmaris. Entrance to the island is unfortunately charged, at 300 TL, but the price includes a visit to the ancient city of Kedrai, other adjacent ruins and, of course, the beach itself. It’s well worth the price.
On site you will find a café, a shop and beach equipment rental.
Icmeler
A beautiful beach in Turkey
Another beach on our list is in the municipality of Icmeler. It’s a wide beach in a bay hidden between the hills, with full infrastructure straight from the town centre. If you order something from the nearby café, you can get a spot on the sun loungers with an umbrella for free. There are plenty of fish in the water and, if you are lucky, you will see turtles – no worries, you’ll find no sharks here.
From the beach you can admire the beautiful surrounding hills and the island of Keci.
Cleopatra, Alanya
The beach in the centre of Alanya
This is another long sandy beach in Turkey, this time in Alanya. You’ll pay around 50 TL for 2 sun loungers and an umbrella by the nice clear blue waters. The beach is right by the city centre, so you’ll find everything you need here: showers, changing rooms, restaurants, cafes, bars, you name it. There is also a pleasant boulevard along the beach, ideal for a stroll through the city. You’ll also find the Damlatas caves at the end of the beach, which you can enter for a symbolic little fee.
Nudist beaches in Turkey
Are there nudist beaches in Turkey?
As a Muslim country, Turkey is not a good destination for naturists, meaning those wanting to sunbathe naked or topless. It is better to choose nudist beaches in Spain.
Map of the best beaches in Turkey
Where will you go?
1) Çirali
2) Kabak
3) Patara
4) Ölüdeniz, Blue Lagoon
5) Butterfly Valley, Kelebekler
6) İztuzu
7) Kaputaş
8) Bodrum
9) Cesme
10) Side and Kumkoy
11) Sedir Island
12) Icmeler
13) Alanya, Cleopatra
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