Even though Belek is a relatively small town, it’s well known as one of Turkey’s best holiday spots. In today’s post, we’ll go over the very best places Belek has to offer to prepare you for your own trip to Turkey. We’ll go over the most interesting spots in Belek, what you can do there as well as what great food places you can find there (though we saved that for last). So, what to visit in Belek?
Belek
What to see in Belek?
Belek is a very small town, or a resort more realistically, very heavily based on tourism to keep it going. It’s a perfect town for dwelling on a beach, golfing or simply exploring the great spots Belek has to offer.
If you want to get around Belek and its surrounding areas efficiently, you can either use a hired car or public transport. Buses run around the centre and to nearby towns. You can also take the bus to Antalya (line number BA22) in about 55 minutes. Buses between Antalya and Belek run from 7:40 in the morning until 10:40 at night.
Belek effectively has three layers – beaches with hotels, golf courses and general green areas and, thirdly, the outskirts. Without further ado, here’s our guide through all of them and more in Belek.
Beaches in Belek
Best beaches in Belek
Belek is one of the most popular destinations on the Turkish coast. You’ll find many great spots to lounge on a beach here, and you won’t have to walk far to get to them, as the whole coast is dotted with hotels. The entire coast of Belek is all fine, sandy beaches with plenty of restaurants, equipment rentals and hotels.
Sunbathing is one of the more popular activities for tourists in Belek. We particularly recommend Belek Halk Plajı and Kadriye, but don’t worry too much, you will find nice places to sunbathe along the entire length of the coast.
See also the most beautiful beaches of Turkey.
Golf in Belek
Golfing in Belek
If you’re a golf enthusiast or just a rookie eager to play more, then Belek is perfect for you. While the first layer is all beaches and hotels, the next one is golf courses. There are 12 golf courses here belonging to nine golf clubs:
- Titanic Golf
- Antalya Golf Club
- National Golf Club
- Carya Golf Club
- Sueno Golf Club
- Cornelia Faldo Golf Club
- Gloria Golf Club
- Robinson Nobilis
- The Montgomerie Maxx Royal Golf Club
The area offers courses for beginners and advanced players alike, with variants for 9 and 18 holes respectively. Naturally, you’ll also find a driving range (in every club) and an academy for beginners, if you get inspired and want to learn golf on the spot.
Perga / Perge
Ancient sites around Belek
Perga refers to the ruins of an ancient Lycian city and is located close to Belek – about 17 miles from the town centre. Throughout its history, Perga would often change hands – Lycian, Greek, then Roman, Byzantine and Turkish. You can find an Agora here, a Roman theatre, a Stadium and many other remnants of the rich past of Perge, the capital of Pamphylia.
The Archaeological Site of Perge is open from 8:00am to 5:00pm; the ticket office closes at 4:30 p.m. A ticket to Perge costs 100 TL.
Land of Legends
Belek theme park
Land of Legends is one of the largest theme parks in this region of Turkey. It consists of 3 main parts:
- Adventure Land: theme park with roller coasters
- Aqua Land: water park with many interesting activities, like swimming with dolphins or paddle boarding
- Tropic Lagoon: Another water park
Additionally, there are sections of the park dedicated to Masha and the Bear.
How much does the Land of Legends cost? You’ll have to pay about £42 for an adult (12+) ticket lasting you the whole day. Kids (4-11) get in for about £33. There is also a legendary card for year-round entry – if you’re staying for a while longer and would like to spoil your kids with that, that’ll cost you £290 for adults and £230 for your little joys.
Additionally, if you want specific activities like swimming with dolphins, this will cost you extra. For instance, the dolphin swim will cost you £100 for each person, no discount for children this time. You can view all the available bonus activities for a given day on their official website, at: https://thelandoflegendsthemepark.com/. There are also hotels and a shopping avenue in the Land of Legends.
The Town Centre of Belek
Exploring Belek
You can find many interesting spots in the centre of Belek. For instance, you have the Belek Tower from the 19th century here, a beautiful rock fountain, a bazaar and a mosque. There are also some great shops and restaurants here. It’s a very pleasant little centre, quite akin to Paphos in our view.
The centre of Belek is about a mile away from the shores and, consequently, beaches. So don’t skip out on a walk, it’s nice and close.
Sail to the Suluada Island
Cruise from Antalya
Suluada is a small rocky Turkish island south of Antalya. It’s only 10 hectares in size and is mostly just large rock formations sticking out of the water. Suluada means water island because a fresh water spring was found on this small patch of land. You will also find two tiny charming beaches here that you can reach by boat from Antalya, right next to Belek.
Kayaking in the Köprülü Canyon
What to do in Belek?
The Köprülü Canyon is located north of Belek, around 40 miles from the town centre. You can find organised tours headed here from Antalya, Side and Belek. Many companies offer kayak tours in the waters of the canyon and you can also rappel down one of the rocks. The canyon is over 8 miles long and, in some places, even 400 m deep. Notable spots around the canyon are its two bridges – the Roman Oluklu and the Bugrum.
Kayaking in the Köprülü Canyon costs around £20.
Jeep safari in the Taurus Mountains
Jeep tours from Belek
Some of the travel agencies in and from around Belek also offer jeep safaris in the nearby Taurus Mountains. The itineraries for such tours often include a tour of the mountain towns, a visit to the Uçansu waterfall and a Turkish lunch.
The safari is not advised for pregnant women. The average tour lasts about 8h and costs approximately £40.
Düden waterfalls
Beautiful natural sights around Belek
If you’re visiting Antalya alongside Belek, we highly recommend visiting the Düden waterfalls there. The Düden River forms waterfalls at its mouth, which divide themselves into upper and lower waterfalls. They’re 15 metres tall and add beautiful variety to the rocky coastline next to Antalya. There’s a city park with viewpoints of the waterfalls above the cliffs.
Antalya
Trip to Antalya from Belek
Of course, a visit to Antalya should have its own spot on this list, as it’s a great spot around Belek too. You’ll find plenty to do here: lots of sightseeing opportunities, shopping centres and general tourist attractions. You can check out our separate post on Antalya here.
Where to eat in Belek?
Great restaurants in Belek
You’ll find plenty of good Turkish restaurants in the centre of Belek. Most popular ones include Yaz (at Koca Reis), Belek Denis, Tuwana and the Özlem Ocakbaşı. You can also find many restaurants in the beach hotels, such as Safran or the Paloma restaurant. Before you order anything, we recommend getting at least a tad familiar with the basics of Turkish cuisine.
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