Europe · Beach and resort guide
A broad resort region where big all-inclusive hotels and strong facilities lead.
Is it right for you?
A strong fit for
Families, couples and luxury all inclusive.
We would think twice for
Couples wanting boutique stays and wandering old streets every evening, because this coast's character is scale, and the walkable-town exceptions like Side need choosing deliberately.
What we would want you to know
The word Antalya can hide a long transfer to the actual resort.
Our research-led view
This coast is research-led for us, checked hotel by hotel and flight by flight; we have not holidayed on it ourselves. The warning we give most often is about the name: a holiday sold as Antalya can mean a city hotel, a resort by the airport or a hotel near Alanya a very long drive away.
We have not been here ourselves yet and will never pretend otherwise. This advice comes from the operator, mapping, hotel and transfer research we do for real enquiries.
Map and areas
Antalya's walled old town above the Roman harbour, with Ottoman houses turned into small hotels, lanes of restaurants and Hadrian's Gate at the edge. A few nights here before or after a beach week is our favourite add-on. Hotels are small, with plunge pools rather than big ones.
A long pebble beach on the west side of the city with the Beydağları mountains rising behind and a landscaped promenade of cafés and parks. City hotels rather than big resorts, handy for the aquarium and the old town.
A resort town south-west of Antalya where pine-covered mountains drop straight to the sea, with a marina, a lively centre and big hotels in the villages either side, such as Beldibi, Göynük and Çamyuva. Beaches are pebble or shingle, and the water is very clear.
A long pebble beach protected for nesting turtles, with guesthouses and small hotels among the orchards rather than resorts. Ancient Olympos lies at the southern end and the Chimaera flames on the hill above. No nightlife and no big hotels, by design.
A big, busy resort town beneath a castle on a rocky headland, with Cleopatra Beach on one side and a harbour of bars and boats on the other. It is the budget end of the coast and a long way east of Antalya airport.
Weather and seasons
Antalya's season is long and bright. The sea has already warmed to 21°C by May and holds near 22°C into November, which makes late autumn a real option here. Spring is lovely for sightseeing, with snow still on the mountains behind Konyaaltı and April days around 22°C. July and August are intensely hot and humid, so ancient sites such as Termessos are for the first hours of the day. Winter brings most of the year's rain, and many resort hotels close from November to March.
Worth timing a trip around
Antalya's international marathon and shorter races run through the city each spring, with the date moved when it would clash with Ramadan.
Several days of concerts, parades and street events in the old town, with visiting delegations from historic cities across Europe and beyond.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°C | 9°C | 18°C | 206 mm |
| February | 17°C | 10°C | 17°C | 100 mm |
| March | 18°C | 11°C | 17°C | 97 mm |
| April | 22°C | 15°C | 18°C | 31 mm |
| May | 25°C | 18°C | 21°C | 47 mm |
| June | 30°C | 22°C | 25°C | 23 mm |
| July | 34°C | 26°C | 28°C | 2 mm |
| August | 33°C | 26°C | 29°C | 4 mm |
| September | 31°C | 24°C | 28°C | 18 mm |
| October | 27°C | 20°C | 25°C | 65 mm |
| November | 22°C | 15°C | 22°C | 61 mm |
| December | 18°C | 11°C | 20°C | 122 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Antalya-Bolge, 1 km away at 47 m. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
Sand, shingle and swimming
Coarse pebble and grey sand for several kilometres, with clear water that deepens quickly and the mountains as a backdrop. Pay beaches with loungers alternate with free public stretches.
Fine golden sand west of the castle rock, gently shelving and lined with loungers. Busy in summer, but good for children.
A long, wild pebble beach backed by orchards, where loggerhead turtles nest in summer. Quiet and clear, with no high-rise development behind it.
Three small bays around the ruins of an ancient harbour city near Tekirova, where you swim among pines and Roman stones. Go early, before the boat trips from Kemer arrive.
A quiet bay of sand and pebbles south of Olympos with a handful of small hotels and very calm water; boats leave from here for the island of Suluada.
Things to do
Start at Hadrian's Gate, wind down through the lanes to the Roman harbour, and look out for the Fluted Minaret and the Hıdırlık Tower on the cliff edge. Evenings are best, once the heat of the day has gone.
A mountain-top ancient city in a national park north-west of Antalya, famous as the city Alexander the Great failed to take. The theatre sits high above the valley; the path up is steep and rocky.
Flames burn from natural gas vents on the hillside above Çıralı, as they have since ancient times. Walk up at dusk with a torch for the way down, and pair it with the ruins of Olympos in the valley.
A cable car from near Tekirova to the summit of Tahtalı Dağı, where on clear days the view runs along the whole coast and the air is cool even in August. Go early for the clearest views.
A large aquarium near Konyaaltı beach with a long walk-through tunnel of sharks and rays, a good plan for a windy day or a break from the heat.
A river canyon inland from Göynük near Kemer, where you swim, wade and scramble through cold pools. Go with a guide who provides helmets and wetsuits.
Walls and towers climb the headland above Alanya, with a village inside and views over both beaches. Take the cable car up and walk down through the old quarter.
Boats from Kemer marina stop at Phaselis and quiet coves for swimming, with lunch on board. Pick a smaller boat without loud music if you want peace.
Food and drink
Antalya's own pairing: grilled köfte on skewers with piyaz, a white bean salad dressed with tahini, lemon and garlic instead of the usual vinegar.
Young goat slow-cooked in a pit oven until it falls apart, a traditional Antalya dish best found in the villages behind the coast.
On the road to Olympos, restaurants set tables on platforms over a cold mountain stream and serve trout from their own spring-fed pools.
Oranges from the groves west of Olympos, squeezed fresh at stalls and markets in winter and spring when the fruit is in season.
Money
This coast is the engine of the Mediterranean all-inclusive market, and competition keeps prices keen: the same hotel can cost half as much in October as in August. Kemer's hotels usually undercut Belek's for a similar standard, and Alanya is the budget end. Two or three nights in a small hotel in Kaleiçi cost little extra and add a real town to a resort holiday.
Flights and transfers
Antalya takes direct seasonal flights from Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle, and its resort strip is unusually close to the airport: Lara is minutes away, Belek and Side within easy reach. Few places deliver you from plane to pool this quickly.
Flights from UK airports
Route check September 2026. Some routes are seasonal and schedules change, so we confirm the live options when we quote.
Practical details
3 hours ahead of the UK in winter, 2 hours in summer
Turkish lira (₺)
Turkish
Type C and F, 230V
On the right
Not recommended for drinking; use bottled
Around 10 percent in restaurants; round up taxi fares
Entry for British passport holders
Visa. No visa needed on a British citizen passport for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Passport. Valid for at least 150 days after the date you arrive, with a blank page.
The FCDO advises against all travel within 10km of the Syrian border. The places we suggest on this page were outside those areas when we checked, and we check the advice again before every booking.
Summarised from the FCDO travel advice on gov.uk, checked 29 September 2026. Rules change: read the current entry requirements and the full travel advice before you go.
Questions we get asked
For two or three nights, yes. Kaleiçi, the old town, has small hotels, harbour restaurants and Roman walls, and Konyaaltı beach is a short ride away. We often add it to the start or end of a resort week so the holiday includes a real Turkish city, not just a hotel.
No, it is mostly coarse pebble with some grey sand, and the water deepens quickly. It is clean and clear with a mountain backdrop, but toddlers do better on softer sand at Lara, Belek, Side or Alanya's Cleopatra Beach. Beach shoes help.
Kemer is greener and more scenic, with pine-clad mountains, pebble beaches and big family hotels, and it is the shorter drive from the airport. Alanya is larger, busier and cheaper, with sandy beaches, a castle and more nightlife, but a long transfer. Families wanting quiet lean to Kemer; groups and tight budgets to Alanya.
Yes, and dusk is the best time. The flames on the hillside above Çıralı burn day and night; walk up the short, steep path before sunset and bring a torch for the descent. Wear shoes with grip.
Mild and changeable: January days average about 16°C, with sunny spells between heavy showers, and most of the year's rain falls between November and February. It suits walking, ruins and city breaks rather than sunbathing, and many resort hotels close.
Photographs
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