We had many beach family holidays in Turkey and have visited some of the best beaches in Turkey for families. The most beautiful Antalya beaches, lively Bodrum beaches, picturesque Fethiye beaches and many more…
There are so many different destinations in Turkey for all kind of family beach vacation preferences. Charming beaches by some cute towns, sandy beaches by family resort hotels or some tranquil beaches immersed in nature, you can find tips for all of them in my blog post below.
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Is Turkey good for family vacation?
Turkey is surrounded with beautiful seas in all three sides of the country. It has beautiful beaches with clear waters and a delightful weather with plenty of sunny days. You can opt in for a stay in a charming beach town with amazing beaches and have a relaxing, joyful vacation. Or, you can choose from many of options for family resort hotels in Turkey where the whole family would have a blast.
In addition, there are many theme parks, waterslides, aquariums, the great Turkish cuisine, countless ancient sites, plenty of natural beauties and so much more. Definitely, Turkey is a great place for a family vacation.
What is the best month to visit beaches in Turkey?
For a pleasant summer family vacation at the best beaches in Turkey with warm sea water and plenty of sunny days the best time is from June to October. Especially, June, July and August are peak season with very hot temperatures at upper 30°C even 40°C (100F – 110F). The temperatures are high but you don’t feel it very much during beach vacations since you are in the sea or pool most of the time.
Where are the best beaches in Turkey?
Turkey has a long Mediterranean coast in the south, an Aegean coast all through the west and the Black Sea all through the north of the country. Definitely, you can find some beautiful beaches all through these coasts of the country.
The southern region and the Mediterranean coast is chosen more for warmer weather, warmer sea and for a vacation in one of the best resort hotels which are plenty in the area. Aegean coast has some amazing beaches with calm seas and lively Aegean beach towns. Also, seawater of Aegean Sea is cooler, which some people like more since it is refreshing under the burning summer sun. And last but not least, Black Sea can be more choppy and rough but the green forests and mountains surrounding the beaches are spectacular.
In short, I would say, the area that most people choose visiting for the best beaches in Turkey is the south and the west coasts of the country.
Best Beaches in Antalya region
Antalya, a city in southern Turkey on the Mediterranean coast, has beautiful beaches all around. On the west coasts of Antalya region, there are some of the best beaches in Turkey with clearest waters. The beaches are mostly pebbled or sandy on the beach but coarse pebbled in sea which also helps to sea water look so crystal clear. The beaches I listed below: Cirali beach, Tekirova beach and Phaselis beach are on the western coasts of Antalya.
On the east coasts of Antalya region, you can find the most luxurious all inclusive resort hotels surrounded with beautiful beaches. There are miles of beaches with delightful Mediterranean Sea throughout the coast. Beaches are mostly fine pebbled and sandy. Resort towns of Lara, Belek, Side, Manavgat, Alanya are located on the east of Antalya.
Check out my blog post “The best family resorts in Turkey, by a local mom” for more information about all inclusive family resorts in Turkey.
Cirali Beach
Çıralı (pronounced as Chah-ruh-lah) is one of our favorite beach towns for family vacations in Turkey. It is such an unspoiled place on the Mediterranean coast with an amazing sea, a great beach (a mixture of pebbles and sand) and surrounded with amazing nature of orange orchards and pine forests all around.
Since Cirali is a small seaside village in the middle of the protected Olympos national park and natural reserve, constructions are not allowed in this beautiful cove. The only accommodation options are bungalows in the middle of orange orchards. Thus, this little piece of paradise, unspoiled by the effects of mass tourism, have been around for decades to come.
Cirali shares the same beach with Olympos village, that is a more hippie bohemian place, renown for its treehouse vacations. I can say that Olympos is more college youth place, whereas Cirali is the more family friendly village option.
For more about Cirali, click at my post: “8 reasons why I chose Cirali Turkey for vacation“
Where to stay in Cirali?
We have spent many family vacations in Cirali beach with our kids. My top picks for the best places to stay in Cirali are:
- Kimera Lounge Boutique Hotel: A high class hotel with exceptional bungalow rooms very close to the beach (booking.com score 9.2 for more than 180 reviews)
- Azur Hotel: A delightful place with wooden bungalows within a lush garden very close to the beach. (booking.com score 9.4 for more than 40 reviews)
- Simge Pension: If you are looking for a simple, affordable and a cozy place in a short walking distance to the beach and restaurants in Ciralı, this is the place! No need to look further. Located at the centre of Cirali village among all the restaurants and just a short 5 minutes walk to the beach. This affordable stay has some lovely bungalows, friendly staff and a great breakfast. Since the prices of Simge Pension don’t break the bank, you can easily extend your vacation to a week or 10 days and enjoy the beautiful Cirali at its best. (booking.com score 8.8 for more than 200 reviews)
- Olympos Lodge: Pricey but a gorgeous place for exceptional and unique stays in Cirali beach. (booking.com score 9.1 for more than 30 reviews)
For more places to stay in Cirali, please click here.
Closest airport to Cirali
Closest airport to Cirali is Antalya International Airport (airport code AYT) and is about 90 km away. It takes about 1 hour and a half to get to Cirali from Antalya airport.
Tekirova Beach
Tekirova beach is surrounded with majestic mountains, lush vegetation and a magnificent sea. It is set at the skirts of tallest mountain in the region: Mount Tahtali and offers the beautiful, crystal clean waters of Mediterranean Sea. It is a joy to swim in this sea and spend some relaxing time at this breath taking setting.
Where to stay in Tekirova?
Tekirova beach is a long beach (sandy and pebbly) with a few resort hotel to stay in. Rixos Premium Tekirova is a great kid friendly ultra all inclusive resort and one of the best family resorts in Turkey. Its area is not as expanse as other resorts, making it easier to navigate for the shorter legs. Also it has an enjoyable waterpark with slides, splashing giant bucket and lazy river that my kids loved. From the kids restaurant to garden family suites with two separate bedrooms and bathrooms this resort looks like specially constructed with families in mind.
For more options for family resorts in Antalya, Tekirova area, please click here.
Closest airport to Tekirova
Closest airport to Tekirova is Antalya International Airport (airport code AYT) and is about 70 km away. It takes about 1 hour to get to Tekirova beach from Antalya airport.
Phaselis Beach
Phaselis beach is a sandy beach with very calm and shallow waters. At the same time, Phaselis is an ancient city set on the skirts of Mount Tahtali. It sits on a cape surrounded with two coves and there are pine trees all around. Yes, you can literally swim at the beaches of an antique city in Phaselis.
There are two main beaches in Phaselis to choose from: Phaselis small beach (orta liman) on the east coast and Phaselis beach (guney liman) on the west shores of the cape and continuing all through the south coast of the following cove.
Phaselis small beach is a cute little beach close to the entrance and sits just by the ruins of the ancient city. It has a sandy beach and is small pebbly in the water. It is very calm, just perfect to spend time with the kids.
Phaselis beach is a longer, sandy beach (both on the beach and in the sea) with shallow, calm waters. Just perfect for the families with little kids. There are not many sandy beaches in Kemer Antalya region, that’s why it’s like a little gem. Moreover, there are shades of pine trees (that smell amazing) just by the beach. Easily a whole day can be spent there by swimming, playing in the sand, picnicking and of course a little bit with an ancient city exploring.
Where to stay in Phaselis?
Phaselis îs a protected ancient site and there aren’t any accommodations in it to stay in. The best option is to stay in the closer beach towns like Tekirova, Kemer or Cirali.
Lara Beach
Lara beach is a beautiful sandy beach popular with families and is a destination especially chosen because of its close proximity to Antalya International Airport. The 2 km long, in average 45 m wide fine sandy beach has clear waters and there are many beach clubs, water sports centers and a hotel zone with some exquisite family resorts in Antalya. Also, you can easily visit Antalya old town (Kaleici) area from Lara beach, since it is only 15 km away.
Where to stay in Lara?
One of the best of Lara hotels is Lara Barut Collection ultra all inclusive resort. It is an excellent, highly rated, family friendly resort hotel with many pools, a great beach and many waterslides. What’s more, it’s very close to Antalya Airport: You can hop on a taxi from the airport and you are in the resort in just 15 minutes.
For more options of family resorts at Lara beach area, please click here.
Closest airport to Lara beach
Closest airport to Lara is Antalya International Airport (airport code AYT) and is about 10 km away. It takes only about 15 minutes to get to Lara beach from Antalya airport.
Belek Beach
Belek beach is a sandy beach with crystal clean waters. There are many beachfront resort hotels on Belek beach. I can say that, resort hotels at Antlaya Belek area are among the best in Turkey. If a resort hotel has different branches in different cities, there’s a high chance its Belek branch would be its best hotel. Belek beach area is one of the most preferred places in Antalya for having an unforgettable family holiday.
For more about our holidays in family resorts in Turkey, click at my blog post:
“The best family resort hotels in Turkey, by local mom”
Closest airport to Belek beach
Closest airport to Belek beach is Antalya International Airport (airport code AYT) and is about 35 km away. It takes only about 35 minutes to get to Belek beach from Antalya airport.
Where to stay in Belek?
One of the best places to stay for families in Belek is Rixos Premium Belek resort hotel. It is an elegant, ultra all inclusive resort hotel covering a large area on Belek coast. Great food and drinks, huge pools, kids club, waterpark and all the other amenities of a luxury family resort are offered here at their best.
For more options for hotels to stay in Belek, click here.
Best Beaches on Bodrum peninsula
Bodrum is a peninsula with awesome beaches all around. Some of the best Bodrum beaches for families are Ortakent Yahsi beach, Akyarlar beach, Karaincir beach, Turkbuku beach, Yaliciftlik and Bitez beach. As a reminder, the sea water of Bodrum is quite cool during summer, which is very refreshing with the burning sun.
Turkbuku is one of the fanciest beach towns in Bodrum with high class restaurants and clubs. The sea and the beach in Turkbuku is wonderful! It is a sandy beach with crystal clean, calm turquoise waters. I would say, if you have the budget, definitely choose Turkbuku for the best family beach vacation in Bodrum. For more moderate options for families, our favorite beach towns are the ones on the southern coast like Ortakent Yahsi and Bitez. Moreover, the sea in that area is among the best on the peninsula.
Where to stay in Bodrum?
There are both resort hotels and small boutique hotels in Bodrum. For the beach towns I mentioned above the accommodation options mostly are small and boutique hotels. The resort hotels in Bodrum are usually located at the starting stretches of the peninsula like in the beach towns of Torba and Guvercinlik or Yaliciftlik. Also there are some resorts on the western coasts of Bodrum in Turgutreis and on one of the best destinations for wonderful sea on south west in Akyarlar.
For the choice of the best hotels to stay in Bodrum, please click here.
Best beaches in Fethiye region
A picture of Blue Lagoon (Oludeniz), the green forests surrounding it and the turquoise sea behind is the most used scenery to advertise the Turkish Riviera. Oludeniz Blue Lagoon and a lot of more beaches with the most turquoise sea are located in Fethiye. This beautiful region is so blessed that you can find green forests and blue sea side by side or visit some spectacular, only reachable by boat beaches surrounded with rugged cliffs, even hike in deep canyons.
Ölüdeniz Blue Lagoon, Butterfly Valley (Kelebekler Vadisi), Kabak Cove are some of the best beaches in Fethiye. Also, there are beach clubs like Sea Me Beach and Help Beach which are very popular. Moreover, you can sail to a multi day blue cruise boat trip from Gocek, enjoy the most turquoise seas and explore some wonderful beaches only reachable by sea.
Closest airport to Fethiye
The closest airport to Fethiye is Dalaman Airport (airport code DLM) and is about 40 km away.
Where to stay in Fethiye?
Fethiye is not a region full with resort hotels everywhere but some of the best resorts in Turkey are located on the beautiful Fethiye coast. Hillside Beach Club and D Resort Gocek hotels are the ones that offer the most exquisite vacations in Turkey.
Oludeniz town, the one next to the Blue Lagoon, is the coastal town that comes first to mind when searching where to stay in Fethiye. There are lots of hotels to stay in Oludeniz.
For accommodations more immersed in nature there is Faralia and Kabak Bay area. There are some family friendly accommodations in this region (like the Sea Valley Bungalows with a booking.com score 8.9 of more than 400 reviews) but most of the jaw dropping boutique hotels are unfortunately adults only. Actually, this area is known mostly as the honeymoon destination in Turkey.
For more choice of hotels to stay in Fethiye area, please click here.
Best beaches on Marmaris peninsula
Marmaris is a peninsula where Aegean Sea ends and Mediterranean starts. It is such a beautiful place that the navy blue sea is accompanied by pine forests and mountains. In addition, delightful, little seaside villages are scattered all around the peninsula.
Icmeler beach or Turunc beach
Icmeler and Turunc are seaside towns with beautiful sandy (or small pebbly) beaches not very far from Marmaris city center. Both of them are great for family vacations. Between the two of them Icmeler is a more crowded version but easier to travel. On the other hand Turunc (pronounced as too-roo-nch) is a little more further but for me a better option for a little seaside town with great beach and sea vibes.
Selimiye beach
On the west shores of the peninsula there are Hisaronu, Selimiye, Bozburun and Sogut villages. All of them are great for low key, relaxing vacations. Especially Selimiye is a rising star seaside village in last decades with high class boutique hotels with great views. For a note, the beaches on the west side of Marmaris peninsula are usually pebbly but they are very calm and relaxing.
Where to stay in Marmaris?
The family resort hotels in Marmaris are mostly located around Icmeler. They are not like the most luxurious resorts in Turkey but are a good option for more affordable all inclusive resort hotel accommodation.
The places to stay in most parts of Marmaris peninsula are generally small or medium sized hotels or boutique hotels. Turunc hotels are good option for family accommodations. Some highly rated hotels in Turunc are Dores Residence (booking.com score 9.1), Pilos Deluxe (booking.com score 9.4) and a little hotel just on the beach Hotel Turunc – Malmen (booking.com score 9.6).
Losta Sahil Evi 2 is a good example for boutique hotel accommodations in classy Selimiye and is located just by the sea.
For more option for hotels to stay in Marmaris area, please click here.
Closest airport to Marmaris
Closest airport to Marmaris city center is Dalaman Airport (airport code DLM) and is 95 km away. It takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes to get to Marmaris city center. For the other seaside town and villages on Marmaris peninsula it takes from 10 to 60 minutes more depending where you go on the peninsula.
The wonderful beaches around Kas
Kaş (pronounced as Kash) is a charming Mediterranean seaside village that all the travelers fall in love! It is kind of place definitely would be the highlight after your trip to the Turquoise Coast. Both tourists and domestic vacationists love this little village so much that they end up coming back year after year.
Kaputas beach and Patara beach
Some of the most picturesque beaches in Turkey are short drive away from Kas. Without a doubt, Kaputas Beach is one of the prettiest and most instagrammable one :). It is a beautiful beach sitting on a base of a cliff. The view of Kaputas beach from top is stunning for sure, but since it’s very popular, it can be very crowded in high season. Further west away, there is Patara beach which is a famous long and wide sandy beach popular with families. Kaputas beach is 20 km and Patara beach is 40 km away from Kas.
Closest airport to Kas
There are two airports to go to Kas: Dalaman and Antalya airports, and neither of them is very close to Kas. The closest one is Dalaman Airport (airport code DLM) and it is 2 hr 15 min away from Kas. On the other hand, Antalya airport is about 3 hours drive away.
Best beaches around Dalaman
The Dalaman coastline is one of the most beautiful in all Turkey. Fethiye region beaches (that I mentioned above), Sarigerme beach, Iztuzu beach, Akyaka beach are all around Dalaman and Dalaman airport.
Sarigerme beach
Sarigerme beach is a destination where you can get literally in a few minutes from the airport into the sea. Its so close proximity to the airport makes this little resort town a great choice for a hassle free family vacation in Turkey. Moreover, the airport by the side of this resort town is Dalaman International Airport, meaning you can high chance, directly fly there from your home country.
Where to stay in Sarigerme?
There are some great choices for family resort hotels in Sarigerme Dalaman. The one we like the most and have vacationed so many times at is Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme Resort & Spa. We have been impressed with the high quality food, drinks and kids entertainment each time we visited the resort. Not to mention, the huge pools all around the hotel.
For more options for hotels to stay in Dalaman Sarigerme, please click here.
Closest airport to Sarigerme
Closest airport to Sarigerme is Dalaman Airport (airport code DLM) and is only 20 minutes away.
Dalyan, Iztuzu beach
Dalyan is a seaside town on the Mediterranean coast renown for its canals in the lagoon, dramatic Lycian tombs overlooking the town, nearby mud baths and the beautiful Iztuzu beach which is also nesting ground of loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) turtles.
Iztuzu beach, located at the end of Dalyan delta, has been selected as one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in Europe. In fact, this sandy beach can be choppy and windy most of the time but for sure is a unique place with salty sea water and fresh water lagoon side by side. Moreover, you can visit a Caretta Caretta hospital at the edge of the beach and learn a bit more about this magnificent sea creatures.
Where to stay in Dalyan?
Accommodation options in Dalyan are generally small hotels, pensions or villas to rent. Midas Pension, Arp Dalyan and Hotel Happy Caretta are highly rated places to stay in Dalyan (all three of them have a booking.com score 9.3) located by the river and have some great views.
For more options for places to stay in Dalyan, please click here.
Closest airport to Dalyan
Closest airport to Dalyan is Dalaman Airport (airport code DLM) and is about 30 km away.
Akyaka beach
Akyaka has refreshing nature and a sandy beach with calm and shallow sea. It is a charming town with an authentic architecture of traditional white houses with wooden decorations all around.
Akyaka has easy to walk around and kind of a countryside vibe that adds a lot to a relaxing vacation with kids. In addition, it has the Azmak river, which is a deep, short stream with incredible fauna and freezing cold water even in summer. Dining in one of the great restaurants along the Azmak with your feet dipped in water or just sitting and watching the boats riding through is a great experience. When you add these things up, Akyaka becomes a very attractive place for a family beach vacation with little kids in Turkey.
Amazing beaches around Akyaka
Akyaka is located on the edge of Gulf of Gokova, making it a great port for daily boat tours departing to explore the crystal clean, turquoise beaches in Gokova. Beaches of Cleopatra Island or Incekum beaches literally look like some postcards from Bahamas with their white sands and blue seas.
Said these, I must remind that Akyaka became a very popular destination in recent years. I would suggest, try to avoid going to Akyaka beach at the weekends and try to go earlier in the morning.
Where to stay in Akyaka?
Hotels in Akyaka are generally small hotels or self catered accommodations. Places to stay with a kitchenette were life saving when my kids were little and Akyaka have plenty options of them. Tomsan Villas Akyaka is a place we enjoyed staying with my little kids. It is an accommodation in Akyaka (booking.com score 9.1) with options to stay in one, two or three bedroom villa flats or in a separate private villa. Villa Vali (booking.com score 9.0) is another option with traditional architecture and close proximity to Azmak river and restaurants.
For more options of hotels to stay in Akyaka, please click here.
Closest airport to Akyaka
Closest airport to Akyaka is Dalaman Airport (airport code DLM) and is about 70 km away.
Best beaches on Datca peninsula
Datça (pronounced as dut-chuh) is a peninsula located among Bodrum and Marmaris peninsulas. It is a place exactly where Aegean Sea meets Mediterranean Sea.
Datca is a kind of place far from the eyes though having amazing beaches. The reason why this beauty is not as popular as its neighboring vacation destinations is that it is very far away from the big cities like Istanbul and Ankara and there is not a very close airport to fly there. In other words, it is a challenging place that can be enjoyed by only the ones who give the effort to reach there. Without a doubt, the award for the long journey and the windy roads is the breath taking Datca beaches…
Closest airport to Datca
Dalaman Airport is 160 km and Bodrum Airport is 200 km to Datca city center. However, when you fly to Bodrum Airport (airport code BJV) , you can catch a ferry from Bodrum city to Datca. Thus you can reach to Datca in just 80 km.
Beautiful Datca beaches
There are many cute coves in Datca with great beaches that are a stone throw away to the hotels you stay. Some of the best beaches are in Hayitbuku, Ovabuku, Kizilbuk and Palamutbuku coves which are located in Mesudiye area. Those are little villages by the sea with nothing much offering but crystal clear waters and very peaceful atmosphere.
Hayitbuku and Kizilbuk are little coves in same bay. Hayitbuku is little more lively with some cafes and restaurants by the beach. Next village is Ovabuku with slightly more longish beach. Palmutbuku is most popular among all with a few more options for accommodation.
Places to stay in Datca
Places to stay in Datca are mostly small or boutique hotels. There aren’t any resort hotels on Datca peninsula. Hence, places in Datca are perfect for an easy going vacation. We’ve stayed as a family in Gabaklar hotel in Kizilbuk before and it was one of the most tranquil vacations we’ve ever had. My son played in the sand on the beach, jumped from the floating walkway to the sea and we had some great meals at the restaurant by the sea. When we wanted to rest, our room was just a few steps away.
Another similar choice is, Datca Masal Gibi plaj & restaurant which provides accommodations (booking.com score 9.3) in little, quirky wooden houses a stone throw from the beach of Haytibuku.
For more options of hotels to stay in Datca peninsula, please click here.
Lastly, if you liked my work, please consider supporting it by making your holiday bookings through my link of booking.com (with no additional cost to you). Thus, you would inspire me to keep going and write many more posts like this.
Have you been to Turkey before? Do you have any other recommendations? If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below.
Have a great holiday in my home country!
Cheers…
Embie
You can also like my blog post “The best family resorts in Turkey“