Beaches in Antalya

Konyaalti is Antalya city's western shore, sitting directly under the Taurus foothills so the mountains stay in view from the water. The surface is grey shingle mixed with sand rather than soft sand, and beach shoes are worth carrying. An underground stream feeds the bay, which keeps the sea here noticeably cooler than the rest of the Gulf of Antalya: welcome in July, chilly in the shoulder months. A long beach park with cafes runs behind it, and the Tunektepe cable car is close by.

Lara is the sandy counterpart to Konyaalti, on the eastern side of the city, and it is where most Antalya package holidays actually place you. The strip is lined with large themed all inclusive resorts, each holding its own stretch of sand, while the free public section sits at the eastern end with showers, sunbeds and changing rooms. It is roughly 20 minutes from the airport, which makes it the practical arrival day beach.

Kemer is 43 km southwest of Antalya, with the Taurus range dropping almost straight into the sea behind the town. The beaches are stone and shingle rather than sand, which catches out visitors expecting the brochure image, though the water is clearer for it. Smaller bays run south along the coast road towards Tekirova. Come here for the mountain setting rather than for soft sand.

Phaselis is an ancient Lycian harbour town about 57 km from Antalya, where the ruins run straight down to three small pebble bays. You pay to enter the archaeological site and then swim off the old harbours with pine forest at your back. It is the one stop on this list that works equally well as half a day of sightseeing and as a swim, and it is quieter than the resort beaches on either side of it.

Side sits about 75 km east of Antalya and West Beach begins at the headland where the ancient town ends, below the Temple of Apollo. It is long, sandy and shallow a good way out, which is why Side sells so well to families. East Beach, on the other side of the peninsula, is longer and usually quieter if the western strip fills up. Roman ruins and a swim fit into the same afternoon here.

Olympos beach lies below the Lycian ruins about 85 km southwest of Antalya, and you reach it by walking down through the ancient city, so there is a site ticket. The shore is pebble, backed by hills rather than hotels, and it shares one long bay with Cirali. Building is restricted because loggerhead turtles nest here, so accommodation is small pensions and treehouse camps. The Chimaera gas flames burn in the hills above.

Kleopatra Beach runs west from Alanya's castle headland and has the softest sand on this stretch of the Mediterranean. Alanya is 133 km east of Antalya, and being further along the coast it holds the warmest sea in the country, close to 29 degrees in August and still comfortable through October. That longer season is the reason to make the drive rather than stay near the city.

Kaputas is the cove that fronts most Antalya photo galleries, a slot of pale sand at the mouth of a gorge between Kalkan and Kas. Getting down means about 170 steps from the coast road, and the roadside parking fills by mid morning. The sea shelves steeply within a few metres, so it suits confident swimmers rather than small children. It is around 190 km from Antalya city, so treat it as a Kas or Kalkan trip rather than a day out.

Patara is Turkey's longest beach, a wide run of sand and dunes west of Kalkan and roughly 200 km from Antalya. It is a protected loggerhead nesting site, so no hotels or permanent structures stand on the sand and the beach clears at dusk through the nesting season, which leaves it emptier than anything else in the province. You walk in past the ruins of ancient Patara and there is a ticket for the site.