With 8,300 kilometres of coastline, Turkey certainly has plenty of sandy beaches to choose from but how to decide where to spread your beach towel? Here to help you is a round-up of the best beaches, the ones with the most sand, the least development and the best general ambience.
Well-known for its 20-kilometre-long stretch of glorious sand, Patara is also home to the dramatic remains of an ancient Graeco-Roman settlement, including a remarkable theatre which re-emerged from the dunes that fringe the beaches. Watch the sun set here through the eucalyptuses and you could be forgiven for thinking yourself in Australia.
Plus: Sheer quantity of sand means you can find a spot for yourself even at busiest times of year.
Minus: Beach is five kilometres from the accommodation, although there’s transport to and fro in summer.
Best beach bunkers: Flower Pension Tel: 0242-843 5164, Golden Pension Tel: 0242-843 5162, Patara View Point Hotel Tel: 0242-43 5184
Big sweep of sand in the lee of a dramatic medieval castle (the “Maiden’s Castle”) that seems to float serenely above the Mediterranean Sea. Plenty of forgotten ruins waiting to be discovered in the surrounding countryside if you can bring yourself to move from the beach.
Plus: Perfect for families.
Minus: Characterless modern settlement developed for tourism.
Best beach bunkers: Club Hotel Barbarossa Tel: 0324-523 2364, Hotel Rain Tel: 0324-523 2782, Hotel Hantur Tel: 0324-523 2367
A 4.5-kilometre-long strip of sand at the mouth of the Dalyan River accessible by boat or dolmuş, İztuzu won fame as the scene of frantic campaigning to protect one of the last nesting places of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) from would-be developers. Rather surprisingly the battle was won although Dalyan itself is now swamped with loggerhead-this and caretta-that tat.
Plus: Boat ride past the rock-cut tombs of the Lycian kings makes a wonderful intro to the beach.
Minus: Lack of shade.
Best beach bunkers: Happy Caretta Tel: 0252-284 2109, Çınar Sahil Pension Tel: 0252-284 2402, Asur Hotel Tel: 0252-284 3232
Ayazma, Bozcaada
Lovely drifting sand dunes facing onto the Aegean to the north of Bozcaada, a small island also known for its beautiful Ottoman Greek architecture and fine wines. Get there by ferry from Yükyeri İskelesi, near Geyikli, 55km south of Çanakkale.
Plus: Beach accessible by bike or dolmuş.
Minus: Water can be cold even in summer.
Best beach bunkers: Rengigül Konukevi Tel: 0286-697 8171, Otel Kaikias Tel: 0286-697 0250, Otel Ege Tel: 0286)-697 8189
Şile, nr İstanbul
Offering access to a string of Black Sea beaches within easy reach of İstanbul, Şile itself is increasingly built-up although the fishing harbour, the lighthouse and the cafes overlooking the ruined castle are picturesque. Over summer weekends expect bedlam on the beaches – you’ll need to travel to their furthest reaches to escape the crowds.
Plus: Proximity to İstanbul – bus no. 139 will get you there from Üsküdar.
Minus: Dangerous undertow results in annual fatalities.
Best beach bunkers: Değirmen Hotel Tel: 0216-711 5048, Dedeman Hotel Tel: 0216-712 2424
Picture-postcard sandy beach ringing a lagoon on the edge of Ölüdeniz makes a less commercialised alternative to Belcekiz Beach which is backed with cafes and shops touting paragliding jumps off nearby Baba Dağ (Mt Baba).
Plus: Out of season this is one of Turkey’s most exquisite natural locations.
Minus: In season the lagoon beach is just as jam-packed with roasting bodies as Belcekiz.
Best beach bunkers: Oyster Residence Tel: 0252-617 0765, Jade Residence Tel: 0252-617 0690, Sugar Beach Club Tel: 0252-617 0048
Side itself may be an over-developed eye-sore but it’s still home to some spectacular Roman ruins and its beach is still a wonderful strip of soft white sand far enough away from the worst of the rampant commercialism to be bearable.
Plus: Easy access to ruins at Perge and Aspendos, and rafting possibilities in the Köprülü Kanyon.
Minus: Having to run the gauntlet of the Side salesmen whenever you relinquish the haven of the beach.
Best beach bunkers: Side Hotel Tel: 0242-753 3824, Hotel Lale Park Tel: 0242-753 1131, Beach House Hotel Tel: 0242-753 1607
Olympos, nr Antalya
Wonderful strip of sandy beach linking two local settlements – Olympos with the famous treehouses and Çıralı with more conventional hotels and bungalows. Just behind the beach the ruins of ancient Olympos are entangled in dense undergrowth. On the hillside the Chimaera is an extraordinary flame that can never be extinguished, a wonder to behold on a moonlit night.
Plus: When sunbathing palls, the atmosphere amid the treehouses more than compensates.
Minus: Occasional bouts of the Turkey trots are attributed to communal meals or sewage released into the sea from passing gülets.
Best beach bunkers: Olympos Lodge Tel: 0242-825 7171, Arcadia Tel 0242-825 7340, Kadir’s Yörük Top Treehouse Tel: 0242-892 1250, Bayram’s Tel: 0242-892 1243
Wild dunes just a short bus ride out of Çeşme with windsurfing facilities and a few simple cafes. Threatened with development so head there soon before the “Golden Sand” goes the way of the rest of the coastline. The best local accommodation is in upscale Alaçatı, with its gourmet restaurants, rather than in Çeşme.
Plus: Complete lack of development.
Minus: High winds mean that the sea can be rough for swimming.
Best beach bunkers: Alaçatı Taş Otel Tel: 0232-716 7772, O Ev Hotel Tel: 0232-716 6150, Lale Lodge Tel: 0232-716 6108
Cleopatra’s Island, nr Marmaris
Formally called Sedir Adası, Cleopatra’s Island is a glorious retreat in the Gulf of Gökova. Legend has it that Mark Anthony had the talcum-powder-fine sand brought from Egypt to please his lover, Queen Cleopatra. Modern visitors are advised to leave every grain behind them when they return to their holiday homes in Marmaris.
Plus: Sea like a natural hot tub to which oil has been added.
Minus: When boat tours drop anchor the beach is completely overwhelmed.
Best beach bunkers: Pupa Yat Hotel Tel: 0252-413 3566, Ayçe Otel Tel: 0252-413 3136
