South-western Turkey is full of amazing coastlines. It was very hard to pick which beach town we should go to. Each one offered an entirely different vibe. In the end we decided on Antalya. One of Turkey’s biggest cities and responsible for 30% of Turkey’s tourism industry.
Everyone needs a little beach time in every holiday. Antalya was the perfect place. A variety of beaches, fancy hotels and restaurants, places to party, and more.
Best Beaches in Antalya
We were immediately struck by the beauty of Antalya right when we arrived. The city seemed to be built on a cliff, and all the beaches we saw seemed to be cliff beaches. After a little research we did find that Antalya offers a couple types of beaches.
Cliff Beach

Almost all the beaches in Antalya are cliff beaches. At first I wasn’t too excited about this. You have to go to a particular section in order to get to the water; a raised platform with umbrellas and seating areas didn’t so much appeal to me at first. But I could not have been MORE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED.



On our second day in Antalya, we decided to try out the cliff beach that was right next to our hotel- BLM beach. We took an elevator down to the entrance, walked out to a popping cliff side with umbrellas and beds all around. The music was loud, but very enjoyable. The vibe was unmatched and it felt like a chill, but fun party. Waiters came to take our orders for cocktails (which were so good!) and there was a dock where you could jump into the slightly wavy water. Showers to rinse off and ladders to get back up to the platform; it was so much fun. We spent almost the entire day jumping and swimming and relaxing in the amazing environment.

Sand Beach
Our first day in Antalya and we wanted to go to a sand beach. After all, it is the traditional “beach” experience that we are all used to. So I did some research and came across one of Antalya’s only sand beach- Lara Beach. It was about a 15 minute drive from our hotel (the Lara beach area is known for it’s all inclusive resorts) and so we set off to explore. More than anything we were super excited to spend the day relaxing in one of the Beach Bungalows that they have for rent on the beach.

When we arrived in the morning (around 11:00), the beach was very quiet. I think it was more related to the time we went to visit, because Lara Beach is infamously crowded. We were lucky to be some of the first arrivals, we rented our Beach Bungalow and settled in.


There is a restaurant and a bar at the beach so that beach goers can relax the entire day there. And we did just that. Swimming, jumping, and enjoying ourselves for our few days of relaxation.
The crowd was a mix of tourists and Turkish. It was amazing to see the diversity among the locals and the tourists.

Amazing Place to Party
Sooo we honestly weren’t really planning on partying when we went to Antalya. Although, espeically in the summer months, Antalya is famous for it’s hip club scene, when we traveled many corona restrictions were still in place. All of the clubs were closed and so we opted for a nice dinner overlooking the water. Or so we thought.
We didn’t realize that we stumbled upon the creme de la creme of our Antalya visit. This place (attached to the cliff beach we went to) was AMAZING.
We entered and the music was loud and happy. We were given our own table, despite not having a reservation, and noticed the young vibe of the other guests. When it came to ordering it was a mezze-like arrangement of at least 50 different dips and sides served as a starter. All of it was delicious, inexpensive considering the quantity, and the atmosphere was unmatched.

As the meal progressed, a live musician came out, playing the drums, very lively, giving a full and great performance along with it. Guests started to get up and dance and before long belly dancers appeared, half of the guests were dancing, and the performer continued to sing and drum at the same time.


The locals spotted us tourists and immediately pulled us in, started to teach us Turkish dance moves, and gave us Turkish drinks to try. It was literally AMAZING. And the best part was that we stumbled upon it by accident. We thought we were sitting down to have a nice dinner overlooking the ocean. Little did we know that that dinner would include a live musician, lots of dancing, and one of our best experiences with the locals. The place was called BLM Beach (connected to the cliff beach we went to earlier the same day).
How to Get to Antalya
Just like most places in Turkey, Antalya is very easy to get to. There is the Antalya airport (AYT) for domestic and international flights. We came from within Turkey (Pamukkale to be exact) and arrived by bus. However we flew out of this airport in order to go back to Istanbul.
The bus system in Turkey is very comprehensive, reliable, comfortable, and inexpensive. Renting a car to drive into Antalya from another destination within Turkey is also an option. Just be aware of drop off fees that are often not included in a general quote. The fees to drop off a car in a different city are sometimes more expensive than the car rental itself!
Is Antalya safe?
Short answer, yes!! The crime rate in Antalya is very low and general Turkey saferty concerns are also low. It is not a hostile area at all. Did I mention that 30% of Turkey’s tourism comes from here?? That’s a huge number!
But just like any place, while traveling be careful. Purse snatchers, pick pockets, and the like exists everywhere. Normal safety precautions however will be more than enough.
When is the best time to visit Antalya?
Although it can be visited all year round, it is admissable to aboid it in the winter months (November-March), where it gets cool and rainy. If you’re looking for the traditional beach experience Antalya during those months, probably will be too cold.
In the summer, as it is a Mediterranean climate, it will be hot and humid! So be prepared!!

General Tips for Antalya Travel
- Beaches. Most of the beaches are cliff beaches. As said earlier, there is one main sand beach-Lara Beach
- Cost. Because it is an extremely tourist oriented area, everything is a bit more expensive than in the rest of Turkey
- Water Sports. A plethora of water sports are available (wind surfing, kite surfing, jet skiing), but as said, are rather expensive.
- Day Trips. There are lots of day trip options if you want to explore beyond Antalya – Green Canyon, Serik, Isparta, etc. If you have extra time consider exploring beyond Antalya and its beaches. The Green Canyon in particular looks amazing!
- Waterfalls. Antalya boasts a few beautiful waterfalls; Duden Waterfalls and Kursunlu Waterfalls being the most famous. Although you cannot swim near them, you can sign up for a boat trip to tour them and other amazing things in Antalya
- Restaurants. Much of Antalya’s food is based around seafood and there are so many amazing restaurants overlooking the water. Antalya also has a very fancy side, with luxurious hotels and clubs. If you’re up to the drive and in the mood for a fancy dinner, check out Nemo Restuarant and Lounge.

Have more days in Turkey? Check out our full 2 week itinerary for more amazing places. Also our Ultimate Guide to Travel in Turkey in case you’re a first time traveler.
Lots of love and safe travels,
Danielle and Brooke, Colorful Sisters
The Perfect 12 Day Turkey Itinerary | Explore Turkey
December 3, 2020 at 5:12 pm[…] View the full post: BEST OF ANTALYA, TURKEY – BEST BEACHES, RESTAURANTS, AND MORE […]
hitravelstories
December 3, 2020 at 7:55 pmlove the pictures! cool post!
Colorful Sisters
December 4, 2020 at 3:25 pmThank you so much!!
Hanlie Venter
February 13, 2022 at 8:00 amIf I want to travel to Turkey is 25 April to 6 May a good time to go. Email hanlueventer09@gmail.com
Colorful Sisters
May 5, 2022 at 5:42 pmSo sorry for the delay! Did you make it to Turkey? And Turkey can be lovely at any time of year!
NazaInnocent
December 4, 2020 at 3:57 amAwesome place
Colorful Sisters
December 4, 2020 at 3:25 pmIt really is!!
Stuart Danker
December 4, 2020 at 10:00 amYour pictures are always attractive, and thanks for bringing Turkey to me during the era of COVID 🙂
Colorful Sisters
December 4, 2020 at 3:24 pmThank you so much! I’m happy it could bring a little bit of Turkey into your life in these crazy times 🙂
rahjomuelvin
December 5, 2020 at 9:03 amStunning!
Colorful Sisters
December 6, 2020 at 8:50 amTruly lovely place 🙂
Charles Dada
December 5, 2020 at 8:19 pmYeah! It looks great!
Colorful Sisters
December 6, 2020 at 8:54 amIt really is!
centeredthroughtheflow
December 6, 2020 at 3:03 pmWOW beautiful!
Colorful Sisters
December 6, 2020 at 3:18 pmA truly beautiful place indeed!!
Benyapoesy
December 7, 2020 at 7:14 amBeautiful and very rich post. I’ve got many friends from Antalya and definitely will visit if I have a chance.
Colorful Sisters
December 8, 2020 at 4:00 pmOh wow amazing!! You should definitely visit sometime 🙂
Chronosfer2.wordpress.com
December 8, 2020 at 6:44 pmI really liked the blog, there is a very strong and beautiful and deep link between the proposal and the photos, which open plan reveal much of the essence of Colorful. Congratulations.
Colorful Sisters
December 9, 2020 at 7:15 pmThank you so much for your kind response!! I’m so happy you enjoyed 🙂
Chris Franklin
December 14, 2020 at 8:57 pmThanks for sharing this, it looks amazing!
Colorful Sisters
December 15, 2020 at 9:41 amThank you so much for reading!
Chris Franklin
December 15, 2020 at 1:04 pmYour welcome!
Best of Antalya, Turkey – Best Beaches, Restaurants, and More – The Technologies Of Tomorrow
December 21, 2020 at 7:34 pm[…] Best of Antalya, Turkey – Best Beaches, Restaurants, and More […]
The Z-ster
January 15, 2021 at 11:25 pmTastefully done photos! They are almost better than the ones I took at the beach a couple days ago. I love the beach. It is so magical. I am a mermaid.
Colorful Sisters
January 17, 2021 at 3:48 pmYess the beach really is a truly lovely place. What beach did you go to?
rindge leaphart
February 12, 2021 at 1:53 amNice overview. I visited Lara Port Beach in Antalya – I’m not sure if it is still there. Beach is not an accurate name as it was built directly on the side of a cliff with stairs down to the ocean. Swimming in the ocean from Lara Port was actually quite intimidating. Quite beautiful, though, and you could actually see the ocean turtles (quite large they are) swimming next to same of the brave swimmer who dared venture further. Brings back memories! Thanks for sharing.
Colorful Sisters
February 13, 2021 at 5:07 pmI’m not sure if it is either! We visited Lara Beach but I’m not sure about Lara Port Beach. There were so many beaches that were really just cliffs on the edge! We didn’t get to see any sea turtles unfortunately, despite swimming out quite far!!