Best Beaches In Turkey

Turkey has hidden arcs of sand, pretty shingle bays and unspoilt villages with simple restaurants opening out on to the beach.

Best Beaches in Turkey - Cirali Beach, Turkey - Olympos beach, 3km sweep of beach flanked by two huge mountains, the whole area around Cirali is dramatically beautiful, while the village behind offers simple restaurants and pensions, with a pleasingly hippyish atmosphere.

Best Beaches in Turkey - Ovabuku beach, Turkey is the prettiest in a chain of three bays, along with Hayitbuku and Kizilbuk. The beach is a relatively small stretch of creamy shingle, backed by a cluster of small restaurants and pensions, while the countryside around has a lush beauty; pine forests mixed with oak, myrtle and carob trees.

Best Beaches in Turkey - Butterfly beach, Turkey - most visitors access the beach by boat from Olu Deniz or Fethiye, but for adventurous trekkers there is a rocky path that leads down from the road (around 40 mins down and an hour back up)

Best Beaches in Turkey - Amos - Hidden between the resorts of Turunc and Kumlubuk on the Bozburun peninsula, Amos is a small cove tucked between two headlands. It's a bit rough and ready and the pebbles are scattered with ancient wooden loungers, but there is an unspoilt beauty that makes a stark contrast to the bling and bright lights of Marmaris, which lies across the bay.

Best Beaches in Turkey - Gemiler - It's hard to believe that Gemiler lies just a short way away from Olu Deniz beach; it's rarely crowded and reached by boat or bus ride from Hisaronu, through the fertile Kaya valley, past tobacco and wheat fields and out to the very tip of the Fethiye peninsula.

Best Beaches in Turkey - Kaputas Beach, Turkey - is a popular beach with locals, which gives it a very different feel to many of Turkey's more accessible stretches of coastline. Dolmuses (minibuses) between Kalkan and Kas stop off at Patara, and if you go on a windy day there are fabulous waves.

Best Beaches in Turkey - Hisaronu Bay Hisaronu beach, Turkey has two small beaches that look out towards the Datca peninsula. The beaches are popular with windsurfers as there's a permanent breeze and if you fancy a change of scene, the equally unspoilt beaches at Selimiye and Orhaniye are a short dolmus-ride away.

Best Beaches in Turkey - Ortakent beach, Turkey Lying mid-way along the Bodrum peninsula, Ortakent is not exactly a secret, but its delightful beach, backed by market gardens and the agreeable quiet bustle of a rural village. Ortakent is a great option for a family holiday with older kids in tow, as the beach offers a range of watersports, from wake-boarding to kayaking and sailing.

Best Beaches in Turkey - Avoid Gunluklu - hidden down a long track from the Fethiye-Gocek road, surrounded by pine forests and sweet gum trees. Gunluklu is an ideal option if you want a feeling of total escape with Fethiye just a short drive away.

Best Beaches in Turkey - Kabak - there is nothing on the beach, and only a few secluded campsites behind it; if you're looking for a back-to-basics beach experience this is the perfect spot. Most of these beaches can only be reached by car or boat, meaning they are rarely busy, even in the height of summer.