Best Beaches in Antalya

Konyaaltı is Antalya's most accessible beach, running for several kilometres right along the city's western edge

Turkey

Maria Garcia•June 16, 2026

Konyaaltı Beach — The City's Favourite Stretch

Konyaaltı runs for several kilometres along Antalya's western edge, and it's about as easy to reach as a beach gets — you can practically walk here from the old city. The shoreline is wide pebble and gravel, which surprises some people expecting sand, but that backdrop of the Taurus Mountains rising behind it makes you forget the complaints pretty quickly. The water is genuinely exceptional. Deep turquoise close to shore, shifting into vivid blue further out. Sunbeds and umbrellas line the beach in tidy rows, and the promenade behind them is packed with cafes, ice cream stands and bicycle rentals if you fancy a slow pedal along the front. Families tend to cluster in the calm central sections, while the western end keeps a quieter, more local feel — fewer selfie sticks, more old men playing backgammon. Get here before ten in July or August and you'll still find a decent spot. Roll up after noon in peak summer and you're basically negotiating for a patch of gravel.

Lara Beach — Grand Hotels and Open Sea

Head a few kilometres east of the old city and you hit Lara, which is where Antalya's resort district properly kicks in. The beach is long, sandy and well looked-after — the kind of fine golden sand that does actually look like a postcard, which is either charming or slightly unsettling depending on your mood. The hotels along the strip are enormous all-inclusives, but the beach stays public for its entire length, so you can walk straight down and set up without being a guest at any of them. The waves here tend to have a bit more energy than at Konyaaltı, which suits anyone who likes feeling the sea push back a little. At the northern tip, the Düden River drops straight off a cliff into the Mediterranean — a proper waterfall tumbling into the sea. Catch it at golden hour from the beach below and it's one of those sights you end up describing to people for years.

Phaselis — Ancient Ruins and Three Bays

About 55 kilometres south of the city, Phaselis is the kind of place that makes you wonder why more ancient civilisations didn't just build everything next to a beach. It's a Lycian harbour city, and inside the archaeological park there are three separate bays you can actually swim from — pine-covered hills rolling right down to the water on all sides. The northern bay is the calmest and clearest, great for snorkelling over the rocky sea floor if you've brought a mask. The southern bay has a longer sandy strip and catches the afternoon sun perfectly. To get to the water at all, you walk through the ruins — past Roman aqueducts and a colonnaded main street — which makes the whole thing feel genuinely surreal. It's one of those rare spots where the swimming and the history are equally good rather than one being an excuse for the other. Go on a weekday if you can manage it, because weekends bring coachloads from the city and the place transforms entirely.

Kaputaş Beach — The Wild Card of the Coast

Kaputaş sits just over the Antalya province border, but it's under two hours from the city and absolutely earns its place on this list. The beach is at the bottom of a narrow gorge, and to reach it you descend 187 steps cut directly into the cliff face — not ideal if you've packed heavy, but worth every stumble. The beach itself is small, maybe 90 metres of sand at a generous estimate. What stops people in their tracks is the colour of the water: a brilliant emerald green that photographers have been trying and failing to capture accurately for decades. Something about the gorge walls and the light just defeats cameras. Those same gorge walls also funnel cool air down onto the sand even on the hottest afternoons, which feels like cheating in the best possible way. Space is genuinely limited, so arriving early isn't a suggestion — it's the only strategy that works. The coastal road to get here is also worth mentioning: one of the most dramatically scenic drives in the whole of southern Turkey, all cliff edges and dizzying sea views.