If you’re wondering when to go for your beach vacation in Turkey for warm waters, then you should think about the summer months. The Turkey beaches are wonderful for most of the year, but the waters begin to seriously warm up around June and stay that way pretty much through about October. This is true of the Mediterranean and Aegean beaches, but it does not hold true for the beaches on the Black Sea. These waters north of Istanbul are cooled by the Dnieper River that starts in central Russia and flows through Ukraine and Belarus.

Many photos of Turkey highlight the historic attractions, but more and more are starting to showcase the gorgeous beaches along the coast. These Black Sea beaches in Turkey are wonderful if you are looking for tranquil, secluded stretches of sand and don’t necessarily have to have warm water. One of the loveliest of these is the beach at Sinop, which is an ancient city that was the eastern capital of the Byzantine Empire. Here are some very old mosques, an old castle fortress, and the ruins of a Roman temple that later became a Byzantine church.

The most popular and best beaches in Turkey are found along the Aegean and Mediterranean Turquoise Coast (also known as the Turkish Riviera) that stretches for almost 1,000 miles, from approximately Cesme on the peninsula just west of Izmir to Anamur a little to the east of Alanya. The major resorts are most crowded during July and August—not a bad thing if you’re also looking for the exciting nightlife in these areas. It is still possible to find long, secluded stretches of beach.

Turkey Map

One of the popular things to do here is charter a boat and go sailing for several days, both to the nearby islands of Greece as well as along the Turkish coast. When you do this, you can end up with a beach vacation in Turkey where you can go snorkeling and enjoy beaches in completely deserted coves and inlets.

The cities and attractions on and near the major resort beaches in Turkey are steeped in the country’s long and rich history. One example is Kusadasi, just south of Izmir with its popular Ladies Beach and the incredible ancient ruins of Ephesus.

One of the better known Turkey beaches is Oludeniz Beach, about five miles south of Fethiye. This long beach is known for its beautiful, crystal clear blue lagoon. Fethiye is only about 45 miles across the Mediterranean from the island of Rhodes. This means that Oludeniz, as well as Patara Beach (a bit further south of Fethiye) are both centers for charter sailing yachts. Patara is considered one of the best beaches in Turkey even though there are numerous others just as attractive. Along this section of the coast, mountains come down nearly to the sea. This makes for great air currents, which makes for fantastic hang gliding and parasailing

Callis Beach is also only about four miles from Fethiye, and is excellent for a family beach vacation in Turkey if you have children. About halfway between Bodrum and Fethiye, the resort of Marmaris sits at the head of a long peninsula that stretches to only about ten miles from the island of Kos, Greece. Here is Icmeler Beach, also popular for families as it is set in a calm enclosed bay.

Other Turkey Beaches include Lara Beach, a long stretch of white sand east of Antalya; Turtle Beach, near Dalyan that can only be reach by boat and is a breeding site for the endangered loggerhead turtles; and the secluded Cleopatra’s Beach of Alanya.