The Best Beaches
in Alanya

Alanya sits where the Taurus mountains tumble almost to the sea on the eastern end of the Turkish Riviera, and that meeting of mountain and shore is the whole character of the place. A great Seljuk castle crowns the headland that splits the town's two main bays, the water is warm and clear for half the year, and the sand on the best beaches is genuinely fine and pale. It is a coast built for an easy, good value beach holiday, and it has been one for decades.

The honest read is that Alanya wears its popularity openly. The central beaches are backed by a dense run of hotels, bars and sunbed operators, and in the height of summer they fill early and stay loud. None of that spoils the sand or the sea, which remain excellent, but a traveller who comes for nature rather than scene should know where to look. The pleasure here is choosing your stretch: the famous centre for energy, the quieter edges for calm.

For a slow, nature minded visitor the rewards lie a little out of town. West toward Avsallar, the long beach at Incekum runs beneath a genuine pine forest, the water shallow and gentle, the air resinous and shaded. East of the centre, Ulas Beach sits inside a pine picnic park where families barbecue under the trees, while the headland itself, with its caves and the old harbour, gives the coast a sense of history the resort strips lack. Behind it all the Dim river valley and the mountains offer a green counterpoint to the sand.

A word of care for the coast itself. The wider Turkish Mediterranean is important habitat, and quiet, undeveloped stretches matter, so keep off any roped dune or nesting area, take your litter with you, and favour the calm early hours. We have ranked the beaches below on the sand, the water, the setting and the crowd, with the honest verdicts you need, and each entry links to its full guide. Use the ranking to match the beach to the day you actually want, loud or quiet, central or wild.

If you want one easy, beautiful day, make it Cleopatra Beach in the shoulder season. The sand really is as fine as its reputation and the castle backdrop is special, and outside July and August you get all of that with room to lay a towel. Arrive in the morning, swim before the heat builds, and it is the loveliest beach in town by a clear margin.

For a calmer, more natural holiday, look to the edges. Incekum to the west, under its pine forest with shallow gentle water, is the standout for families and slow swimmers, while Ulas Beach and the long Keykubat sweep east of the headland give you space and a more local feel. These are the beaches that reward a traveller who would rather hear birdsong than a beach bar, and they sit only a short hop from the centre.

Be honest with yourself about the centre in high summer. From late June to the end of August the town beaches are hot, full and loud, the sunbeds packed tight and the sea busy, which is wonderful if you want energy and dreadful if you came for peace. If your trip falls in those weeks and you want quiet, base yourself near Incekum or Kargicak and treat the famous centre as a day visit rather than a daily haunt. Conditions and crowds are typical rather than guaranteed, and we make no promises about swimming safety, so always follow local flags and guidance.

The Alanya beach season runs from May to October. The peak is July and August, when the sea is at its warmest and the resort is at its busiest, with hot, dry days and the central beaches full from morning. These are the months for travellers who want energy, long evenings and a guaranteed swim, and who do not mind sharing the sand. Prices and crowds both climb to their highest here. The sweet spots are the shoulder months of May, June, September and October, when the water is still warm and inviting, the heat is gentler, and the beaches have far more room. October in particular holds a warm sea after the summer crowds have thinned, which makes it a favourite for a slower, calmer trip. From November to April the coast is mild and green and lovely for walking the headland and the Dim valley, but it is not beach weather, with cooler days and a sea most will find too cold for swimming. For a beach holiday that balances warmth and calm, aim for late spring or early autumn.

Alanya's beach scene runs more on sunbed operators and hotel beach sections than on glamorous standalone clubs, and along Cleopatra and Keykubat you will find rows of loungers and parasols to hire, with snack and drink service brought to your bed. They earn their keep on a hot day when shade and a cold drink matter, and they are a markup only if you forget that the public sand beside them is free for your own towel.

A handful of beachfront venues run a fuller day club style operation with music, food and loungers, mostly attached to the larger hotels, and these change hands and names with the season. Sunbed rates, opening status and any minimum spend vary and are best confirmed close to your dates, so we keep the live list on the directory and mark anything uncertain as to be confirmed. For the current lineup with notes on each, see our Alanya beach clubs directory, and tell us your dates and the kind of day you want so we can confirm what is open.