Turkey’s tourist numbers, other than during the COVID epidemic, have been growing steadily through the first two decades of the 21st century. While temperatures do fall in the winter, there are usually 300 days of sunshine on the Aegean and Mediterranean coastlines each year. Part of this coastline is nicknamed “The Turquoise Coast”, which gives you a clue not only of the cloudless skies but also the clear blue and warm water surrounding the mainland. The resorts covered in this article have an international, regional airport with direct flights from Europe and the Middle East from spring until winter arrives.

Turkey also has an extensive Black Sea coastline where summer days are nice, but none of its resorts attracts travellers looking for a beach holiday. By all means, explore places like Sinop, which has always been popular with residents of Istanbul and Ankara. Sinop’s history and the history of other towns and cities as you head east to Trabzon and beyond to the Georgian border is certainly interesting. Likewise, the natural beauty of inland areas near the Black Sea merits investigation for a holiday but not for those seeking beaches and warm waters.

Here are 20 ideas of places to satisfy those looking for a beach and sea holiday. They begin at the midpoint of the Aegean coast and head south, then west to places east of Antalya to Alanya. Beyond Alanya, the coastline is still beautiful, but it is rugged, with sandy bays below…