Turkey with Kids: Is Turkey Really Family-Friendly?
Before we went to Turkey with the girls, I had one of those questions that probably sounds a little silly now:
Is Turkey actually family-friendly?
Not “can you take children to Turkey?” Of course you can. Children are taken pretty much everywhere.
I mean: is Turkey the kind of place where you can actually relax as a parent? Where you don’t spend the entire holiday thinking about whether the restaurant has something your children will eat, whether the beach is suitable, whether the hotel is going to be chaos, or whether sightseeing with kids is going to end in everyone losing their minds?
After spending time there with our two girls, I can finally answer that question.
Yes. Turkey is very family-friendly.
And actually, I think that is one of the reasons we enjoyed it so much.
But Turkey with kids is not just about booking an all-inclusive resort, putting your feet up and never leaving the hotel. At least, it doesn’t have to be.
For us, Turkey turned out to be a combination of warm beaches, ancient ruins, boat trips, good food, enormous ice creams, friendly people and those little holiday moments that your children somehow remember much longer than you expect.
The first thing we noticed: Turkey loves children
There is something about travelling through Turkey with children that feels different.
Children are noticed.
People smile at them, talk to them and make a fuss of them. And while that might sound like a small thing, when you’re travelling as a family, those little interactions make a difference.
You don’t feel like you’re dragging two small people around while everyone else is trying to have a peaceful holiday.
Instead, the girls were part of the experience.
And that made travelling around feel much easier.
Of course, Turkey is not magically stress-free. There are busy roads, hot afternoons, crowded places and the occasional moment when one child is hungry and the other one has suddenly decided that walking is no longer an acceptable form of transport.
That’s family travel anywhere.
But Turkey gives you plenty of opportunities to balance those moments with something everyone enjoys.
And that is where the country really shines.
Beach days are easy with kids
Let’s start with the obvious one.
Turkey has some seriously beautiful beaches.
The Turkish Riviera is made for family holidays, especially around Antalya, Belek and Side. You can have the classic resort holiday with a huge pool, kids’ activities and a beach just a few steps away, or you can make things much more adventurous.
We experienced both sides of Turkey, and I think that’s what makes it such an interesting destination for families.
Our Antalya with Kids: Beaches, Old Town & Family Adventures is a good place to start if you want a destination that combines beach time with a little more exploring.
Antalya gives you that lovely combination of a real city, an atmospheric old town and access to the Mediterranean. You can wander through the streets of Kaleiçi, eat something delicious, head down to the water and then spend the afternoon doing absolutely nothing.
Which, let’s be honest, is sometimes exactly what children need.
And parents too.
Belek: when everyone just needs a holiday
Then there is Belek.
Belek was where we discovered the other side of family travel in Turkey: the holiday where you don’t have to organise every minute.
Huge resorts, swimming pools, slides, kids’ activities, restaurants and the beach all within easy reach.
There is something wonderfully lazy about it.
You wake up, have breakfast, someone asks for ice cream before 10am, you head to the pool, move to the beach, eat again, swim again and somehow it is already dinner time.
If that sounds like your kind of family holiday, our: Belek with Kids: The Ultimate Family Resort Escape in Turkey goes into much more detail about what makes Belek such an easy choice for families.
And sometimes easy is exactly what you need.
Especially when you’re travelling with children.
But Turkey isn’t just resorts
This is probably my favourite thing about Turkey.
You can have the big resort holiday, but you don’t have to stay inside that bubble.
Our girls loved the fact that there was always something different around the corner.
One day you are swimming in the Mediterranean.
The next you’re standing between thousands of years of history.
And then you’re eating something you have never tried before while someone is handing your child an ice cream the size of her head.
That combination makes Turkey much more interesting than simply being a beach destination.
Side is where history meets the beach
Side is a perfect example.
Imagine walking around ancient Roman ruins and then, a few minutes later, standing on a beautiful beach.
It feels slightly surreal.
The girls could see the remains of an ancient civilisation without us having to turn it into a three-hour history lesson.
That’s important when travelling with kids.
You don’t always need them to understand every historical detail. Sometimes it’s enough for them to look at an enormous ancient theatre and say, “How did they even build this?”
And suddenly they’re interested.
We wrote all about our experience in Side with Kids: Ancient Ruins, Beaches & Hidden Gems, including why Side is such a fun destination for families who don’t want to choose between culture and beach time.
Because in Side, you really don’t have to.
And then there was Suluada…
If there is one day that perfectly sums up why Turkey works so well for families, it might be Suluada.
People call it the Maldives of Turkey, and after seeing those turquoise waters for ourselves, I understand why.
We wrote the full story in Suluada: The Maldives of Turkey – A Family Day on the Turquoise Mediterranean, but the short version is this:
You get on a boat.
You sail across ridiculously blue water.
You stop to swim.
You eat lunch on board.
You swim again.
And the children are happy because, quite frankly, there is not much else to do.
No museum.
No queue.
No “please don’t touch that”.
Just water, sunshine and a boat.
Of course, a full boat day isn’t necessarily perfect for every child. It’s a long day, especially with younger kids, and the sun on the water can be intense. But for children who love swimming and adventure, it can become one of those holiday memories they talk about for years.
And ours certainly did.
The food might be one of the biggest reasons to visit
I have to mention the food.
Because travelling with children can sometimes make food complicated.
Turkey made it considerably less complicated for us.
There is so much variety that even if your child is a little fussy, there is usually something that works.
And then there is the fact that Turkish food is just really good.
Fresh bread.
Fruit.
Yoghurt.
Grilled meat.
Pide.
Pasta and rice for the cautious eaters.
And sweets everywhere.
Our oldest developed a serious love for simit in the morning. She would happily eat it warm, and then discovered that dipping it in fresh warm chocolate was apparently one of the greatest inventions in the history of breakfast.
She still talks about it.
Our youngest has an ice cream obsession, so Turkey was basically designed for her.
Everywhere we went there seemed to be another ice cream shop.
And Turkish ice cream is a little different from the scoop you might get at home. It is chewy, stretchy and often comes with a little bit of theatre from the person serving it.
Which means the children get ice cream and entertainment.
Win-win.
If you’re travelling to Turkey mainly for the food — and honestly, I wouldn’t blame you — have a look at our Turkish Food with Kids guide. We share some of the dishes our girls actually loved, rather than giving you a giant list of Turkish dishes they may or may not eat.
What about the heat?
This is probably the biggest thing I would keep in mind when visiting Turkey with children.
Turkey can get very hot, especially in July and August.
And I mean the kind of hot where walking around ancient ruins at midday suddenly feels like a terrible parenting decision.
We learned quickly that mornings and late afternoons are your friends.
Go exploring early.
Swim in the afternoon.
Have a long lunch.
Find some shade.
Eat ice cream.
Repeat.
It sounds like a pretty good holiday plan to me.
If you have very young children, I’d seriously consider travelling in the shoulder seasons rather than the absolute peak of summer. You’ll still get warm weather and beach time, but sightseeing can be much more enjoyable when you aren’t melting.
Is Turkey safe with kids?
Like anywhere, you need normal travel awareness.
We never felt that Turkey was somewhere we couldn’t travel with our children. Tourist areas are very used to families and the infrastructure around the major resorts is well developed.
The biggest challenges for us were much more ordinary:
the heat, the traffic and tired children.
You know, the usual.
The resorts around Antalya, Belek and Side are particularly easy because everything is geared towards tourism and families. That is one reason the Turkish Riviera has become such a popular family destination.
But I would still encourage you to get outside your hotel.
Even if you only do one or two trips.
Because that’s when Turkey starts to feel like a country rather than just a resort.
So, should you choose Turkey for your next family holiday?
If you’re looking for a destination where you can combine beaches, history, food and adventure, I would absolutely put Turkey on your list.
If you want to spend a week in a beautiful resort and never lift a finger, Turkey can do that too.
If your children love swimming, they will be happy.
If they love history, there are ancient ruins everywhere.
If they love food, you’ve got that covered.
If they love boats, beaches and adventures, there is plenty of that too.
And if they love ice cream…
Well.
You’re going to have trouble getting them home.
For us, that is what makes Turkey such a good family destination. It doesn’t force you to choose between a relaxing holiday and an interesting one.
You can have both.
Planning your Turkey family adventure?
If you’re thinking about visiting Turkey with your children, don’t stop with this article. We’ve travelled through different parts of the country and written separate guides to help you decide what fits your family best.
Start with our Ultimate Turkey Travel Guide – Beaches, History & Family Adventures for the bigger picture.
Then take a closer look at Antalya with Kids: Beaches, Old Town & Family Adventures, Belek with Kids: The Ultimate Family Resort Escape in Turkey and Side with Kids: Ancient Ruins, Beaches & Hidden Gems.
And if you want to see one of our favourite adventures, don’t miss Suluada: The Maldives of Turkey – A Family Day on the Turquoise Mediterranean.
Finally, come hungry and read Turkish Food with Kids before you go.
Our family travel tip
If you’re booking day trips and activities in Turkey, we like using GetYourGuide, to compare what’s available before we travel. It is especially useful when you’re travelling with children because you can check the duration, reviews and what’s included before committing to a full-day adventure.
And if you’re booking accommodation, compare family hotels and resorts in Turkey on Booking.com → so you can find somewhere that fits the kind of holiday your family actually wants.
Because the best family holiday isn’t necessarily the one with the most activities.
It’s the one where everyone comes home with stories to tell.
Read our FUN THINGS TO DO for more tips and inspiration.