Turkey: where turquoise seas meet ancient stories
Some holidays are all about switching off.
You find a beautiful beach, unpack your suitcase, order something cold to drink and spend the next few days doing very little.
And then there are places where you somehow end up doing all of that and exploring ancient ruins, eating your way through local markets, jumping on a boat and discovering places you didn’t even know existed.
For us, Turkey is exactly that kind of destination.
One morning you can be walking between ancient Roman ruins, trying to imagine what life looked like thousands of years ago. A few hours later, you are in the Mediterranean Sea, watching the kids build sandcastles or racing them down a water slide.
That combination is what makes Turkey such a lovely destination for families.
There are beautiful beaches, fantastic food, friendly people, impressive historical sites and resorts where children can quite happily spend an entire day in the pool. And the best part? You don’t necessarily have to choose between adventure and relaxation.
Welcome to our Turkey travel guide – the places we love, the things we would do with kids and the practical tips that can help you plan your own family adventure.
Why Turkey works so well for families
When we plan a family holiday, we always look for roughly the same things.
Can the kids have fun?Can we
actually relax sometimes?Is there enough to see and do?
And, preferably, can we do all of that without spending a fortune?
Turkey ticks a lot of those boxes.
☀️ Warm Mediterranean weather
🏖️ Beautiful beaches
🏛️ Thousands of years of history
🍴 Food that even our pickiest eaters can usually find something from
💦 Resorts with pools, slides and kids’ clubs
🚤 Plenty of adventures
💰 Good value compared with many other European holiday destinations
The Turkish Riviera is particularly good for families. Antalya, Belek and Side are all quite different, but they work brilliantly together if you want to combine a little bit of everything.
And honestly, that’s what we like most about travelling in this part of Turkey.
You don’t have to plan every day.
Sometimes a morning exploring ancient ruins followed by an afternoon by the pool is all you need.
Antalya: more than just the airport
For many families, Antalya is the place where a Turkish holiday begins.
Most flights arrive here, but it would be a shame to simply collect your luggage and head straight to the resort.
Antalya itself is worth exploring.
We especially love Kaleiçi, the old town. Its narrow streets, old Ottoman houses, little cafés and historic buildings make it feel completely different from the modern resort areas.
And then there is Hadrian’s Gate.
Walking through an ancient Roman gate with your children is one of those moments when history suddenly becomes a little more interesting than it was in the school books.
One minute you’re wandering through the old town, the next you’re sitting down for an ice cream with views towards the Mediterranean.
That’s the kind of sightseeing we like with kids – a little bit of history, a little bit of wandering and a very good reason to stop for ice cream.
Antalya is also a great base for exploring the surrounding area. You can visit waterfalls, take a boat trip or head out to some of the ancient sites nearby.
👉 Read our complete family guide:
Antalya with Kids: Beaches, Old Town & Family Adventures
When we book flights, we always like to compare different airlines and dates before making a decision. For that, we often start with Skyscanner, especially when we’re travelling as a family and the difference between two flight dates can make quite a difference to the total price.
Belek: when the resort becomes part of the holiday
If Antalya is about exploring, Belek is where you can properly slow down.
Belek is famous for its large family resorts, beautiful beaches, swimming pools and – most importantly when you’re travelling with children – water slides and entertainment.
Sometimes you just need a holiday where nobody has to get in the car.
The kids can disappear to the pool, join an activity or go down the slides for the hundredth time, while you finally get to sit down with a coffee.
That is one of the things that makes Belek so popular with families.
But don’t make the mistake of thinking Belek is only about resort life.
There is plenty of history nearby too. Perge and Aspendos are both fantastic places to visit and make a great contrast to a day at the resort.
We love that combination.
A morning walking through Roman ruins, followed by lunch and an afternoon in the pool?
Yes, please.
👉 Discover more:
Belek with Kids: The Ultimate Family Resort Guide
Side: where the ancient world meets the sea
And then there is Side.
Side is one of those places that immediately makes you stop and look around.
Ancient columns stand close to the sea. The Temple of Apollo rises above the coastline, and the old harbour and Roman ruins are right in the middle of the town.
It feels almost strange to see children running around with an ice cream while you’re standing next to something that is thousands of years old.
But that’s exactly what makes Side so much fun with kids.
History isn’t hidden away in a museum. You can walk through it, climb around it and imagine what the town must have looked like centuries ago.
And when everyone has had enough of sightseeing, the beach is right there.
Side also has plenty of wide, family-friendly beaches, restaurants and places where you can sit down at the end of the day and watch the sun go down.
For us, that combination of beach and history is what makes Side so special.
👉 Read our full destination guide:
Side with Kids: Ancient Ruins, Beaches & Hidden Gems
Things to do in Turkey with kids
One of the things we love about Turkey is that you don’t need to follow a packed itinerary.
One day can be completely different from the next.
Spend a day at the beach
The Mediterranean coastline is beautiful, with clear, warm water and plenty of beaches where families can settle in for the day.
Some of the beaches worth looking at include:
🏖️ Lara Beach near Antalya
🏖️ Belek Beach
🏖️ Side East Beach
🏖️ Konyaaltı Beach
Many have sunbeds, restaurants and activities nearby, which makes life considerably easier when you’re travelling with children.
Because let’s be honest – sometimes the best family activity is simply doing absolutely nothing for a few hours.
Explore ancient cities
Turkey is fantastic if your children enjoy exploring.
Aspendos is home to one of the best-preserved Roman theatres, while Perge is filled with impressive ruins and ancient streets.
And then there is Side, where you can combine ancient history with a beach day.
🏛️ Aspendos – an incredible Roman theatre
🏛️ Perge – a fascinating ancient city
🏛️ Side Ancient City – history right beside the sea
What we like about visiting these places with kids is that they can actually interact with what they see.
They can walk through the ruins, look for interesting details and imagine what people were doing there thousands of years ago.
And if their attention span runs out?
That’s usually the moment for an ice cream.
Choose your activities here and get an extra 5% discount.
Take a boat trip
If you ask the kids what they remember most from a holiday, it isn’t always the big sights.
Sometimes it’s the day we spent on a boat.
The Turkish coast is perfect for this.
From Antalya and Side, you can book boat trips that take you to quiet bays and beautiful stretches of coastline. There is usually plenty of swimming, a chance to jump into the turquoise water and, depending on the trip, lunch on board.
For children, being allowed to jump off a boat into the sea is already an adventure.
For parents, it’s a pretty good way to spend a day too.
🐬 Swim in hidden bays
🏝️ Discover little beaches
🍴 Have lunch on the water
🌊 Jump into the Mediterranean
And these are often the moments that stay with everyone long after the holiday is over.
Turkish food: one of the best parts
Let’s talk about food.
Because one of the easiest ways to make a family holiday better is to go somewhere where everyone can find something they like.
Turkey is brilliant for that.
There is plenty for adventurous eaters, but also lots of simple dishes for children who aren’t quite ready to try everything.
Think:
🥙 Fresh gözleme
🍢 Kebabs
🍚 Rice dishes
🍉 Fresh fruit
🍦 Turkish ice cream
🥗 Mezze
And then there is breakfast.
A Turkish breakfast isn’t just something you eat quickly before heading to the beach. It’s practically an event.
Fresh bread, cheese, olives, eggs, fruit, jams and plenty of tea are usually spread across the table.
It is the kind of breakfast where you sit down thinking you’ll only have a little something and somehow you’re still eating half an hour later.
And nobody is complaining about that.
Where to stay in Turkey with kids
There is a huge choice of family accommodation around Antalya, Belek and Side.
And this is where it pays to think about what kind of holiday you actually want.
If you’re travelling with younger children, a resort with a kids’ club, several pools and water slides can make life incredibly easy.
If you prefer exploring, you may want a smaller hotel where you’re not paying for facilities you won’t use.
When we compare family hotels, we usually look at:
✔ Family rooms or connecting rooms
✔ Swimming pools and water slides
✔ Kids’ clubs
✔ Beach access
✔ Restaurants with child-friendly options
✔ Reviews from other families
We usually compare hotels through Booking.com because it makes it easy to look at different room types, locations, facilities and reviews in one place.
And if you’re looking for a resort we know and love:
Our go-to resort: MegaSaray
For families who prefer a little more independence, apartments and smaller hotels can be a great alternative too.
When is the best time to visit Turkey?
One of the reasons Turkey works so well for a family holiday is its long season.
Spring – April to June
This is a lovely time for exploring.
Temperatures are generally comfortable for sightseeing, there are fewer crowds and you can spend plenty of time outside without the intense summer heat.
Summer – July and August
If your main priority is sunshine, swimming and beach days, summer is hard to beat.
It can get very hot, though, so keep that in mind if you’re planning lots of sightseeing with children.
Autumn – September and October
This is probably our favourite period for a family trip.
The sea is still warm, the weather is usually lovely and the busiest summer crowds have started to disappear.
It can be a really nice balance between beach weather and exploring.
How to get around Turkey
Most families visiting the Turkish Riviera will fly into Antalya Airport.
From there, it is relatively easy to reach the main holiday areas:
✈️ Antalya Airport → Antalya
✈️ Antalya Airport → Belek
✈️ Antalya Airport → Side
For airport transfers, tours and activities, we like using GetYourGuide to compare what’s available before travelling.
Get an extra 5% discount on activities here:
Turkey: a family adventure waiting to happen
What surprised us most about Turkey is just how easy it is to combine completely different types of holidays.
You can spend one day learning about Roman history and the next day doing absolutely nothing beside the pool.
You can wander through the streets of Antalya with an ice cream in your hand, explore ancient ruins in Side, spend the afternoon swimming in the sea or let the kids loose in a Belek water park.
And that is exactly why Turkey works so well for families.
It doesn’t force you to choose.
You can have the beach holiday.
You can have the adventure.
You can have the history.
And you can have the lazy days where everyone is happy because nobody has anywhere they need to be.
From the lively streets of Antalya to the family resorts of Belek and the ancient coastline of Side, there is always another little adventure waiting around the corner.
So pack the sunscreen, leave a little room in the suitcase for Turkish sweets and get ready to explore.
Because Turkey isn’t just somewhere you go for a holiday.
It is a place where family memories are made.
More Turkey inspiration from Travelicious
If you’re planning a family trip to Turkey, don’t stop here. We’re building a whole collection of Turkey guides to help you plan your trip:
👉 Antalya with Kids: Beaches, Old Town & Family Adventures – coming in week 38
👉 Belek with Kids: The Ultimate Family Resort Guide – coming in week 39
👉 Side with Kids: Ancient Ruins, Beaches & Hidden Gems – coming in week 40
And if you’re still deciding where your next family adventure should take you, have a look through our Travelicious Family Travel Guides for more inspiration.
