When it comes to great value holiday destinations, Turkey’s got the wow-factor in more ways than one. Straddling Asia and Europe, this place is packed to the rafters with poster child beaches, adrenaline-pumping attractions and left-behind landmarks.
You can’t really make a wrong turn along Turkey’s coastline – that’s how many A-star beaches there are. For starters, you’ve got the Aegean Coast, AKA the west coast, which takes in Bodrum, Izmir and Kusadasi. This curls around to the stunning Turkish Riviera – a chunk of shoreline sandwiched between Antalya and Fethiye. All the beaches here are Mediterranean Coast beauties. Look at Lara Beach, for example – with its long golden sands and glitzy hotels for top-notch package holidays.
Beaches aside, Turkey’s got lots of tourist-pleasing tricks up its sleeve. In Dalaman, Olu Deniz is home to one of those rare finds that actually lives up to the tourist board hype – the Blue Lagoon. And there are plenty more natural assets to track down – after all, this massive country has its fair share of mountains and diving hotspots, too. Meanwhile, Belek provides the golf courses and Bodrum sorts the raucous nightlife.
You can spice up your beach holidays with city breaks in Turkey. This place is a history buff, with tonnes of ancient cities on its books. Antalya is an old-new hybrid, with souvenir-stacked bazaars, museums and a swanky marina. Side turns it up a notch with an amphitheatre, Roman baths and a Greek temple. Or you can really wind the clock back at the classical City of Ephesus.
Finally, there’s Antalya, the gateway to the Turkish Riviera. This region has 400 miles’ worth of beach to its name, and is home to resorts like Side and Belek.
;img.crop(width:658%2Cheight:370))
