Turkey
All-inclusive value on the Turquoise Coast, Cappadocia for the one photo everyone wants, and Istanbul for a city break with real weight to it.
- Flight from UK
- 4h to Antalya
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Currency
- Turkish lira (£ goes far)
- Time
- UK +2h (+3h in winter)
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Turkey is one of the best-value beach destinations within a few hours of the UK, and it still feels like somewhere. The all-inclusive resorts on the Antalya coast are often competitively priced for the standard of hotel, and eating out, taxis and excursions are generally inexpensive for visitors.
Where to go
Antalya and Lara Beach — the all-inclusive heartland. Huge hotels, private beaches, kids' clubs, and resort prices that are often good value for the standard. If you want a resort holiday, start here.
Dalaman coast: Ölüdeniz, Fethiye, Marmaris — the prettier stretch. The lagoon at Ölüdeniz is the picture on the brochure; Fethiye is the working-town base with the best boat trips; Marmaris is the party option.
Bodrum — the smarter end. Whitewashed, expensive by Turkish standards, and where Istanbul goes for the weekend.
Cappadocia — inland, otherworldly, and the balloon flight at dawn is worth the 4am start. Fly to Kayseri or Nevşehir via Istanbul, or take it as a 2-night add-on.
Istanbul — a city break that outlasts a long weekend, with direct flights from many UK and European airports.
When to go
May, June, September and early October are the months. July and August are very hot on the coast and hotels charge accordingly. October on the Antalya coast is typically still warm, with the sea pleasant and the crowds gone — often the best-value time of year.
Booking it
For hotels, Booking.com lists most of the resorts on the coast and shows the cancellation terms on each rate, which matters when you're booking months ahead.
Search Antalya hotelsFor the Cappadocia balloon, book before you travel — flights sell out and are weather-dependent, so you want the earliest morning of your stay with a fallback.
Cappadocia balloon flightsGetting there
From the UK, direct flights to Antalya and Dalaman run from many airports in summer, including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Winter schedules are thinner and mostly serve Antalya from the larger airports. Turkey is also well connected from across Europe.
Search flights to Antalya