Turkey Seaside Resort Towns

This big port resort just south of Izmir makes the best base for visiting the Ephesus ruins. Town beaches are crowded; less congested sands grace nearby Dilek National Park. Explore the bars, restaurants, and souvenir shops. There are also daily ferries to Samos in Greece.

This favorite resort among yachters is a base for many gulet cruises. Enjoy the picturesque harbor lined with restaurants, and head to Bar Street to dance the night away; a bazaar overflows into adjacent streets. Daily ferries to Rhodes in Greece.

This lovely harbor town backed with mountains offers reminders of ancient Lycian civilization. The lively shopping bazaar conceals an ancient Turkish bath. Best beaches are at nearby Oludeniz, Calis, and Kabak. Great base for excursions to Saklikent Gorge and ruins of Pinara and Tlos.

This large port town has beaches at Lara and Konyaalti. Kaleici, the town center, has many inviting hotels and pensions as well as ancient mosques and Roman ruins. Excellent Antalya Museum houses finds from nearby Perge and Aspendos.

Modern beach resort clustered around a 13th-century Seljuk fort astride a hill. Close to Side, where dramatic Roman theatre and temples abut a brash shopping center. Find plentiful restaurants, discos, and bars, many with a Teutonic twist.

Small, fairly exclusive resort town set around a pretty harbor with a Roman theatre on its doorstep. Upscale shopping opportunities along cobbled, bougainvillea-draped Likya Caddesi. Boat trips to Kekova Island float above drowned Lycian ruins. Kayaking, paragliding, and scuba diving are all on tap.

Small but growing riverside resort overlooked by graceful, Lycian rock-cut tombs. Take advantage of daily boat trips to sandy Iztuzu Beach, a nesting place for Mediterranean loggerhead turtles. Wallow in mud baths at nearby Sultaniye or visit the ruins of ancient Kaunos.

Off-the-path island resort with sandy beaches, private wineries, and a vast medieval castle. Several boutique hotels inhabit restored Ottoman houses and an old schoolhouse. To get here, take a short ferry ride from the mainland, south of Canakkale.