Belek Travel Guide

Belek is a purpose-built resort area east of Antalya, made up of large, high-quality all-inclusive hotels along a wide sandy beach backed by pine forest. It is also Turkey’s golf capital, with more championship courses than anywhere else in the country. Most families come for the hotels themselves: kids’ clubs, aquaparks, several restaurants and long days by the pool and the sea. Belek is close to the airport and to some of the finest ancient sites on the coast, including the Roman theatre of Aspendos.

Why go to Belek

• For a hassle-free family holiday in a big all-inclusive resort.
• For golf: many championship courses, with the best playing season in spring, autumn and winter.
• For a short transfer: Antalya Airport is only 30–40 minutes away.
• For famous sights nearby: Aspendos, Perge, Side and the Köprülü Canyon.

🗺️ Plan your visit: Airport transfers · Compare the Antalya resorts · Side · Antalya

Top things to do in and around Belek

• Golf: Belek’s courses wind through pine forest close to the sea. Many hotels have their own course or offer golf packages.
• Land of Legends: a large theme park in Kadriye with water slides, rides and evening shows, popular with families.
• Aspendos: one of the best-preserved Roman theatres in the world, about 20–25 km away, with a Roman aqueduct nearby. Go early in the morning: there is little shade.
• Perge: a large Greco-Roman city with a stadium, baths and a long colonnaded street, about 30 km away.
• Köprülü Canyon National Park: rafting on the Köprü river, an old Roman bridge and mountain scenery, about an hour away.
• Sea turtles: loggerhead turtles nest on Belek’s beaches from about May to October. Respect the rules on lights and sunbeds after dark.

Beaches

A long, wide beach of sand and fine shingle runs the whole length of Belek, Kadriye and Boğazkent. Most of it lies in front of the hotels, and many hotel beaches hold Blue Flags for clean water. There are public access points, too.

Tours and activities

• Köprülü Canyon rafting.
• History tours to Aspendos, Perge and Side.
• Land of Legends tickets.
• Antalya city tour with a boat trip to the Düden waterfall.
• Golf packages and lessons.

Getting there

• Antalya Airport: about 30–35 km, roughly 30–40 minutes.
• Most guests arrive by hotel shuttle or private transfer. Local dolmuş minibuses run to Serik and Antalya, but the hotels are spread out.

Where to stay

• Belek beach strip: five-star all-inclusive resorts.
• Kadriye: large resorts near Land of Legends.
• Boğazkent: to the east, often slightly cheaper.
• Golf hotels are spread among them. There are very few small or boutique hotels in Belek.

When to go

May to October for beach holidays; the sea reaches about 27–28°C in August. October to May is the main golf season. Many hotels stay open all year.

What visitors say: practical tips

• In Belek your hotel is your holiday: choose it carefully.
• There is not much to walk to outside the resorts.
• Taxis are expensive, so book tours and transfers in advance through reliable operators.
• Visit Aspendos early in the day, and plan around the queues at Land of Legends.

Day trips from Belek

• Aspendos (20–25 km) and Perge (about 30 km).
• Antalya: the old town of Kaleiçi and the Düden waterfalls (about 40 km).
• Side (about 40 km).
• Köprülü Canyon (about 80 km).

Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Aspendos theatre by Lee Vilenski (CC BY-SA 4.0); Belek golf course by R-E-AL (CC BY-SA 3.0, colours adjusted); Köprülü Canyon by Anna Stavenskaya (CC BY-SA 4.0).