Belek Holidays 2025 from £270pp

Why go to Belek

Beaches, birdwatching and balmy temperatures… a Belek holiday is blessed with it all. Famous for its championship-level golf courses, white-sand beaches and rare bird sightings, this resort on Turkey's Turquoise Coast is an upmarket escape for golfers, couples and families alike.

Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, also known as the Turkish Riviera, has been a popular holiday hotspot for centuries. Belek, though, is a relative newcomer to the resort scene. Developed as a high-end golf resort in the 1980s, it now has dozens of glitzy four- and five-star hotels – many all-inclusive – as well as championship-tier golf courses, football training camps, tennis clinics, and swanky day spas for a little R&R.

Between the towns of Antalya and Side, Belek's beautiful beach runs for some 10 miles. Private resorts have made the most of the stunning real estate with a range of watersports including sailing, parasailing and jet skiing. This stretch of Turkey's Mediterranean Coast is also a popular nesting place for loggerhead and green turtles; to catch a glimpse of them, visit during the summer hatching season.

Beaches and golf aside, there's plenty of ancient history to explore on Belek holidays. This corner of Turkey has a wealth of ancient sites just a short drive from the resort. At Aspendos, some 11 miles inland from Belek, for example, you’ll an ancient amphitheatre dating back two millennia. It’s regarded as one of the best-preserved classical Roman theatres in the world.

While the theatre is accessible all year, the summer months are the best time to visit, when it hosts international opera and ballet festivals, as well as classical music concerts.

When to go to Belek

Like much of the Turquoise Coast, Belek is not short of blue skies and sun-drenched days – the resort has more than 300 days of sunshine each year. The summer months, between June and September, are generally regarded as peak season when temperature hover around 28C, sometimes reaching 35C in August. Thankfully, a gentle sea breeze keeps conditions comfortable, but hotel rates are at their highest.

The shoulder seasons of May and June or late September and October are also pleasant times to visit. The sun shines most days, rainfall is limited and temperatures reach up to 25C, meaning there is still plenty of sunbathing and golf to enjoy.

Low season runs from November through to March, when the mercury drops to the low teens and there's more chance of rain. Some of the hotels, bars and restaurants shut up shop for the season, but you’re most likely to find a cheap Belek deal.

What to do in Belek

Belek’s pristine golf courses, world-class tennis facilities and sandy beaches are the primary attraction for many tourists, but the resort is also close to Antalya's abundant natural and ancient sites. Step away from the fairway and explore the region's Roman temples, go white-water rafting through a national park or hike to one of Turkey’s prettiest waterfalls.

The Garden of Tolerance

It's not often you'll find a mosque, a church and a synagogue all in one spot, but Belek brings the three together beautifully at the Garden of Tolerance.

Unveiled in 2004, the religious centre reveals another side to the flashy resort-filled Belek. It symbolises the union of religion through love and tolerance and welcomes worshippers from all around the world.

Greek Temple of Apollo and Athena

Brush up on your ancient history by heading to Side, where it’s said Mark Antony first met Cleopatra by the Temple of Apollo and Athena. What’s left of the 1,800-year-old Roman temple is impressively intact and offers stunning views of Med. Head up at sunset for the best snaps.

While you wait for sundown, enjoy the town’s beach, pop in and out for cafes along the waterfront or barter for a bargain at the local shops. Side is less than an hour's drive along the coast from Belek.

Zeytintaşı Cave

Ancient Greek history not old enough for you? Go back further to the time of the dinosaurs at Zeytintaşı Cave. Located about 27km (17 miles) from Belek in the village of Akbaş, this natural cave system has been around since to the Jurassic-Cretaceous period.

A guided tour of the caves leads you past underground ponds and dozens of rare 'soda straw' rock formations (very fragile stalactites), which hang from the ceilings.

Kurşunlu Waterfall

The Antalya region is best known for its beach resorts, but head inland and you can adventure through stunning nature parks, pine forests and dramatic waterfalls.

A 35-minute drive from Belek, the Aksu River waterfall experience is a cool alternative to a day at the beach. Set in a mile-long canyon, you’ll pass small waterfalls and seven ponds on your way to the spectacular 18-metre-high Kurşunlu Waterfall.

Köprülü Canyon National Park

For even more adventure, try white-water rafting through Köprülü Canyon National Park, one of Turkey's premier rafting destinations.

An hour's drive inland from Belek, the dramatic canyon follows the winding route of the Köprülü River to take in geological formations, pass under Roman bridges and wander through pine and cedar forests.