Side is a pleasant Turkish town with an incredible mix of ancient ruins, and important historic places. Side beaches include modern beach resort amenities like bars, restaurants, and discos. The town is lined on both sides by wide, white sandy beaches which are perfect for sunbathing, making sandcastles and doing a variety of fun water sports. The great thing about Side is that you can spend all morning relaxing at the fantastic beaches in a posh, resort setting, and then in the afternoon, you can head inland and enjoy all of the fascinating ancient Roman and Greek features that made the town such an important one in the past. Basically, there are only two main beaches, both of which are very big and picturesque, the East Beach and the West Beach.

The East Beach

The East Beach is a long, wide, sandy beach that runs along the coast of Side until the inlet of the Manavgat River. There are plenty of amenities including umbrellas and lounge chairs to make your day at the beach as enjoyable as possible. The water is warm, but a bit rougher than that of the western beach,  but water sports such as fishing, water skiing, and parasailing are still popular with tourists. Be aware that during the tourist season, which occurs during July and August, this beach can get crowded, and it is not as nice as it is during other months.

The West Beach

This 30 kilometer stretch of sand goes from Side to Colaki. It is lined by great little restaurants and cafes, and is the more popular of the two beaches. The water is warm and shallow, and because of this, the West Beach is the best beach to bring young children as it is safer. Water sports at this beach include swimming, diving, snorkeling, water skiing and para sailing. There are also some great boat tours that travel around Side. Much of the year this beach is crowded, especially during tourist season, but if you get away from the crowds you can often find some nice, secluded spots, some of which are actually turtle beaches.

When To Go

Since so many people flood the area in July and August, it is better to visit the beaches of Side either before the tourist season begins, or after it ends. Until June, the weather and the water can be cold, so the best months to go are either June, September or October.