Compare · Turkey for British travellers
A Turkish Riviera classic: city-feel old town versus 130 km of value-led all-inclusive coast.
Antalya and Alanya are the two most-booked British package-holiday bases on the Turkish Riviera and clients ask us almost weekly which is the right choice. The honest answer is they are different holidays. Antalya is a working city of 2.6 million with a UNESCO-tentative old harbour (Kaleici), the best museum in southern Turkey, fast access to Aspendos and Perge, and a coastline of pebble city beaches and Lara sand strip. Alanya, 130 km east, is a long stretch of Mediterranean fronting an old crusader castle, with cheaper four-star half-board, livelier British nightlife at Cleopatra Beach and a 25-minute transfer from the small Gazipasa airport.
Our verdict
Pick Antalya for culture, food and a city-and-sea mix; pick Alanya for the lowest-cost four-star all-inclusive on the Med and a longer, sandier swim.
| Factor | Antalya | Alanya |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Couples, foodies, multi-gen families wanting a city-and-beach mix | Value families, repeat British clients, livelier evenings |
| Beach | Pebble at Konyaalti, sand at Lara (5 km strip) | 12 km of fine sand including Cleopatra Beach (Blue Flag) |
| Transfer time from UK arrival airport | 15 min from AYT | 2h from AYT or 25 min from GZP |
| Best four-star half-board (UK 7 nights, May 2026) | From £1,090 pp | From £790 pp |
| British nightlife | Moderate, focused on Kaleici bars | Lively, focused on Cleopatra Beach strip |
| Day-trip range | Aspendos, Perge, Antalya Museum, Duden waterfalls | Sapadere Canyon, Dim Cave, Manavgat Falls, Side ruins |
| Best for cruise add-on | Yes, Antalya Marina sails Olympos and Phaselis | Limited, mostly day-boats around Alanya castle |
| British direct flights | Daily ex-LGW, MAN, BHX, BRS, EDI, GLA, NCL | Daily ex-LGW, MAN, BHX, BRS via AYT or GZP (Pegasus) |
Antalya is largely city-pebble (Konyaalti has imported Blue Flag pebble) with the sandy Lara strip 12 km east where most all-inclusive hotels sit. Alanya is essentially a 12 km curve of fine sand split by the castle headland; Cleopatra Beach to the west is the famous Blue Flag, while Mahmutlar and Konakli to the east are quieter family strips. Families with toddlers usually prefer Alanya for sand; couples after a sunset cocktail prefer Antalya old harbour.
Antalya transfers are quick — 15 minutes to old town, 30 to 40 minutes to Belek, 1h 45m to Side. Alanya is 2 hours east of Antalya airport. The smart move for Alanya is the small Gazipasa-Alanya (GZP) airport which Pegasus flies to from Stansted seasonally; transfer drops to 25 minutes. We always check both AYT and GZP fares before quoting.
In Antalya we book the Lara strip (Delphin Imperial, Titanic Beach Lara, Rixos Downtown) for resort holidays, or boutique B&B in Kaleici (Hotel Tuvana, Mediterra Art Hotel) for couples. In Alanya we book Cleopatra Beach hotels (Sunprime Alanya Beach, Kleopatra Beach) for adult-only groups, and Konakli/Avsallar (Concorde De Luxe, Crystal Sunset, Justiniano Park) for families on five-star all-inclusive.
No — Alanya is generally 15 to 25 percent cheaper on a like-for-like four-star half-board. Flights are identical (you land at AYT in both cases) so the saving is purely on the hotel side. We see Alanya from £790 pp and Antalya from £1,090 pp for the same week in May 2026.
Antalya wins decisively. Kaleici is a 2,000-year-old walled harbour with the original Roman gateway (Hadrians Gate), Ottoman houses converted into boutique B&Bs, and the best fish-grill restaurants on the Med coast. Alanya old castle is dramatic on the headland but smaller and largely a day-trip from the beach.
Yes — we run a five-night Antalya plus three-night Alanya combination for clients who want both. Private transfer between the two is 2 hours and we co-book the hotels on a single ATOL-protected package. Recommended for second-time visitors.
Both are equally safe and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises normal travel. Antalya has more police presence due to city status; Alanya has dedicated British-tourist police booths at Cleopatra Beach. Stick to licensed taxis, sealed bottled water and reputable excursion operators (we vet all of ours).
Antalya, generally — flatter beaches at Lara, shorter transfers, English-speaking medical facilities and a wider choice of à la carte resorts. Alanya works for older travellers staying west of the castle (Konakli, Avsallar) but the central strip can be busy and noisier in summer.
A quick WhatsApp and we will quote both options side-by-side, ATOL-protected and TÜRSAB Licence #14817.
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