Belek or Side? Which Resort Suits Your Holiday

• Belek is a coast of large resort hotels in pine woods, with golf courses just inland and a small town in the middle. You come for the hotel, the beach and – often – the golf.
• Side is an old harbour town on a small peninsula, full of Roman-era ruins, with resort areas stretching along sandy beaches on both sides. You come for the beach and for evenings among the columns.

If you rarely leave the hotel, both work, and Belek saves you more than half an hour on each airport transfer. If you like to walk out of the hotel to explore, Side gives you more to do on foot.

Belek and its neighbours are the nearer option:

• Kadriye ≈ 29 km, ≈ 33 min
• Belek ≈ 33 km, ≈ 40 min
• Boğazkent ≈ 43 km, ≈ 46 min

The Side area is roughly twice as far:

• Evrenseki ≈ 60 km, ≈ 70 min
• Çolaklı ≈ 61 km, ≈ 71 min
• Kumköy ≈ 62 km, ≈ 72 min
• Side ≈ 65 km, ≈ 75 min
• Titreyengöl ≈ 71 km, ≈ 82 min
• Sorgun ≈ 74 km, ≈ 84 min

These are typical times; summer traffic can add a little. Live prices for both are on the Antalya Airport to Belek and Antalya Airport to Side route pages.

Both resorts have long, sandy beaches that slope gently into the water, which is why both are well liked by families. In Belek the beach runs in front of a near-continuous line of hotels, so each hotel's stretch feels like its own. In Side the hotel areas – Kumköy, Çolaklı, Sorgun, Titreyengöl and Evrenseki – line the shore east and west of the old town, and around the town itself there are public beaches where you can simply walk in.

If you want to swim from a beach you can reach without a hotel wristband, Side makes that easier. If you want the beach right outside your room and do not care about anything else, both deliver.

Belek is the golf coast of Turkey: most of the region's courses are here, close to the hotels. Away from golf, evenings are mostly spent at the hotel or in Belek town, and the Land of Legends theme park in Kadriye is an easy outing. The ancient theatre of Aspendos lies inland between the two resorts and is reachable from either; see our Aspendos guide.

Side is the stronger choice for history and atmosphere. The old town has a Roman theatre, the columns of the Temple of Apollo by the harbour, and lanes of shops and restaurants that are busy into the evening. Manavgat town and its waterfall are close by, and there are boat trips on the Manavgat river.

• Families with small children: both suit you. Belek's shorter transfer is a real advantage with tired toddlers; Side offers more to see together once the children are a bit older.
• Couples: Side, for sunset walks around the temple and dinner in the old town. Couples who simply want a quiet resort week can be just as happy in Belek.
• Golfers: Belek, without question – read our golf holiday transfer guide.
• First visit to Turkey and curious: Side, because you can see something of the country's past without a long excursion.
• Short break of three or four nights: Belek, because less time on the road leaves more time on the sunbed.

You do not have to choose. The two resorts are neighbours on the same coast road, and splitting a two-week holiday – a week of golf or rest in Belek, then a week by the sea in Side – is easy to organise. Book a hotel-to-hotel transfer for the changeover day, with the same fixed price per vehicle and no extra charge for luggage. Our guide to a two-centre holiday with a hotel change explains how to time check-out and check-in.

If you stay in one resort, a day trip to the other works well too: a private car with driver from Belek to Side old town, or from Side to Belek for a round of golf, with pick-up and return times agreed when you book.

Whichever you choose, the airport transfer runs the same way. Your driver waits in the arrivals hall with a name sign, follows your flight so a delay does not matter, and takes only your party – no stops at other hotels. Pick a Minivan for up to 6 people, a VIP Mercedes-Benz Vito for up to 7, or a Mercedes Sprinter for groups of 8–16.

You get a fixed-price quote within a minute on WhatsApp or through the booking form, with no prepayment and free cancellation. The price is per vehicle, includes luggage and child seats on request, and is the same day or night. Book the return at the same time; from Side, allow the longer drive when you plan your pick-up for the flight home.