If you’re not quite ready to let go of summer, this city could be your perfect escape. Located on Turkey’s stunning Turquoise Coast, this vibrant Mediterranean city offers golden beaches, crystal-clear waters, and sun-drenched days well into the autumn months. According to WeatherTravel, Antalya sees average daily highs of around 31C in September, making it an ideal destination for those looking to extend their summer in the sun.
Beyond the beautiful weather, Antalya is a destination filled with history and culture, where bustling bazaars meet ancient ruins, and white-sand beaches. This can be seen as soon as one ventures down the narrow, cobbled streets of Kaleiçi, the charming old town filled with Ottoman-era architecture.
Other key sites include the iconic Hadrian’s Gate and the incredible Perge Antik Kenti, one of the best-preserved archaeological sites in the world.
Another must-see is Aspendos, home to one of the world’s best-preserved Roman theatres. Still used today for concerts and performances, this awe-inspiring structure seats up to 15,000.
A bit further inland, visitors can explore the ancient city of Termessos, dramatically perched high in the Taurus Mountains.
The city is also home to the stunning Düden Waterfalls that fall dramatically into the sea and beautiful beaches like Lara Beach,Turkey’s longest stretch of sand, where soft shores and turquoise waves seem to go on forever.
You can also head to Konyaaltı Beach, where the sands are backed by majestic mountains and lined with beach clubs, restaurants, and a charming promenade.
In the evenings, you can enjoy a traditional meze dinner by the harbour, or sip Turkish tea at a cliffside café overlooking the sunset.
UK travel blogger Alice, from Adventures of Alice, described Antalya as the ultimate late-summer escape, even calling it the “hottest place in Europe to visit in September.”
After spending a week there in late September, she described the city as “beautiful” and said she would “return again and again.”
Irina, from the Tripwis travel blog, also recommended visiting in September, writing: “September is a marvelous idea if you want to have a well-deserved beach vacation without the hordes of other holidaymakers around and at a reduced price.”
And a TripAdvisor user said: “August is too hot, too expensive, and too busy, so we go to Antalya towards the end of September. In the last 7 years we have had generally excellent weather – only a couple of wet days in all that time.”