Turkey in November, or catching summer by the tail.

23 November 2025 • Travel time: with 09 November 2025 on 15 November 2025

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In recent years, Turkey has become for Ukrainians not only a place of rest, but also a country of reunion of families, who were separated by war. Having the experience of staying on the Antalya coast in mid-October last year, I understood that vacation in Turkey in October is absolutely comfortable, moreover, it has some advantages compared to the summer months. But life circumstances were such that the trip for a joint vacation this year was planned for the second week of November, which imposed additional thoughts about which country to choose for a meeting and vacation, so that it was possible to combine both beach and sea pleasures with an interesting excursion program and the color and self-sufficiency of the city of stay itself. It is not difficult to guess that the choice was between Turkey and Egypt. I will not tell all the subtleties of this battle, but the Turkish Alanya won it, which, as the southernmost resort on the coast, met all the expected requirements. Moreover, Alanya is a fairly large Turkish city where life does not stop all year round, unlike Kemer, where the atmosphere of post-season decline was already expected.

The choice is made, it's time to fill it with specific actions, namely the purchase of plane tickets to Antalya from Chisinau, as well as a bus to the main Moldovan airport. There were no special problems with this issue, especially at this time of year the price of plane tickets was moderate, somewhere around $ 80 per person both there and back, unlike October last year, where the price for a return flight reached $ 200. The price of tickets to Chisinau from the proven carrier Gal Trans has not increased over the past year, and was 1200 hryvnia per person. Well, having purchased plane and bus tickets, you need to choose a hotel for accommodation and rest. As they say, Booking is here to help you. The criteria for choosing a hotel were its location in the central part of Alanya near Cleopatra Beach, all-inclusive meals, so that there would be no unnecessary hassle and expenses with this issue, and reviews of tourists this year, and of course the price. There weren't many hotels that met these criteria, so the choice wasn't difficult, we stopped at Alaiye Kleopatra Hotel, and the hotel met all expectations. We booked two standard rooms for four people for six nights, at a price of about 48.000 hryvnias, a four-star hotel. The rooms are very small, but one of the advantages was that they were paired, the hotel workers opened the doors that separate them and it was convenient to use two rooms. Of the advantages of the hotel, I can emphasize good Wi-fi, both on the territory of the hotel and on the beach, which is located 100 meters from the hotel, as well as very polite and attentive staff. I don't want to dwell on the hotel in particular, because I already made a review of it on Turpravda.

Cleopatra hospitably welcomes guests of Alanya

View of Alanya from the observation deck.

Cleopatra Beach on the day of arrival.

Cable car in Alanya.

Ataturk Avenue near the hotel at dawn.

Kleopatra Hotel.

And now about the main thing - is it possible to organize a full-fledged vacation on the Antalya coast in mid-November, and what are its features at this time of year? First, about the weather, which is the main factor in a pleasant resort vacation by the sea. The daytime temperature was mostly 24-26 degrees, very comfortable for beach vacation, walks and excursions. Apart from T-shirts, warmer clothes were used only once on a jeep tour to the canyon. The night temperature was close to 20 degrees, after the rain 18, so there was almost no need for warm clothes on evening walks. During the seven days of stay, the rain interfered with the beach vacation only one day, but shopping, billiards and hammam were a worthy alternative. The weather was mostly calm, sometimes completely calm, so the sea was gentle and clean, and only on the day of departure did the wind pick up, it became fresher, and swimming was uncomfortable.

The sun alternated with a little cloudiness, it was possible to sunbathe during the day without the risk of burns. Unlike the summer period, a beach holiday in November is most appropriate from 10 am to 4 pm, although if desired, it is possible to swim from the very morning, meeting the dawn. By the way, the water temperature was close to 23 degrees, we swam with pleasure, and only in the morning there was a need to use a towel after the sea. Cleopatra Beach does not need special advertising, in November it is for obvious reasons uncrowded, mostly vacationers in the Damlatas area, but the volleyball and tennis courts are not empty, where some cafes even arrange beach discos. Near the beach area of the city, almost all cafes and restaurants continue to work, going deeper from the shore, I saw closed restaurants. Neither the elderly nor children neglect swimming in the sea. A beach holiday in November is perceived as a special pleasure, not as an escape from the summer heat.

Exit to the hotel beach.

You won't see anything like this in November.

I meet the dawn on the beach.

Sunset is a special atmosphere.

A square near the beach.

The lighthouse is a landmark in Alanya.

But not just a beach. I can't imagine a stay in another country without excursions and new experiences. While the weather forecast was favorable, our family team decided to celebrate our arrival with a sea trip on a pirate three-deck schooner. Those who wanted to get there gathered on two large schooners and one small one. The price of this sea adventure depends on when and where you buy flowers, it is most profitable to buy them directly at the port before the start, they cost us 15 euros per person. The walk lasts about 5-6 hours and includes a schooner ride along the Alanya fortress, which is the city's calling card, and the entire Alanya coast up to paradise beach, where one of the four open sea swimming takes place. After two swimming sessions, lunch is provided, the entire walk takes place to bright music. Soft drinks are free, beer and wine are for an additional fee. But the main highlight of this sea trip is the foam party, which is held after dinner. This is a very bright and incendiary event, it is almost impossible to be away from it. The international team of vacationers enjoys life to the fullest.

During our vacation, there was another bright excursion trip, and this was a jeep tour to the Sapadere canyon. In this unusual tour, everything was fascinating, the views from the observation decks, and banana plantations, and a driving ride on open jeeps, and charismatic tour guides, and the bright mountain nature of Turkey. The absolute highlights of the tour were a visit to a karst cave in the mountains, and the Sapadere canyon itself with numerous waterfalls. The impressions are incredible, many photos and videos were taken. And all this pleasure for only 20 euros per person, including lunch. I took a photo from the excursion booklet for the available excursions in Alanya, wishing to have the opportunity to get acquainted.

For all vacationers in Alanya, a visit to the Alanya fortress on the mountain, as well as the Red Tower near the port, is a must-see excursion route in this wonderful resort town. The climb to the fortress is possible in three ways - by cable car, by bus or taxi, and also on foot. The most convenient way is to go up by bus (route 4), and then go down on foot, so that you can enjoy the numerous views that open from the Alanya mountain.

Port in Alanya.

During a boat trip.

View of the red tower from the sea.

View of the Alanya Fortress

A stop for swimming during a boat trip.

A foam party in full swing.

Banana plantations near Alanya.

Jeep drive during a trip to the canyon.

The greatness of Turkish nature.

Karst cave.

Sapadere Canyon.

Upper waterfall in the canyon.

In addition to beach holidays, excursions, city walks and hotel entertainment, being in Turkey, shopping at local markets and shops is not just a pleasure. At this time of year, shops selling clothes and shoes looked quite unattractive, because there were things in stock that were not sold out during the season. Sellers are sad, some shops are not working at all, but sometimes you can get a good product with significant discounts. Bargaining with local sellers is a separate kind of pleasure, you must do it, because the starting prices are very high. But the real oriental abundance in November can be seen at the food markets. The variety of local vegetables, fruits, spices is amazing, tangerines and olives are simply piled up in mountains, the prices for some products are ridiculously low. By the way, at the moment, the exchange rate of the Turkish lira and the Ukrainian hryvnia to the dollar is the same, so it was not difficult to compare prices and calculate. I won't compare all the prices for products, I'll just say what is worth buying in Turkish markets and stores. These are olives and olive oil, tangerines, pomegranates, seasonal vegetables, some spices, Turkish tea, and of course Turkish sweets. I even found out that seedless pomegranates are grown near Alanya, I really wanted to see this miracle, but it turned out that it's not the season for them yet. In the central part of Alanya there are two large food markets, the so-called Tuesday and Friday markets, where local farmers gather.

In addition to local food markets, in Turkey it is worth visiting local pharmacies, where, as it turns out, the prices for some medicines and vitamins are much lower than in Ukraine. To take advantage of this, you must first go to the Turkish medicines website, find the necessary medicines by active ingredient in the search engine, and then find out the trade names of the medicines, as well as their prices. Unlike Ukrainian pharmacies, the prices for medicines in Turkish pharmacies will always be the same, and coincide with the prices on the website. I leave a link to the website -https://www. ilactr. com/.

Alanya Market on Tuesdays.

>> />Excursion booklet.

This could be the end of the story about a vacation in November on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, but I think it is appropriate to leave some travel notes and give some advice.

Now it's time to sum up. A vacation on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey in November is not only possible, but has a number of advantages compared to a vacation in the summer. Firstly, most hotels from the second half of October begin to reduce prices for their services, air carriers too, so the price becomes reasonable, there are sales and discounts in stores. Secondly, the summer heat disappears, while the air and sea temperature remains comfortable for a beach holiday, and the tourist infrastructure in large resort cities, such as Antalya, Side, Alanya, remains fully operational. Life dies down only in small resort towns. Among the advantages of vacationing at this time of year is the absence of crowds of tourists, and this is important both for a beach holiday and for visiting various establishments and locations. And if you have chosen a hotel that operates on an all-inclusive system, and has an indoor pool, hammam, billiards, and other entertainment in its structure, you will be able to have a good time in any weather. Among the disadvantages of a holiday in November, of course, there will be a short daylight hours, a decrease in the activity of animators in hotels, so you need to make an effort and imagination to have a good time in the evening. Also, November is the end of the season, so all kinds of repair and construction work are intensified, which may interfere with your vacation. Summing up, it can be said that for those who want a comfortable vacation on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey at a reasonable price, the second half of October and the first half of November at large resorts are ideal for this.

I wish everyone a peaceful life, the opportunity to travel, successful journeys and pleasant impressions.

Greetings from the author.

Translated automatically from Ukrainian. View original