Cycling in Turkey: the newest cycling destination

Anyone who has followed professional cycling in recent years knows that Turkey has been working on becoming a cycling destination for several years now. With the Tour of Turkey and the Tour of Antalya Investment is being made in Turkey as a cycling country. In the meantime, the brutal Babadağ The climb has already taken its place in the collective memory. This climb is a pure misery of 18km, the hardest climb ever in an UCI race. Is there still something fun to experience for the average cyclist? Absolutely! We dug a little deeper into the matter and found a lot of fun and interesting places for a great cycling vacation! Are you going to cycle in Turkey too?

Cycling in Turkey at a glance

• Antalya: Turkey’s best-known road cycling destination, with flat coastal roads and mountains inland.
• Babadağ near Ölüdeniz: 18.2 kilometres at an average of 10.4%, with almost 1,900 metres of climbing. One of the hardest climbs in Europe.
• Izmir: on the Aegean coast, on the route of EuroVelo 8.
• Cappadocia: gravel riding among the rock formations and hot-air balloons.
• Best time: March to May and October to November. In summer the coast is too hot, in winter the mountains are cold.

Updated in October 2026 with the key facts and practical tips. The story below is our original article.

Sustainability

Just a small disclaimer: from the Netherlands and Belgium, Turkey is a flight destination. You can’t avoid it unless you want to take two days of train travel, with a lot of transfers and a somewhat unclear route between Vienna and Istanbul. This makes the combination of ‘sustainable’ and ‘cycling in Turkey’ more difficult, but one thing is certain: Turkey is doing everything to be a sustainable cycling destination. A lot of money is being invested in making hotels more sustainable and protecting nature. Mind-boggling numbers about the number of hotels that receive the government’s sustainability label. According to the experts, by 2030 every hotel will have this label. That makes cycling in Turkey suddenly interesting again.

Cycling from Istanbul

When you think of Turkey, you think of Istanbul and the Turkish Riviera. Istanbul still doesn’t have the most appeal for cyclists. A tour along the Bosphorus might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but there is a beautiful bike path on both the European and the Asian side. The tour through the ‘Istanbul Forest’ (who would have thought that I would ever write this) is also one to recommend. Away from the enormous crowds of this metropolis, you can still enjoy yourself wonderfully here. A unique piece of Turkey. You can also head to Izmir via Istanbul and Bursa for a longer trip.

Antalya and the surrounding area

The Turkish seaside resort of Antalya has been positioning itself for several years as a race bike destination par excellence. The hidden gem? The Babadağ, the monster climb that was also featured in the Tour of Turkey. Even the pros took more than 1.5 hours for just 18.2 kilometers. Almost 1900 meters of elevation gain. What does that mean? A Mortirolo of the highest order, you could say. The Babadağ is located a little further from Antalya than I am writing about right now, but it is still counted as part of the cycling area. You can also just ride with the elevator up. That saves a lot of hassle and you can also pick up some nice restaurants along the way. Closer to Antalya you’ll find beautiful routes along the Lycian coast, including around Kemer and Cirali.

Babadağ, Ölüdeniz, Turkey

• Distance: 18.2 km, Elevation: 1866 m, Average grade: 10.4 %

Izmir and its surroundings

Izmir has recently also made its mark. Not only because of its location on a new stretch of the Eurovelo Route 8 (EV 8). The city has also invested in its cycling tourism in other ways. In the end, no region can continue to rely on mass tourism as Izmir, Bodrum, Antalya and Alanya have done for years. Especially with the focus on sustainability, cycling in Turkey is an increasingly important topic. Izmir is also the name of the province where the city is located. Here you find beautiful cycling routes. Among other things, over the stretch of peninsula that lies west of the city. Here you get a large part of the Eurovelo 8. A few beautiful climbs, some old images of Ataturk. You won’t get any more Turkish.

Cappadocia

Even if you don't like racing bicycles, you can still have a good time in Turkey. Cappadocia, known for its beautiful images of hot air balloons above a sometimes desolate landscape, is also the ideal place for gravel cyclists.

Tips

• When you travel to Turkey to go cycling, always remember the weather. In the summer it is very hot there, especially on the coast. It is advisable to go inland during this time.
• There is a whole list of Bike-Friendly hotels. You can find them nicely grouped on the GoTurkiye website. Click on the link for the Bike-Friendly Hotels in Turkey
• Speaking of temperatures and climate: in the winter it is very cold in places like Ankara, but also in the mountains around Antalya. Just remember that this is a ski resort. So don't be fooled and go for the spring and autumn months.
• There is plenty to see for gravel enthusiasts too. Think of beautiful routes around Cappadocia.
• A convenient organization to book a trip or tour is Boostcamp

Questions about cycling in Turkey

How do you get there with your bike?

By plane: there are direct flights from the Netherlands and Belgium to Antalya, Izmir and Dalaman. Most airlines take a bike bag.

Are there bike-friendly hotels?

Yes, especially around Antalya. The Turkish tourist board GoTürkiye keeps a list of hotels with bike storage and services.

Routes, regions and practical info are on our destination page: Turkey.