Beaches in Istanbul: The Best Places to Swim an... Current section:
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Beaches in Istanbul: The Best Places to Swim and How to Get There

Pick from Istanbul’s 94 tested swimming areas by side, water class and bus or ferry, using the Health Ministry’s latest results.

ByHatice Kulali
13 min read Updated: October 18, 2026
Summarize with:
Illustration: a sand and pebble beach on the Sea of Marmara with striped umbrellas and a lifeguard tower, a white city ferry on the water and the domes and minarets of old Istanbul on the horizon
Illustration: a Marmara beach with the old city on the horizon.

Istanbul has 94 swimming areas, and the Health Ministry tests every one of them about every two weeks. In its latest classes, 79 are Excellent or Good and 7 are Poor. Choose your beach below by side, getting there and what you need, then check its water.

Istanbul beaches, in short · checked 17.10.2026

Check the class first, then pick the shore.

  • Best classes – Şile (21 of 23 areas Excellent), the Princes’ Islands (17 of 18), Silivri, Çatalca and Arnavutköy (all Excellent).
  • Blue Flag in 2026 – 3 areas: Yeniköy and Karaburun in Arnavutköy, and Kumluk in Silivri.
  • Poor class – 7 areas, among them Riva, Kısırkaya, Gümüşdere and two at Yeşilköy. Read an area’s class on the portal before you go.
  • Fees – İBB runs 14 beaches: Caddebostan 1 is the full-service one with a paid turnstile; the other 13 are public beaches.

Beach finder · 17 public beaches · 94 tested areas

Find a beach, then check its water

Pick a side, how you want to get there and what you need. Every card shows the Health Ministry’s class for 2025 and the latest 2026 sample. Switch to “All 94 areas” to see every tested area on the coast.

Side
Getting there
Must have

2 European side · Küçükçekmece · Marmara

Menekşe

  • GoodMenekşe Plajı Cankurtaran Kulesi ÖnüLast sample 7 September: Good
  • GoodMenekşe Plajı İskele ÖnüLast sample 7 September: Poor
  • SufficientMenekşe Plajı Sahil Parkı ÖnüLast sample 7 September: Good
Ground
Sand
Lifeguards
12
Showers
8

İBB beach, public model: open to the public with showers, changing cabins and toilets.

Getting there No İETT beach line names it. Plan it in the İETT trip planner or with Marmaray and Metro İstanbul.

Ministry portal page

3 European side · Avcılar · Marmara

Denizköşkler

  • GoodDenizköşklerLast sample 7 September: Good
Ground
Sand
Lifeguards
1
Showers
2

İBB beach, public model: open to the public with showers, changing cabins and toilets.

Getting there No İETT beach line names it. Plan it in the İETT trip planner or with Marmaray and Metro İstanbul.

Ministry portal page

5 European side · Büyükçekmece · Marmara

Albatros

Family pick
  • ExcellentAlbatros SahiliLast sample 7 September: Good
Ground
Concrete platform
Lifeguards
6
Showers
8

İBB beach, public model: open to the public with showers, changing cabins and toilets.

Getting there No İETT beach line names it. Plan it in the İETT trip planner or with Marmaray and Metro İstanbul.

Ministry portal page

6 European side · Silivri · Marmara

Kumluk

Blue FlagFamily pick
  • ExcellentKumluk MevkiiLast sample 7 September: Good
Ground
Sand
Lifeguards
12
Showers
15

İBB beach, public model: open to the public with showers, changing cabins and toilets.

İETT bus300300B300C300D300M

Ministry portal page

7 European side · Arnavutköy · Black Sea

Yeniköy

Blue Flag
  • ExcellentArnavutköy Yeniköy Halk PlajıLast sample 7 September: Good
  • ExcellentYeniköy Sahili Köpek Çiftliği ÖnüLast sample 7 September: Good
Ground
Sand
Lifeguards
11
Showers
3

İBB beach, public model: open to the public with showers, changing cabins and toilets.

İETT bus336K Yeniköy/Karaburun–Mescidiselam

Ministry portal page

9 European side · Sarıyer · Black Sea

Kısırkaya

  • PoorKısırkaya PlajıLast sample 7 September: Good
Ground
Sand
Lifeguards
4
Showers
5

İBB beach, public model: open to the public with showers, changing cabins and toilets.

Getting there No İETT beach line names it. Plan it in the İETT trip planner or with Marmaray and Metro İstanbul.

Ministry portal page

10 European side · Çatalca · Black Sea

Çilingoz

Family pick
  • ExcellentÇilingoz Tabiat Parkı PlajıLast sample 7 September: Good
Ground
Sand
Lifeguards
6
Showers
2

Çatalca municipality runs it, per the portal.

Getting there No İETT beach line names it. Plan it in the İETT trip planner or with Marmaray and Metro İstanbul.

Ministry portal page

11 Asian side · Kadıköy · Marmara

Caddebostan

  • ExcellentCaddebostan Plajı Büyük Kulüp ArkasıLast sample 7 September: Good
  • ExcellentCaddebostan Plajı Irmak Okulları ArkasıLast sample 7 September: Good
Ground
Sand
Lifeguards
1
Showers
5

İBB: Caddebostan 1 has a paid turnstile, Caddebostan 2 and 3 are open to the public. The portal does not say which of its two areas is which.

Getting there No İETT beach line names it. Plan it in the İETT trip planner or with Marmaray and Metro İstanbul.

Ministry portal page

12 Asian side · Kadıköy · Marmara

Suadiye

  • ExcellentSuadiye PlajıLast sample 7 September: Good
Ground
Sand
Lifeguards
1
Showers
2

The portal lists İBB as the operator. Entry rules: ask İBB (Alo 153).

Getting there No İETT beach line names it. Plan it in the İETT trip planner or with Marmaray and Metro İstanbul.

Ministry portal page

15 Princes’ Islands · Adalar · Islands

Aya Nikola, Büyükada

  • ExcellentBüyükada Aya Nikola Halk PlajıLast sample 9 September: Good
Ground
Sand
Lifeguards
2
Showers
4

The portal lists no operator.

FerryKabataş–AdalarBostancı–AdalarMaltepe–Adalar Şehir Hatları timetable

Ministry portal page

16 Princes’ Islands · Adalar · Islands

Sedef Adası

  • ExcellentSedef Adası Halk PlajıLast sample 9 September: Good
Ground
Concrete platform
Lifeguards
4
Showers
1

A public cove (Halk Plajı) on its own small island.

FerryBüyükada–Sedef AdasıKabataş–Adalar Şehir Hatları timetable

Ministry portal page

17 Princes’ Islands · Adalar · Islands

Tabiat Parkı, Büyükada

  • ExcellentBüyükada Tabiat Parkı PlajıLast sample 9 September: Good
Ground
Sand
Lifeguards
5
Showers
10

Kartal municipality runs it, per the portal.

FerryKabataş–AdalarBostancı–AdalarMaltepe–Adalar Şehir Hatları timetable

Ministry portal page

European side

Arnavutköy 5

Avcılar 1

Bakırköy 3

Beylikdüzü 2

Büyükçekmece 8

Eyüpsultan 1

Küçükçekmece 3

Sarıyer 8

Silivri 10

Çatalca 6

Asian side

Beykoz 3

Kadıköy 3

Şile 23

Princes’ Islands

Adalar 18

Class: the Health Ministry’s rating at the end of the 2025 season; the 2026 classes are not on the portal yet. Last sample: the most recent 2026 lab result, 7 to 9 September. “Family pick”: class Excellent or Good, no Poor last sample, at least two lifeguards and two showers, safety-strip depth of 2 m or less (portal fields, first area listed). Checked 17.10.2026. On the map, pins are nudged apart where beaches lie close together; the dots mark the portal’s coordinates, and a white dot on a square marks a Blue Flag. The beach list holds public and municipal beaches; Kilyos and the operator-run beaches are in the “All 94 areas” view, where an area named after a private business shows only its place and “privately run area”.

Read the water first two labels, not one

Each area carries two labels. The class is the Ministry’s rating at the end of a season. The last sample is just the newest lab result. Read both before you pack.

Excellent · Mükemmel

67 areas

The best class. Almost every area in Şile, Silivri, Çatalca, Arnavutköy and on the Princes’ Islands is here.

Good · İyi

12 areas

Büyükçekmece (four), Menekşe (two), Beykoz (two), Şile (two), Avcılar and Kilyos.

Sufficient · Yeterli

5 areas

Rumeli Kavağı, Marmaracık, Demirciköy Dalya, Menekşe Sahil Parkı and Çiftalan.

Poor · Zayıf

7 areas

Yeşilköy (two), Riva, Gümüşdere, Kısırkaya, Demirciköy Uzunya and West İstanbul Marina.

New · Yeni

3 areas

Added recently and not classed yet: Florya Güneş, Büyükliman and Değirmenburnu.

The last sample, per 100 ml of coastal water

Good: E. coli 100 or fewer and enterococci 100 or fewer. Fair: more than that, but E. coli under 1,000 and enterococci under 370. Poor: E. coli 1,000 or more, or enterococci 370 or more. Tested about every 15 days from before the season; in 2026 most areas have 8 results.

Illustration: the white sea mansion on stilts off the Florya shore, joined to the beach by a long wooden pier, with a lifeguard tower and swimmers in calm turquoise water

Why both labels

A pretty beach can still have a bad day

Florya Güneş is classed New, because it has no four-year record yet. Its last sample, on 7 September, was Poor: E. coli 1,100, enterococci 300. Menekşe’s pier area is classed Good, yet its sample the same day was Poor too (E. coli 2,200). Only 3 of the 94 areas had a Poor last sample; 6 were Fair.

Open the “All 94 areas” view above to read any area’s numbers.

The class is Excellent but the last sample says Poor. Which one counts?

Both are true: the class is last season’s rating, the sample is one day’s result. If the last sample is Poor, choose another area that day. By law each area must show its class and any swimming ban or “swimming inadvisable” sign on a notice board (article 18).

Are the 2026 classes out?

Not yet on 17 October 2026. The portal still shows the class from the 2025 season. The Ministry classes each water at the end of the season, and the provincial health directorate publishes the previous season’s classes before the next one opens (articles 11 and 17).

What does it mean when a water stays Poor?

The Ministry has to arrange administrative measures, including a swimming ban or advice against swimming, and measures to cut the pollution start the next season. A water classed Poor five years in a row is closed to swimming for good (article 11).

Where can I check one area myself?

Every card and square in the finder opens that area’s page on the Ministry’s portal, with its class by year and every 2026 result.

Getting there by bus, ferry or rail

İETT lists its beach lines on one page and links each line’s hours. The Princes’ Islands are by ferry. Pick where you are heading; the line chips open İETT’s own timetable, and this guide copies no times.

Illustration: pale Black Sea dunes and a wide sandy bay near Şile, with the white lighthouse with its black bands on a headland
Illustration: the Black Sea coast near Şile, the far end of the longest bus ride.

Where are you heading?

Florya

73B Florya–Bakırköy73F Florya–Taksim72T Yeşilköy–Taksim73Y Kuyumcukent–Yeşilköy/Akvaryum

Florya and the Yeşilköy shore are on the first lines below. İETT beach lines

Büyükçekmece, Silivri

142B K.S.S. Hastanesi–Büyükçekmece76BA Büyükçekmece–İ.Ü. Avcılar Kampüsü300 Tüyap–Silivri300B Silivri Büyükçavuşlu–Tüyap300D Silivri Değirmenköy–Tüyap300M Silivri Mimarsinan–Tüyap

The 300 lines carry Silivri’s name in their endpoints; check which stop is closest to Kumluk. İETT beach lines

Yeniköy, Karaburun

336K Yeniköy/Karaburun–Mescidiselam

One line names both Black Sea beaches of Arnavutköy. İETT beach lines

Riva

136R Riva–Kavacık137 Cumhuriyet Köyü/Riva–Beykoz/Kavacık

Both lines end in Riva village. İETT beach lines

Şile, Ağva

139 Üsküdar–Şile139A Üsküdar–Şile/Ağva139T Tepeüstü–Şile

Üsküdar is the starting point on the Asian side. İETT beach lines

The Islands

Şehir Hatları lists these island lines: Kabataş–Adalar, Adalar–Beşiktaş, the Bostancı–Adalar ring line, Maltepe–Adalar, Büyükada–Sedef Adası and, on weekends and public holidays, Tuzla–Pendik–Büyükada. On the islands, İETT buses are BA1, BA4 and BA5 (Büyükada), HA1 (Heybeliada), BU1 (Burgazada) and KA1 (Kınalıada). Şehir Hatları timetable · İETT on the islands

Caddebostan, Menekşe, Kısırkaya

İETT’s beach-line page names no line for these. Use İETT’s trip planner, and for the Asian side Marmaray (Halkalı–Gebze) and Metro İstanbul.

Line list and hours: İETT, Plaj Hatları, read 17 October 2026. A line’s name shows its two ends, not every stop.

What it costs and what is open

İBB runs 14 beaches in 2026 under two models, the full-service model and the public-beach model. İBB’s own news item puts Caddebostan 1 in the full-service model, with a paid turnstile. The other 13 are public beaches with basic services such as showers, changing cabins and toilets.

Prices change every season

This guide prints none. Ask at the gate, or call İBB on Alo 153. Beaches run by a municipality or a private operator set their own entry rules: the portal names the operator of each area.

Paid turnstile
Caddebostan 1
Open to the public
Caddebostan 2 and 3, Menekşe, Yeniköy, Kısırkaya, Kumluk, Albatros 1 and 2, Denizköşkler, Selimpaşa, Semizkum, Yalıköy 1 and 2
Source
İBB news item of 15.06.2026, İBB beach page

The Princes’ Islands a ferry away

Illustration: a quiet swimming cove on Büyükada with a wooden mansion above the water, a white ferry arriving at the quay and a horse carriage on the shore road

Adalar district · 18 areas

17 of 18 are Excellent

The one that is not is Değirmenburnu Tabiat Parkı Plajı, added recently and not classed yet. All 18 areas are reached by sea, as the portal lists them. Three of them are public coves: Büyükada Aya Nikola Halk Plajı (the portal lists no operator), Sedef Adası Halk Plajı and Büyükada Tabiat Parkı Plajı. The rest are run by private operators and are left out of the finder; they stay in the “All 94 areas” view.

Ferries: Şehir Hatları lines run from Kabataş, Beşiktaş, Kadıköy, Bostancı and Maltepe, and on weekends and public holidays from Tuzla and Pendik. Check the current timetable on the operator’s page.

Season and safety what the portal says

The portal lists every Istanbul area with a season from 15 June to 15 September. Its own water-and-health page asks swimmers to follow a few rules.

  • Swim where it is allowed – only in designated areas, ideally with a lifeguard, and follow the signs and instructions.
  • Watch the children – never leave them unsupervised; keep them close.
  • Skip rough water – no swimming in strong waves or currents, and no diving into rocky water or water of unknown depth.
  • Not after dark – the portal says: do not swim once it is dark.
  • Sun and sea life – avoid the sun from 11:00 to 16:00; for jellyfish, rays and spiny fish ask a lifeguard or medical staff.
Myth 1

“Clear water means clean water”

Fact

The portal says microbial pollution mostly comes from sewage and from animal waste, which you cannot see. The class and the last sample come from lab counts.

Myth 2

“Only a Blue Flag beach is clean”

Fact

3 Istanbul areas fly the Blue Flag in 2026, while 67 are classed Excellent. Look at the class, then at the flag.

Myth 3

“Swim anywhere along the Bosphorus”

Fact

On the Bosphorus itself, the portal lists only two swimming areas, both at its Black Sea end: Rumeli Kavağı (Sufficient) and Büyükliman (New, listed at Garipçe). None is listed further south along the strait.

Sources and limits

We read the Health Ministry’s swimming-water portal, the 2019 bathing-water regulation, İBB’s beach page and news item, İETT’s beach-line and Islands pages and Şehir Hatları’s island-line pages on 17 October 2026. This guide leaves out privately run beaches, entry prices, bus and ferry times, and Kilyos’ entry rules, which belong to their operators. The 2026 classes are not published yet, so the classes shown are from the 2025 season.

  1. Yüzme Suyu Takip Sistemi: class, class by year, 2026 samples, ground, lifeguards, showers, Blue Flag, positions – Health Ministry, General Directorate of Public Health, checked 17.10.2026
  2. Regulation on the management of swimming-water quality, 25.09.2019, No. 30899: articles 11, 17 and 18 – Health Ministry and Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, checked 17.10.2026
  3. İBB beaches (the 14 beaches) – İBB Destek Hizmetleri Dairesi Başkanlığı, checked 17.10.2026
  4. İBB Plajları Yaz Sezonuna Hazır (15.06.2026, the two service models) – İBB, İstanbul Senin Haber, checked 17.10.2026
  5. Plaj Hatları (beach bus lines) – İETT, checked 17.10.2026
  6. Adalar’da Ulaşım (island bus lines) – İETT, checked 17.10.2026
  7. Adalar Hatları (island ferry lines and timetables) – Şehir Hatları, checked 17.10.2026
  8. Land outline for the map: Natural Earth 1:10m land (public domain) – Natural Earth, checked 17.10.2026

The illustrations were made for this page and show no real person.

Article Information

Written by: Hatice Kulali
Published: October 16, 2023
Category: Tourism

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