A Russian travel blogger has warned tourists that visiting popular Aegean resorts in Turkey during October can turn into a nightmare due to an early end to the swimming season and worsening autumn weather.
The content creator shared her observations on her personal blog, Letaem Sami, hosted on the Russian blogging and content platform Dzen, cautioning holidaymakers against booking late-season trips to western Turkish coastal towns.
She stated that the primary mistake tourists make is travelling in autumn to destinations that were pleasant during July. According to the blogger, Turkey's Aegean coast ends its swimming season earlier than any other region in the country, specifically highlighting Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye, Didim, and Kusadasi.
The traveller noted that the Aegean Sea is noticeably cooler than the Mediterranean Sea. By late September, water temperatures in the Aegean fall to between 21 and 22 degrees Celsius, meaning that only hardened or seasoned swimmers venture into the sea by October.
Autumn weather along the Aegean coast is also characterised by frequent prolonged rainfall, strong offshore winds, and heavy cloud cover, making beach activities difficult.
Resort closures and seasonal shutdowns
The blog post highlighted that the majority of hotels in Marmaris and Bodrum operate strictly on a seasonal schedule. During October, these coastal resort towns virtually empty out as beachside cafes, nightclubs, water parks, and tour booking booths close down for the winter season.
She advised travellers looking for a traditional beach holiday to forget about the Aegean coast until the following May. While warm days can still occur during September, she described booking a trip during that month as a fifty-fifty gamble.
Aegean resort towns such as Bodrum and Marmaris are located along Turkey's southwestern coast facing the Aegean Sea. Unlike destinations further south, these towns experience a shorter summer season, leading most seasonal tourist infrastructure to close rapidly after September.
Recommended Mediterranean alternatives
Instead of the Aegean coast, the blogger advised autumn travellers to turn their attention to southern Mediterranean resort towns, recommending Alanya, Side, Belek, Antalya, and Kemer.
She outlined several advantages of taking an autumn holiday in these southern locations, including lower accommodation prices, comfortable weather without severe heat, the absence of long queues at popular sightseeing attractions, and an abundance of fresh seasonal fruit.
The Mediterranean region of southern Turkey, frequently referred to as the Turkish Riviera, features a milder autumn climate and higher sea temperatures than the Aegean coast, allowing resorts around Antalya to host beach visitors later into the year.
The advice follows a separate report from another Russian travel blogger who described an August vacation in Antalya as disappointing because sea temperatures had reached 30 degrees Celsius, offering little relief from the summer heat.
