Istanbul’s public beaches opening for summer

ISTANBUL

Public beaches run by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality will begin serving this summer on June 4.

Beachgoers will be served at the five municipal beaches between 8.00 a.m. and 19.00 p.m. until the end of the summer, according to an announcement by the municipality on June 1.

Three of the beaches are located on the Asian side of the metropolis, in Kadıköy district’s vibrant neighborhood of Caddebostan. The entry fee for the 450-meter-long Caddebostan 1st beach is 25 liras ($4.3) for adults and 12 liras ($2) for students. The fee covers usage of a sunbed, an umbrella, a changing room and a shower area. Entry to the other two beaches in Caddebostan is free of charge, but those who would like to get a sunbed and an umbrella are asked to pay 10 liras ($1.7).

The same admission charges apply for Güneş Beach, the longest public beach in Istanbul at 840 meters and located just across the Florya Train Station in the district of Bakırköy on the European side of the metropolis.

Menekşe Beach in the district of Küçükçekmece, also on the European side, serves for free, too.

Sporting facilities and pitches are also set up near the beaches.

Sea water pollution controls have been made weekly and cleaning activities have been carried out across the 515-kilometer-long coastal area of Istanbul, the municipality said. Disinfection materials are applied around the beaches regularly against contamination, it added.

The metropolitan municipality serves beachgoers with 481 lifeguards, 190 watchtowers, 35 jet-skis, 14 quad bikes, seven rescue boats and two drones, according to its statement.

There are also tens of private beaches and beach clubs in Istanbul, most of which are located on the Prince Islands and coastal areas of the districts on the Black Sea up in the north of the metropolis.

The lifeguard teams of the metropolitan municipality serve in the 38 beaches across the province.

The official summer season in Istanbul usually ends in the middle of September.

Hundreds of historical small beaches on the coasts of the Marmara Sea were closed in the 1980s due to contamination and rapid urbanization. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality re-opened some of them, increasing the number of wastewater treatment facilities.