Side weather by month
The best time to visit Side is June, July and September — 96/100 in September, 30°C and 3 rainy days. The best season is summer, June to August (92/100 on average).
The worst month is January at 53/100 — cool, soaked, clean air. See January →
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
Planning the wider trip? Best time to visit Turkey →
Best season: June to August (92/100 on average) · worst January (53/100)
- Days
- 30°C
- Nights
- 21°C
- Wet days
- 3
- Sun
- 11.4 h
- Humidity
- 62%
- Daylight
- 12 h

Side, month by month
Comfort score out of 100 for the kind of trip Side is best for, the average high, rainy days and hours of sun a day from the climate normals, and how busy it tends to be.
What's on in Side through the year
Festivals, natural spectacles, holidays and the seasons to watch out for — curated and sourced. The month pages carry the detail.
- February
- Ramazan Bayrami (Eid al-Fitr)20–22 MarHoliday
- April
- Coach hours at the ruins15 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)Season
- May
- Loggerhead nesting15 May – 30 Sep (usually)Nature
- Kurban Bayrami (Eid al-Adha)27–30 MayHoliday
- June
- Aspendos opera and ballet1 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)Festival
- Swimming season1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)Season
- July
- The August peak15 Jul – 31 AugSeason
- November
- Out of season15 Nov – 31 Mar (usually)Season
Crowds in Side in September
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Peak crowdsCoach hours at the ruins, Swimming season, Summer holidays in Turkey(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Traveller notes on Side
What people who have been say about the place — the year-round notes first, then month by month.
The Side forum is full of people hoping for a beach-ready March, and the honest answer from regulars is: it's pleasant for sightseeing, not for swimming yet. Daytime highs mostly sit in the mid-teens C, several posters warned evenings turn properly cool and you'll want a jacket or cardigan the moment the sun drops, and a couple described getting caught out by a sudden, heavy downpour that shut down outdoor plans for an afternoon. It's a good month for walking the ancient theatre and harbor without summer crowds or heat, just don't pack only summer dresses like one traveler admitted she did.
Forum posters describe early September on Turkey's Turquoise Coast as still solidly hot, commonly 27-30C under cloudless skies, with humidity noticeably lower than the peak of July-August. One poster tracking a specific late-September week reported days staying warm while evenings turned genuinely chilly by the last week of the month - cool enough to want a jacket or cardigan after dark, a real shift from earlier in the month. Sea and pool temperatures are described as comfortably 'just right' for swimming throughout, with posters generally rating September as an easier, less oppressive alternative to midsummer while the back half of the month starts trending toward autumn evenings.
Add your own note from Side's card on the map.