Best Time to Visit Istanbul

Explore the Beautiful Country of Istanbul

Quick Information

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Best time to visit
Apr - May, Aug - Oct
Ideal Duration
6-7 Days
Visa
On Arrival
Starting from
Rs. 23,520

Website

visitistanbul.org/
  • Ideal for friends
  • Beach
  • Nature

Weather in Istanbul

  • Sat, Dec 21 2024

    13.34ºC | 10.42ºC

    Rain from morning to night

    80.0% Humidity

  • Sun, Dec 22 2024

    8.35ºC | 6.12ºC

    Rain in morning , clouds from afternoon to evening and clear in night

    80.75% Humidity

  • Mon, Dec 23 2024

    12.57ºC | 7.5ºC

    Clear in morning and clouds from afternoon to night

    67.88% Humidity

  • Tue, Dec 24 2024

    11.72ºC | 9.33ºC

    Rain in morning , afternoon and evening and clouds in night

    78.88% Humidity

  • Wed, Dec 25 2024

    10.02ºC | 8.7ºC

    Clouds in morning , afternoon and evening and rain in night

    84.88% Humidity

  • Thu, Dec 26 2024

    8.99ºC | 8.99ºC

    Rain from morning to night

    93.0% Humidity

Best Time To Visit Istanbul

Plan your trip during best season to experience the best of this stunning destination

The best time to visit Istanbul is during the spring and fall season which is in the months of April, May, and September to November. The temperature during these months ranges from 16 °C to 28 °C. Istanbul sees the highest number of travelers during spring and fall season, as the weather during these months is cool and dry and outdoor activities can be enjoyed easily. From late May to early September is the peak season for Istanbul vacations. The sun shines bright and yellow in the sky, and the beaches are crazily crowded throughout these months. The eastern side of Istanbul has a more extreme type of climate than the west, which enjoys similar weather conditions to that of Mediterranean Europe.

March-May (7°C to 16°)

March-May marks the beginning of another high season in Istanbul. With clear skies, lots of wind and a pleasant climate, the temperature during this time is perfect for sightseeing and local tours if not for the beach. It stays pleasant over the course of three months before the heat starts to rise in late May, thus making this shoulder season the best time to visit Istanbul before summer.

Moreover, an opportunity to attend the Istanbul Tulip Festival, Istanbul Film Festival and some other fun-filled Istanbul festivals make the tour even more memorable.  

June - August (18°C to 28°)

Compared to the rest of Turkey, Istanbul enjoys a more moderate climate during this time. Still, it is quite hot and humid in Istanbul now, with large crowds and higher rates of hotels and airfare. The beaches are at their best and the seafood is freshest.

However, the cons of visiting during this time are the crowd and cost of accommodations; the pros are International Music Festival and International Jazz Festival held during this time.

September - November (13°C to 20°)

Just like the spring shoulder season, autumn too is a nice time to travel to Istanbul. If you visit Istanbul in November, chances are you will get the best of both worlds – the leftover warmth from the summer and its perks, as well as the creeping coolness of the upcoming winter.

Besides the festivals like Istanbul International Puppet Festival, Istanbul Theatre Festival and more add memories to the journey.

December - February (1°C to 7°)

Unless you have a problem with cold and rain, December through February can also be a good time for a visit. Because of experiencing one of the coldest seasons, the region offers some of the best accommodations at very low prices with lucrative discounts everywhere, which is quite a big incentive.

Another perk of visiting from December to January is that you must not have to wait in long queues. Apart from that, you can be part of one of the best Istanbul events, called the International Istanbul Gastronomy Festival, and have an amazing experience.

Best time to Visit Istanbul for Shopping: Istanbul is home to many markets, boutiques, stalls, and spice bazaar. The famous things to buy from these markets are carpets, rugs, jewelry, spices, hand-painted ceramics. If you are visiting Istanbul for shopping, the best time to visit Istanbul is in December and January which is around Christmas and New Year.  Best time to Visit Istanbul for a Bosphorus Cruise:  Bosphorus Cruise is one of the highlights while planning a visit to Istanbul. The best time to go for Bosphorus Cruise is in the month of May or in the mid of September. Watch dolphins while cruising on the river and get a chance to meet the friendliest marine animal. Best time to Visit Istanbul for Sightseeing: The best time to visit Istanbul is when it is neither too hot or cold. For this reason, spring season in the month of May and April is considered to be the best time to visit the capital city. Istanbul sees a rise in the number of crowds during the spring season. The place is dotted with blooming and colorful flowers. Most of the adventure and outdoor activities can be enjoyed easily during this weather.  Best time to Visit Istanbul for Beaches: If you are looking to explore the gorgeous beaches in Istanbul, the best time to visit is in Summers in the months of July, August, and September. One can enjoy a plethora of water activities during the summer season.

Climate in Istanbul

Summer Season in Istanbul

Istanbul summers are milder than most of Turkey, especially the eastern part. But it is still hot enough for you to sweat while sightseeing. From late spring to early fall is the high season in Istanbul and summer just falls right in the middle of it. From cruises to beach adventures to local sightseeing – everything is crowded during this time of the year. The months preceding and succeeding the peak summer months, that is March-April and September-October is the best month to visit Istanbul.

Monsoon Season in Istanbul

Being situated in the Mediterranean region, Istanbul gets most of its rainfall during the winter season. November to February is when the average rainfall is highest, with late-December and early-January the wettest months. This is not the greatest time to visit Istanbul, though the prices will be really tempting.

Winter Season in Istanbul

Just before winter begins, the prices of hotel fares and flight tickets start to plummet; which means you can enjoy a vacation to Istanbul in a really reasonable budget during this time. However, the weather is not as beautiful as summer. The heat is not there and you will not be sweating, and there will also be no line at the many attractions. But you will miss out on the Mediterranean summer.

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Istanbul Packages Reviews

Read on to find out why our customers love us!

Manoj's 7 days trip to Istanbul

It was a wonderful experience for us. We thoroughly enjoyed every bit. Really loved the great service and coordination from Travel Lykke team. Very professional, always available and helpful. We would definitely book our future trips with you and suggest the same to our friends as well.

MANOJ BISWAL Bangalore

Asmita's 9 days trip to Istanbul

We booked our Turkey trip through Travel Triangle and through Travel Lykke. The trip went as planned. However, we felt that we could have been offered more than the standardized tour packages available in Turkey as we had taken a customized tour package. E.g. The Green Tour in Cappadocia covering entire day has hardly any sights, activities covered. The Selime Monastry is a regular cave like structure which is 1,5 hrs one way and totally not worth the time. Due to which we couldn't cover some of the nearest attractions like Uchisar Castle or activities like ATV ride which are way more engaging than the monastry. Even in Istanbul, the day tour covered only Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace and post lunch we were taken to Grand Bazaar where we were on our own. Galata Tower, Basillica Cistern like attractions were not included in the tour and had to be done on our own. The Antalya tour also had 5 hrs sitting in the bus out of 10 hrs of day travel and covered only the waterfalls and Mediterrnean sea boat ride. The old town was only a locality with no attractions worth the time. We wanted to cover paragliding in Fethiye, however, the transport offered by Travel agent was very expensive. We had to fund our own transfer and paragliding in Alanya instead of doing it in Fethiye.

Asmita India

Dhatri's 7 days trip to Istanbul

Me and my husband with two others recently had the pleasure of booking a 10-day Turkey trip with Travel Triangle, and it was an absolutely unforgettable experience! From start to finish, everything was organized seamlessly, and the team at Travel Triangle made sure our journey through Istanbul, Antalya, and Cappadocia was filled with memorable moments. Istanbul: Our trip began in the vibrant city of Istanbul, and everything was very well arranged. From exploring the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque to enjoying a boat ride to Princess Island, every detail was taken care of. The local guide provided insightful knowledge of the city’s history, and the accommodations were comfortable and centrally located, allowing us to explore on our own as well. Only in Princess Island, the guide could have been more helpful in explaining the island insights rather than just dropping us to the place and explore on our own. Antalya: In Antalya, Travel Triangle arranged an excellent blend of historical tours and leisure time on the beautiful beaches. The guided visit to the ancient city of Perge, Pammukale, Old town walk and a relaxing trek to 2 waterfalls were definite highlights. The choice of hotel with its sea view was perfect! Cappadocia: Cappadocia was the highlight of the trip! We approached Travel Triangle in the last minute to book Hot air balloon and they didn't disappoint us. They planned a magical experience with the hot air balloon ride, which was a dream come true. The fairy chimneys, underground cities and even ATV ride at sunset were fascinating. I’m grateful for the attention to detail, from the transport to the personalized local tours. Every activity was well-timed, allowing us to soak in the surreal landscapes. Overall: The only drawback was that we couldn't spend more time in each place as it was a group trip or we weren't allowed to alter . We were taken to multiple jewelry shop / workshop which personally felt was not required. We would have enjoyed more if they had taken us to lot more historical place. However, the tour was perfectly balanced between sightseeing, adventure, and relaxation. I highly recommend Travel Triangle for anyone looking to explore Turkey, as their services made this trip truly special.

Dhatri Hv

Sushiman's 6 days trip to Istanbul

Things were well arranged. Their team created a whatsapp group and we're constantly giving updates. Thanks for all the help, Ruksana, Karishma and team. Airport transfer, Green tour, Hot air balloon rides were great. The ATV ride was a bit risky though. We got bad helmets. No elbow/knee guards.

Sushiman Bengaluru

Dryogita's 7 days trip to Istanbul

The trip was well organised and coordinated.Our travel agent "rohit" was in constant contact with us through out the trip and was quick at resolving our queries. Cave hotel at Cappadocia was really good.Hotel room at antalya was not so great although the location of the hotel was good. Overall it was very nice trip..Thanx @traveltriangle

Dryogita New delhi

Samarth's 8 days trip to Istanbul

Overall good experience but hotel selected by travel agent was not upto mark, very poor selection though we opted for 4 star hotel

Samarth Agarwal New delhi

Karthik's 9 days trip to Istanbul

did 2 weeks turkiye trip with travel triangle, was splendid and easy bookings end to end. would highly recommend

Karthik Gandhi Hyderabad

Kadavrakesh's 6 days trip to Istanbul

Had a great experience in Cappadocia, beautiful hotel and excellent trip with a great tour guide. Istanbul hotel was not been great as describe in the hotel website. Specially chosen the prefer hotel but very upsetting of not having the a comfort stay. We have allocated in a coner room and then service felt bit of poor as per there standards. Staff not much of helpful thou. Istanbul Tour & guide was the best to make us most of our journey but the prince island wasn't up to the standard as describe. The boat tour to island was a shamble and food offer felt us like eating in canteen food. Rest service was been great

Kadavrakesh Foreign

Pankaj's 10 days trip to Istanbul

It was our first time dealing with Travel Triangle and their network of Indian travel agents. We booked a family trip to Turkey which was fabulously organised and we came back with amazing memories. We would certainly use Travel Triangle again for our future holiday needs. Thank you for taking the stress out of planning and arranging such a comprehensive 5 cities with 3 domestic internal flights, 13 days holiday! Too many to list but personal favourite was the ATV sunset tour in Cappadocia which was amazing with breathtaking sunset view in Rose valley.

Psbhakta London

Sunil's 10 days trip to Istanbul

We booked 9 nights and 10 days all inclusive tour for four person for TURKEY from FLY HIGH GLOBAL tour company. We are very delighted and satisfied with the services they provided during the tour.Their prices for the package were transparent and most competitive.Selection of hotels,flights ,coaches,domestic flights,transfers,English speaking guides were excellent.However we feel lack of Indian food.Their services and response of phone calls were good and quick.We would definitely recommend FLY HIGH Global for Turkey tour. Thanks a lot for wonderful trip. Sunil Kumar Gupta

Sunil Kumar Anupshahar

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FAQ's of Istanbul

Read on to find out why our customers love us!

March-April and September-October is the best time to visit Istanbul. June-August is too hot and crowded, while the winter months get a lot of rainfall.

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