Turkey is open to international tourism
Turkey is open to all travelers, quarantine-free, regardless of their vaccination status. All travel restrictions have been lifted, however, a Form for Entry to Türkiye must be completed within 72 hours before departure and the copy must be presented prior to boarding.
Visitors from selected European countries, such as Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, or Poland, can enter Turkey without visa. Foreign tourists from other countries need to apply online for the Turkey eVisa – a digital version of the usual travel visa that allows a stay of 30 to 90 days, depending on nationality.
Transiting through Turkey is allowed if you remain in the transit area of the airport during the layover. Transit Visa is only required if you want to pass the Turkish Immigration.
Practical tips
- If you are flying to Turkey from abroad, you will most likely land at its main international airport—Istanbul
IST/SWA, AntalyaAYT, AnkaraESB, IzmirADB, AdanaADA, and TrabzonTZX.
IST/SWA, Antalya AYT, Ankara ESB, Izmir ADB, Adana ADA, Trabzon TZX, Dalaman DLM, Bodrum BJV, Gaziantep GZT, Kayseri ASR, Diyarbakir DIY, Van VAN, Erzurum ERZ, Hatay HTY, Konya KYA, Ordu OGU, and Samusn SZF.
- Planning to explore the region? Popular destinations can be easily reached with regional low-cost carriers (LCCs) by the likes of AirArabia, Air Europa, Air Malta, Air Moldova, FlyDubai, Jazeera Airways, Norwegian, Saudia, and Smartwings.
Flights to Turkey
from United States and Canada
- There are no direct flights from the US or Canada to Turkey. However, most major hubs in Asia have non-stop flights to Turkey, as do some larger airports in the Middle East – your journey will have at least one stop. Currently, only Turkish Airlines (THY) offers year-round direct flights on routes from the US/Canada to Turkey. It flies out from most biggest cities in North America: New York, Atlanta, Washington, Chicago, Boston, Miami, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Dallas, Toronto and Vancouver. All scheduled flights arrive at the Istanbul International Airport. Expect to spend between 9 and 14 hours on a plane.
- Turkey is well-served via one-stop flights from North America. Flights to Turkey with one layover depart from most major North American airports, including Atlanta
ATL, DallasDFW, DenverDEN, ChicagoORD, Los AngelesLAX, Las VegasDFW, MiamiMIA, SeattleSEA, HoustonIAH, New YorkJFK, and San FranciscoSFOin the United States and TorontoYYZ, VancouverYVR, CalgaryLAS, and MontrealYULin Canada. - The best airlines to fly to Turkey from the US and Canada are: Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Turkish Airlines. They are top full-service carriers, offering exceptional customer service, in-flight comfort, a generous checked baggage allowance, and reliable customer support channels – all included in the ticket price.
40–80% off flights to Turkey
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What is the best time to book flights to Turkey?
The best time to book flights to Turkey is between 2 to 8 months before your travel date. The prime booking window (the most likely time to find the bargains) for Turkey flights is 4–6 months before takeoff. Book when you notice a significant drop in price.
Airfare prices for Turkey flights fluctuate due to demand, seasonal trends, and competition, causing numerous price drops and increases as your departure date approaches. The airlines use sophisticated revenue management systems to adjust pricing for optimal seat sales.
Generally, as seats are sold, prices tend to become more expensive.
Don’t book too early
Most airlines start selling their flights 9–12 months in advance. However, booking a ticket too early in that window can be an expensive mistake – airlines typically start by setting prices at a relatively high level to capture early demand from those willing to pay more to secure their seats.
Peak seasons are expensive
Peak travel seasons are always expensive – due to higher base prices set by airlines for dates they expect to be popular. Try to avoid the high season during summer and major holidays including holidays in Turkey. If you must travel during peak times, book your flight well in advance.
Avoid last minute
Avoid booking flights to Turkey less than 30 days before takeoff. Prices spike sharply then, as airlines are taking advantage of any last-minute travelers who have no choice but to pay up.
Prime Booking Window
For long-haul flights to Turkey, the best time to book your ticket is around 4–6 months before departure. This is the “Prime Booking Window.” After some seats have already been sold, airlines start dropping prices to stimulate demand. They may also offer promotions and sales. This is the ideal time for bargain hunting.
Fly on weekdays
It makes a difference which day of the week you board the plane. Midweek travel (especially Tuesdays and Wednesdays) is less busy and likely cheaper than flying on weekends. Airlines charge higher prices for weekend travel due to the high demand from people going on short getaways or visiting family and friends.
Opt for early morning flights
To save on airfare, select a late night or early morning (1–5 a.m.) flight. Airlines often offer discounts on their first flight of the morning (up to 15-20%) simply because of lower demand—most people are not willing to go to the airport so early. Moreover, morning flights tend to have fewer delays, and airport queues are usually shorter.
Flights to Turkey from Europe
- There are no direct flights from Europe to Turkey — you’ll need to get a connecting flight from elsewhere in the Middle East or in Asia. Direct flights from Europe to Turkey are just few hours long (around 4 hours if you fly direct from London, and just below 2 hours from Athens). Most European hubs have a nonstop connection to Istanbul and other Turkish cities. Among the airlines that operate those route you'll find both full-service carriers such as British Airways, Condor, KLM, LOT, Lufthansa, SAS, SWISS, and Turkish Airlines, and low-budget companies by the likes of Wizz Air, easyJet, Ryanair, Eurowings, and Jet2.com.
- Airlines that frequently fly from the UK, Germany, France, and other European countries to Turkey include Aegean Airlines, Aer Lingus, Air France, Air Serbia, Emirates, Finnair, KLM, Lufthansa, Luxair, Qatar Airways, SAS, Tarom, TUI Airways, and Turkish Airlines.
- Consider departure airports in neighboring countries to increase your chance of spotting the best deal. Especially look for large airports that serve as hubs for multiple airlines. For example, if you live in Western Europe, check air tickets to Turkey from Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Paris, and Rome. Leverage frequent promotions from European budget carriers like RyanAir, EasyJet, and Eurowings to reach a major hub; from there, take a cheaper long-haul flight to your final destination, potentially saving hundreds of euros.
40–80% off flights to Turkey
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Turkish Airlines: long-haul planes on short-haul routes
Turkish Airlines has an enormous fleet of nearly 400 aircraft – from the small Airbus A319 (126 seats) up to the giant Boeing 777-300ER (249 seats). The good news is that the airline often operates long-haul configured aircraft on short and medium-haul routes.
So if you fly domestically or travel to one of the neighboring countries, choose Turkish Airlines – you may get lucky and be seated in a large cabin with generous seat legroom, even in economy class. Look for Airbus A330, Airbus A350, Boeing 787 and Boeing 777s when booking your ticket.
The cheapest time to fly to Turkey
The low tourist season in Turkey typically occurs between November and April (excluding dates around Christmas and New Year) – it is also the cheapest time to fly to Turkey. Airfares and hotel prices tend to be cheaper as the country is less crowded and there is less demand. However, the temperatures can be quite cold in some regions, and some attractions may be closed due to inclement weather.
Despite the cooler temperatures, the low season presents a great opportunity to experience Turkey in a different light. You can still enjoy Turkey’s rich cultural heritage, natural beauty, and delicious cuisine – with the added benefit of having many attractions to yourself.
Know your time zone
Turkey uses only one time zone across the country – Turkey Time (TRT) – which is UTC+3 (GMT+3). As a result, clocks in Turkey are 3 hours ahead of London and 7 hours ahead of New York. The country shares the same time zone with Ethiopia, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine. It does not have an associated daylight saving time.
Ensure you know the local time zone when checking flights and airport transfer times. The departure time on your plane ticket is always listed based on the time zone of the departure airport. We suggest resetting your watch during the flight – it will help your brain adjust to the new time zone and to deal with jet lag.
Duty-free rules
Turkey is serious about the duty-free concession. There is a limit for bringing in certain items. Alcoholic drinks such as wine or spirits cannot exceed one liter per person, and you can carry only 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars and 200g of tobacco. In addition to personal items, you may also carry items such as gifts – up to a value of €430.
Anything above those limits must be declared – at the airport, head to the Red Lane to declare your goods.
Avoid currency exchange kiosks at airports
Airports are infamous for making an exuberant amount of money from their currency exchanges due to the extremely high margins, and Turkish airports are no exception. Airport kiosks usually charge higher fees which are sometimes hidden within the poorer exchange rates they offer – their business is based on charging extra for being a convenient, last-minute option.
Plan ahead and exchange some money for the Turkish lira at home.
Download a VPN app
When it comes to media censorship, Turkey is one of the world leaders – it seems to have a problem with freedom of speech and certain online content. In the last few years, more than 250,000 websites have been banned temporarily or permanently – including Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Wikipedia, IMDB, and Blogspot. You can use this website to check if a certain site currently works in Turkey.
If you want to keep access to your favorite websites while traveling in Turkey, you should download a VPN app for your smartphone and laptop before you arrive. With the VPN app, you will be able to bypass government censorship and freely access all blocked content.
Uber has limited availability in Turkey
Uber is available in Turkey but not everywhere in the country. The app will find you a ride easily in Istanbul, Ankara, Bodrum, Marmaris and Çeşme, however, in most areas outside these cities, it can be much more difficult to find a car (try BiTaksi and iTaksi apps there). If available, though, Uber is a good way for a cross-city journey: the cars are safe, usually air-conditioned, and there are fixed distance-based fees, so drivers can’t overcharge you for journeys.
Interestingly, Uber is easily accessible for airport transfers in the above-mentioned cities. So, instead of taking a bus or local taxi, you can simply use the Uber app at the airport to arrange a quick transfer to the city.
Long waiting times when calling the helpline?
Social media is usually a faster way to reach the airline when a problem arises. Use Twitter or Facebook Messenger to contact the airline customer service and get a response and solution within minutes (see detailed guides for Turkish Airlines, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and others).
When it comes to Twitter, there’s one more trick to get in touch with the airline faster: mention the airline in a tweet about your issue (add “@airline_handle”, for example: “@TurkishAirlines”). The social media team will often notice it immediately, ask you for a direct message, and respond privately.
Airlines of Turkey
Airlines in Turkey range from high-end carriers to no-frills budget airlines:
Turkish Airlines is Turkey’s flag carrier, certified by Skytrax as a 3-star airline. With its enormous fleet – nearly 400 aircraft – it flies to 120 countries (more than any other airline) and to 40 domestic locations. It is renowned across the airline industry for its high-quality catering (impressive wine selection!), and meals are always included in the price of your ticket. Travelers can take advantage of the airline’s generous free baggage allowance: 23 kg for Economy Class and 32 kg for Business Class.
Pegasus Airlines is a budget carrier. Travelers rate its onboard comfort as satisfactory for short flights. The hand baggage rules are strict, and there is no free baggage allowance even on international routes if you book the ticket in the lowest (Basic) fare class.
SunExpress is a Turkish budget carrier, jointly owned by Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa. Frequent travelers give the airline an average rating of 6/10, pointing at the fact that the onboard facilities and service are minimal. On international flights, SunExpress customers are allocated a baggage allowance of 20 to 40 kg, depending on fare class.
When traveling domestically in Turkey, you may be flying with other, smaller local airlines, such as AnadoluJet, Onur Air, Corendon Airlines, Freebird Airlines, and Tailwind Airlines. They usually don’t have any free baggage allowance and serve only free snacks and drinks instead of full meals onboard.
Flights to Turkey
from Australia and New Zealand
- Australia and New Zealand offer robust flight networks to key APAC locations, Turkey included. While domestic carriers like Qantas, Jetstar Airways, Virgin Australia, and Air New Zealand provide solid options, several major international airlines also serve these routes. These include ANA, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways — expanding your choices for travel between Australasia and Asia.
There are no direct flights from Australia or New Zealand to Turkey. You’ll need a layover in one of the major hubs in Asia. - Airlines have different pricing strategies for different routes. Depending on airline partnerships, demand, and even the time of year, a flight to Turkey could be significantly cheaper from Sydney than from Melbourne.
Compare fares from main international airports in Australia: SydneySYD, BrisbaneBNE, MelbourneMEL, PerthPER, AdelaideADL, CairnsCNS, Gold CoastOOL, CanberraCBR, DarwinDRW, and in New Zealand: AucklandAKL, WellingtonWLG, ChristchurchCHC, and QueenstownZQN. - If you’re looking to save, consider flying from Australia or New Zealand to a primary Asian hub, then catch a connecting flight to Turkey with a regional budget airline such as AirArabia, Air Europa, Air Malta, Air Moldova, FlyDubai, Jazeera Airways, Norwegian, Saudia, and Smartwings.
For the initial leg of your trip, full-service airlines such as Qantas or Virgin Atlantic offer premium comfort and exceptional service, albeit at a premium price. However, many Asian airlines, including budget carriers, operate out of Australia and frequently feature sales and promotions. For instance, AirAsia runs deals to Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore; Cebu Pacific to Manila; Scoot to Singapore; VietJet Air to Ho Chi Minh City; Jetstar to Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo; Bamboo Airways to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Beijing; Batik Air to Jakarta and Singapore.
40–80% off flights to Turkey
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Flights to Turkey
from major hubs in Asia
- Asia is probably the best continent for short-haul and mid-haul flying. The sheer scale of this most populous region on Earth is reflected in the type of aircraft operating many shorter routes: intra-Asia flyers benefit from comfortable, wide-bodied aircraft by the likes of Boeing 777, 787 or Airbus A350, A330, and A380. When booking your flight to Turkey look for these bigger planes as they will almost always give you the best experience in every cabin, including better seat pitches, higher ceilings, and larger overhead bin space.
- Asia is also home to most of the world’s best airlines. There are only ten airlines that received the prestigious 5-star mark of quality from Skytrax, and all of them are from Asia: ANA, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines. Choosing one of these airlines for your trip to Turkey will guarantee a pleasant journey – delicious meals served during the flight, great in-flight entertainment, and above-average airline customer service.
- Asia is extremely well served by low-cost regional airlines. If you are visiting Turkey and want to see several other countries on a tight budget, they often have great sales with rock-bottom prices, while still offering a relatively comfortable flight experience. Among the best Asian budget airlines you can book without hesitation are AirAsia, Cebu Pacific, Citilink, FlyDubai, Indigo, Jetstar Airways, Scoot, SpiceJet. The cons? Being no-frills airlines they may not provide free baggage allowance, inflight meals, or onboard entertainment. The departure times may also be quite inconvenient as they try to save money by flying at off-peak hours.
40–80% off flights to Turkey
from Asia
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Flights to Turkey dataset
