Cheap flights from Krakow to Istanbul

November is the month when fares on this route tend to sit at their lowest, and the weeks around it in late autumn are usually calm too. Summer is the opposite: July and August fill with holiday traffic from Poland to Turkey, and prices climb well before departure. Midweek departures, especially Tuesday and Wednesday, are normally gentler on the wallet than Friday evenings and Sunday returns. Watch the Christmas and New Year window, the spring school breaks and Turkish public holidays, when seats go quickly on both non-stop and connecting options. Book a few months ahead for summer, and later for the quiet months, when last-minute seats are often still there.

On this route you will see full-service carriers such as Turkish Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa and Air Serbia, alongside low-cost operators Wizz Air, Wizz Air Malta, Pegasus, Easyjet and Sun Express. Direct flights exist, so filter for non-stop first and then weigh what a connecting itinerary saves you. Low-cost tickets buy you a seat and a small cabin bag; checked luggage, seat selection and food cost extra, so add those to the fare before you compare. Full-service fares usually include a cabin bag and often a checked allowance, and connections sold as one ticket keep you protected if a leg runs late. Separate tickets do not.

Istanbul has two airports, and they are not interchangeable. Istanbul Airport sits on the European side, well outside the city, while Sabiha Gokcen is on the Asian side, also a long way from the centre. Both are linked to town by metro and by airport buses that run to central districts, and taxis wait at both, though the ride in takes a while in traffic. Check which airport your ticket uses before you plan ground transport, because moving between them means crossing the whole city. If you are heading to the Asian side or further along the coast, Sabiha Gokcen usually saves you a transfer; for the historic centre and the European districts, Istanbul Airport is the simpler landing.

Currency

TRY (₺)

Power sockets

Type C, F · 230 V

Language

Turkish

Emergency number

112, 177

Driving side

right

Calling code

+36

Internet domain

.tr

Population of Istanbul

15.7 M (2023)

Time zone

UTC+03 (Europe/Istanbul)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check which Istanbul airport your fare uses, because Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gokcen sit on opposite sides of the city.
• Add up the baggage: low-cost tickets on Wizz Air, Pegasus and Easyjet often include only a small cabin bag.
• If you book a connection, keep both legs on one ticket so a delay becomes the airline's problem rather than yours.
• Check that your passport is valid well beyond your return date and look up the current entry rules for Turkey.
• Compare November with the summer months on the price calendar, because the gap on this route is wide.
• Leave a buffer before onward plans if you land in the evening, when delays tend to stack up.