Cheap flights from London to Istanbul

October is the cheapest month to fly this route, and fares usually hold up well through November and into the early winter. Summer is the busy stretch: school holidays push London departures up, and travel around Turkish public holidays fills planes in both directions. Midweek departures, Tuesday and Wednesday in particular, tend to cost less than Friday and Sunday flights, when weekend breaks and business travel collide. For spring and autumn trips, booking a few weeks ahead is usually enough; for the summer peak, earlier is safer. If your dates are open, let the price calendar pick the week for you.

Turkish Airlines is the full-service option here, and the one to compare against when the low-cost totals creep up. The budget side is crowded: Pegasus, Ajet, Sun Express, Jet2, Easyjet, Vueling Airlines and the Wizz Air brands, meaning Wizz Air UK, Wizz Air and Wizz Air Malta, all compete on price. Direct flights are the norm, so most tickets put you in Istanbul the same day rather than routing you through another hub. What differs is what comes with the fare. On a low-cost ticket the cabin bag, the seat and any hold luggage are extras you add at checkout, while a full-service fare usually bundles more in. Compare the total, not the headline fare.

Istanbul has two airports, and your ticket decides which one you get. Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gokcen both sit well outside the centre, so the transfer into town is a real part of the journey rather than an afterthought. Metro lines, airport buses and taxis serve both, and a pre-booked transfer is the simplest choice if you land late at night. Check which airport appears on your booking before you choose a hotel, because the two are a long way apart and crossing the city to fix a mistake eats an afternoon. If you are heading onward within Turkey, note that domestic connections do not always leave from the airport you arrived at.

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 London airport your fare leaves from, since the city has five and they are nowhere near each other.
• Look at the baggage allowance on low-cost tickets, where a small cabin bag may be all that is included.
• If you build the trip from two separate tickets, leave a generous gap in case the first flight slips.
• Confirm whether you land at Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gokcen before booking a hotel or a transfer.
• Check the current entry requirements for Turkey before you pay.
• Book early for summer travel, and keep October in mind if your dates are flexible.