Cheap flights to Istanbul
Cheap flights to Istanbul land at two airports, and the city rewards whatever you came for: mosques and churches, ferries across the Bosphorus, and food that runs from breakfast until late. Arrivals peak in summer and around school holidays, when visitors from Chisinau, Warsaw, Budapest, Krakow, Bucharest, Iasi, Prague and Batumi all land at once. Spring and autumn are calmer, and easier on the budget.
Flights to Istanbul — where from
Airports — Istanbul
Arrivals split between Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gokcen, so check which one your ticket uses before planning the transfer. Both have metro and bus links into the centre and taxi ranks outside the terminals. Sabiha Gokcen sits on the Asian side, handy for Kadikoy and the eastern districts, while Istanbul Airport is on the European side. Airlines flying in include Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, Ajet, Sun Express, Aegean Airlines, Sky Express, Air Europa and Vueling Airlines.
When to go
Summer is the busiest stretch for arrivals, and seats fill quickly around public holidays and school breaks. Spring and autumn are milder and quieter, so there is usually more choice on routes from Chisinau, Iasi, Bucharest, Warsaw, Krakow, Budapest and Prague. Outside midsummer the weather turns changeable, and demand from Antalya, Gazipasa and Batumi moves with the season, so check the calendar before you commit.
Istanbul: flights from the city More destinations in Turkey: flights