In this guide
💡 The Short Version: There is no single best month, so choose by what you want. April and May have highs of 17°C and 22°C and the tulip festival; September and October have highs of 26°C and 21°C; July and August are the hottest, at 29.7°C, and the driest. December is the wettest month (99 mm) and has 9 hours of daylight. July, October and August were the busiest months of 2025 and March the quietest. Ramadan runs from 8 February to 8 March 2027, and the bayram holidays on 9 to 11 March and 16 to 19 May close shops and some sights. Or book a cruise: the Bosphorus sightseeing cruise with audio guidead is from €7.90.
Istanbul month by month
Highs and lows are the average daily maximum and minimum in °C, rain is the monthly total in mm with the number of days with rain, and daylight is the length of the day on the 15th, calculated for Istanbul’s coordinates. The weather is the Turkish State Meteorological Service’s climate statistics for Istanbul, which average its Kadıköy, Florya and Sarıyer stations over 1950 to 2025 (MGM). Visitors are the foreign arrivals at Istanbul’s border gates in the same month of 2025 (Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism).
Tulip beds in Emirgan Park in April. Photo: Husain007, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Month | High / low | Rain | Daylight | Visitors, 2025 | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 20.6 / 13.7 | 66.3 mm, 9.5 days | 11 h 11 min | 1.86 million | The palaces’ ticket offices close at 17:00 from 13 October. Republic Day is Thursday 29 October |
| November 2026 | 16.1 / 9.9 | 78.1 mm, 11.3 days | 9 h 55 min | 1.46 million | The Istanbul Marathon is on Sunday 1 November |
| December 2026 | 11.8 / 6.5 | 99.2 mm, 15.5 days | 9 h 15 min | 1.49 million | The wettest month. The shortest day is 21 December. New Year’s Eve |
| January 2027 | 9.6 / 4.2 | 88.8 mm, 16.3 days | 9 h 31 min | 1.27 million | Friday 1 January is a public holiday. The coldest weeks |
| February 2027 | 10.2 / 4.2 | 70.7 mm, 13.9 days | 10 h 36 min | 1.26 million | Ramadan begins on Monday 8 February |
| March 2027 | 12.4 / 5.5 | 62.3 mm, 12.6 days | 11 h 51 min | 1.23 million | Ramadan ends on 8 March. Ramazan Bayramı is 9 to 11 March |
| April 2027 | 17.4 / 9.2 | 47.8 mm, 10.1 days | 13 h 15 min | 1.58 million | The tulip festival and the Istanbul Film Festival. Friday 23 April is a public holiday |
| May 2027 | 22.3 / 13.6 | 32.9 mm, 7.5 days | 14 h 26 min | 1.67 million | Kurban Bayramı is 16 to 19 May |
| June 2027 | 27.1 / 18.0 | 27.6 mm, 5.4 days | 15 h 06 min | 1.63 million | The Istanbul Music Festival |
| July 2027 | 29.7 / 20.5 | 22.1 mm, 3.5 days | 14 h 51 min | 1.88 million | The driest month and the busiest. The Istanbul Jazz Festival |
| August 2027 | 29.7 / 20.8 | 23.9 mm, 3.6 days | 13 h 51 min | 1.85 million | Monday 30 August is Victory Day |
| September 2027 | 25.9 / 17.6 | 39.7 mm, 5.5 days | 12 h 32 min | 1.79 million | The 19th Istanbul Biennial opens on 18 September |
The weather in numbers
- Warmth. July and August average a high of 29.7°C. The highest temperature recorded in Istanbul is 40.6°C, in July.
- Cold. January and February average a low of 4.2°C. The lowest recorded is -9.0°C, in February, and the service’s record snow depth is 41 cm, on 9 March 1987.
- Rain. The twelve months add up to 659 mm over 115 days with rain. December has 99.2 mm and January 88.8 mm; July has 22.1 mm. The heaviest daily fall on record is 136.1 mm, on 10 September 1981.
- Daylight. The shortest day, 21 December 2026, runs from 08:25 to 17:38. The longest, 21 June 2027, runs from 05:31 to 20:39.
- Clocks. Turkey is on UTC+3 all year with no clock change. Istanbul is three hours ahead of London until Europe’s clocks go forward on 28 March 2027, and two hours ahead after that.
The Galata Tower and the roofs of Beyoğlu under snow. Photo: Melih1969, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the visitor numbers show
Istanbul’s border gates took 18.97 million foreign visitors in 2025, 2.1% more than in 2024. The three busiest months were July (1.88 million), October (1.86 million) and August (1.85 million). The three quietest were March (1.23 million), February (1.26 million) and January (1.27 million). April, with the tulips, took 1.58 million, and the rise in October over 2024 was 6.4%. The year before, the lowest month was January, and in 2023 it was February. The areas and hotels are in where to stay in Istanbul.
A car ferry crossing the Bosphorus. Photo: Acediscovery, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Dates that shape a visit
- Ramadan. Monday 8 February to Monday 8 March 2027. Eating, drinking and smoking in public by day can cause offence, and opening hours change: see Ramadan in Istanbul 2027.
- Ramazan Bayramı. Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 March 2027, with the eve on Monday 8 March, a half-day from 13:00. Dolmabahçe Palace, the Pera Museum and Istanbul Modern close on the first day.
- Kurban Bayramı. Sunday 16 to Wednesday 19 May 2027, with the eve on Saturday 15 May. Dolmabahçe, Pera and Istanbul Modern close on the first day. The last day, 19 May, is also Atatürk Commemoration, Youth and Sports Day.
- Public holidays. Thursday 29 October 2026 (Republic Day, with the eve a half-day), Friday 1 January, Friday 23 April, Saturday 1 May, Thursday 15 July, Monday 30 August and Friday 29 October 2027. Dolmabahçe, Pera and Istanbul Modern also close on 1 January.
- Tulip festival. April. The 2026 festival ran from 1 to 30 April, with the best bloom in the second and third weeks, and Emirgan Grove, in Sarıyer, is its centre (Hürriyet).
- Istanbul Film Festival. April; the 45th ran from 9 to 19 April 2026 (İKSV).
- Festivals in summer. The Istanbul Music Festival is in June and the Istanbul Jazz Festival every July, both run by İKSV (İKSV).
- The 19th Istanbul Biennial. 18 September to 14 November 2027, free to visit after the preview days (İKSV).
- Formula 1. The Turkish Grand Prix returns to Istanbul Park on 1 to 3 October 2027, the first race there since 2021 and on the calendar to 2031 (Formula 1). Istanbul Park is on the European side, far from the old city.
- The marathon. The 48th Istanbul Marathon runs from Asia to Europe over the Bosphorus Bridge on Sunday 1 November 2026 (maraton.istanbul).
- New Year’s Eve. There is no ticketed countdown in Taksim. In 2025 the city put up barriers round Taksim Square, closed the roads to İstiklal Caddesi from 14:00, kept ten metro lines running all night and made municipal transport free on 1 January for personalised Istanbulkart holders. The 2026 to 2027 plan is announced in the last days of December.
Closures that follow the season
- Palaces. The National Palaces’ ticket offices close at 17:00 in winter. Topkapı Palace is closed on Tuesdays and Dolmabahçe Palace on Mondays; see Topkapı Palace tickets and Dolmabahçe Palace tickets. Topkapı moves to the National Palaces’ ticket system on 1 January 2027.
- The Blue Mosque. Open 08:30 to 19:00 from 1 April to 30 September and 08:30 to 17:00 from 1 October to 31 March, and closed to visitors around prayer times and on Friday mornings: see visiting the Blue Mosque.
- Bayram days. Shops close on the first day of each bayram, and the Spice Bazaar was closed for all three days of the March 2026 bayram. The National Palaces published their bayram hours in the days before: in 2026, Topkapı opened on the first day from 10:00 to 17:00 and its palaces on days two and three from 09:00 to 17:00.
- The Grand Bazaar. Closed on Sundays: see the Grand Bazaar.
Which month for what
- Walking weather. April and May (highs of 17°C and 22°C, 48 and 33 mm of rain) and September and October (26°C and 21°C, 40 and 66 mm).
- Heat and dry days. July and August, at 29.7°C by day, with 3.5 and 3.6 days of rain. The hammam is a fair answer to the heat: see hammams in Istanbul.
- Fewer visitors. January to March, at 1.23 to 1.27 million foreign visitors a month against 1.88 million in July. The days are short and wet.
- Tulips. April, round Emirgan Grove.
- Ramadan. 8 February to 8 March 2027, with iftar, the fast-breaking meal at sunset, at about 18:30 to 19:00.
- A wet day. The museums and hammams are indoors: see Istanbul’s museums.
Where to stay in Istanbul compares the areas and hotels near the Blue Mosque lists the closest. Once you have your dates, Istanbul in one or two days and 3 days in Istanbul fit the sights round the closed days. Is Istanbul safe? and Istanbul scams cover the practical side, Istanbul public transport and Istanbul airport to the city the way in, and where to eat in Istanbul the meals. The full list of bookings is in what to book before you go to Istanbul.
Common questions
What is the best month to visit Istanbul?
It depends on what you want. April and May have daytime highs of 17°C and 22°C and 33 to 48 mm of rain. September and October have highs of 26°C and 21°C and 40 to 66 mm. July and August are the hottest, at 29.7°C by day, and the driest. November to March are cooler and wetter and quieter: March had the fewest foreign visitors in 2025, at 1.23 million.
What is the wettest month in Istanbul?
December, with 99.2 mm of rain on 15.5 days, then January with 88.8 mm. July is the driest, with 22.1 mm on 3.5 days. The figures are the Turkish State Meteorological Service's averages for 1950 to 2025.
Does it snow in Istanbul?
Sometimes. January and February average 4.2°C by night and the lowest temperature recorded is -9.0°C, in February. The service's record snow depth is 41 cm, on 9 March 1987.
When is Ramadan in Istanbul in 2027?
From Monday 8 February to Monday 8 March 2027, by the Presidency of Religious Affairs' calendar. Ramazan Bayramı follows on 9 to 11 March, and Kurban Bayramı is 16 to 19 May. See Ramadan in Istanbul 2027.
When are the tulips out in Istanbul?
In April. The municipality's tulip festival ran from 1 to 30 April 2026, with the best bloom in the second and third weeks of the month and Emirgan Grove as its centre.
Which months are busiest in Istanbul?
July, October and August 2025, with 1.88, 1.86 and 1.85 million foreign arrivals at Istanbul's border gates. March was the quietest, with 1.23 million, so July had about 50% more visitors.
