Ramadan in Istanbul 2027: dates, iftar, sahur drummers, opening hours, dress and the two bayram holidays

💡 The Short Version: Ramadan runs from Monday 8 February to Monday 8 March 2027. Hotels, sights and most restaurants stay open, but the Foreign Office says it may cause offence to eat, drink, smoke or chew gum in public by day, so do it indoors. Iftar, the meal that breaks the fast, is at sunset, about 18:30 to 19:00. Ramazan Bayramı (9 to 11 March) and Kurban Bayramı (16 to 19 May) are the holidays: shops close on the first day and Dolmabahçe Palace is shut. Or book a tour: the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia guided tour with ticketsad is from €33.

The dates

The dates are those in the Presidency of Religious Affairs’ (Diyanet) 2027 calendar, as printed by the Turkish press (Sabah, Habertürk). The Foreign Office says only “between early February and early March”.

The Blue Mosque at dusk. Photo: Jorge Láscar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Two dates overlap. Monday 8 March is the last day of Ramadan and the afternoon of the bayram eve, and Wednesday 19 May is both the last day of Kurban Bayramı and the national holiday of Atatürk Commemoration, Youth and Sports Day.

What changes for a visitor

The Foreign Office’s advice for Turkey (GOV.UK) is:

• In public by day. It may cause offence to eat, drink, smoke or chew gum, including in your car.
• Noise. Playing loud music, dancing and swearing in public may cause offence.
• Hours. Check the opening hours of shops and restaurants.
• Restaurants. Hotels and restaurants serving food or drink in fasting hours may separate you from Muslim guests, for example with screens.
• Dress. Follow local dress codes, because clothing that does not meet them may cause more offence at this time. Dress modestly in a mosque or a shrine: see what to wear in Istanbul’s mosques.
• Roads. Driving may be erratic near dusk, when people are trying to get home.
• Patience. Fasting can cause tiredness in the late afternoon and early evening.

Alcohol is still sold, and the rules for drinking it are the usual ones: see is Istanbul safe?.

Iftar and sahur

Iftar is the evening meal that breaks the fast, at sunset. In Istanbul that is about 18:30 on 8 February, 18:45 on 22 February and 19:00 on 7 March 2027. Restaurants fill in the hour before, so book for iftar, and expect the streets and the transport to be busy as people head home. Where to eat in Istanbul names the restaurants.

A Ramadan mahya, a message in lights, between the minarets of the Blue Mosque. Photo: Ozgurzeyhan1973, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Free iftar tents. Istanbul’s district municipalities and foundations set up tents and open-air tables each Ramadan that serve free meals to people in need and to anyone who wants to break the fast outside. In 2026 they were announced for places that included Sultanahmet Square and Eminönü (Ensonhaber). They serve people who need a meal, so a visitor who wants an iftar should book one at a restaurant.

Sahur drummers. A davulcu walks the streets before dawn beating a drum to wake people for sahur, the pre-dawn meal. In 2026 the governor’s office approved about 3,000 drummers in 961 neighbourhoods, each with a badge card, and tips are voluntary (Takvim). If a drum before dawn would wake you, ask your hotel for a room away from the street: see where to stay in Istanbul.

Opening hours and the bayram days

The Foreign Office’s advice is to check hours, and the sights publish theirs in the days before each holiday. What the National Palaces Directorate did for Ramazan Bayramı in March 2026 is the best guide to 2027: Topkapı Palace opened on the first day from 10:00 to 17:00, and all its palaces and museums, Dolmabahçe among them, opened on the second and third days from 09:00 to 17:00 (Takvim).

The Yeni Cami at Eminönü on a Ramadan night, with a mahya between its minarets. Photo: Esin Üstün, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

• First day of each bayram. Dolmabahçe Palace, the Pera Museum and Istanbul Modern are closed on 9 March and 16 May 2027. See Dolmabahçe Palace tickets.
• Shops. The Spice Bazaar, and Pandeli, the restaurant inside it, were closed for all three days of the March 2026 bayram.
• Mosques. The Blue Mosque is a working mosque and closes to visitors around prayer times in Ramadan as in any month: see visiting the Blue Mosque.
• Transport. The city is busy with people travelling before and after the bayram days.

Weather and crowds

Ramadan 2027 falls in February and March, when Istanbul’s average highs are 10.2°C and 12.4°C. February and March were two of the three quietest months for foreign visitors in 2025, at 1.26 and 1.23 million, and Ramadan 2025 fell in March. The month-by-month figures are in the best time to visit Istanbul.

For a plan that fits the closures, see Istanbul in one or two days and 3 days in Istanbul. Hotels near the Blue Mosque lists the hotels in Sultanahmet, and Istanbul scams and is Istanbul safe? cover the practical side. What to book before you go is in the Istanbul guide.