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Best time to visit Turkey

The best time to visit Turkey is in the spring or autumn, when the temperatures are at their best, but every month brings something interesting in this large country. If you're looking for the best time to visit Turkey this page presents a handy weather chart as well as answers to your questions, and the best time to visit for festivals and events.

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Best time to visit Turkey

Turkey's shores, peaks and plateaux offer places and activities for every season – from culture to kayaks, sailing to skiing

With a 7,200km coastline and wildly varying terrain, the best time to visit Turkey depends on where you want to go and what you want to do. June to August is hot almost everywhere. The west and south coasts have mild winters, while central Anatolia is colder – as is Istanbul. Summer is great for activities like kayaking, rafting, canyoning or diving, but not so good for crowds at major cultural sites. Sunny spring and autumn days offer fine temperatures for walking and cycling.

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A month by month guide on when to go to Turkey

January in Turkey

Cold and snowy in the east and centre

Milder and wetter on the coast

Quiet time of year

The start of the year finds much of the country hunkering down in the rain and cold. In Turkey in January, eastern and central areas such as Anatolia are covered in snow and experiencing freezing temperatures. At this time of year the average high in Erzurum in eastern Turkey is -4°C, the average low -12°C. It’s more likely to be rainy in Istanbul and around 8°C.

February in Turkey

Cold and snowy in the east and centre

Milder and wetter on the coast

Quiet time of year

It’s still very much winter in Turkey in February – very cold in the interior and likely snowy in places like Cappadocia. Nearer the coast, it’s more likely to be rainy but warmer – Istanbul is 9°C, Antalya 15°C. The orange harvest comes to an end, so look out for the many varieties of the fruit grown in the country at markets.

March in Turkey

Spring arrives

Coastal walking

Warmer temperatures

It’s the start of spring in Turkey in March, and average high temperature nudge above freezing for the first time in the east. Cyclists and hikers will be pleased to learn that things are starting to look up weatherwise, especially on southern coastlines, and there's every chance of spotting dolphins heading northwest towards the Black Sea. Why not walk the Lycian Way (our group tours start this month), or walk in Cappadocia?

April in Turkey

Archaeology and history tours

Coastal walking

Beautiful flora

Turkey in April enjoys one of the best months for travellers. Although you may get a couple of rainy days, there's an abundance of wildflowers and blossom turning the countryside into a cornucopia of colour – celebrated particularly in Istanbul with the annual tulip festival this month. There are milder temperatures and fewer crowds on walking trails both inland and along the coast.

April is a great month for our Lycian Way walking holiday

May in Turkey

Heating up

Gulet cruises

Last month for walking before summer

Temperatures are heating up in Turkey in May. The season for gulet cruises and other small ship cruises generally starts in earnest this month, but conversely it’s probably the last month before the summer when you could consider a walking holiday. Temperatures are now 19°C in Cappadocia, 25°C on the Mediterranean coast and in the mid-teens in the east. This is Turkey’s turtle time: they arrive on some of the country’s beaches to lay eggs.

June in Turkey

Hot temperatures

Gulet cruising

Walking tours end

June is the start of the summer and as such the resorts along the Mediterranean and Aegean will start to become busier as land and sea temperatures start to rise. Turkey in June is a good time to take to the sea on a gulet cruise, as whenever the temperatures get too hot you can always go for a swim – the sea temperature is an average of 22°C.

Even in high summer it can get chilly on a hot air balloon flight, especially when you’re waking up at the crack of dawn – so don’t forget your layers.

July in Turkey

Hottest month

Beach and villa holidays

Peak season

July is one of the hottest months of the Turkish calendar, and most visitors tend to hit the coast, which leaves cities and hiking trails often bereft of crowds and accommodation prices a little lower. If you’re walking in Cappadocia, it’s hot and busy – but it’s a good time of year for ballooning as you’ll get low winds and stable weather. There are fewer departures for active trips in Turkey in July.

August in Turkey

Hottest month

Beach and villa holidays

Hatching turtles

If you’re sailing in Turkey in August you might choose to sleep on deck rather than in your cabin. Holidaymakers tend to stick near the coast during this very hot month – it’s 27°C in Cappadocia, 32°C in Bodrum and the sea is at its hottest, around 25°C. We have fewer departures for active trips: this is a month for relaxing near a pool in the shade. Our mosaic-making holiday allows you to do just that.

September in Turkey

Still hot

Warm sea

Many small group tours recommence

As the heat of summer starts to dissipate many of our more active small group tours recommence in Turkey in September. You can walk the Lycian Way again and join sightseeing tours focusing on archaeology and eastern Turkey. This is the month of grape harvest festivals – be sure to sample a few delicious sarma (stuffed vine leaves) alongside your wine tastings. Cappadocia has a great, longstanding winemaking tradition.

October in Turkey

Walking holidays

Lovely weather

Warm sea

Turkey in October still promises plenty of blue skies and warm temperatures although you should start to expect shorter days and more showers. The sea temperature is still 22°C around Bodrum – consider a swimming holiday, or perhaps a foodie holiday to make the most of the harvest.

October is a great month for our Turkey gulet cruise

November in Turkey

Cool temperatures

A bit wetter

Quiet time

The average high might just dip below 20°C in Bodrum this month, as the coast cools down and there are increasingly more days that are more unsettled. This is the last month for walking the Lycian Way. In Turkey in November the average high is around 15°C in Istanbul, 11°C in Cappadocia and 6°C in Erzurum.

December in Turkey

Cool temperatures

Ok for walking and cycling

Cold in Cappadocia

In Turkey in December it's often down to luck as to what weather conditions you'll find. Towards the end of the year things will have cooled down considerably, which won't necessarily be all bad for cyclists tackling steep ascents. Cappadocia is cold – and might even have seen snow – making it a wonderful quiet time to visit and walk, and you can enjoy quiet walking conditions on the Turquoise Coast.

Istanbul Weather Chart

MIN °C

MAX °C

RAIN (mm)

JAN

110

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

126

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Best times to visit Turkey for festivals & events

Hidirellez (5 May)

Many cultures have a spring festival with roots in folk traditions – and Turkey’s sometimes involves fire! To celebrate the coming of spring, people leap over a fire pit to ward off illness for the coming year, feast on lamb and might bathe to cleanse themselves. Predating Islamic traditions, Hidirellez is celebrated in Turkey and the wider region and features a lot of folk dancing and fun.

Ramazan (dates vary)

Ramazan (the Turkish for Ramadan) is a special time of fasting and prayer for Muslim communities in Turkey and can be a very atmospheric time to visit – though you should be mindful that your guide or driver may be fasting, and if you’re not fasting yourself, you may choose to eat indoors in private. Every evening at iftar, when fasting ends, there are banquet menus, night markets and a festive atmosphere.

Kirkpinar oil wrestling festival (June)

A festival that’s over 650 years old, making it the world’s longest ongoing sporting event, the Kirkpinar oil wrestling festival takes place in the western city of Erdine. Thousands compete, bare-chested, doused in olive oil in the hope of completing their wrestling outfit with the addition of the coveted golden belt. It’s made the UNESCO list for intangible culture – probably thanks to that oil making it difficult to grasp.

International Istanbul Music Festival (June-July)

The IMF takes place in summer, featuring orchestral music and events at the city’s massive Ataturk Cultural Centre, including its special globe-shaped opera hall. It’s just one of Istanbul’s many cultural events in its packed calendar – this massive city celebrates everything from jazz to tulips to film throughout the year.

Mevlana Festival, Konya (10-17 December)

A celebration of the whirling dervish orders founded by 13th-century Sufi poet and mystic philosopher Jelaluddin Rumi – aka Mevlana ('Our Guide'). A million people visit the vibrant city of Konya to witness days of dervish dancing and music, culminating in the major performance of unique trance-like forms on 17 December (the day Rumi died in 1273).

Our travellers also ask…

What is the best month to go to Turkey?

We think April is the best month to visit Turkey. This is when many of our small group tours depart, you can walk and cycle and see cultural sights without too much heat, and it’s the best month to see eastern Turkey between its hot summer and chilly winter. You’ll have to wait another month for cruising season, though.

When is the rainy season in Turkey?

Like many places in the Mediterranean, Turkey’s Mediterranean coast sees the most rain in winter – from November through to February, the weather is less settled. In Istanbul, December is the rainiest month. On the Black Sea coast, in places like Trabzon, it’s autumn that tends to bring the most rain. In the east, it’s a lot drier year-round.

Is Turkey still hot in October?

Turkey is still pleasantly warm in October. The average daily highs in popular tourist destinations in October are: Bodrum, 24°C, Istanbul 19°C, Cappadocia 17°C. The sea temperature in the Med has fallen to around 22°C.