Best time to visit Turkey: Riviera and Istanbul

For most travellers Turkey is two destinations in one: the Turkish Riviera around Antalya, with beaches, ancient cities and summer heat – and Istanbul, the metropolis on the Bosphorus, where winters can be cold and wet. The two are about 500 kilometres apart as the crow flies and have a clearly different climate. We analysed the weather data for 2015 to 2024 for both places and tell you when each trip works best.

The short answer

• Beach holiday on the Riviera: June and September. 31 to 32 °C by day, almost no rain, a warm sea. July and August are very hot at 35 to 36 °C.
• Istanbul: May, June, September and October. 20 to 26 °C by day – pleasant for long days on foot.
• Beach and city combined: June or September, when both places are good.
• Shoulder season on the Riviera: April, May and October. Warm enough for sightseeing; in spring the sea is still fresh for swimming.
• Winter: mild in Antalya but with a lot of rain (226 mm in January), cold and grey in Istanbul (9 to 11 °C by day).

Climate in Antalya and Istanbul: all 12 months

Temperature and rain: monthly averages 2015–2024 from the ERA5 reanalysis (Open-Meteo), rounded. The values describe a grid cell of about 25 km. For Antalya it reaches into the hinterland; right by the sea summer days are usually a little less hot and nights a little milder.

The two curves show the difference: on the Riviera it is hot and dry from June to September, while Istanbul's summer stays more moderate and its winter is much colder. Both places get most of their rain in the winter half of the year – Antalya a lot of it, often in heavy downpours on a few days.

The Turkish Riviera month by month

April and May

Spring is the best time for sightseeing: 22 °C in April, 27 °C in May, with green landscapes and gardens. Ancient sites such as Perge, Aspendos or the theatre of Side are comfortable to visit now. The sea is still fresh in April; in May many people find it pleasant for swimming. More ideas for this time: where to go in May.

June

One of the best months for a beach holiday: 31 °C by day, 19.5 °C at night, hardly any rain. Most school summer holidays have not started yet.

July and August

High summer and peak season. At 35 to 36 °C by day and around 24 °C at night it is very hot, and practically no rain falls. Fine for beach and pool; do your sightseeing early in the morning. Hotels are fullest and most expensive now.

September

The heat eases (32 °C) and the sea is at its warmest after the summer. For many this is the best month for the Riviera – also because school holidays are over. See also where to go in September.

October

At 27 °C by day still warm enough for beach days, while nights get cooler (16 °C). Rain increases towards the end of the month. A good month for walking, for example sections of the Lycian Way between Antalya and Fethiye. More warm places: where to go in October.

November to March

Mild, but not a beach season. 14 to 21 °C by day, 6 to 11 °C at night, plus a lot of rain: 191 mm in December, 226 mm in January. Fine for a quiet city break in Antalya or golf in winter, but many beach hotels are closed.

Antalya's old town, Kaleiçi, with its old harbour and Hadrian's Gate, lies right in the city. From Antalya it is 74 km to Side (just over 1 hour of pure driving) and 187 km to Kaş on the Lycian coast (2:30 hours). Allow about a third more. For trips along the coast a hire car^* is worth it; the coast road to Kaş is one of the most beautiful drives in the region.

Istanbul month by month

March to May

March is still cool at 12 °C; April (17 °C) starts the good season, with tulips flowering in the city's parks. May at 21 °C is ideal for long days on foot between Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar and the Bosphorus.

June to August

Warm, sometimes humid at 29 °C in July and August, but much less hot than on the Riviera. Evenings on the Bosphorus ferries are pleasant. The city is busy in summer.

September and October

Along with spring the best time: 26 °C in September, 20 °C in October, little rain. If you want to combine Istanbul with the Riviera, take September.

November to February

Cold and often grey: 9 to 16 °C by day, 3 to 10 °C at night, and 77 to 108 mm of rain a month. On the plus side, museums and mosques are quieter. Bring warm clothes and an umbrella.

Istanbul trip planDay by day, with map and tips

Holidays and Ramadan

During the fasting month of Ramadan, hotels, restaurants and sights in the resorts and in Istanbul are open as usual. Ramadan ends with the Sugar Feast (Eid al-Fitr), and about two months later comes the Feast of the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha). During both, a great many people travel within Turkey, and buses, domestic flights and coastal hotels are full. The festivals follow the Islamic lunar calendar and move forward by about eleven days each year – check the dates for your travel year.

How YesTrip helps with this trip

For Istanbul, YesTrip has a ready-made plan with the old town, bazaars and the Bosphorus that you can take over and fit to your days. For the Riviera, just tell the app when you will be where – it plans day by day with real places on the map. The forecast covers your travel days, so in high summer you can put excursions in the morning. The packing list suggests clothes for the weather. Travelling as a group, you share the trip and log shared expenses.

What to know before you go

• Entry: British passport holders do not need a visa for tourist stays of up to 90 days. The current rules are on the UK government's travel advice page.
• Flight: From London a direct flight takes approx. 4 hours to Antalya and approx. 4 hours to Istanbul.
• Power: 230 volts, European two-pin sockets (type F). Travellers from the UK need an adapter.
• Clothing: In mosques cover shoulders and knees; women wear a headscarf.
• Transfer: Istanbul Airport is a long way from the centre; it is easiest to book a transfer^* in advance.
• Mobile data: a travel eSIM^* is usually much cheaper than roaming.

For more destinations around the Mediterranean and beyond, see the overview Best time to visit: where to go when, for example the best time to visit Egypt.

If you want to see more than one place, the 14-day Turkey itinerary runs from Istanbul via Cappadocia to Antalya.

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