New Year in Istanbul 2026 – is it worth going? Weather and reviews, air temperature, how to dress, prices for air tickets and hotels. What to do and see in Istanbul on New Year’s Eve and during the holidays, where you can go in Turkey – says Eurotraveler.
Istanbul, like Türkiye in general, in winter is a controversial destination from the point of view of most tourists. After all, in the mass consciousness this country is associated primarily with seaside, beach tourism. And for some reason, it is customary to visit its main metropolis only in the summer, or the months closely adjacent to them.
After all, as even a junior schoolchild understands today, on New Year’s Eve, swimming in either the Aegean or the Mediterranean Sea, not to mention the Black Sea, does not look like a reasonable activity. More likely, in general – a test of strength.
A visit to Istanbul in January seems like a test of fortitude. But people usually go there, as well as to Turkey in general, not for such entertainment – more for relaxation!
And therefore… just forget about the idea of celebrating the New Year in Turkey? But no!
After all, studying the statistical calculations of meteorologists and reviews of tourists who visited the country in the middle of winter makes the idea of travel very attractive. Yes, even promising – from a climatic and price point of view!
So what about Istanbul – is it worth celebrating the New Year there? What’s the weather like there and, what events are being held? How fun is it in the city, what about hotel prices, quality and variety of excursions?
Let’s find out now!
Weather in Istanbul for New Year
By and large, it’s not so different from, for example, Sochi. You can’t expect severe frosts, but rain in Istanbul in January is regular occurrence.
There are also snowfalls
The snow, however, does not stay for long. So, it will surprise tourists and melt away as if it never existed.
The probability of a sunny day does not exceed 30%, the air temperature fluctuates within +6-12 °Cthe winds sometimes pierce. And the humidity in Istanbul during the New Year holidays somehow does not spare tourists and often rises above 80%.
Cloudy weather prevails. And the dampness is felt quite clearly – you somehow forget about the above-zero temperatures.
But it rains don’t come every day. This allows you to periodically take walking tours of the old city.
There is another way to “defeat” bad weather – use excursion buses. For example, hop-on hop-off format. That is, if you wanted to, you went under the roof and looked out the window, got tired of it and came out.
Today, however, the cost of popular entertainment in comparison with European capitals looks incredibly high – a daily ticket costs from 55 € per person!
How to dress
What do people wear on New Year’s Eve on the streets of Istanbul? Visually – in practically winter clothesthat is, thick jackets (buttoned, by the way) and with hoods.
And that’s normal! After all, even with a slight plus, increased humidity (remember, we talked about heavy rains) can literally freeze.
So definitely go on a trip in the right ones. but light jacketswith moisture and wind protection. Plus, bring sweaters and sweatshirts, as well as insulated boots with thick soles.
All of the above will almost certainly be in demand both on the shores of the Bosphorus and on country trips. Who knows, what if you decide to leave Istanbul and go to Cappadocia in winter?!
You will praise yourself for your foresight if you take with you: neckerchiefs and scarves, hats and berets, gloves. And an umbrella is a very useful thing in winter Istanbul.
And yet – is it worth it?
The weather is obvious doesn’t fit too well for long walks.
But along with this (serious) disadvantage, there are also obvious advantages
In particular, you will not block the view all the timewhen you are ready to admire the expanses of the Bosphorus for an hour or two. And in many cases there is simply no one to breathe down your back while walking along the strait on an excursion boat (not on a regular ferry, of course).
Walking along Istiklal Street you will find yourself in a crowd of far from summer proportions. And in the palace gardens and even the halls of Topkapi, you will be almost the only visitor (which is unlikely, of course).
Hagia Sophia, the grandiose Blue Mosque, cisterns and Chora Monastery, Dolmabahce Palace, elegant Suleymaniye – all these attractions of Istanbul on New Year’s Eve not many curious citizens see. And this one advantage can outweigh literally all the disadvantages!
Thrifty citizens will rejoice that during the New Year holidays will be able to save on buying original souvenirs in Turkey – how can you not bring something interesting from your New Year’s trip!
Because in winter, the assertiveness of local merchants and their desire to sell you an item at a price three times higher than the real one clearly does not reach the level of summer. Or maybe they are just saving up energy for the new high season?
Prices 2025
An independent traveler from Moscow for a trip to New Year’s Istanbul will need from 50 thousand rubles (~500 €) for round-trip air tickets. Baggage will most likely be included in this amount, but this is still little consolation. It is especially worthwhile for you to familiarize yourself with the current prices for tickets to Istanbul from London (for a round trip flight they ask from 200 €).
As for hotels, we will call inexpensive during this period those that they charge no more than 80-90 € per day for a double room. If, of course, they are located in the city center (Fatih) or close to it.
First of all, pay attention to the cozy Ada Hotel Istanbul, located in Sultanahmet. Breakfast here is included in the price, and you will eat it on the view terrace.
To Sultanahmet Square and other main attractions of the city can be reached in a maximum of 10 minutes. Well, in principle, the service and quality of the rooms here are at a high level.
Another good and even cheaper option is the Grand Peninsula Hotel, which is also located in the Sultanahmet area. The hotel staff is kind, the rooms are clean, breakfast is included in the price, and there is a view terrace!
- Which areas of Istanbul are best for tourists to stay in?
Guided tours now cannot be considered a budget pleasure — for a simple, albeit long walk around the city you will have to pay from 40-45 €. The rise in price is primarily due to the constant fall in the exchange rate of the lira, and the rise in prices (for foreigners) for entrance tickets to most attractions.
You can take part in a Bosphorus cruise for a significantly smaller amount – ~12-15 €. However, in this case you will have to rely on the audio guide.
Things to do
New Year’s Eve is celebrated in Istanbul with a slightly smaller scopethan in Paris or, for example, in Moscow. However, deafening and quite rich fireworks are still launched over the Bosphorus. And there are crowds of people wandering the streets and shouting congratulations to each other.
All establishments, more or less similar to cafes and restaurants, as well as nightclubs, are packed to capacity with visitors. They start booking places no later than September, since celebrating the New Year in Turkey is an important event.
Decorated New Year’s spruces are present everywhereand not just in the lobbies of large hotels
But Santa Clauses don’t get out of Mercedes and, especially, sleighs.
We even I would advise you to expand it! Not only because running a lot will warm you up faster. But mainly to take advantage of the moment when the number of (foreign) tourists in Istanbul is relatively small.
Neighborhood
We have outlined a complete list of interesting traffic vectors for those planning to take a day trip somewhere from Istanbul in a separate detailed article. Here we will mention just a few country “destinations”. Achievable without necessarily involving an airplane.
For example, even in winter it is worth remembering Princes’ Islandsa pretty (and car-free) archipelago in the Sea of Marmara. They are part of the Turkish metropolis and the most popular recreational area for the local population. You can get there by public transport, that is, by ferry.
The most convenient way to do this is from the Eminönü pier on the European coast. A one-way sailing takes an hour and 40 minutes (you can also take a cruise), see the schedule here – sehirhatlari.istanbul/en/timetables/domestic-trips/adalar-princes-islands-lines-176.
A guided tour to the islands will give you a completely different quality of experience, but it’s hard to call it inexpensive…
Consider visiting the ruins legendary Troy near the town of Canakkale. The drive from the latter bus station to the ruins itself is about 30 km.
However, Canakkale itself is more than 400 km away from Istanbul along the highway. This is if you travel through Asian territory and do not use the ferry crossing. The bus journey will take at least 5.5 hours – make sure you plan your overnight stay in advance.
Be sure to pay attention to Ephesus. It is more difficult to get to this remarkable place from Istanbul – if you initially ignore the option of taking a plane to Izmir.
Aerophobes or those who are simply too lazy to go to the airport will first have to get to Selcuk (~520 km). And then take a taxi or walk to the ruins of the ancient city on foot (no more than 30-40 minutes).
The fastest buses take 8.5 hours to travel to Selcuk. If you rent a car and drive it, the road to Ephesus will take no more than 6.5 hours.
As hinted above, you can get to Cappadocia from Istanbul. During the New Year holidays the region is also not crowded with travelers. But simply charming amazingly beautiful!
© Eurotraveler
