Best Time to Visit Turkey 2027: Month by Month for Dutch Travellers

The best time to visit Turkey for most Dutch travellers is April and May, plus mid-September to October: daytime highs are roughly 17 to 28 degrees, the sea is warming up or still warm and the summer crowds have not arrived yet or have gone. July and August are too hot for long city days, and winter is quiet and cheaper but cold. A private day in Istanbul with a guide and driver starts from $200 on our Istanbul tours page, and for Istanbul with Cappadocia our Turkey tour packages are ready. Send your travel date on WhatsApp and we will help work out which month fits your plans.

Information checked on 6 November 2026. All temperatures below are rounded, indicative long-term averages; a warm or cold week can differ.

Best Time to Visit Turkey Month by Month

Turkey is large and has several climates. Istanbul in the north-west has humid summers and wetter winters, Cappadocia sits above a thousand metres in the dry interior with proper winters, the Turkish Riviera around Antalya has hot, dry summers and mild winters, and Pamukkale lies inland in the Aegean region. So there is no single best month for the whole country. The table shows average daytime highs in degrees Celsius, rounded.

Sea temperature at Antalya is indicative: April 18, May 21, June 24, July 27, August 28, September 27, October 25 and November 21 degrees. If you mainly want to travel around and see a lot, choose April, May, September or October. If you mainly want to swim, plan May to October. A general overview in English is on our page best time to visit Turkey.

Best Time to Visit Istanbul

For Istanbul, April, May, September and October are the most pleasant: 17 to 25 degrees and enough daylight for a long day between Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace and the Bosphorus. In July and August the city sits around 29 degrees, but the humidity makes it feel heavier than the number suggests, and the queues at the big sights are longest. Our guides therefore usually start the Old City before nine in the morning in summer and plan the afternoon indoors or on the water.

Winter has its own advantage. From January to mid-March museums and mosques are quieter, hotels are generally cheaper than in season and a Bosphorus cruise in the cold with a glass of tea makes a fine afternoon. Expect rain and bring a proper coat. For a long weekend, Istanbul from the Netherlands in 2027 is the worked-out page, and a Dutch-speaking guide can be arranged through Dutch-speaking guide in Istanbul.

Classic Istanbul Full-Day Private Tour: Byzantine & Ottoman, from $200

Best Time to Visit Cappadocia

Cappadocia is high and dry, so the seasons are sharper. May and September to October are best: 16 to 25 degrees by day, clear skies and good walking weather in the valleys. In summer it climbs to about 29 degrees; mornings and evenings are pleasant, and at midday you look for shade or an underground city. From December to February daytime highs are 3 to 5 degrees and snow is regular. That is lovely for photos of the rock formations under a white layer, but cold, and on some days the weather is a problem for roads and flights.

In spring the Ihlara Valley is green, in autumn the light is soft and the air clear. A day tour with the underground city of Derinkuyu and a walk through the valley works in every season; the Cappadocia Green Tour is from $80, lunch included. All excursions are on the Cappadocia tours page. A detailed month overview with balloons and crowds is in our article Cappadocia month by month.

Cappadocia Green Tour: Underground City, Lunch Included, from $80

Cappadocia Balloon Flight: Which Month?

Balloons fly all year, but only when the weather allows. In strong wind, snow or fog the flight stays on the ground; the decision is made early in the morning. It is most reliable roughly from late spring through autumn, when the chance of a cancelled morning is smallest. In winter a flight over a snowy landscape is possible, but the risk of cancellation is higher. So do not put the balloon flight on your last morning, which leaves you a spare day.

Our prices per person, checked on 6 November 2026:

More about departure, duration and pick-up in Dutch is on hot air balloon Cappadocia.

Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Flight at Sunrise, Standard, from $199

Best Time for the Turkish Riviera (Antalya)

On the coast around Antalya the season is long. May and October are the best months for anyone who wants to swim and look around: 28 degrees by day, a sea of 21 (May) to 25 degrees (October) and far fewer people than in August. June and September are warmer, with 33 degrees and a sea of 24 and 27 degrees. In July and August the mercury reaches 36 degrees and the sea is at its warmest with 27 and 28 degrees; good by the water, but too hot for a full day in the Old Town or among ruins.

In April the sea, at 18 degrees, is still fresh for long swims, and in November, at 21 degrees, only the hardy swim. A quiet walk through Kaleiçi around the old harbour works all year; the Antalya Old Town Tour is from $90. More options are on the Antalya tours page.

Antalya Old Town (Kaleici) Private Tour, Professional Guide, from $90

Pamukkale and Ephesus

Pamukkale and Ephesus are open-air sites with little shade, and that decides the best time. In July and August Pamukkale reaches 33 degrees and the white travertine throws the light back hard; April, May, September and October are much pleasanter, at 19 to 28 degrees. In winter it is 8 to 10 degrees, wet and chilly, but you share the terraces with few others.

Ephesus lies near Kuşadası and follows the same pattern: late April to mid-June and September to mid-October give good light for the Library of Celsus and the great theatre. A private tour with skip-the-line entry is the Ephesus Highlights Tour from $300; everything in that area is under Ephesus and Kuşadası. Pamukkale as a day trip by plane from Istanbul is from $499, lunch included. It is a long day, and in summer heat it feels longer.

Ephesus Full-Day Private Tour with Skip-the-Line Entry, from $300

Pamukkale Day Trip from Istanbul by Plane, Lunch Included, from $499

Ramadan 2027

According to the calendar of Turkey's Diyanet, Ramadan 2027 begins on Monday 8 February and the last day of fasting is 8 March. The Sugar Feast, in Turkey Ramazan Bayramı, falls on 9 to 11 March 2027, with the eve on 8 March. The Feast of the Sacrifice (Kurban Bayramı) runs from 16 to 19 May 2027, with the eve on 15 May.

During Ramadan the sights stay open as normal and in the tourist districts of Istanbul restaurants serve as always. What changes: after sunset the iftar tables are busy, by day local neighbourhoods are quieter and some small eateries outside the tourist zones open only in the evening. Iftar times and places are in the iftar times for Istanbul in 2027.

The Turkish holiday weeks are a different matter. Around Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı many Turks travel domestically: buses, domestic flights and hotels on the coast and in Cappadocia are then full and dearer. The 2027 Feast of the Sacrifice also coincides with Pentecost on 16 May, so Dutch travellers using the long Pentecost weekend travel in the same week as the Turkish rush. Book early, or choose the weeks before or after.

School Holidays 2027 and Crowds

Dutch school holidays are published officially on rijksoverheid.nl and by the ANWB. For 2027 these dates weigh most on your travel plan:

In addition, in 2027 Easter falls on 28 March, King's Day on 27 April, Ascension Day on 6 May and Pentecost on 16 May. Around these days flights from Amsterdam cost more and hotels in Istanbul fill up sooner. The May holiday and Ascension suit Istanbul well, since it is then about 22 degrees. In the summer holiday a day that puts city sights in the morning and a swimming pool in the afternoon works best.

How to Book

Start with your date, not the month. Send us on WhatsApp when you can travel, how many people are coming and what you want to see, and you get a quote for exactly those days. The price depends on the date, the hotel category and the group size. You book flights yourself; Amsterdam to Istanbul takes about 3.5 hours. Dutch passport holders need no visa for tourism up to 90 days; check the current rules on Nederlandwereldwijd before you book.

A two-week round trip is on Turkey round trip of 2 weeks, the Cappadocia and Istanbul combination on round trip Cappadocia and Istanbul and an overview for Dutch travellers on Turkey tours from the Netherlands. Send a message today on WhatsApp and we will find the month that suits you.

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