Istanbul for the 8 March Holidays 2027: 3–4 Day Plan, Eid and Prices

Istanbul for the 8 March holidays 2027 means 3–4 days from 6 to 9 March: Russia has three days off in a row, while in Turkey 8 March is the eve of a holiday and 9–11 March is Ramadan Bayram (Eid). Days are 10–14 °C, so the trip is built around Istanbul tours, the Bosphorus and an evening dinner, not the beach. A private tour with a Russian-speaking guide can be booked for today or tomorrow, with pick-up from your hotel: just message us on WhatsApp.

We have worked in Istanbul since 2010 (TÜRSAB A-group licence no. 15751), and every year we host March guests from Moscow, St Petersburg and the Russian regions. Below: a day-by-day plan with what is open and what is closed, ideas for 8 March itself, the weather, how to pay with Russian cards and what our Istanbul tour packages cost.

Is Istanbul worth it for the 8 March holidays 2027?

Yes, if you are going for the city rather than the sea. Under the Russian Labour Ministry's draft working calendar, in 2027 8 March falls on a Monday, and Russians are off from 6 to 8 March. Fly in on Friday evening, 5 March, and you get three full days; take Tuesday as unpaid leave and you get four.

There is a catch tour operators rarely mention. According to the calendar of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), 8 March in Turkey is arife, the eve of Ramadan Bayram, and 9 March is the first day of the holiday. Turks go away too, many domestic tourists come to the Old City, and some museums and markets change their hours.

Without a day-by-day plan you can end up at closed doors. With one, the weekend runs smoothly: Old City and shopping first, the Bosphorus and evening programmes on the holiday days. If you want a general overview of the month rather than the holidays, see our guide to Istanbul in March.

A 3–4 day plan: 6–9 March day by day

Saturday 6 March. The Old City while everything is open: the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern and Topkapı Palace. Our Classic Istanbul private tour fits this day: private, 6–8 hours, from $200. In the evening, the Grand Bazaar: this is the last reliable shopping day before Bayram.

Sunday 7 March. The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays, so the day goes to the Bosphorus: Dolmabahçe Palace (closed on Monday), a walk along the Beşiktaş waterfront and a ferry to the Asian side, to Üsküdar or Kadıköy. In the evening you can go to a hammam.

Monday 8 March. Dolmabahçe is closed, government offices work half a day, and many shops close early. The morning is for Galata Tower and İstiklal Street, the afternoon for rest, and the evening for a holiday dinner on the Bosphorus.

Tuesday 9 March. The first day of Bayram. Topkapı is closed on Tuesdays, state museums usually open after midday on the first day of the holiday, and the Grand Bazaar is, as a rule, closed. It is a good day for an unhurried walk and lunch by the water before an evening flight.

How to celebrate 8 March in Istanbul: dinner, hammam, gifts

The most popular choice among our guests for the evening of 8 March is the Bosphorus dinner cruise: from $90 per person, about six hours with transfer, dinner and show. International Women's Day is marked in Turkey too, and on the eve of Bayram the city is out celebrating, so boat seats sell out earlier than usual.

For a couple or a group of friends, a private Bosphorus yacht suits better: from $299 per hour for a yacht for up to 12 guests. We order flowers and a cake on board in advance if you tell us when booking.

A gift for 8 March is easiest to buy on Saturday at the Grand Bazaar: Turkish delight, ceramics, copper coffee pots, scarves. Another idea for Monday is a hammam with scrub and foam massage: the historic baths in the Old City are busy on holidays, so book a time a few days ahead.

Ramadan and Ramadan Bayram 2027: what visitors should know

According to the Diyanet calendar published in August 2026, Ramadan 2027 runs from 8 February to 8 March, the Night of Power falls on 5 March, and Ramadan Bayram is 9–11 March. By day Ramadan is barely noticeable: cafés and restaurants are open, alcohol is sold, and nobody expects guests to fast.

Evenings are different. At sunset, when the iftar meal begins, thousands of people gather by the Blue Mosque and in Sultanahmet Square, food stalls traditionally go up, and Old City restaurants are packed. The Blue Mosque closes to tourists during prayers, so we show the mosques in the morning.

On the morning of 9 March the mosques hold the holiday prayer, after which people go to visit family. On these days roads in and out of the city are jammed, so we plan airport transfers with time to spare. Check exact museum hours for Bayram on muze.gov.tr.

What is the weather in Istanbul on 8 March?

According to Coral Travel (checked October 2026), March days are usually 10–14 °C, nearer the lower end early in the month. Sunny days alternate with rainy ones, and a cold wind often blows off the Bosphorus. The water, according to Level.travel, is about 10 °C: swimming is out.

On the ferries the open deck is cold even on a sunny day, so our guides seat guests inside and take them up only at Dolmabahçe and by the bridge. For an evening dinner cruise you need a warm jacket: it is windy at the rail.

What to pack: a waterproof jacket, a warm jumper, comfortable shoes with non-slip soles (mosque marble and cobbles are slippery in the rain) and an umbrella. Women need a headscarf for mosques; the Blue Mosque hands them out at the entrance.

How much does an Istanbul trip for 8 March cost?

March is low season, but 6–8 March and Bayram are the exception: flights and hotels for these dates get more expensive, and the later you book, the less choice you have. Below are our 2027 prices; roubles are calculated at the Bank of Russia rate for 26 October 2026 (80.54 roubles to the dollar).

Prices vary by season, hotel and what is included, so ask us for the exact price for your dates. The four-day package covers hotel, transfers and tours; flights are bought separately. All options are on the page Istanbul tour packages.

Payment matters. Visa and Mastercard cards issued by Russian banks have not worked abroad since March 2022, and Mir cards, according to Travelto and Visasam (October 2026), are not accepted by ordinary Turkish terminals and ATMs. Bring dollars or euros in cash and change them at exchange offices (döviz). Our tours can be booked with no prepayment: you pay on the spot.

Cappadocia for the holidays: fitting it into 4 days

Cappadocia's hot-air balloons fly in March too, but only in light wind: the civil aviation authority gives permission for each sunrise, and flights are cancelled on windy days. Mornings in the valleys are around freezing, and in early March there may still be snow.

From Istanbul it is a little over an hour's flight. Our two-day Cappadocia tours with flights, hotel and transfers cost from $599. For the holidays we suggest this plan: Istanbul on 6–7 March, Cappadocia on 8–9 March, and the flight home from Istanbul on the evening of 9 March.

Putting the balloons on the last morning is risky: if the flight is cancelled, there is no spare day. That is why some guests take one more day of leave. Ready-made routes are in the Cappadocia tours section.

How to get there from Russia and do you need a visa

Russian citizens travelling to Turkey as tourists need no visa for up to 60 days, according to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (mfa.gov.tr, checked October 2026); an international passport is required. There is no time difference with Moscow.

According to the Tutu.ru timetable (October 2026), Moscow–Istanbul flights are operated by Aeroflot from Sheremetyevo (about 5 h 10 min), Turkish Airlines and Pegasus from Vnukovo (about 4 hours), and also Pobeda. Planes land at the new Istanbul Airport (IST) or at Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side. There are also flights from St Petersburg, Sochi and a number of regional cities; tickets for 5–9 March are the first to go up in price.

We meet guests at either airport and guide in Russian: more on the page Russian-speaking guide in Istanbul. Our Istanbul tours run every day, and we fit the holiday programme around the museum and Bayram calendar. Message us on WhatsApp or through the contact form: tell us your dates and number of guests, and we will send a programme and price in Russian the same day.

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