Turkey Holidays: Istanbul, the Antalya Coast and When to Go

The short answer

What is the Istanbul and Antalya holiday?

It is the two sides of Turkey on one booking. Istanbul is the city: Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque facing each other across Sultanahmet, Topkapi Palace, and the Bosphorus, the strait between Europe and Asia. Antalya is the coast: a resort on the Turkish Riviera, where the meals and drinks for the week are already paid for.

City first, while you have the energy for it; beach last, so the holiday ends by the pool. The domestic flight from Istanbul to Antalya is included, so the move south takes a morning.

How much does a holiday to Turkey cost?

These are our lead-in prices per person, based on two sharing, for the ten nights with return flights from London and the domestic flight. Your exact price depends on your dates, availability and any options you add, and is confirmed in writing before you pay.

The price follows the beach season. January and February are the cheapest, at £699pp, and August is the dearest, at £999pp — £300 more for the same ten nights. The ten nights work out at about £70 per person per night in January, and £100 in August, with both sets of flights, the hotels and the all-inclusive week inside the price.

When is the best time to go to Turkey?

Istanbul and Antalya are in the same country, but they have different climates: Istanbul has cold, wet winters, while Antalya, on the Mediterranean, has hot, almost rainless summers and a wet winter of its own. These are official averages from the World Meteorological Organization, supplied by the Turkish State Meteorological Service — the Istanbul and Antalya stations, 1929–2000.

For beach heat at less than the August price, go in June or September. Both are £899pp, £100 less than August, and Antalya averages above 30°C in each — 30.5°C in June and 30.9°C in September — with under three rain days. Istanbul is warm for sightseeing in both, at 26.0°C and 25.0°C.

For beach weather at the lowest price, go in October. At £799pp it is £200 less than August. Antalya still averages 26.4°C and Istanbul a comfortable 20.1°C, but the rain is coming back: Antalya records 5.8 rain days and 67.7mm in October, against 1.8 days and 12.3mm in September. May, at £849pp, is the spring version: Antalya 25.4°C, Istanbul 21.4°C.

July and August are the peak of the heat. Antalya averages 33.8°C in July and 33.7°C in August, and July is its driest month on both rain days and rainfall — 0.6 days and 2.2mm. They are also the two dearest months, at £949pp and £999pp.

Winter is a city trip, not a beach one. At £699pp, January and February are the cheapest months, but Istanbul averages 8.7°C and 9.1°C by day, with 15 to 18 rain days a month, and winter is Antalya’s wet season too: December has its most rain by amount, 263.3mm, and January the most rain days, 12.6. Go in winter for Istanbul at the lowest price, with a restful week on the coast to follow — not for sunbathing.

Istanbul: three nights and what to see

You stay at a four-star hotel such as Ramada Istanbul Old City, or similar, with breakfast. Three nights gives you two full days, and they divide naturally.

• Sultanahmet. Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque face each other across the square at the heart of the old city. GOV.UK advises dressing modestly when you visit a mosque or religious shrine, so plan the day’s clothes around it.
• Topkapi Palace and the Bosphorus. Topkapi, the seat of the Ottoman sultans, fills a morning. A Bosphorus cruise, between Europe and Asia, is the classic afternoon; it is optional and paid locally.

Breakfast only is deliberate in Istanbul, where eating out is half the point of being there. If the city is the part you care about most, an extra night can be priced when you enquire.

Antalya: seven nights all-inclusive

On the fourth morning the included domestic flight takes you south, and you stay seven nights at a four-star resort such as Miracle Resort, or similar, all inclusive: meals and drinks at the resort under its own all-inclusive terms, which your consultant confirms in writing for your hotel before you pay.

If you want one day away from the pool, Kaleiçi — Antalya’s walled old town and harbour — is the natural half-day out. Excursions are optional and paid locally.

So if you are looking for an all-inclusive Istanbul holiday, this is how it works: the all-inclusive nights are on the coast, and the city nights are on breakfast, so you are free to eat wherever the day takes you.

What is not included

• Airport transfers — to your Istanbul hotel on arrival, and between Antalya airport and your resort. Ask us to price them alongside the holiday.
• Excursions, including a Bosphorus cruise.
• Travel insurance, which you should arrange when you book.

Do you need a visa for Turkey?

No. British citizens can visit Turkey without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, for tourism or business. Before you go:

• Passport. It must have an expiry date at least 150 days after the date you arrive, and at least one blank page. Check it before you book.
• Photo ID. It is illegal not to carry photographic ID in Turkey, so keep your passport with you.
• Money. There is no limit on the foreign currency or Turkish lira you can bring in, but you must not take Turkish lira worth more than 5,000 US dollars out of the country.
• Souvenirs. Buying or exporting antiquities is illegal, and the penalties include prison.

That is GOV.UK’s guidance, checked on 25 September 2026. Check the latest official requirements before you travel, as they can change. Turkey keeps the same time all year, so it is three hours ahead of the UK in winter and two hours ahead during British Summer Time.

Who is a Turkey holiday for — and who should look elsewhere?

It suits couples and friends who want a great city and a proper beach week in one booking; first-time visitors who want Istanbul without giving up the coast; and anyone who likes the simplicity of all inclusive once the sightseeing is done.

It is less suited to anyone who wants beach weather in winter — Agadir or our winter sun holidays are the better choice then — and to anyone who wants Istanbul in real depth, for whom three nights is a first look.

Frequently asked questions