If you’re traveling through Istanbul Airport and have an extended layover, it’s worth being aware of Turkish Airlines’ free city tour program (in addition to the airline offering free transit hotels). While I haven’t had the chance to take advantage of this myself, I figured it’s worth covering the details of the program.
In this post:
Turkish Airlines’ Touristanbul complimentary city tour
Touristanbul is the name of Turkish Airlines’ program that offers a free city tour if you have an extended layover at Istanbul Airport (IST). Here are the basic things to be aware of:
- This is available to international Turkish Airlines passengers when you have a connection of six to 24 hours
- The tour is only available to those with tickets issued by Turkish Airlines, so your ticket number has to start with 235, though it’s fine if there are codeshare flights on the itinerary; award tickets issued through Turkish Miles&Smiles qualify (and fortunately the program has lots of sweet spots)
- The tour will pick you up at the airport and return you to the airport at the end; tours range between 3.5 hours and 11.5 hours
- You can sign up for Touristanbul in person, and you don’t need to reserve in advance; just go to the hotel desk in the international arrivals hall at the airport, near meeting point four
- You still need to meet the entry requirements for visiting the country, so many nationalities will need to register for an e-visa, which can be done in advance
The kinds of Istanbul tours you can expect
With Touristanbul, Turkish Airlines offers eight different tours daily, based on the length of your layover and your preferences. The tours range in length from a 3.5 hour morning sightseeing tour, to an 11.5 hour all-day tour.
On this page you can click on each tour option, and see exactly what it entails. For example, the full day-tour includes breakfast and lunch, a visit to the Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Serpentine Column, Obelisk of Thedosius, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Topkapı Palace, and Grand Covered Bazaar.
It’s worth noting that in the unlikely event that you’re unable to make your flight due to something going wrong with the tour, the airline will ensure the passenger reaches their next destination by rebooking them on the next flight. So if the airline books you on a particular tour, you don’t have to worry that you’ll miss your flight (at least in terms of your liability).
Istanbul is an absolutely incredible city, with so much history and culture. To me it’s probably the single most interesting city in the world, as it’s truly where east meets west. So if you haven’t been to Istanbul, this is a great opportunity to see it.
A few more things to keep in mind:
- Istanbul Airport is about 45-60 minutes from the city, so expect that if you take the 3.5 hour tour, around half the time will be spent driving to and from the airport
- These tours can be on buses with a capacity for nearly 50 people; Istanbul is a fairly inexpensive city (at least for foreigners, given the value of the Turkish lira), so some people may prefer to hire a private guide to see the city more efficiently, and customize it to what you most want to see
- For those in business class, Turkish Airlines has an excellent lounge at Istanbul Airport; if you’re connecting between four and nine hours, and are taking the next available flight, you can also get a sleeping room there at no extra cost
Bottom line
If you have an extended layover on Turkish Airlines at Istanbul Airport, it’s worth being aware of the carrier’s city tour program. With this, you can enjoy a tour ranging anywhere from 3.5 to 11.5 hours, depending on your layover time and preferences. This is a great way to see one of the world’s most amazing cities on a layover.
What do you make of Turkish Airlines’ Istanbul stopover program?
Ben, I have an updated datapoint for you. I recently traveled through IST on a UA award on TK metal (so I had an 016 ticket number). My ticket qualified for the free tour, on a 10 hour layover. In fact, I was able to reserve a space on the TK website using my TK PNR, though reserving a space in advance probably wasn't necessary.
I am staying at a B&B in Sultahmet-Fatih for 4 days, should I wait till I arrive on TKA to buy sightseeing tickets or should I get them ahead of time?
Do they also show you hagia Sophia as You did not mention in the list.
Warning: Istanbul free toure is a False advertising & comes with fine prints.
1. No one at the airport knows where this counter is at.. they won't deliberately tell you where to go. Its at the exit of the airport after all the paid tour booths & you buy the visa.. very difficult to find & will take 1 hour to get to.
2. You will pay $60 for a 30 day visa
Warning: Istanbul free toure is a False advertising & comes with fine prints.
1. No one at the airport knows where this counter is at.. they won't deliberately tell you where to go. Its at the exit of the airport after all the paid tour booths & you buy the visa.. very difficult to find & will take 1 hour to get to.
2. You will pay $60 for a 30 day visa
3. The tours are not based on your fligh timings but they have their own schedule and are only twice per day. So let's say you reach at 1pm you will have to wait till the tour time which is at 5pm. Also if you miss the tour bus by 10 mins you r on your own and can't ask for a visa refund.. its a scamish gimmick. Turkish people seemed racists the way they behave towards my colored friend, and totally different behavior towards me. I dont recommend to book this unless the price is cheaper then other places.. turkish airlines service & food is not good either.
I will arrive at IST INT'L Airport on 19th September Morning from Paris by Turkish Airlines & staying up to 21 September evening at a Hotel in Istanbul City . On 21 September evening I will depart IST for Dhaka by Turkish Airlines. I am a Bangladeshi Citizen & I have both Valid Schengen Visa & Turkish e VISA. May I am eligible for Complementary Istanbul City Tour Program ( full day) ?
I will arrive at IST INT'L Airport from Paris by Turkish airlines on 19th September Morning & Staying upto 21 September Evening at a hotel in Istanbul City . On 19 September evening I will depart IST for Dhaka by Turkish airlines . I am a Bangladeshi Citizen and I have both valid Schengen Visa & Turkish e VISA . May I am eligible for enjoying Complementary Istanbul City Tour ?
My wife and I booked an October trip to Central Europe on Turkish from DFW. The price for a three-day layover in Istanbul was no higher than a same-day connection, so we're definitely looking forward to that bonus part of the trip. We won't do the free tour however.
Excellent, great airlines
I had this tour myself pre-covid, in April 2019 from the new airport. There isn't any fine print - it is totally free, you get to see some major sites in the old city and free dinner. Not superb food just traditional Turkish dinner. It's also nice to meet other travelers from all over the world connecting. The only downside is that traffic is indeed terrible, it took us 1 hour 40 minutes to get from the airport to the old city in afternoon rush hour.
BS. Don't fall for it. This airlines is not only very tricky when you arrive at the airport to provide you lodging (no fine prints but the tell you " oh you could have taken the earlier flight. Only those who has to wait a certain hours in the airport will get a room here".
Before I departed from the U.S. I made several calls to the airlines to ensure a room at the...
BS. Don't fall for it. This airlines is not only very tricky when you arrive at the airport to provide you lodging (no fine prints but the tell you " oh you could have taken the earlier flight. Only those who has to wait a certain hours in the airport will get a room here".
Before I departed from the U.S. I made several calls to the airlines to ensure a room at the airport and they said it will be ok. BS. The reality was different. Extremely egoistic plastic surgery and hair implant incubated young Turkish employees at the counter does not give a s*** about customers. They are the rudest airline employees in the world according to my experience.
The tour? LOL. Walk. Yes you just walk around the streets and purchase items 900% overpriced. I am not kidding.
Stay away from Turkish Airlines.
We travelled via Turkish Airlines in July 3023. The cabin was warm and very uncomfortable, the food was horrible. We flew from Chicago to Basel Switzerland with a plane change in Istanbul. Never again on Turkish Airlines!
July 3023?
I had looked into this option, but instead hired a private guide (through Istanbul Layover Tours) to meet me at the airport, take me around for the day, and then take me back. It was a great day and he tailored the tour based on what I wanted. I really loved the flexibility of a private guide in these situations.
IST has a left luggage counter, too near where you get picked up making leaving a carryon behind relatively easy.
The free tour is very rudimentary. The food was very subpar. We were told that either toor or hotel but not both. It also took some unexpected effort to clear immigration as the officer questioned identity of our passports. It took us one hour to clear and it was a shitshow.
Next time I will skip the experience and stay in the TA lounge which was very enjoyable
I've done this program a couple of times flying Business Class on Turkish. I've done their tour, including the all day (which was sparsely attended and really outstanding - I loved the guide who talked about their great leader Ergodan and rolled her eyes every time). I can see where it would be a bit disorganized but as Business Class no issues... had a landside lounge to wait in as well.
There was no...
I've done this program a couple of times flying Business Class on Turkish. I've done their tour, including the all day (which was sparsely attended and really outstanding - I loved the guide who talked about their great leader Ergodan and rolled her eyes every time). I can see where it would be a bit disorganized but as Business Class no issues... had a landside lounge to wait in as well.
There was no drop off in a big bazaar in my experience. We had a free hour at a scenic stop where patronage of a small bar/coffee shop was encouraged but that was all. I've made my own hotel arrangements in these occasions.
Don’t waste your time on this free city trip. It takes an hour and a half one way and the guide will just deposit you in a shop in the big bazar where he gets commission from. Even their free dinner is not better than a fast food in the US.
The dinner is free, meaning you're not paying for it. Each tour has a specific time. Depending on what time you are in Turkey is what is available to you. The tour I had was 7 hours with multiple drop off locations plus dinner.
this stopover is hopefully better planned/arranged than the 'visit Istanbul' plan that Turkish Airlines has. I was flying in Business Class from Houston to South Asia and decided to spend 2 days in Istanbul and wanted to take advantage of the 'visit Istanbul'. In this, you are encouraged to extend the layover in Istanbul and have either complimentary or discounted hotels. first, the communication with the program was horrendous and when they did finally respond,...
this stopover is hopefully better planned/arranged than the 'visit Istanbul' plan that Turkish Airlines has. I was flying in Business Class from Houston to South Asia and decided to spend 2 days in Istanbul and wanted to take advantage of the 'visit Istanbul'. In this, you are encouraged to extend the layover in Istanbul and have either complimentary or discounted hotels. first, the communication with the program was horrendous and when they did finally respond, I got a hotel right next to the airport with no airport transfer and no other connection/transfer to the city. When I asked if this could be switched to a hotel closer to the city, or if the discount could be applied to another hotel, or if at least transfer would be applied - all I got was either a no or no response. I ended up not using that hotel at all and just booking my own hotel near the city center (Mercure Istanbul Sirkeci - review on my blog)
Is there anything sadder than begging for blog traffic in the comments of somebody else’s blog?
Yes, to be nasty for free.
$60 for e-visa.
$30 for regular tourist visa.
Kinda tired of the tour program being advertised as "free", esp for Americans. US citizens have to pay $50 per person for evisa to do the tour, and while that is an okay price for a tour, it's not "free". Just my two cents.
If you walk directly to the visa stand inside the airport, the tourist visa only costs $30. This means not doing any e-visa, booking your ticket directly and just entering from the visa stand.
But the tour program *is* free. That U.S. citizens have to pay $50 for a Turkish e-Visa is a separate matter, and in any case is far less than the $185 that Turkish citizens have to pay to apply for a U.S. visa.
https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-tr/niv/information/fee
Thank you jdink for asking the question that inspired this blog entry!
Philippine Airlines used to have the same kind of scheme if one had x hours during a layover in Manila. Back in 1993 (yes, I'm dating myself) I had a car and driver for six hours to show me Manila, including Imelda Marcos's 4,000+ pairs of shoes.
I purposely booked an extra long return connection so we could do an evening tour, and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was.
Is it possible to elect to stay in town after the tour? I have a layover coming up that is not long enough to qualify for a free hotel.
You can also enter Istanbul yourself. Go to the visa counter and request a tourist visa which will be valid for 180 days. This will allow you to enter for as long as you want (180 days max). If you want to stop by again within your visa time frame you can enter again for free.
We did the afternoon tour on a layover once, and it was quite good and totally worth checking out if you have time to kill and don't want to or can't get into the lounge. Another time I utilized the sleeping rooms at the lounge and had a lovely 6-hour sleep and a nice shower before the next leg.
We've done this tour twice, it's a great program and I'd highly recommend it. The food they provided was surprisingly good and the quality of the tours/guides was very good although it is a big group/bus tour.
You make these sweeping statements. The most interesting city in the world. It’s a fantastic city, one I’ve been visiting since 1971 and have always enjoyed for sure but it’s all about opinions and I would say there are others more interesting starting with airports, excellent business class lounges but a chaotic and usually disorganized international airport. Be curious in other peoples opinions.
Have you been to the new airport? It's much, much better.
I have flown through both the new and the old airport several times. While I appreciate the beauty of the new airport, I don't like that it is (1) significantly further out of town, (2) poorly connected for public transport (alas, I have had turkish taxi drivers scam me before), and (3) the long walking distance between gates.
@ CMM -- The "sweeping statement" I'm making is a personal opinion. I'm not claiming others should agree. I'm not claiming Istanbul is the most interesting city in the world by some objective standard. Rather I'm saying that "to me it’s probably the single most interesting city in the world."
I agree with you, Ben. To my mind it's the most interesting city in the world, too. I just returned from there two days ago (my third visit).
Yes I would certainly second/third that - it’s a great city full of history,culture and good food, I always enjoy stopping off there for a few days on the way to or from Europe