Best Month to Visit Istanbul
Editor's seasonal guidance
Best: Spring (April-May), Autumn (September-October)
Mediterranean transitioning to oceanic with warm summers and cool, wet winters
Istanbul has a transitional climate between Mediterranean and oceanic. Summers are warm and dry, winters are cool and wet. The Bosphorus creates its own microclimate with frequent fog and wind.
- Typically sunnier
- July, August, September
- Typically wetter
- November, December, January
Qualitative editorial guidance, not measured climate normals. This site does not currently publish monthly temperature or rainfall averages because it has no verified climate dataset.
Daylight through the year in Istanbul
Daylight, midday sun angle and golden-hour length calculated for Istanbul's own coordinates (41.01° N, 28.98° E) on the 15th of each month. These are solar geometry, not climate averages.
| Month | Daylight | Sun at solar noon | Golden hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9 h 30 min | 28° | 61 min |
| February | 10 h 36 min | 36° | 56 min |
| March | 11 h 48 min | 46° | 53 min |
| April | 13 h 18 min | 58° | 54 min |
| May | 14 h 30 min | 68° | 58 min |
| June | 15 h 6 min | 72° | 62 min |
| July | 14 h 48 min | 71° | 60 min |
| August | 13 h 48 min | 63° | 56 min |
| September | 12 h 24 min | 51° | 53 min |
| October | 11 h 0 min | 39° | 55 min |
| November | 9 h 48 min | 30° | 60 min |
| December | 9 h 12 min | 26° | 63 min |
Deciding within the next week? Best day to visit Istanbul ranks the live 7-day forecast. Full current conditions: weather in Istanbul.