Best time to visit Turkey

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Best time to visit Turkey

Turkey's shores, peaks and plateaux offer places and activities for every season - from culture to kayaks, sailing to skiing

With a 7,200km coastline and wildly varying terrain, the best time to visit Turkey depends on where you want to go and what you want to do. June to August is hot almost everywhere. The west and south coasts have mild winters, while central Anatolia is colder – as is Istanbul. Summer is great for activities like kayaking, rafting, canyoning or diving, but not so good for crowds at major cultural sites. Sunny spring and autumn days offer fine temperatures for walking and cycling.

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When to visit Turkey and when not to

January and February find Turkey hunkering down from rain and cold with eastern and central areas, such as Anatolia, covered in snow and experiencing freezing temperatures. Cyclists and hikers will be pleased to learn that things are starting to look up weatherwise during March and April, especially on southern coastlines, and there's every chance of spotting dolphins heading northwest towards the Black Sea. The holy month of Ramadan takes place in March and April in 2024, and February and March in 2025, 2026 and 2027. April and May are often the best months to visit Turkey as although you may get a couple of rainy days there's an abundance of wild flowers and blossom turning the countryside into a cornucopia of colour alongside milder temperatures and fewer crowds on walking trails both inland and along the coast. June is the start of the summer in Turkey and as such the resorts along the Mediterranean and Aegean will start to become busier as land and sea temperatures start to rise. July and August are the hottest months of the Turkish calendar most visitors tend to hit the coast which leaves cities and hiking trails often bereft of crowds and accommodation prices a little lower. In autumn, Turkey still promises plenty of blue skies and warm temperatures although as September turns to October start to expect shorter days and more showers. By November and December it's often down to luck as to what weather conditions you'll find in Turkey. Towards the end of the year things will have cooled down considerably which won't necessarily be all bad for cyclists tackling steep ascents. In general, the best time to visit Turkey is in spring and autumn if you're looking to cycle, trek or explore archaeological sites. However, heat-loving cultural travellers wishing to combine classical highlights with a few days on the beach will find June through to September absolutely ideal.

Turkey Weather Chart

MIN °C

MAX °C

RAIN (mm)

JAN

110

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

126

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Festivals & events in Turkey

Mevlana Festival (Konya) - December 10th-17th

A celebration of the whirling dervish orders founded by 13th century Sufi poet and mystic philosopher Jelaluddin Rumi - aka Mevlâna ('Our Guide'). A million people visit the vibrant city of Konya to witness days of dervish dancing and music, culminating in the major performance of unique trance-like forms on December 17 (the day Rumi died in 1273).