Best Time to Visit Istanbul
The best time to visit Istanbul is May to September, when the average temperature is 16–25°C and rainfall is low for Istanbul, at 23–62 mm a month.
Istanbul weather by month
The wettest month in Istanbul is December with 106 mm of rain, and the warmest is August at an average 25°C. The coolest is January at 7°C.
| Month | Average temperature | Rainfall | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C / 44°F | 94 mm | Cool |
| February | 7°C / 44°F | 75 mm | Cool |
| March | 8°C / 47°F | 60 mm | Cool |
| April | 11°C / 52°F | 43 mm | Cool |
| May | 16°C / 62°F | 31 mm | Best |
| June | 22°C / 71°F | 35 mm | Best |
| July | 24°C / 76°F | 26 mm | Best |
| August | 25°C / 77°F | 23 mm | Best |
| September | 22°C / 72°F | 62 mm | Best |
| October | 18°C / 64°F | 87 mm | Rainy |
| November | 13°C / 56°F | 77 mm | Cool |
| December | 9°C / 48°F | 106 mm | Cool |
How we pick the best months
- Best: an average temperature of 15–28°C and low rainfall for Istanbul: under 150 mm, and no more than 76 mm, a quarter above Istanbul's median month (never set below 60 mm).
- If no month qualifies, we show the three driest months that average 10–30°C instead.
- Wet: 150 mm of rain or more. Rainy: more than 76 mm. Hot: 29°C or more on average. Cool: under 15°C. Cold: under 5°C.
Averages cover day and night, so afternoons are warmer than the figure shown. Weather is only one reason to pick a month: school holidays, festivals and prices matter too.
Search flights to Istanbul
Picked a month? Compare fares to Istanbul (IST) for your dates.
Book a hotel in Istanbul
Find hotels in Istanbul
Hotels, hostels & more · Trip.com
Where these numbers come from
Monthly averages for January 2001 – December 2020 from the NASA POWER project, for the area around Istanbul Airport (IST) at 41.27, 28.73. The model covers a grid about 50 km across, so a coastal or hilly spot can run a degree or two different. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
The data was obtained from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center (LaRC) Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resource (POWER) Project funded through the NASA Earth Science/Applied Science Program.