Turkish Airlines runs one of the most generous stopover programmes in the world. If you have a long layover in Istanbul on an eligible Turkish Airlines ticket, you can get a free hotel night, plus free guided city tours through the airline’s TourIstanbul service. Terms change, so confirm the current rules on turkishairlines.com before you plan.
The Stopover programme offers eligible passengers a complimentary hotel stay in Istanbul, typically one night in economy and two nights in business class, when your connection is long enough. Separately, TourIstanbul runs free guided tours of the city’s highlights for passengers with a qualifying layover, from short morning tours to full-day itineraries.
Eligibility generally depends on flying Turkish Airlines on a qualifying international connection through Istanbul, with a layover above a minimum length, often more than 20 hours for the free hotel and a few hours for TourIstanbul. Fare class and routing matter, so check the conditions and arrange it in advance.
Request the Stopover hotel when you book or through Turkish Airlines afterwards, and reserve TourIstanbul online ahead of time or at the dedicated desk in the arrivals area. Spaces are limited and the popular tours fill up, so organise it early.
Even a short layover is enough to see the old city. Our Istanbul layover and stopover guide covers what is realistic in a few hours, from the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia to the Grand Bazaar and a Bosphorus view.
These are two separate things and most confusion about the programme comes from treating them as one. The Stopover hotel is for genuinely long waits, generally more than 20 hours, and covers a night in a city hotel with meals. TourIstanbul is for ordinary long layovers of roughly six hours or more, costs nothing, and takes you out of the airport on a guided route for a few hours before returning you to it. If your connection is eight hours, you are looking at the tour rather than the hotel.
Tours run to a fixed daily timetable from a desk in the arrivals hall, with several departures covering different routes and lengths. A guide takes the group by coach, the main sights are on foot, and a meal is usually included. You clear immigration to join, so you need to be eligible to enter Turkey, and you keep your hand baggage with you. Places are allocated in person on the day and the popular slots go early, so go straight to the desk after you land rather than waiting.
Istanbul Airport sits well outside the centre. The metro reaches Gayrettepe in around 35 minutes and connects onward to Sultanahmet, and the Havaist coaches serve the main districts directly for a similar journey time. Allow around 90 minutes each way door to door, plus immigration in both directions. That makes six hours the realistic floor for going in unaccompanied, and eight hours comfortable.
Three things decide whether any of this is available to you: the fare and routing you booked, the exact length of your connection, and whether your passport allows entry to Turkey. Terms have changed more than once, so confirm the current rules with Turkish Airlines against your own booking rather than against a guide written a year ago.
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The TourIstanbul guided tours are free for eligible passengers, and the Stopover programme can include a free hotel night for long enough layovers. Confirm current terms with Turkish Airlines.
The free hotel typically requires a longer connection, often more than 20 hours, while TourIstanbul tours need only a few hours. Exact thresholds depend on the current programme.
TourIstanbul is Turkish Airlines’ free guided tour service for transit passengers, showing the city’s main sights during a qualifying layover.
You need to be eligible to enter Turkey to leave the airport. Many nationalities can enter visa-free or with an e-visa, but check your own requirements first.
Roughly six hours between flights, which allows for immigration, the tour itself and getting back through security in time. Longer connections open up the fuller routes.
On qualifying tickets with a long enough connection, generally over 20 hours, the Stopover programme covers a hotel night in Istanbul, with two nights in business class. Shorter connections get TourIstanbul instead.
Yes, provided you can enter Turkey. Many nationalities enter visa-free or on an e-visa. Allow around 90 minutes each way to the centre. See our guide to leaving the airport during a layover.