Turkey itinerary — December 2026
For the Turkey trip (Istanbul, Cappadocia & Antalya), December 2026 is one of the less comfortable months by weather. Daytime highs run from about 11°C / 52°F to 17°C / 63°F across the stops. Plan around 7–9 days for the full Istanbul, Cappadocia & Antalya loop.
In this order — about 7–9 days:
- Istanbul4 nights
- Antalya3 nights
- Route noteReserve the longest intercity leg first and keep transfer days free of timed sights.
By TripSapien Research · Updated May 20, 2026
Istanbul
Istanbul in December
TempTemperature
52°F / 41°F
11°C / 5°C
RainPrecipitation
12d
4.1in · 105mm
LightDaylight
9.1h
Wettest month of the year — 105mm across 12 days. Cold, dark, sometimes snow. Yılbaşı (New Year's Eve) lights up Taksim and İstiklal.
City overview
Istanbul is the only city that sits on two continents — the Bosphorus strait splits the European and Asian sides — and it has been the capital of three empires (Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman) over 1,700 years. The historic peninsula at Sultanahmet holds the Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace; cross the Galata Bridge into Beyoğlu and the city pivots into 19th-century European Pera and modern Taksim; cross the Bosphorus by ferry and you're in Asia, in Kadıköy's market streets.
Food & drink
Turkish breakfast (kahvaltı) is a long communal table — eggs, olives, cucumber, tomatoes, white cheese, jams, simit (sesame rings), and endless tea. Lunch is döner from a vertical spit (the original, not the Berlin variant) or pide (boat-shaped Turkish pizza); evenings move to meyhanes for mezes and rakı, or to a fish restaurant along the Galata Bridge or Kumkapı. Balık ekmek (fresh fish sandwich) from the bobbing boats at Eminönü pier and karadeniz pidesi (Black Sea-style cheese-filled pide) are the cheap classics; baklava at Karaköy Güllüoğlu is the splurge.
Events & festivals
- Dec 2
- Dec 4
- Dec 5
- Dec 7
- Dec 8
- Dec 11
Show all 9 events for December
- Dec 17
- Dec 21
- Dec 31
Top sights
Ranked for December suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1Galata Tower
- 2Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar)
- 3Grand Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı)
- 4Bosphorus Ferry Cruise
- 5Süleymaniye Mosque
- 6Hagia Sophia
- 7Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)
- 8Topkapı Palace
- 9Basilica Cistern
- 10Chora Church (Kariye Mosque)
1Galata Tower
4.6★ · 208,421outdoorOpen dailyThe 14th-century Genoese watchtower on the Beyoğlu side — 360° observation deck with the city's signature view across the Golden Horn to the Sultanahmet skyline. Book online to skip the queue.
Wikipedia
2Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar)
4.5★ · 187,943outdoorOpen dailySmaller and denser than the Grand Bazaar — saffron, dried fruit, baklava, Turkish delight, tea. In Eminönü, next to the New Mosque and the Galata Bridge.
3Grand Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı)
4.4★ · 182,853outdoorClosed SunRoofed market with 4,000 shops across 61 streets — carpets, gold, ceramics, lamps, spices. Bargaining is expected; start at roughly 40% of the opening price. Closed Sundays.
Show 7 more sights
- 4Bosphorus Ferry Cruise
- 5Süleymaniye Mosque
- 6Hagia Sophia
- 7Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)
- 8Topkapı Palace
- 9Basilica Cistern
- 10Chora Church (Kariye Mosque)
Neighborhoods
1Sultanahmet (Old City)
The historic peninsula — Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapı, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar all within a 15-minute walk. Most first-time visitors base here. Tram T1 runs through the middle.
2Beyoğlu (Galata, Pera, Taksim)
Across the Golden Horn — 19th-century European-style buildings, İstiklal Avenue (1.5km pedestrian shopping street ending at Taksim Square), Galata Tower, rooftop bars over the Bosphorus. The city's nightlife heart.
3Kadıköy (Asian Side)
Locals' favourite — Tuesday market, fish-restaurant row at Çiya Sofrası's neighbourhood, street art, third-wave coffee. 20-minute ferry from Eminönü; the route itself is half the experience.
4Karaköy
At the foot of the Galata Bridge on the Beyoğlu side — galleries, third-wave coffee, design shops, and balık ekmek (fish sandwich) boats grilling fresh mackerel on the waterfront.
5Beşiktaş
European Bosphorus shoreline north of Galata — Dolmabahçe Palace (the last Ottoman residence), the Beşiktaş football stadium, and ferries to Üsküdar on the Asian side. Cheaper hotels than Sultanahmet.
6Üsküdar
Asian-side ferry hub directly across from Beşiktaş — Maiden's Tower offshore, classical Ottoman mosques (Mihrimah, Yeni Valide), and views back over the European skyline.
Getting around
Buy an İstanbulkart (₺50 deposit at any station) — works on the T1 tram (the tourist artery from Kabataş through Sultanahmet to Bağcılar), the Marmaray underwater rail, the M2 metro, every ferry, and most buses. Ferries across the Bosphorus and Golden Horn are the most enjoyable way to move — Eminönü ↔ Kadıköy is the signature 20-minute crossing. Taxis are cheap by global standards but Yandex (the Russian Uber clone) gets you a metered price up-front.
Antalya
Antalya in December
TempTemperature
61°F / 47°F
16.1°C / 8.6°C
RainPrecipitation
16d
8.8in · 223.7mm
LightDaylight
9.8h
Sea
70.5°F
21.4°C
December is the wettest month, so avoid nonrefundable boat trips and anchor plans around Antalya Museum and Kaleici cafes.
City overview
Antalya is the Turkish Riviera city where Kaleici's Roman harbour faces the Mediterranean and the Taurus Mountains close the inland horizon. Hadrian's Gate, Konyaalti Beach, Lara's resort strip, and the Aksu road to Perge make the city work as both a beach base and an archaeological hub.
Food & drink
Antalya eating is built around piyaz with tahini, sis kofte, gozleme, seafood by the old harbour, and citrus from the coastal plain; Piyazci Sami and the Kaleiçi meyhanes are useful anchors. Prices sit below Istanbul resort-district levels outside Lara hotels, while Lara Caddesi and Kaleiçi charge more for sea views. The regional fact to know is that Antalya piyaz uses tahini and beans, unlike the lighter onion-parsley piyaz served in much of Turkey.
Events & festivals
- Dec 10
- Dec 12
Top sights
Ranked for December suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1Yivli Minare Mosque (Fluted Minaret Mosque)
- 2Aspendos Theatre
- 3Antalya Museum
- 4Düden Lower Waterfalls
- 5Perge
- 6Hidirlik Tower
- 7Roman Harbour Piers
- 8Düden Upper Waterfalls
- 9Tünektepe Cable Car
1Yivli Minare Mosque (Fluted Minaret Mosque)
4.8★ · 3,254indoorSeljuk mosque on Cumhuriyet Caddesi with a 38m fluted brick minaret; the mosque was built under Seljuk rule in 1230 and rebuilt by the Hamidids in 1373.
2Aspendos Theatre
4.8★ · 21,137indoorOpen dailyRoman theatre near Serik with one of the best-preserved stage buildings in Asia Minor. It sits about 45km east of Antalya and pairs naturally with Perge on a full-day antiquities loop.
Wikipedia
3Antalya Museum
4.7★ · 14,130indoorLarge archaeological museum on Konyaalti Caddesi 88, reached by tram to Muze. The collection covers Pamphylia and Mediterranean Turkey, including thousands of finds from Perge and nearby ancient cities.
Wikipedia
Show 7 more sights
- 4Düden Lower Waterfalls
- 5Perge
- 6Hidirlik Tower
- 7Roman Harbour Piers
- 8Düden Upper Waterfalls
- 9Tünektepe Cable Car
- 10Hadrian's Gate
Neighborhoods
1Kaleiçi (Old Town)
Narrow Ottoman lanes inside the old walls, with Hadrian's Gate, Hidirlik Tower, Tekeli Mehmet Paşa Mosque, and the Roman harbour all within a 15-minute walk. Guesthouses and meyhanes cluster around Hesapci Sokak and Karanlik Sokak.
2Konyaalti
West of the centre, Konyaalti runs along a 10km pebble beach below the cliffs. Antalya Museum, the Aquarium on Dumlupinar Bulvari, and the Tünektepe road make it the practical beach-and-museum base.
3Lara and Kundu
The east-side resort belt starts around Lara Caddesi and stretches toward Kundu and Aksu. Lower Duden Falls, Sandland, TerraCity, and the long sandy hotel strip sit along the same airport-side axis.
4Muratpaşa city centre
The working centre around Cumhuriyet Caddesi, Ismetpasa tram stop, the clock tower, and Yivli Minare. It has markets, municipal offices, buses, and more year-round city life than the beach strips.
5Kepez
Northern inland Antalya around Varsak, the zoo park, and Line T3. Kepez is less beach-facing and more residential, useful for seeing the expanding city behind the coastal postcard.
6Aksu and Expo corridor
The eastern tram-and-road corridor toward Antalya Airport, Expo, Perge, and the resort highway. It matters because the airport, ancient ruins, and Lara hotels all sit on this side of the city.
Getting around
AntRay Line T1 links Antalya Airport Terminal 1, Ismetpasa for Kaleici, Otogar, Aksu, and Expo; Line T2 is the heritage tram along the coast, and Line T3 reaches Kepez and the museum. Use Antalyakart or contactless bank cards for tram and bus rides, and use bus KL08 for the west beach to Duden Falls route.
Planning the Turkey route?
Add your dates and we'll pace all 2 cities — every place checked for closures, limited hours, and booking needs in December.
Don't-miss stops along the way
Cappadocia
The hot-air-balloon valleys and cave dwellings of Göreme are a short flight from Istanbul — the most-photographed stop on any Turkey itinerary.
Weather by month for the Turkey trip
In December, the Turkey trip runs daytime highs from 11°C / 52°F to 17°C / 63°F, with nights down to about 5°C / 41°F at the coolest stop. Climate averages show about 12 rainy days at the rainiest stop. Weighed across both stops, December is one of the less comfortable months by weather.
The most comfortable months across Istanbul, Cappadocia & Antalya are May, October and April, based on average daytime temperatures and rainfall at every stop. December 2026 is a lower-comfort month.
Common questions about the Turkey trip
- When is the best time to do the Turkey trip?
- The most comfortable months across Istanbul, Antalya are May, October and April, based on average daytime temperatures and rainfall at each stop. December is one of the less comfortable months by weather — see the per-stop weather below for the climate averages in December 2026.
- How many days do you need for the Turkey trip?
- A comfortable Turkey trip runs about 7–9 days, allowing roughly Istanbul 4, Antalya 3 nights plus travel between stops. Add a day if you want a slower pace or extra day trips.
- What's the route for the Turkey trip?
- The classic order is Istanbul, Cappadocia & Antalya. Cappadocia is the standout side-trip along the way. Each city below has its own December weather, any available event listings, and a top-sights list.
Ready to plan the Turkey trip?
Turn this route into a day-by-day plan for December 2026, every stop checked for closures and booking needs on your exact dates.