At a glance
Is your layover at Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gökçen?
Check the code on your booking. This guide is about Istanbul Airport (IST), where Turkish Airlines runs its layover services. The city's other airport is Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (SAW), which some flights from the UAE use. A connection between the two means entering Türkiye, collecting your bags and checking in again.
Turkish Airlines' layover services, the Touristanbul tours and its hotel service, are run from Istanbul Airport[1][2]. Flights from the UAE do not all go there: on the day we checked, Sharjah Airport's departures board listed flights to Sabiha Gökçen as well as to Istanbul[12], and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport is a separate airport with its own website[11]. If your flights are not connected, on separate bookings, Istanbul Airport's transfer guide says you collect your bags from the carousel and check in again[3]. A connection between IST and SAW also means passing Turkish passport control and getting across the city from one airport to the other, so whether it can work depends on your passport as well as the time; the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs sets the entry rules[10], and our visa desk can check them for you.
What can you do without leaving the airport?
Rest, wash and look around. Istanbul Airport has free napzone areas across the terminal, paid iGA Sleepod cabins at the D gates, the airside YOTELAIR with cabins by the hour, the Istanbul Airport Museum on the international departures floor, and fresh-air terraces, one next to the transfer desks.
Places to rest and pass time airside at Istanbul Airport
| What | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Napzone areas | Around the terminal, including international gates A7, B18, C1 and F13 and opposite the transfer security checkpoint[4] | Free[4] |
| iGA Sleepod | International, D gates[5] | 44 private sleeping cabins, paid by the hour[5] |
| YOTELAIR | Airside, area A–B[6] | 280 airside cabins, bookable by the hour, for international travellers only; the Sleepcabins are walk-in only[6] |
| Istanbul Airport Museum | International departures floor[7] | Exhibitions drawn from Türkiye's museums[7] |
| Fresh-air terraces | Several, including one next to the transfer desks[8] | Non-smoking outdoor terraces[8] |
From Istanbul Airport's own pages on 26 September 2026. The airport says it is a quiet airport: announcements are made only at the gates, so watch the screens or its app[3].
What is Touristanbul, and who can join?
A free city tour run by Turkish Airlines for passengers connecting between two international flights at Istanbul Airport with 6 to 24 hours to wait. Both flights must be on the same booking and a Turkish Airlines ticket. You register at a desk on the arrivals floor, so you must be able to enter Türkiye.
Touristanbul tours, as updated from 1 May 2026
Turkish Airlines' published schedule. Check each tour's content on its page: the itinerary it shows first is a panoramic tour from the vehicle, with no museum entry[1].
- Both flights must be on the same reservation, on a Turkish Airlines ticket number beginning 235[1].
- Register at the Touristanbul desk on the arrivals level at least 30 minutes before the tour; reaching it from the transfer area takes about 45 minutes, including passport control[1].
- The tour must end at least 1 hour 25 minutes before your next flight[1].
- You cannot use Touristanbul and Turkish Airlines' Stopover service in the same wait[1].
- Visas are the passenger's responsibility; Turkish Airlines points to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs[1][10].
Will Turkish Airlines give you a hotel?
On a long enforced connection, yes. Economy passengers with a layover of 12 hours or more, and Business passengers with 9 or more, get a free hotel, transfers and a meal, but only if no shorter connection existed for the route, and only on one ticket. The hotel is outside the transit area.
Turkish Airlines offers complimentary accommodation to passengers connecting between international flights at Istanbul Airport when the schedule forces a long wait: 12 hours or more in Economy, 9 or more in Business, for up to two nights, with transfers and one meal (all meals if the wait follows a cancellation, delay or overbooking)[2]. Apply at its Hotel Desk on the arrivals level[2].
The catch is the shortest-connection rule. If a shorter connection existed, even one the next morning and even if it is full, the hotel does not apply. The airline's own example is from the UAE: a Dubai–New York booking that could have used a 02:50 Dubai–Istanbul departure to connect the same morning would not qualify[2]. Because the hotels are outside the transit area, you need to meet Türkiye's entry requirements yourself[2]; our visa desk can check them.
Can you get into Istanbul on a layover, and how?
Only if you can enter Türkiye, which depends on your passport. If you can, the M11 Metro runs from the airport to Gayrettepe and, since 20 June 2026, to Halkalı; Havaist runs 11 bus routes and İETT five. No official page we found gives journey times, so leave a wide margin.
- Metro: the M11 line serves Istanbul Airport, with stops including Gayrettepe and Kağıthane in one direction and, since the Halkalı–Arnavutköy section opened on 20 June 2026, Halkalı in the other[9].
- Havaist buses: 11 routes between the airport and the city, boarding on transportation floor −2[9].
- İETT buses: 5 routes, also from transportation floor −2, all wheelchair accessible[9].
Allow for passport control twice and security on the way back. Turkish Airlines' own planning figures are a guide: about 45 minutes from the transfer area to the arrivals desk, including passport control, and at least 1 hour 25 minutes between the end of a tour and your next flight[1]. For more of the city, see our Istanbul guide.
Questions travellers ask
Is Touristanbul free?
Yes. Turkish Airlines describes it as a complimentary city tour, with transport from and back to the airport, for international connecting passengers with 6 to 24 hours between flights[1].
How much time do I need for a Touristanbul tour?
Allow about 45 minutes to reach the desk from the transfer area, register 30 minutes before the tour, and make sure it ends at least 1 hour 25 minutes before your next flight[1].
Can I sleep at Istanbul Airport without going through passport control?
Yes. There are free napzone areas, paid iGA Sleepod cabins at the D gates, and the airside YOTELAIR, bookable by the hour by international travellers[4][5][6].
Does Turkish Airlines give a free hotel on a long layover?
For 12 hours or more in Economy, or 9 or more in Business, if no shorter connection was available and both flights are on one ticket[2].
Sources
The desk opened each source on the date shown. Rules, fees and timetables change: check the official source before you travel.
- [1]Touristanbul — Turkish Airlines. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [2]Great Accommodation For Connecting Flights (Hotel service) — Turkish Airlines. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [3]Transfer Passenger Guide — Istanbul Airport (iGA). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [4]Napzone Areas — Istanbul Airport (iGA). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [5]iGA Sleepod — Istanbul Airport (iGA). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [6]Airport Hotel — Istanbul Airport (iGA). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [7]Museums and Exhibitions — Istanbul Airport (iGA). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [8]Fresh Air Terrace — Istanbul Airport (iGA). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [9]Public Transportation — Istanbul Airport (iGA). Accessed 26 September 2026
- [10]Visa Information For Foreigners — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [11]Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport — Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport. Accessed 29 September 2026
- [12]Departures — Sharjah Airport. Accessed 25 September 2026
Corrections
- : An earlier version said a connection between Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gökçen means collecting your bags and checking in again, without saying that it also means entering Türkiye. It now says so, and links the official entry rules.
Published 26 September 2026 · Updated 29 September 2026
Seen something wrong or out of date? Write to trade@nwp.ae and the desk will check it against the source.
