رحلة إلى إسطنبول من فرنسا: الرحلات الجوية وقواعد بطاقة الهوية وخطة لأربعة أيام

A direct flight from Paris to Istanbul takes about three and a half hours, French citizens need no visa for stays of up to 90 days, and a French national ID card is accepted as long as it is valid for at least 150 days after the day you arrive. Four days is enough for a first visit that covers the Old City, the Bosphorus and one or two neighbourhoods. Below are the flights from Paris, Lyon and Nice, the entry rules as France Diplomatie publishes them, and a day-by-day plan. If you prefer everything arranged, our 4-day Istanbul city tour package starts from $699 per person with hotel and a Bosphorus cruise.

The trip at a glance

Flights from Paris, Lyon and Nice

Istanbul has two airports, and which one you land at depends on the airline.

From Paris. Turkish Airlines and Air France fly from Charles de Gaulle to Istanbul Airport (IST) on the European side. Pegasus flies from Orly to Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side, and AJet, the Turkish Airlines low-cost brand, connects Charles de Gaulle with Sabiha Gökçen. Transavia also serves Istanbul from Orly. Published block times are roughly 3 hours 25 minutes to 3 hours 45 minutes.

From Lyon. Turkish Airlines and Transavia fly Lyon Saint-Exupéry to Istanbul Airport; Pegasus and AJet fly to Sabiha Gökçen. Expect a little over three hours in the air.

From Nice. Turkish Airlines connects Nice with Istanbul Airport, and Pegasus flies to Sabiha Gökçen. The flight is about three hours.

Schedules and frequencies change from season to season, so check the airline's own site for your dates.

Entry rules for French citizens

France Diplomatie's advice for Turkey sets out the following for French nationals travelling as tourists:

• No visa for stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period, whether in one trip or several.
• Passport or national identity card. Either is accepted, provided it is valid for at least 150 days beyond your date of entry into Turkey. An expired passport is not accepted.
• Condition of the document. It must be in good condition; a damaged card or passport can lead to refused boarding or refused entry.
• Older ID cards. Cards issued to adults between 2004 and 2013 are legally valid for five years beyond the date printed on them, and Turkey has officially accepted this. Because nothing on the card shows the extension, France Diplomatie strongly recommends travelling with a valid passport instead.
• Minors travelling without a parent need their own passport or ID card meeting the same 150-day rule, plus a parental travel authorisation signed by the parent.

There is no e-visa, entry fee or online form to complete for French citizens. Our general guide to Turkey visa requirements covers other nationalities if you are travelling in a mixed group.

Which airport, and getting into the city

Istanbul Airport (IST) is north of the city on the European side. A private transfer to Sultanahmet or Taksim takes 45 to 90 minutes depending on traffic; Havaist airport buses and the metro are the budget options.

Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) is on the Asian side, further from the Old City. It is fine if you stay in Kadıköy, but for Sultanahmet allow extra time, especially on weekday evenings when traffic on the bridges is heavy.

Our VIP airport transfer in a Mercedes Vito costs from $60 per group and meets you in the arrivals hall, which is useful after an evening flight from France.

A 4-day Istanbul plan for a first visit

This plan assumes you arrive around midday on day 1 and leave in the afternoon on day 4. It works around the weekly closures: Topkapı Palace closes on Tuesdays, Dolmabahçe Palace on Mondays, and the Grand Bazaar on Sundays.

A few notes from our guides:

• Go into Hagia Sophia early on day 2, before the cruise-ship groups. Current entry details are in our Hagia Sophia ticket guide.
• Sirkeci station, a few minutes from the Spice Bazaar, was the Istanbul end of the original Orient Express from Paris, a nice detail for French visitors.
• The café on Pierre Loti Hill is named after the French novelist who lived in Eyüp for a time and wrote about the city; a cable car runs up from the Golden Horn shore.

Travelling with a French-speaking guide

French has a long history in Istanbul. Galatasaray High School and Galatasaray University teach partly in French, several French-language schools have operated in Beyoğlu and Karaköy for generations, and the Palais de France on İstiklal Avenue still houses the French consulate. Finding a guide who explains Byzantine mosaics and Ottoman court life in fluent French is therefore straightforward, but the good ones are booked early in spring and autumn.

A guide in your own language matters most at Topkapı and Hagia Sophia, where the history is dense and the signs are mainly in Turkish and English. Our French-speaking guide in Istanbul page explains how we assign licensed guides and what a day costs. For longer itineraries that add Cappadocia or Ephesus, see our Turkey tour packages from France.

Tours that cover this

• Istanbul Tour Package: 4 Days / 3 Nights with Hotel & Bosphorus Cruise, from $699 per person. The four-day trip above, with hotel, guiding and a cruise arranged.
• Best of Istanbul Private Guided Tour 1-2-3 Days, 8 hours per day, from $199 per group. Book one, two or three guided days and keep the rest free.
• Istanbul Classic Private Guided Tour, 6-8 hours, from $200 per person. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome and the bazaars in one day.
• Dolmabahçe Palace Private Tour with Guide and Ticket, 6-8 hours, from $150 per person. A good choice for day 3.

Ask for a French-speaking guide when you book any of them. More options and price ranges are on our Istanbul tour prices page.

Frequently Asked Questions