ترکیه از مونترآل: دو پرواز مستقیم، راهنمای فرانسوی‌زبان، مسیرها

From Montréal you can fly to Türkiye without a stop on two airlines, Turkish Airlines and Air Transat, both landing at Istanbul Airport (IST) after a great-circle distance of about 7,700 km, a little shorter than the Toronto route. Canadians need no visa for a tourist stay of up to 90 days, and a French-speaking guide can be arranged on request, subject to availability. A first tour of Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale fits into 8 to 10 days; our Turkey Highlights 8-Day Tour starts from $1,670 per person.

This page answers what people in Montréal and the rest of Quebec ask us before they book: which flight, how the time difference works, how much French you will hear on the ground, which Quebec holiday weeks suit which part of Türkiye, and how to pay once you are there.

Two nonstop airlines from Montréal-Trudeau

Montréal-Trudeau (YUL) is one of only three Canadian airports with a nonstop to Istanbul, alongside Toronto and Vancouver, and like Toronto it has two airlines on the route.

With a flight of roughly nine to ten hours and a time change of seven or eight hours, any departure from Montréal reaches Istanbul on the next calendar day. Because the two airlines publish different weekly patterns and change them by season, compare both before you fix tour dates. Air Transat also flies to Istanbul from Toronto, which gives travellers from Ottawa and the Eastern Townships a second airport to look at.

Coming from Quebec City, Ottawa or the Maritimes. There is no nonstop to Türkiye from Quebec City, Ottawa or Halifax. Most people connect through Montréal or Toronto, or take a one-stop routing through a European hub. Our page on flights to Istanbul from Canada sets out every Canadian nonstop and what happens after you land.

Seven or eight hours ahead

Türkiye stays on UTC+3 all year. Montréal moves its clocks, so the gap is:

• 7 hours from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November (Montréal on EDT).
• 8 hours for the rest of the year (Montréal on EST).

At 9:00 in Montréal in January, it is 17:00 in Istanbul. Eating dinner and going to bed at local time on the arrival day usually resets most people within two or three days. Leave the arrival day free, and plan the busiest guided day for the second full morning rather than the first.

Travelling in French: what to expect on the ground

French is not widely spoken in Türkiye. Signs at airports, museums and archaeological sites are in Turkish and English, hotel reception staff in the main tourist areas speak English, and in Istanbul's older districts some shopkeepers know a little French. If English is a comfortable second language for you, you will manage without difficulty. If you would rather hear the history in French, the guide is what makes the difference.

French-speaking guides. We can arrange a licensed French-speaking guide on request, subject to availability. Guides who work in French are fewer than those who work in English, so ask when you first contact us and give us your dates early, especially for spring and autumn. If a French-speaking guide is not available for every day of a multi-region tour, we will tell you before you book which days are covered.

Some details that help French-speaking travellers:

• Audio and written material. Major museums often have information panels in English only. A guide fills that gap at the site rather than afterwards.
• Menus. Tourist restaurants usually have English menus; French menus are rare outside a few hotels.
• Mixed groups. For a family or group where some members prefer French and others English, tell us in advance so the guide can work in both where possible.

For Istanbul-only trips, our page on a French-speaking guide in Istanbul explains how a day with a French-speaking guide is organised. Visitors from France can compare their own flight options on our Istanbul trip from France page.

Matching Quebec holiday weeks to Türkiye's seasons

Many Quebec travellers plan around the school calendar, the March break (semaine de relâche) and the construction holiday at the end of July. Here is how those weeks look in Türkiye.

Winter trips from Montréal are popular for a reason: the flight is long but not exhausting, and Istanbul in December or January is quieter than in summer. See our guide to Turkey in winter, and the best time to visit Turkey for the full month-by-month picture.

A 9-day route that suits the Montréal flight

The flight lands in Istanbul, so the route starts and ends there.

1. Day 1: Arrive in Istanbul. Private transfer to the hotel, a walk, an early dinner.
2. Day 2: Old City. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque area, Topkapı Palace and the Grand Bazaar with a licensed guide. Our Hagia Sophia ticket price update explains the current entry rules.
3. Day 3: Bosphorus and the European shore. A cruise, Dolmabahçe Palace, or a free afternoon.
4. Days 4 and 5: Cappadocia. Short domestic flight, valleys, rock-cut churches and an underground city. Leave two mornings for a balloon flight in case wind cancels one. More in our Cappadocia guide.
5. Days 6 and 7: Ephesus. Fly to Izmir; Ephesus, the Terrace Houses and Şirince. See the Ephesus and Kuşadası guide.
6. Day 8: Pamukkale. The travertines and Hierapolis, then a flight back to Istanbul.
7. Day 9: Fly home. Allow time for the drive to IST; traffic can add an hour.

Paying in Türkiye: lira, cards and cash

Canadian dollars are not used in Türkiye. Shops, restaurants and taxis charge in Turkish lira, and you will get a better result paying in lira than in a foreign currency.

• Cards. Visa and Mastercard are accepted in hotels, most restaurants and city shops. When a card terminal offers to charge you in Canadian dollars, choose lira; the conversion offered at the till is usually worse than your bank's.
• Cash. Keep some lira for small shops, markets, public toilets and tips. Bank ATMs in the cities dispense lira.
• Exchanging money. Exchange offices (döviz) in the city centres usually give better rates than airport counters.
• Tour prices. Our prices are in US dollars, per person unless the tour page says per group.

For a realistic budget on top of the tour, see what a Turkey trip costs and our update on how much a private tour guide costs in Turkey.

Entry rules for Canadian passports

The Government of Canada's advice for Türkiye says Canadians need no visa for tourist stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The passport must be valid for at least 150 days from your arrival, with space for entry and exit stamps, and make sure it is stamped on the way in and the way out. Work, study and stays over 90 days need a visa or residence permit, applied for only through official Turkish government channels. If someone in your group holds a different passport, our Turkey visa requirements update covers other nationalities.

Canada currently advises a high degree of caution in Türkiye, with stricter advisories only for areas near the Syrian and Iraqi borders. Our article on whether Turkey is safe to travel explains what that means for Istanbul and the usual tourist regions.

Tours that cover this

• Turkey Highlights 8-Day Tour: Istanbul, Pamukkale, Ephesus, Cappadocia: from $1,670 per person.
• Turkey Tour Package 8 Days: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale: from $2,250 per person.
• Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus Tour: 5 Days with flights and hotels: from $1,280 per person, for travellers who plan Istanbul themselves.
• Private Istanbul Tour with a Licensed Guide, 1, 2 or 3 days: from $199 per group.

Our Turkey tour packages from Canada page compares longer routes, and a tailor-made Turkey tour can be built around your exact flight days.

Frequently Asked Questions