Ramadan in Istanbul 2027: Dates, Iftar, Mosque Visits and Eid

Yes, Istanbul is a good place to visit during Ramadan, and almost everything a visitor needs keeps working: in 2027 the fast runs from Monday 8 February to Monday 8 March, and museums, bazaars, restaurants, cruises and public transport all operate through the month. What changes is the rhythm of the day. Mosques fill up for the evening prayers, the streets go quiet at the moment of iftar, and the evenings are longer and livelier than at any other time of the winter. The one period that needs real planning is Eid al-Fitr, from 9 to 11 March 2027, when some sights close for a morning and much of the country travels. If you want a guide who can explain the traditions as you go, our Islamic Istanbul tour package covers the great mosques over four days.

Ramadan 2027 dates at a glance

The dates below follow the calendar of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), which sets the religious calendar for Türkiye. Ramadan lasts 29 days in 2027.

The weather in February and early March is cool and changeable. The Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) gives long-term averages of 10.2°C by day and 4.2°C at night in February, and 12.4°C and 5.5°C in March, with rain on about 13 or 14 days a month. Pack a warm waterproof coat and plan some indoor time each day.

What changes in the city during Ramadan, and what doesn't

Many Istanbul residents fast and many do not, so the city's business carries on.

What stays the same:

• Museums and palaces keep their normal hours and weekly closing days. Topkapı Palace still closes on Tuesdays and Dolmabahçe Palace on Mondays.
• The Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar trade as usual, and the Grand Bazaar keeps its Sunday closure.
• Restaurants, cafés and bars in Sultanahmet, Beyoğlu, Karaköy and Kadıköy serve food and drink all day. Nobody expects a visitor to fast.
• Ferries, the metro, trams and taxis run normally.

What changes:

• The hour before iftar. Traffic builds sharply in the late afternoon as people head home or to family meals. Do not plan a cross-city drive or an airport run for that hour.
• The moment of iftar. At sunset the call to prayer marks the end of the fast. Streets, shops and even some restaurants empty for half an hour while people eat.
• The evenings. After iftar, the old city comes alive. Families walk in the squares, tea gardens fill up and the great mosques hold the long tarawih prayers every night.
• Before dawn. In many neighbourhoods a drummer, the davulcu, walks the streets in the small hours to wake people for sahur. In the old city you may hear him from your hotel.

Visiting mosques during Ramadan

The great mosques stay open to visitors through Ramadan, with the same rule as the rest of the year: sightseeing pauses during each of the five daily prayers. In Ramadan the evening prayers are much larger than usual, so the mosques are at their busiest from sunset onwards. Plan your mosque visits for the morning and early afternoon.

• The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque). Entry is free, and visitors use a separate entrance from worshippers. It closes to sightseers during prayer times, and for longer around Friday noon prayers. Our Blue Mosque tour page explains the best times to go.
• Hagia Sophia. It is a working mosque, and foreign visitors enter on a paid route to the upper galleries. For the current price and rules, see our Hagia Sophia ticket price update, and our Hagia Sophia guided tour page for how a guided visit works.
• Süleymaniye Mosque. Usually calmer than the Sultanahmet mosques, with a terrace over the Golden Horn. See the Süleymaniye Mosque guide.
• Eyüp Sultan Mosque. The most important shrine in the city for Turkish Muslims, and extremely crowded on Ramadan evenings and on Kadir Gecesi. Combine it with the view from Pierre Loti Hill, but go in daylight.

Dress code. Cover shoulders and knees, and women cover their hair with a scarf. Shoes come off at the door. In winter clothing this is easy. Our guide to what to wear in Istanbul has the details, and the Istanbul mosques tour page lists the mosques worth adding beyond the famous two.

During prayers, do not photograph people praying or walk in front of them.

Iftar: when it is and where to experience it

Iftar is the meal that breaks the fast at sunset. In Istanbul in 2027 the sun sets at about 18:29 on 8 February and about 19:02 on 8 March, and the evening call to prayer, which marks iftar, comes a few minutes after sunset. Check the Diyanet timetable (imsakiye) for the exact minute each day.

Where visitors can share the moment:

• Sultanahmet Square. In recent years the municipality has set up a large public iftar tent in Sultanahmet Square, and families bring picnics to the gardens between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Hearing the call to prayer echo between the two buildings at sunset is a highlight of a Ramadan visit.
• Restaurants. Many restaurants serve a set iftar menu, usually starting with dates, soup and the special Ramadan bread. Tables fill up exactly at sunset, so book ahead, especially at weekends.
• Eyüp and Fatih. The streets around the Eyüp Sultan and Fatih mosques have the most traditional atmosphere, with stalls and crowds after iftar.

Ramadan foods to look for:

• Ramazan pidesi. A round, soft flatbread sprinkled with sesame and nigella seeds, baked only during Ramadan. Queues form outside bakeries in the hour before iftar.
• Güllaç. A light dessert of very thin starch sheets soaked in sweetened milk and rose water, layered with nuts. It is the classic Ramadan sweet.

A guided food walk in the daytime works perfectly well in Ramadan, because the restaurants and bakeries stay open. Our street food tour and the private Istanbul food tour page show what you can taste.

Ramadan evenings in the old city

The evenings are the best part of a Ramadan visit.

- Mahya lights. A tradition that began in Istanbul: illuminated messages strung between the minarets of the big imperial mosques, with short phrases about charity, patience or Ramadan itself. They are easy to spot from Sultanahmet and from the ferries on the Golden Horn.
- Tarawih prayers. Every night after the late evening prayer, the great mosques hold the long tarawih prayers. You will hear them from the squares outside. Do not try to visit a mosque as a sightseer during this time.
- A Sema ceremony. The whirling dervish ceremony is a quiet, spiritual hour that suits the mood of the month. Our Sema ceremony with reserved seating runs in the evening, and the wider night tours and shows list has other options.

Eating, drinking and etiquette for visitors

You do not need to fast, and you do not need to hide in your hotel to eat. A few simple courtesies make a difference.

• Eat and drink normally in restaurants and cafés. In the tourist areas nobody will comment. In conservative neighbourhoods such as Fatih, Eyüp or Çarşamba, avoid eating or smoking openly on the street during the day.
• Alcohol is served as usual in licensed restaurants and bars in Beyoğlu, Karaköy, Kadıköy and the hotel districts. Some traditional restaurants in the old city do not serve it at any time of year.
• Be patient around iftar. Drivers, waiters and shopkeepers who are fasting may be tired late in the afternoon. A taxi at 17:30 is harder to find than at 11:00.
• Say it right. "Hayırlı Ramazanlar" (a blessed Ramadan) is a kind greeting during the month, and "İyi bayramlar" (happy Eid) during the holiday.

Eid al-Fitr in Istanbul: 9 to 11 March 2027

Eid al-Fitr, called Ramazan Bayramı or Şeker Bayramı (the Sugar Feast) in Turkish, is a three-day public holiday. Families visit each other, and many Istanbul residents leave the city for their hometowns.

What to expect:

• Eid eve, Monday 8 March, is a half-day holiday. Government offices and banks close in the afternoon.
• The first morning of Eid begins with special prayers in every mosque. Museums run by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism stay closed until about 13:00 on the first day of each Eid. During Eid al-Fitr 2026, the national palaces, including Topkapı and Dolmabahçe, were closed for the whole first day and opened on the second and third days.
• The Grand Bazaar is usually closed on the first day of Eid. Many shops reopen on the second day.
• Transport. In 2026, municipal public transport in Istanbul was free over Eid al-Fitr. Whether this is repeated in 2027 is decided shortly before the holiday.
• Crowds. The Turkish schools' spring mid-term break runs from 8 to 12 March 2027, so the whole week from Saturday 6 to Sunday 14 March is a peak travel period inside Türkiye. Domestic flights, intercity buses and hotels in tourist areas get busy. Eid is also a popular time for visitors from the Gulf. See our page on Istanbul tours for Gulf travellers and our Arabic-speaking guides.

For how Eid and the other 2027 holidays fall across the year, see our Istanbul holidays 2027 planner.

How to plan a Ramadan trip day by day

A simple pattern works well for most visitors:

1. Morning: Hagia Sophia, Topkapı or the Basilica Cistern at opening time, when the old city is quiet.
2. Midday: the Blue Mosque or Süleymaniye between prayers, then the bazaars.
3. Late afternoon: a hammam or a rest. Avoid long drives in the hour before iftar.
4. Sunset: the call to prayer in Sultanahmet, or an iftar menu.
5. Evening: the squares, a Sema ceremony or an evening ferry.

A licensed guide adjusts the order of the day around prayer times, and a private car with driver saves you from the taxi rush before iftar. If you prefer to arrange a city tour directly with our sister team in Istanbul, Get Istanbul Tours runs private guided days in the old city. For more on the city as a whole, start with our Istanbul destination guide.

Tours that cover this

• Islamic Istanbul Tour Package: 4 Days, Private Guided Heritage Tours, from $768 per person. The great imperial mosques, Eyüp and the Ottoman heritage of the city, with a licensed guide.
• Istanbul Old City Private Tour: Hagia Sophia, Topkapi and Grand Bazaar, from $200 per person. A day in Sultanahmet planned around prayer times.
• Whirling Dervish Sema Ceremony in Istanbul with Reserved Seating, from $60 per person. A good choice for a Ramadan evening.
• Istanbul Street Food Tour: Local Neighbourhoods, Baklava and Coffee, from $90 per person. Runs normally during Ramadan.

Frequently Asked Questions