Medical Tourism in Istanbul: Planning the Travel Around Your Treatment

A medical trip to Istanbul has two separate halves: the treatment, which only a licensed clinic or hospital can plan, price and carry out, and the travel around it, which is flights, airport transfers, a hotel and getting around the city. Get Turkey Tours is a licensed travel agency (TÜRSAB A-15751), not a clinic or a health-tourism intermediary, so we handle only the second half. A typical starting point is our private airport transfer, from $60 per group.

This page explains how the two halves fit together, what Turkey's official health-tourism rules say, what the UK and US governments advise, and how to plan the days in Istanbul so that the travel never gets in the way of the treatment. It does not recommend any clinic, doctor or hospital, and nothing here is medical advice. Your own doctor and the treating clinic decide what is safe for you.

Who does what on a treatment trip

The single most useful thing to understand before you book anything is who is responsible for each part of the trip. When one company sells "everything", that line gets blurred, and it matters most when something goes wrong.

• The treating facility and its doctors assess you, decide whether the treatment suits you, give you a written plan and price, carry out the procedure, and are responsible for follow-up and complications.
• A health-tourism intermediary is a company that arranges treatment for foreign patients. In Turkey this is a regulated activity with its own authorisation (see the next section).
• A travel agency like us arranges the non-medical part: transfers between the airport and your hotel, hotel nights, a private car with driver for appointments, and sightseeing for you or the people travelling with you.

We do not book, sell or recommend treatment. You choose the clinic yourself, get its plan in writing, and then tell us the dates and the address. We build the travel around that.

Turkey's official rules for health tourism

Health tourism in Turkey is overseen by the Ministry of Health. The current rulebook is the International Health Tourism and Tourist Health Regulation, republished in the Official Gazette on 26 April 2025. The parts that matter to a patient are these:

• Facilities need a Ministry authorisation. Hospitals and clinics that treat international patients must hold an International Health Tourism Authorisation Certificate. The Ministry's Health Tourism Department publishes the lists of authorised facilities and authorised intermediaries on its website (shgmturizmdb.saglik.gov.tr). When we checked, the lists had last been updated on 5 October 2026.
• Intermediaries need their own authorisation. Companies that arrange treatment for foreign patients need a certificate issued through USHAŞ, the state-owned company set up to support international health services. The certificate cannot be transferred to another company.
• HealthTürkiye is the official portal. USHAŞ runs HealthTürkiye (healthturkiye.gov.tr; the old healthturkiye.com address redirects there). The portal says its information is verified by the Ministry of Health and lists a 24-hour support line, +90 850 288 38 38.
• Complication insurance for surgery. Under the 2025 regulation, surgical procedures carried out in an operating room for health tourists must be covered by complication insurance. Ask the clinic in writing whether your procedure falls under this, who the insurer is and what the policy covers.

Checking a name on the Ministry list takes a few minutes and is the most basic step you can take. A listing does not tell you whether a clinic is good, only that it is allowed to treat international patients.

What the UK and US governments advise

Both governments publish clear guidance, and it is worth reading in full before you pay a deposit.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) says on its Turkey travel advice page that it is aware of 7 British nationals who died in Turkey in 2025 following medical procedures, and that others needed further treatment after complications. It advises you to discuss your plans with your UK doctor, dentist or clinician first, to do your own research because private companies have a financial interest in booking your treatment, and it points to HealthTürkiye for Ministry-approved providers. The FCDO also notes that the European and Global Health Insurance Cards (EHIC and GHIC) are not valid in Turkey, and that standard travel insurance usually does not cover planned treatment abroad.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises seeing a travel medicine specialist 4 to 6 weeks before travel, carrying copies of your records, and getting your overseas medical records in English before you fly home. It also warns that holiday activities such as drinking alcohol, strenuous exercise, sunbathing and swimming can slow healing. That last point shapes how we plan sightseeing for patients.

Planning the timeline: before, during and after

The clinic sets the medical schedule. Get it in writing first, with the date of every appointment and the earliest day the clinic is happy for you to fly. Then book flights and hotel to match, not the other way round.

Build in at least one spare day between the last check and your flight. Traffic in Istanbul is unpredictable and you do not want a follow-up appointment squeezed against a check-in deadline.

Getting from the airport and around the city

Istanbul has two main airports on opposite sides of the city. Istanbul Airport (IST) is on the European side, north of the centre, and is the Turkish Airlines hub. Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) is on the Asian side and is used by Pegasus and many low-cost carriers. Check which one is on your ticket, because the drive from SAW to a European-side hotel crosses the Bosphorus and can be long at peak hours.

Our airport transfer takes 45 to 90 minutes depending on the airport, the district and the time of day. On treatment days a car with a driver is usually easier than taxis: the driver waits outside the clinic, you are not negotiating a fare while sore or tired, and a companion can ride along. Our private Mercedes Vito with driver starts from $299 per group for up to 8 hours. For more on how this works day to day, see our guide to tours with hotel pickup.

Choosing a hotel for a treatment stay

The best hotel for a treatment trip is rarely the one with the best view. Look for:

• Distance to the clinic. Ten minutes by car beats a postcard location an hour away through traffic.
• A lift and step-free access. Many old-city hotels sit on steep, cobbled streets.
• A quiet room and flexible meals. Room service or a café on site helps on the first evening.
• A reception that can receive deliveries such as medication or dressings sent by the clinic.
• A late check-out option if your flight leaves in the evening.

Clinics are spread across the city, so the right district depends on the address you have been given. Our where to stay in Istanbul guide explains the main areas, and companions who want to sightsee may prefer Sultanahmet hotels or a Bosphorus-view hotel if the clinic is nearby.

Rest days and time for companions

The sensible order is to sightsee before treatment, not after. If you arrive a day or two early, you can see the old city while you feel well, and then rest once treatment starts. After a procedure, the clinic's instructions come first, and the CDC's warning about sun, swimming, alcohol and strenuous exercise applies.

If the clinic agrees, low-effort ideas include:

• A seated Bosphorus lunch cruise, from $75 per person, with hotel pickup and a covered deck.
• A short drive along the shore with a few stops, in a car rather than on foot.
• A quiet tea in a park such as Emirgan, where the car can stop close by.

Companions often have more free time than the patient. They can join a morning in the old city, a food walk or a day on the Princes Islands while the patient rests. See things to do in Istanbul for more.

Insurance, records and money

Three practical points that catch people out:

1. Insurance. Ordinary travel insurance usually excludes planned treatment and its complications. Ask the clinic about the complication insurance required under the 2025 rules, and ask a specialist insurer about cover for the rest of the trip, including a delayed flight home.
2. Records. Ask for a written summary in English of what was done, the materials or medicines used, and the aftercare plan. Your doctor at home will need it.
3. Payments. Pay the clinic directly against a written quote that lists what is and is not included. Keep receipts. We invoice only for travel services, separately from any medical bill.

For a sense of what the non-medical part of a stay costs, our Istanbul trip cost guide breaks down hotels, transport and food.

Tours that cover this

These are travel services only. None of them includes medical treatment, and none is a treatment price.

• VIP private Istanbul airport transfer in a Mercedes Vito, from $60 per group. Door to door between IST or SAW and your hotel.
• Private Mercedes Vito with driver, from $299 per group for up to 8 hours. Useful for appointment days or a gentle drive.
• Bosphorus lunch cruise with hotel pickup, from $75 per person. Seated, about 3 hours.
• Old city morning highlights small-group tour, from $120 per person. Best done before treatment, or by a companion.

You can also browse all our Istanbul tours or read the Istanbul destination guide.

Frequently Asked Questions