Christmas in Istanbul 2026: Markets, Church Services, What's Open

Yes, Christmas is celebrated in Istanbul, but quietly. 25 December is not a public holiday in Türkiye, and in 2026 it falls on a Friday, a normal working day, so museums, the Grand Bazaar, shops and offices keep their usual hours. The city's Christian communities hold Christmas services that visitors can attend, while most of December's lights and winter markets lead up to New Year, which is the public holiday. If you want to see the working churches without planning the transport, our Istanbul churches tour with a private guide links them in one day.

Here is what is confirmed for this Christmas as of early November, and what to expect on the day.

Is Christmas a public holiday in Istanbul?

No. Türkiye's official holidays for 2026 include New Year's Day on 1 January, but not 25 December. The holiday fortnight looks like this:

• Thursday 24 December: Christmas Eve, a working day. Churches usually hold evening services; the 2026 times are announced closer to the date.
• Friday 25 December: Christmas Day, also a working day. Because it is a Friday, mosques hold the midday Friday prayer.
• Thursday 31 December: New Year's Eve. Our pages on New Year party options, New Year's Eve cruises and 3 to 5-night New Year packages cover the night itself.
• Friday 1 January 2027: New Year's Day, a public holiday.

Not every church keeps Christmas on 25 December. Some communities celebrate in January, which our page on Orthodox Christmas in Istanbul covers church by church.

Christmas markets in 2026: what is confirmed

Istanbul's December markets are mostly New Year markets, and their dates come out late. When we checked on 6 November, the only large market with published 2026 dates we could find was Yeni Yıl Kasabası:

Yeni Yıl Kasabası is an outdoor New Year village next to Tüpraş Stadium, open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only, 15 evenings in all. Gates open at 14:00, and concerts start at 18:30 and 21:00. Standard entry is 975 TL, about $19.50 at the central bank's rate on 6 November, and covers the concerts, shows and unlimited carousel rides. Food, shopping and the other activities cost extra. Children aged 10 and under go in free with a parent between 14:00 and 18:30. Tickets are sold only through the URU app, Biletix and Bubilet. The last day is Sunday 27 December, two days after Christmas.

For the other markets, watch the organisers' channels from mid-November. Last year, Galataport switched on its Bosphorus Winter lights on Saturday 22 November 2025 and ran a New Year market on Clock Tower Square from 2 December to the end of the year; its 2026 programme had not been announced when we checked.

Christmas services you can attend

Visitors are welcome at Christmas services. Dress modestly, arrive early and save your photos for after the service. These are the churches with information we could confirm:

• St Anthony of Padua, İstiklal Avenue 171. The largest Catholic church in Istanbul, built between 1906 and 1912. On ordinary Sundays it holds Mass in English at 10:00, in Italian and Polish at 11:30, and in Turkish in the evening. The parish publishes a separate Christmas programme on its website. The one online when we checked was from an earlier year, so the 2026 times will be announced closer to the date.
• St George's at the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Fener. The Patriarchate celebrates Christmas on 25 December. In 2022 Patriarch Bartholomew led the Christmas service in the Church of St George, and foreign tourists were among those who came. Its 2026 service time had not been published when we checked. Fener sits next to Balat on the Golden Horn; see things to do in Balat.
• The Bulgarian Orthodox community. It held its Christmas liturgy on 25 December 2025 at the Church of St John of Rila of the Bulgarian Exarchate.
• Union Church of Istanbul, Beyoğlu. Sunday services are in English at 11:00 and in Turkish at 13:30, and its website has an online form to register for Sunday services. Its office can confirm any Christmas services.

St Anthony's is on İstiklal Avenue, a short walk from Taksim. For the older Byzantine churches, see our Christian heritage of Istanbul page.

What is open on Christmas Day

Because 25 December is a working day, sightseeing works as on any Friday. The weekly closing days matter more than Christmas itself:

The Grand Bazaar opens roughly from 09:00 to 19:00, Monday to Saturday. Topkapı Palace closes on Tuesdays and Dolmabahçe on Mondays. Travel guides list a 09:00 opening for Hagia Sophia in winter, and foreign visitors pay for the gallery route; our Hagia Sophia ticket update explains the price.

A Christmas Day plan that works

A Friday needs a little planning around prayer time. This order works around the midday prayer:

1. Morning service. St Anthony's and the Patriarchate in Fener had not published their 2026 Christmas times when we checked, so look for them closer to the date.
2. Late morning in Sultanahmet. Hagia Sophia before noon, then lunch nearby while visitor entry pauses for the Friday prayer.
3. Afternoon at the Grand Bazaar. It is open on Friday but not on Sunday 27 December.
4. Evening on the water. A Bosphorus dinner cruise or a quiet dinner in Karaköy, then a walk along İstiklal Avenue.

For the weather and what else is on in the month, see our guide to Istanbul in December. If you are combining Christmas and New Year with Cappadocia, our Christmas in Turkey packages page has 8 to 10-night plans.

Tours that cover this

• Istanbul Churches Tour: Full-Day Private Guide and Van: from $180 per person, 7 hours.
• Istanbul Old City Private Tour: Hagia Sophia, Topkapi & Grand Bazaar: from $200 per person, 6 to 8 hours.
• Bosphorus Dinner Cruise in Istanbul with Turkish Night Show: from $57 per person.
• New Year's Eve Bosphorus Party Cruise Istanbul 2027 – Dinner & Show: from $224 per person.

For private guiding within the city over the holidays, our sister site Get Istanbul Tours focuses on Istanbul only.

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