Umrah Plus Turkey 2027: The Istanbul Leg, Ziyarah Days and Saudi Dates

An umrah plus Turkey trip in 2027 usually adds four to six days in Türkiye before or after the umrah: four days for Istanbul alone, five or six with Bursa, Konya or Cappadocia. Indonesian passport holders need no visa for Türkiye for up to 30 days. We do not sell umrah. We arrange only the Turkey part, timed around the flights your umrah organiser books, and our Islamic Istanbul tour package starts from $768 per person for four days. All our prices are in US dollars.

This page explains how the two parts fit together: the Saudi umrah calendar for 2027, whether Türkiye should come before or after Makkah and Madinah, what Indonesians need at the Turkish border, a four-day ziyarah programme in Istanbul, and the weather by month. For a stand-alone holiday in Istanbul, see our Istanbul tour package for Indonesians.

What we arrange, and what we do not

The umrah itself, with the Saudi visa, the Nusuk permits, the hotels in Makkah and Madinah and the mutawwif, is the work of your umrah organiser in Indonesia, under the rules of the Kementerian Agama and the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. We are a licensed Turkish tour operator (TÜRSAB A-15751) and we do not book any part of it.

What we do for the Turkey leg is what any private tour operator in Türkiye does:

• Meet your group at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) with a private vehicle and driver.
• Book hotels in Istanbul and, if you add them, in Bursa or Cappadocia.
• Provide a licensed guide for the sightseeing days and domestic flights inside Türkiye.
• Plan each day around the five prayers, with Friday prayer in a historic mosque.
• Stay in touch on WhatsApp before and during the trip.

Send us the flight numbers and times your umrah organiser has booked, and we build the Turkey days around them.

The Saudi umrah calendar for 2027

The Turkey leg only works if the umrah dates work, so check the Saudi calendar first. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced the 1448 AH umrah season on 17 May 2026:

The next season, 1449 AH, will start after Hajj 2027, and its calendar has not been announced yet. Until the ministry publishes it, nobody can give you confirmed umrah dates for June 2027 onwards.

Three Saudi rules to know, all from the ministry's own guidance:

• A permit is needed for every visitor. The ministry says all Muslim visitors, whatever their visa type, need a permit through Nusuk to perform umrah and to visit the Prophet's Mosque.
• The Rawdah needs its own booking. A visit to Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah is booked as a free permit in the Nusuk app or website, with a fixed date and time.
• There are several visa routes. The ministry lists the umrah visa through Nusuk or authorised agents, and tourist visas for eligible nationalities. Your organiser will tell you which applies to your group.

Ramadan 2027. Ramadan is expected to begin around 8 February 2027, with Eid al-Fitr on 9 March in Türkiye's calendar. An umrah in the last ten days of Ramadan is popular, so flights and hotels fill early. A Turkey leg after Eid works well: Istanbul is lively with the Bayram holiday, from 9 to 11 March.

Türkiye before or after umrah?

Both orders work. The choice depends on your flights and on how your group wants to feel when it reaches Makkah.

Türkiye first, umrah second. You fly from Jakarta to Istanbul and recover from the long flight in Türkiye, then continue to Saudi Arabia rested. If you fly from Istanbul to Jeddah for umrah, you cross the miqat in the air, so most pilgrims enter ihram before or during the flight. If you fly to Madinah first, you take ihram later, at the miqat of Dhul Hulayfah. Your ustadz or organiser will advise.

Umrah first, Türkiye second. You finish the worship and travel with a lighter heart. Many families prefer this: the umrah is the purpose of the journey, and Istanbul is the rest and the ziyarah afterwards. Shopping also makes more sense at the end, when you no longer carry it through two countries.

On flights, Turkish Airlines flies nonstop between Jakarta (Soekarno-Hatta) and Istanbul Airport, about 12 hours, and flies to Istanbul from Jeddah and Madinah. A ticket Jakarta–Istanbul–Saudi Arabia–Jakarta, or the reverse, is common. Istanbul is on UTC+3 all year, four hours behind Jakarta (WIB) and the same time as Makkah, so there is no jet lag between the two legs.

Entry to Türkiye on an Indonesian passport

According to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, holders of ordinary Indonesian passports are visa-free in Türkiye for up to 30 days per entry, within 90 days in any 180 days. No e-visa and no entry fee are needed.

• Passport validity. At least 60 days beyond your stay; for a 30-day stay, that means 90 days of validity on arrival. Airlines often ask for six months, so check before the umrah organiser books.
• Two entries. If you visit Türkiye both before and after Saudi Arabia, each entry counts separately towards the 90 days in 180.
• Relatives on other passports. Family members with other nationalities may need an e-visa; our Turkey visa requirements update lists them.

A four-day ziyarah programme in Istanbul

Istanbul was the seat of the Ottoman caliphate for four centuries, and its mosques, tombs and relics are the reason most umrah pilgrims add it. A four-day plan:

Day 1: arrival and the Golden Horn. Pickup at the airport, hotel check-in, and an evening visit to the Eyüp Sultan Mosque, built beside the tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, the companion who hosted the Prophet in his house when he arrived in Madinah. He died during the Arab siege of Constantinople and is buried outside its walls. For many Indonesian families, this is the most moving stop of the trip.

Day 2: Sultanahmet. The Blue Mosque for a prayer, then Hagia Sophia, a mosque again since 2020. Worshippers enter the prayer hall at prayer times; the visitor route through the upper galleries costs €25 for foreign visitors. In the afternoon, Topkapı Palace and its Holy Relics rooms, which hold the mantle and sword attributed to the Prophet and other relics of early Islam. Topkapı closes on Tuesdays.

Day 3: Süleymaniye and Fatih. Friday prayer, if the day fits, at the Süleymaniye Mosque, Sinan's great work above the Golden Horn, with the tombs of Sultan Süleyman and Hürrem in its garden. Then the Fatih Mosque and the tomb of Sultan Mehmed II, who conquered the city in 1453. The Hırka-i Şerif Mosque nearby keeps another mantle of the Prophet and opens it to visitors during Ramadan.

Day 4: the Bosphorus and the bazaars. A boat along the Bosphorus, lunch, and the Grand Bazaar or Spice Bazaar for gifts before the flight.

Our Islamic history tour of Istanbul page goes into the companions' tombs and the maqams in more detail.

Adding Bursa, Konya or Cappadocia

With one or two more days, the Turkey leg can leave Istanbul.

• Bursa, one day. The first Ottoman capital, across the Sea of Marmara. The Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami), the Green Mosque and Green Tomb, the tombs of Osman and Orhan, the first two sultans, and the cable car up Uludağ, where there is often snow from December to March. Many Indonesian families like Bursa for the snow alone. See our Bursa guide.
• Konya, one day by air. The Mevlana Museum, the tomb of Jalaluddin Rumi, is free to enter under the ministry's 2027 tariff. Konya is a conservative city with many mosques and is well liked by pilgrims.
• Cappadocia, two days. Valleys, cave hotels and the underground cities. Balloon flights at sunrise are possible on many mornings but depend on the weather and the daily flight permission, so they are never guaranteed. Our page on Istanbul to Cappadocia for Indonesian travellers compares the flight and the night bus.

The weather in Türkiye, month by month

The umrah season runs from June to April, so many Indonesian groups see Türkiye in autumn or winter, much colder than Jakarta. These are long-term averages from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM):

From November to March, pack a warm coat, gloves and waterproof shoes; Istanbul has rain on about half the days in winter. Cappadocia is below freezing at night. Ihram clothing and Saudi summer clothes will not be enough.

Halal food, prayer and money

Türkiye is a Muslim-majority country, and halal food is the norm in ordinary Turkish restaurants. Your guide can choose places without alcohol, which are easy to find around the old city, Fatih and Eyüp. Mosques are open for all five prayers and have washing places for wudu. Women cover their hair in mosques; most Indonesian travellers already dress this way. Our page on Muslim-friendly Turkey tours covers food and prayer across the country.

On money: rupiah is hard to change in Türkiye. Bring US dollars or euros and change them at an exchange office, or use a card. Our tours are priced and paid in US dollars; museum tickets are set in euros and charged in Turkish lira.

A guide who speaks Bahasa Indonesia can be arranged on request, subject to availability; our page on the Indonesian-speaking guide in Istanbul explains how. Otherwise, the tours are in English.

Tours that cover this

• Islamic Istanbul Tour Package: 4 Days, Private Guided Heritage Tours: from $768 per person.
• Istanbul & Cappadocia Tour Package: 5 Days with Flights & Cave Hotel: from $1,150 per person.
• Private Bursa Day Tour from Istanbul: Guide & Private Van: from $100 per person.
• Konya Day Tour from Istanbul by Plane – Mevlana Museum & Rumi: from $431 per person.

For the arrival, our Istanbul Airport VIP transfer by private Mercedes Vito starts from $60 per group. More programmes for Indonesian travellers are on our Turkey tour packages from Indonesia page.

Frequently Asked Questions