Turkey and Dubai from India 2027: 8-10 Day Plans and Both Visas

A Turkey and Dubai trip from India works best over 9 or 10 days: four or five nights in Istanbul and Cappadocia, then four or five in Dubai, with two separate visas arranged before you fly. Our 10-day Turkey and Dubai tour package covers Istanbul, Cappadocia, Dubai and an Abu Dhabi day from $2,900 per person, without international flights from India.

The two countries pair well: they are a direct flight apart, both have good connections to Indian cities, and they give very different halves of a holiday. The hard part is not the route but the paperwork, because Indian passport holders need a visa for both. This page goes through the visas first, then the day split, flights, seasons and costs.

Two visas: what Indian passport holders need

Both Turkey and the UAE treat Indian ordinary passport holders differently depending on what other visas or residence permits you already hold. That one detail decides how easy the trip is.

Turkey

According to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Indian holders of ordinary passports need a visa to enter Turkey. Those with a valid Schengen, US, UK or Ireland visa or residence permit may instead get a single-entry e-Visa, valid for one month, through the official site evisa.gov.tr, provided they meet certain conditions. Everyone else applies for a visa through the Turkish embassy or consulates in India before travel. We explain the e-Visa route in more detail on our page about the Turkey e-Visa for visa and permit holders.

UAE

The UAE's Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) lists a 14-day visa for Indian ordinary passport holders who hold a valid visa, residence permit or US Green Card issued by the US, an EU country or the UK, or a valid residence permit from Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Singapore or New Zealand. The passport must be valid for at least six months, the visa can be extended once for the same period, and the ICP lists fees of AED 100 for issuance plus AED 100 in service fees. Without one of those documents you need a UAE visit visa issued before you travel; check the current options on the ICP (icp.gov.ae) and GDRFA Dubai (gdrfad.gov.ae) websites.

The practical order

1. Check your passport: at least six months of validity beyond the trip, and blank pages.
2. If you hold a qualifying US, UK or Schengen visa, use it for both countries and keep it valid for the whole trip.
3. If not, apply for both early, starting with whichever needs an appointment or paper documents in your city.
4. Book refundable or flexible flights until both visas are in your passport or inbox.

How to split 8, 9 or 10 days

The order that saves the most time is India to Istanbul, then Cappadocia, then Dubai, then home. You avoid flying back to Istanbul just to leave, and Dubai's many direct flights to Indian cities make it an easy last stop.

Eight days is the realistic minimum. With less, you spend a large share of the trip in airports.

What our 10-day Turkey and Dubai package covers

Our 10-day Turkey and Dubai combo costs from $2,900 per person and follows the order above:

• Day 1: arrival in Istanbul and transfer to your hotel.
• Day 2: full-day guided walking tour through the Byzantine and Ottoman core of the old city.
• Day 3: early flight to Cappadocia and the Red Tour of the northern valleys.
• Day 4: optional sunrise balloon flight, then the Green Tour of southern Cappadocia.
• Day 5: flight to Dubai, connecting through Istanbul.
• Day 6: free morning, then a desert safari with barbecue dinner.
• Day 7: Dubai city tour, from the old creek area to the modern centre around Dubai Mall.
• Day 8: day trip to Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital.
• Day 9: dhow dinner cruise in Dubai Marina.
• Day 10: breakfast and departure transfer.

International flights from India are not included, so you book India to Istanbul and Dubai to India yourself, usually as one open-jaw ticket. The balloon flight is optional and weather-dependent; see current Cappadocia balloon prices before you decide.

Flights: India, Istanbul and Dubai

Three legs make up the trip, and each one has several options:

• India to Istanbul. IndiGo lists a direct Mumbai to Istanbul service, and connections through Gulf hubs are common from most Indian cities. Our pages on Turkey tours from Delhi and Turkey tours from Mumbai cover departures from those cities.
• Istanbul to Dubai. Emirates, flydubai and Turkish Airlines fly from Istanbul Airport to Dubai International; AJet and flydubai also fly from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen. If you start the Dubai part from Cappadocia, you connect through Istanbul.
• Dubai to India. Dubai has direct flights to most large Indian cities, which is why ending there is easier than ending in Istanbul.

Check that each airline's checked-baggage allowance matches across the open-jaw ticket and the domestic Turkish flight. Domestic flights to Cappadocia sometimes have lower allowances than long-haul tickets, and shopping in Dubai only makes this worse on the way home.

Best months for the combination

The two places have different ideal seasons, so you are choosing a compromise.

• April to early June: Istanbul is mild (long-term average highs of 17.4 °C in April and 22.3 °C in May, per the Turkish State Meteorological Service), and Cappadocia is green. Dubai is already warm, so plan outdoor activities in the morning and evening.
• Late September to November: a good balance. Istanbul is pleasant, Cappadocia is dry and clear, and Dubai is cooling down.
• December to February: the best Dubai weather, but Istanbul is cool and wet and Cappadocia can be snowy. Popular with Indian families over the winter holidays, and snow in Cappadocia appeals to many.
• Late June to August: Turkey is at its busiest and Dubai is very hot. It works for school holidays if you keep Dubai days mostly indoors.

Diwali and the December holidays push up flight prices from India, so book those dates early.

Food, family and honeymoon notes for Indian travellers

Vegetarian and Jain food. Turkish cuisine has many vegetable, lentil and rice dishes, and Indian restaurants exist in central Istanbul. Jain requirements (no onion, garlic or root vegetables) need explaining at each meal; your guide can help order. Our vegetarian food tour in Istanbul is a good first evening. For more city tips, see Istanbul tours for Indian travellers.

Families. The Turkey half has early starts (Cappadocia flights and balloons), long walks in Istanbul's old city and some steps in the underground cities. Children usually enjoy Cappadocia most. In Dubai, the desert safari and the aquariums are easy wins.

Honeymooners. Many Indian couples spend a night or two more in a Cappadocia cave hotel and fewer in Dubai. Our Turkey honeymoon package from India page covers room types and the pace that suits couples.

Modest dress. For mosques in Istanbul, women cover their hair, shoulders and knees, and men wear long trousers; scarves are often lent at the door. If your Abu Dhabi day includes the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, it has its own dress code, so pack one modest outfit for that day.

What the trip costs, and how to keep it down

Our prices are in US dollars and cover the ground arrangements described on each tour page. A realistic picture for one person:

• Ten days, Turkey and Dubai: from $2,900 per person with our combo package.
• Turkey only, five days: from $872 per person with the 5-day Istanbul and Cappadocia package, if you prefer to book Dubai separately.
• Turkey only, private, five days: from $1,655 per person with the private 5-day Istanbul to Cappadocia package.

On top of that come international flights, both visas, lunches and dinners not listed as included, optional extras such as the balloon, and shopping. For a fuller breakdown of the Turkey part, see our guide to Turkey trip costs.

Ways to keep the total down:

• Travel in November or late February rather than over Diwali or Christmas.
• Choose three Dubai nights instead of five.
• Skip the balloon and watch the launch from a viewpoint at dawn.
• Book the open-jaw flight early, as it is usually the largest single cost.

Tours that cover this

• 10-day Turkey and Dubai tour package with Istanbul, Cappadocia and Abu Dhabi: from $2,900 per person.
• 5-day Istanbul and Cappadocia package with flights and a Bosphorus cruise: from $872 per person.
• Istanbul and Cappadocia package, 5 days with flights and cave hotel: from $1,150 per person.
• Private 5-day Istanbul to Cappadocia package: from $1,655 per person.

More options for Indian travellers are on our Turkey tour packages from India page, and for residents of the Emirates, on Turkey tour packages from Dubai.

Frequently Asked Questions