Turkey Trip from Egypt for Families and Friends: Istanbul and Bursa

A week in Istanbul with one day in Bursa is the easiest Turkey trip for an Egyptian family or group of friends: the flight from Cairo takes about two hours, and a private guide and van keep everyone together. The one thing to sort out first is the visa, because Egyptian ordinary passport holders need one and the rules depend on each traveller's age. Our private Bursa day tour from Istanbul costs from $100 per person, and a private Istanbul guide for 1 to 3 days from $199 per group per day, which divides well across a family of four to six.

This page is written for groups: parents with children, grown-up siblings, cousins, or friends travelling together. It explains who in your group needs which visa, how to fly, a seven-day plan with Bursa, how to move a group around Istanbul, and what the guided part of the week costs.

Visa first: who in your group needs what

According to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egyptian ordinary passport holders need a visa to enter Türkiye. Whether a traveller can get it online depends on age and on what other visas they already hold. In a mixed family, different members may follow different routes.

What this means in practice. A family of two parents over 45 with children under 15 can usually do everything online. A group of friends in their twenties or thirties without Schengen or UK visas needs to apply for a sticker visa, which takes longer, so start that process as soon as you have a date. Apply only on the official site, evisa.gov.tr, and check the conditions shown for your passport during the application.

Passport validity. Turkish law requires your passport to be valid for at least 60 days beyond the length of your stay; for a 30-day e-Visa that means at least 90 days of validity on arrival. The ministry advises six months. Check every passport in the group, including the children's.

Airline. Book the flight only after you know which visa each person will hold, because the 30-day e-Visa for travellers aged 15 to 45 is tied to the airlines listed above. For the wider picture, see our Turkey visa requirements update.

Flights from Cairo and the time difference

Direct flights from Cairo to Istanbul take about two hours. The airlines named by the Turkish ministry for the e-Visa route all fly between the two cities, and they land at two different airports:

• Istanbul Airport (IST) on the European side, used by Turkish Airlines and EgyptAir. It suits hotels in Sultanahmet, Taksim and along the Bosphorus.
• Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side, used by Pegasus and other low-cost carriers. It suits hotels in Kadıköy or Üsküdar, but adds time to reach the Old City.

The clock. Turkey uses UTC+3 all year. Egypt is one hour behind Turkey from the end of October to late April, and on the same time in summer, when Egypt uses daylight saving time.

Arrival with a group. A family with luggage fits better in a pre-booked van than in two or three taxis. Our VIP airport transfer by Mercedes Vito costs from $60 per group, and our page on the Istanbul airport private transfer explains the options from both airports.

The week at a glance

This seven-day plan keeps one long day out of the city in the middle of the week and leaves afternoons free for rest, shopping and family time.

Closing days matter. Topkapı Palace closes on Tuesdays and Dolmabahçe Palace on Mondays, so arrange days 2 and 3 around your arrival day. Tourist visits to working mosques pause during prayer, and Friday noon prayer is the longest pause of the week. Our Istanbul mosques tour page lists the main mosques and how to plan around prayer times.

Bursa: what the day covers

Bursa was the first capital of the Ottoman state, and for many Egyptian visitors who know the Ottoman history series on television, it is the highlight of the week. Its early Ottoman mosques, tombs and markets are on the UNESCO World Heritage list together with the nearby village of Cumalıkızık.

In the city. The Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami) with its many domes, the Green Mosque and Green Tomb with their early Ottoman tiles, the tombs of Osman Gazi and Orhan Gazi, and the old silk market next to the Grand Mosque. Lunch is İskender kebab, which comes from Bursa.

On the mountain. A cable car climbs about 9 km from the edge of the city through pine forest towards Uludağ. There is snow at the top in winter, which children from Egypt usually love, and cool, fresh air in summer.

Getting there. By road, the drive takes about two to two and a half hours each way, so the day starts early. Two versions work for groups:

• The private Bursa day tour from Istanbul: a private van and guide for about 12 hours, from $100 per person. Best for families who want their own pace and stops.
• The Bursa and Uludağ tour with ferry, cable car and lunch: about 8 hours, from $90 per person. It crosses the Sea of Marmara by ferry, which many children enjoy.

Our Bursa destination guide has more on the city, and all options are on the Bursa tours page.

Moving a group around Istanbul

Istanbul's trams and ferries are good, but with children, grandparents or six friends with shopping bags, they become hard work. A private vehicle changes the week.

• Car with driver. Our private Mercedes Vito city tour with driver is from $299 per group for eight hours. The driver waits while you visit, and the van is a place to leave coats and bags.
• Guide plus driver. On the guided Old City day, the guide handles tickets and lines, which saves the most time at Hagia Sophia and Topkapı.
• Your own boat. For a larger group, the Bosphorus yacht rental for families and friends takes 6 to 32 guests from $525 per hour. For a family reunion or a group of friends, it is often cheaper per head than a shared cruise and far more relaxed.

Pacing the week for children and older parents

Groups that enjoy Istanbul most follow a few simple rules.

• One big site per morning. Hagia Sophia or Topkapı before lunch, a café, then a slower afternoon. Children tire quickly on hard stone floors.
• Rest after Bursa. Day 4 is long. Day 5 should start late, with a light half day on the Princes' Islands, where there are no cars, or at Lake Sapanca and Maşukiye, a forested valley with streams and restaurants. Our Sapanca trip page in Arabic is written for Arab families.
• Dress for mosques. Women cover their hair, shoulders and knees; men cover their knees.
• Stay central. A hotel near Sultanahmet or Sirkeci keeps the walking short, and the van can collect you at the door.

Our page on Istanbul tour packages for families goes deeper into family planning, and if you only want city tours, our sister site Get Istanbul Tours lists Istanbul-only options.

Guides who speak Arabic

Our tours are guided in English by licensed Turkish guides. An Arabic-speaking guide can be arranged on request, subject to availability. Ask when you send your dates, because Arabic-speaking guides are in high demand during Eid and the summer months. We confirm the guide and the price before you book; if no Arabic-speaking guide is free on a given day, the tour runs in English. Our page on Arabic-speaking guides in Istanbul explains how it works.

What the guided part of the week costs

Here is an example for a family of four, using our listed prices. Hotels, flights, meals and museum tickets are extra.

• Two guided days with a private guide: 2 x $199 per group = $398.
• One day with car and driver: $299 per group.
• Private Bursa day tour: 4 x $100 per person = $400.
• Princes' Islands day tour with ferry and lunch: 4 x $90 per person = $360.
• Airport transfers both ways: 2 x $60 per group = $120.

That comes to $1,577 for the four, or about $394 per person, for a week with three guided days, a private van day, Bursa and the islands. For a group of six, the per-group items stay the same and the per-person items grow, so the share per person falls.

Paying. Our prices are in US dollars. Before you travel, check with your bank whether your card works abroad and what limit applies to foreign spending. In Turkey you pay in Turkish lira, and cards are widely accepted in hotels, shops and restaurants.

Tours that cover this

• Private Bursa Day Tour from Istanbul, 12 hours with guide and private van, from $100 per person.
• Private Istanbul Tour with a Licensed Guide, 1, 2 or 3 Days, 8 hours per day, from $199 per group.
• Princes' Islands Day Tour from Istanbul with Ferry and Lunch, 8 hours, from $90 per person.
• Bosphorus Yacht Rental for Families and Friends, 6 to 32 guests, from $525 per hour.

Frequently Asked Questions