Turkey Trip from Canada in 2027: Long Weekends, March Break, Routes

The best 2027 windows for a Turkey trip from Canada are Ontario's March Break (15 to 19 March), the Easter long weekend (26 to 29 March), the week after Victoria Day (24 May), and Thanksgiving on 11 October, which opens Turkey's best autumn weather. Each needs only four or five vacation days for a trip of nine or ten nights. Canadian passports need no visa, and our 10-day Turkey tour package through Gallipoli, Ephesus, Antalya and Cappadocia starts from $1,512 per person.

The rest of this page goes through the 2027 Canadian calendar holiday by holiday and shows how each one lines up with the Turkish calendar, the weather and the flights. If you are working out the full budget first, read our page on what a Turkey trip costs from Canada.

The 2027 Canadian calendar, read for a Turkey trip

The table combines the 2027 statutory holidays with what is happening in Turkey on the same dates. Provincial holidays differ, so check which ones apply where you work.

Two points shape every plan. Turkey is 7 hours ahead of Toronto and Montréal in the Canadian summer and 8 in winter, and 10 or 11 hours ahead of Vancouver, so the eastbound flight takes most of a night and the first day is for arriving. And the Turkish religious holidays move by about 11 days each year: in 2027 the Eid holiday at the end of Ramadan, Ramazan Bayramı, is 9 to 11 March, and Kurban Bayramı is 16 to 19 May, according to the Diyanet calendar. During both, Turkish families travel, and domestic flights and hotels are at their busiest.

March Break 2027: a family week that misses Eid

In Ontario, the 2026–27 school calendars of the boards we checked put March Break from Monday 15 to Friday 19 March 2027. Other provinces set their own dates, and boards can differ, so confirm with your school before booking.

The timing is good. The Eid holiday is over by 11 March, so domestic flights within Turkey are back to normal, and Ramadan has ended, which matters only for small things such as daytime restaurant hours outside the tourist areas. Leaving on Friday 12 or Saturday 13 March and flying home on Sunday 21 March gives you eight nights on the ground for five school days.

What a family can fit into eight nights in March:

1. Three nights in Istanbul: the Old City, a Bosphorus boat and the Grand Bazaar.
2. Three nights in Cappadocia by domestic flight: valleys, an underground city and, weather permitting, a sunrise balloon for those old enough to fly.
3. Two final nights in Istanbul, or Ephesus and Pamukkale instead if your children are happy with more travel.

March in Cappadocia is still cold, especially in the early morning, so pack winter layers. Our Istanbul tour packages for Canadians suit families who would rather stay in one place.

Easter and Victoria Day: the spring pair

Easter, 26 to 29 March. Good Friday is a holiday everywhere and Easter Monday for federal employees and some others. Four vacation days from Tuesday 30 March to Friday 2 April give you ten days, from Friday 26 March to Sunday 4 April. That is enough for the classic loop of Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus. The days are getting longer and the valleys of Cappadocia are turning green. Istanbul's tulip season follows in April; our Istanbul Tulip Festival 2027 page covers it.

Victoria Day, 24 May. Fly out on Friday 21 May and take Tuesday 25 to Friday 28 May as vacation days, and you have ten days, to Sunday 30 May. The timing has one big advantage: Kurban Bayramı ends on 19 May, so you arrive just after the busiest Turkish travel week of the spring. Late May is warm, the sea on the south coast is warming up, and Ephesus and Pamukkale are still comfortable at midday. It is our favourite spring slot for Canadians. Our best time to visit Turkey guide compares all the months.

Summer: Canada Day, the Civic Holiday and the heat

Canada Day falls on Thursday 1 July in 2027, so one vacation day on Friday 2 July gives a four-day weekend. Leave on Wednesday 30 June and fly home on Sunday 11 July, and twelve days away cost seven vacation days. The Civic Holiday on Monday 2 August and Labour Day on Monday 6 September do the same at the other end of summer.

Summer is high season, and it is hot in the interior. The answer is to change the route rather than the dates:

• Coast first. Antalya, Fethiye or a gulet cruise take the middle of the trip.
• Sights at dawn. Ephesus and Pamukkale are best when they open, before the midday heat.
• Cappadocia at night. The plateau is high, and the evenings are cool even in July.

Turkey has two public holidays in this period: Democracy and National Unity Day on Thursday 15 July and Victory Day on Monday 30 August. Banks and offices close, but most sights stay open.

Thanksgiving to Remembrance Day: the autumn sweet spot

Thanksgiving, Monday 11 October. Leave on Friday 8 October, take four vacation days from 12 to 15 October, and fly home on Sunday 17 October: ten days off. For a longer trip, add the next week. The weather in October is the best of the year for a full tour: warm on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, dry and clear in Cappadocia, and the summer crowds have gone. This is when we would send anyone combining Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Ephesus and the coast in two weeks.

Two dates to know: the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation falls on Thursday 30 September, and Turkey's Republic Day is Friday 29 October, with flags on every street and the afternoon of 28 October off.

Remembrance Day, Thursday 11 November. In the provinces where it is a holiday, one vacation day on Friday 12 November gives a four-day weekend. November is cool and quieter, with lower hotel prices, and Istanbul is at its best for walking.

For Canadians, there is also a reason to go to Gallipoli. The Newfoundland Regiment served there in 1915, at Suvla Bay. Our private Gallipoli tour from Istanbul is a long day trip, from $405 per person.

Christmas and New Year 2027

In 2027, Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a weekend, so the statutory days are observed on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. With three vacation days from 29 to 31 December and New Year's Day on Saturday 1 January 2028, you are off for nine days, from Saturday 25 December to Sunday 2 January.

Christmas is a working day in Turkey, but New Year's Eve is the big night in Istanbul, and hotels near the Bosphorus fill early. Cappadocia often has snow at this time of year, which makes the fairy chimneys look their best but cancels more balloon mornings, since every flight needs permission from the civil aviation authority. Our Istanbul New Year 2027 packages and Cappadocia New Year tour cover the holiday itself.

Getting there and getting in

Flights. Toronto and Montréal have nonstop flights to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines and Air Transat, and Vancouver on Turkish Airlines. The Toronto flight takes about 10 hours, and all these nonstops land at Istanbul Airport on the European side. From Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Winnipeg or Halifax, you connect. Our page on flights to Istanbul from Canada has the details.

Entry. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye lists Canadian ordinary passports as visa-exempt for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. There is no e-Visa to buy. Your passport must stay valid for at least 60 days beyond the end of your permitted stay, which means 150 days from arrival for a full 90-day stay; the ministry recommends six months. Holders of other passports living in Canada follow the rules of their own nationality. Our Turkey travel requirements from Canada page goes through the cases.

Tours that cover this

• 10-Day Turkey Tour Package: Gallipoli, Ephesus, Antalya and Cappadocia: from $1,512 per person.
• 12-Day Turkey Tour Package from Istanbul with 3 Domestic Flights: from $1,748 per person.
• Turkey Tour Package 8 Days: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale: from $2,250 per person.
• Istanbul and Cappadocia Tour Package: 8 Days with Domestic Flights: from $1,048 per person.

For couples, see our Turkey honeymoon from Canada page, and for more routes, all our Turkey tour packages from Canada.

Frequently Asked Questions