Turkey Trip from the UK in 2027: Bank Holidays, Half Terms, Routes

For a Turkey trip from the UK in 2027, the bank holidays work best at Easter (26 to 29 March), in early May and at the end of May, when four days of annual leave each buy a nine- or ten-day trip. For families, the October half term (25 to 29 October) gives the best mix of weather and price. British citizens need no visa, and our 7-day Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus tour with flights starts from $1,286 per person.

Below, each 2027 bank holiday and school break is set against the Turkish calendar and the weather, so you can see which route fits which week. If you already know you want Istanbul and Cappadocia, our page on Istanbul and Cappadocia packages from the UK goes into that trip in detail.

The 2027 calendar at a glance

Bank holidays are from GOV.UK. School dates are set by each local authority or academy trust; the ones below are those published by the Royal Borough of Greenwich and Surrey County Council, which are typical for England. Check your own school before booking.

Scotland and Northern Ireland differ. In Scotland there is no Easter Monday bank holiday, the summer bank holiday is on 2 August, and St Andrew's Day falls on Tuesday 30 November. Northern Ireland adds St Patrick's Day on Wednesday 17 March and the Battle of the Boyne holiday on Monday 12 July. Scottish and Northern Irish school terms also follow their own calendars. For the February break, read our February half term 2027 in Istanbul page.

Easter 2027: ten days for four days of leave

Good Friday is 26 March and Easter Monday 29 March. Book four days of leave from Tuesday 30 March to Friday 2 April and you are off for ten days, from Friday 26 March to Sunday 4 April. In Scotland, where Easter Monday is a working day, it takes five.

For families, most English schools break from Friday 26 March, and the holiday lasts two weeks: to 9 April in Greenwich and to 11 April in Surrey. Easter weekend is when fares are highest, so a departure in the second week is often cheaper.

What Turkey is like at Easter:

• The weather is spring-like. Istanbul is fresh, the valleys of Cappadocia are turning green, and Ephesus and Pamukkale are comfortable in the middle of the day. Cappadocia's nights and early mornings are cold.
• The Turkish holidays are out of the way. The Eid holiday at the end of Ramadan, 9 to 11 March, is over, and the national holiday on Friday 23 April comes later.
• Clocks change on Easter Sunday. The UK moves to British Summer Time on 28 March, and Turkey, which stays on UTC+3 all year, goes from three hours ahead to two.

This is the week for the classic loop of Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus, which our 7-day tour covers with domestic flights.

The two May bank holidays and May half term

Early May bank holiday, Monday 3 May. Four days of leave from 4 to 7 May give nine days off, from Saturday 1 to Sunday 9 May. Early May is one of the quietest and most pleasant times in Turkey: warm, green and before the main season.

Kurban Bayramı, 16 to 19 May. Between the two bank holidays falls the Turkish Feast of Sacrifice, the longest public holiday of the year, according to the 2027 Diyanet calendar. Millions of Turks travel, and domestic flights, coaches and coastal hotels are at their busiest. If you travel in mid-May, stay in Istanbul over the holiday and take domestic flights from 20 May. Muslim families travelling for Eid can read our halal holiday in Istanbul for Eid 2027 page.

Spring bank holiday and half term, from Monday 31 May. The bank holiday coincides with May half term in England, from 31 May to 4 June. Families fly out on Saturday 29 May and back on Sunday 6 June, nine days without taking a child out of school. Adults need four days of leave for the same trip. The sea on the south coast is warming up, so this is a good week to finish with three nights on the coast.

Summer holidays: coast first, culture early

Schools in England break up for the summer in the last ten days of July: after Thursday 22 July in Greenwich and after Wednesday 28 July in Surrey. Turkey in late July and August is hot inland and at its best on the coast. Build the trip around that:

• Coast and boat. Fethiye, Ölüdeniz and a gulet cruise take the centre of the trip; our Fethiye guide covers the area. Our 7-day Best of Turkey tour with a Fethiye gulet cruise, from $2,865 per person, combines the coast with Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale.
• Sights at opening time. Ephesus and Pamukkale are best first thing in the morning, before the heat.
• Cappadocia for cool nights. The plateau is high, the evenings are cool, and the balloons fly on most summer mornings, weather permitting.

For teenagers, the Ölüdeniz tandem paragliding day from Antalya costs from $399 per person, and the Suluada island boat tour from Antalya from $50 per person.

The summer bank holiday on Monday 30 August in England and Wales is also Victory Day in Turkey, a public holiday; banks and offices close, but sights and beaches stay open. Turkey's other summer holiday is Democracy and National Unity Day on Thursday 15 July.

October half term: the best week of the school year

In 2027, October half term falls from Monday 25 to Friday 29 October in both Greenwich and Surrey. Fly out on Saturday 23 October and home on Sunday 31 October, the day the clocks go back.

This is the week we recommend most often to British families. The sea on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts is still warm enough for swimming in many years, Cappadocia is dry and clear, and Istanbul is comfortable for walking. Two local details:

• Friday 29 October is Republic Day, Turkey's national day, with the afternoon of 28 October off. Every street is hung with red flags, and there are ceremonies across the country. Offices and banks close; most sights open.
• Prices are lower than in summer, and the queues at Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace are shorter.

A nine-day half-term plan: three nights in Istanbul, three in Cappadocia and two in Antalya or on the Aegean coast. Our Istanbul and Antalya package, 8 days, starts from $1,980 per person.

Christmas and New Year 2027

Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a weekend in 2027, so the bank holidays move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. Three days of leave from 29 to 31 December give you nine days off, from Saturday 25 December to Sunday 2 January. School Christmas holidays start around 20 December.

Christmas is a working day in Turkey, so museums and bazaars are open, and New Year's Eve is the big celebration in Istanbul. The weather is cool and often wet in Istanbul, and Cappadocia may have snow, which is beautiful but means more cancelled balloon mornings. For a winter trip, see our guide to Turkey in winter.

Flights and entry rules on a British passport

Flights. London to Istanbul takes a little under four hours. Turkish Airlines flies from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted to Istanbul Airport, British Airways from Heathrow, and Pegasus from Stansted to Sabiha Gökçen on the Asian side. Turkish Airlines and Pegasus also fly from Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh. In summer, holiday flights from many UK airports go straight to Antalya, Dalaman and Bodrum, which makes it easy to fly into Istanbul and home from the coast.

Entry. According to GOV.UK, holders of a full British citizen passport can visit Turkey for tourism for up to 90 days in any 180 days without a visa, and there is no e-Visa to buy. Your passport must be valid for at least 150 days from the date you arrive and have at least one blank page. Other British passport types, such as British National (Overseas), need a visa from a Turkish mission.

Tours that cover this

• Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus Tour: 7 Days with Flights: from $1,286 per person.
• Best of Turkey Tour with Fethiye Gulet Cruise: 7 Days: from $2,865 per person.
• Istanbul and Antalya Tour Package: 8 Days with Flight and Suluada: from $1,980 per person.
• Istanbul and Cappadocia Tour Package: 6 Days with Flights and Cruise: from $840 per person.

More routes are on our Turkey tour packages from the UK page, and short breaks on our Istanbul city break from the UK page.

Frequently Asked Questions