LON IST
Flights from London to Istanbul
Everything worth knowing before you book this route — how far it is, how long you will be in the air, whether a direct flight exists from London, and what the fare is doing.
How long is the flight from London to Istanbul?
The great-circle distance from London (LON) to Istanbul is 1,567 miles. Flown nonstop, that works out at roughly 3h 47m in the air, including taxi time at both ends.
Can you fly London to Istanbul direct?
Nonstop from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton
From Heathrow: British Airways and Turkish Airlines. From Gatwick: Turkish Airlines and Wizz Air (until 24 October 2026). From Stansted: AJet, Pegasus Airlines and Turkish Airlines. From Luton: Wizz Air.
What it costs from London
The cheapest return we have measured from London to Istanbul is £108, flying out 15 Nov and back 25 Nov. That is this airport's own best week, found by searching it separately from the other nine — every UK airport wins on a different date. The search allows one stop, so this can be a connection rather than one of the nonstops above.
Price LON → IST on KiwiWhen to book
Istanbul is not a winter sun destination and does not pretend to be. It sits at the same latitude as Rome but with the Black Sea to the north feeding cold air down the strait, so it gets a real winter — grey, damp, windy, with snow most years — and a hot, humid summer that empties the city as residents leave for the coast. Between those it has two of the best months in Europe. The strait itself is the local weather system: the lodos from the south-west brings warm wet air and closes the ferries, and the poyraz from the north-east brings clear cold days.
Seasons, prices and the full Istanbul guideLanding in Istanbul
You lose 3 hours flying out. Eastbound is the harder direction to adjust to, because you are asking your body to fall asleep earlier than it wants to. Book an arrival that lets you stay up until local evening rather than napping.
| Airport | IST covers both: Istanbul Airport on the European side, forty-five minutes to an hour from the old city and where most British flights land, and Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side, which is cheaper to fly into and up to ninety minutes further out. Check which one a fare uses before you book a hotel — the two are on opposite sides of a city of sixteen million. |
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| Currency | Turkish lira. Cards are accepted almost everywhere including taxis and the Istanbulkart machines; the bazaars, the ferries' tea sellers and street food want cash. Use a döviz exchange office in Eminönü or Beyoğlu rather than the airport, and refuse to be quoted in euros where lira is the real price. |
| Language | Turkish. English is reliable in hotels, restaurants and anywhere touristed, and thin on public transport and in the residential districts. Signage on the metro and ferries is bilingual. |
Where to stay in Istanbul
Most visitors stay in Sultanahmet or Beyoğlu. The list below is filtered to places rated 9+ by guests and sorted by price, with dates already filled in — change them for your own trip.
Top-rated places to stay in IstanbulIstanbul from other UK airports
Other destinations from London
Every destination from London, comparedReady to price it? The fare moves daily.
Open the Istanbul guide for today's confirmed fare from every UK airport, or search this route directly with your own dates.
See today's Istanbul fares