Istanbul Airports

 

Istanbul has two international airports – one on the European side and one on the Asian side so you have the choice for where you would like to fly to. Find out important information about the location of these two airports before you decide on booking an Istanbul hotel.

 

The European Side

The airport on the European side is Istanbul’s main airport, called Istanbul Atatürk International Airport, and it’s here that most of the international flights will land.

If you are coming to Istanbul to see the sights you will be better off booking your Istanbul hotel somewhere on the European side, and hence you need to book a flight to Istanbul’s Atatürk airport. It would be very inadvisable to book a European side hotel but fly to the airport on the Asian side because you will have a long and tedious journey ahead of you!

 

There are also a number of Istanbul hotels at or near Atatürk airport which are very convenient if you’re only staying in the city for a short time. You can leave your luggage at your hotel and not have to worry about transferring into the city with it.

For details regarding transferring from the airport to Istanbul hotels, please read our Airport Transfers page.

 

Istanbul Ataturk Airport Video

 

 

 

The Asian Side

The airport on the Asian side is called Sabiha Gökçen International Airport and this is a much newer and smaller airport designed primarily to cater for domestic flights. Having said that, some charter airlines are using this airport to fly visitors to Istanbul from other countries too, including the UK.

 

The benefit with flying to Sabiha Gökçen is that you may be able to find a cheaper air ticket, so if this is a deciding factor for you, make sure you book your Istanbul hotel on the Asian side.

 

Although the Asian side isn’t the main tourist region there are still many great Istanbul hotels here too and you could easily make this your base for exploring the city and surrounding areas, though you may decide that a hotel on Istanbul’s European side is just easier!

 

Sabiha Gokcen Airport Video: