December is Istanbul’s wettest month and one of its cheapest, right up until the last week. The city sits at about 13°C by day and 7°C at night, the monuments are empty, and then Yilbasi – New Year – arrives and the whole city celebrates. What catches visitors out is that 25 December is an ordinary working day in Turkey: the decorated trees they see everywhere are for New Year, not Christmas.
Christmas is not a holiday; New Year is
Turkey has no Christmas public holiday. On 25 December, shops, offices, banks and transport run entirely normally. Istanbul’s Christian communities hold services – at the Armenian and Greek Orthodox churches, and at St Anthony of Padua on Istiklal – and international districts put up decorations for visitors, but the day itself passes unremarked by most of the city.
What Turkey celebrates is Yilbasi on 31 December, and it takes the form Western visitors associate with Christmas: decorated trees, gift-giving, a large family dinner, and a national lottery draw watched across the country. There are fireworks over the Bosphorus and Ortakoy, Taksim and the waterfront fill. 1 January is the public holiday.
Restaurant Yilbasi menus are fixed-price, expensive and booked weeks ahead.
Weather
December averages about 13°C by day and 7°C at night, and it is one of the wettest months of the Istanbul year. It is dark by 17:30, the wind is constant, and the lodos suspends Bosphorus ferries on the worst days. Snow is possible but uncommon this early.
What December is for
- Empty monuments. Hagia Sophia, Topkapi, the Basilica Cistern and the Chora with little or no queue.
- Hammams, which are the correct response to a wet December afternoon.
- The covered bazaars – Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar and the arasta lanes, all roofed.
- Meyhane season – the long meze-and-raki dinners that Istanbul does better than anywhere.
- Museums – the Archaeological Museums, Istanbul Modern, the Pera and the Museum of Innocence.
Prices and crowds
Two distinct halves. From 1 to about 20 December, Istanbul is at low-season rates with empty monuments – one of the best value windows of the year. From about the 26th, Yilbasi pricing takes over: Bosphorus-view hotels and restaurants charge their highest winter rates and minimum stays appear.
See the Istanbul travel budget.
What to pack
A windproof, waterproof coat above all – the wind off the water is what makes Istanbul cold. Add layers, gloves, shoes with serious grip for wet cobbles and the steep streets of Galata and Balat, and modest clothing for mosques, with a headscarf for women lent at the door. See the Istanbul travel guide.
The December 2027 calendar
- 1–20 December – low-season rates and empty monuments; the best value window of the month.
- Through December – one of the wettest months; dark by 17:30.
- Saturday 25 December – an ordinary working day in Turkey; no public holiday.
- From about 26 December – Yilbasi pricing takes over.
- Friday 31 December – Yilbasi; fireworks over the Bosphorus, crowds at Ortakoy and Taksim, fixed-price restaurant menus booked weeks ahead.
- Saturday 1 January – New Year’s Day, the public holiday.
- Any lodos day – Bosphorus ferries may be suspended.
Read alongside
- Istanbul in November – the marathon and falling prices.
- Istanbul in January – the cheapest month of all.
- Best time to visit Istanbul – all twelve months compared.
- Turkey in December – the country-level view, and the Konya dervishes.
- Best Turkish hammams in Istanbul – the right weather for them.
- Istanbul travel budget – low-season and Yilbasi numbers.
- Things to do in Istanbul – the indoor list.
Frequently asked
Is Christmas celebrated in Istanbul?
Not as a holiday. 25 December is an ordinary working day in Turkey and the city runs normally. Christian communities hold services and international districts decorate for visitors, but the decorated trees you see everywhere are for New Year.
What is Yilbasi?
Turkish New Year on 31 December, and the celebration Western visitors mistake for Christmas: decorated trees, gifts, a big family dinner and a national lottery draw. There are fireworks over the Bosphorus, and 1 January is the public holiday.
How cold is Istanbul in December?
About 13°C by day and 7°C at night, and it is one of the wettest months. It is dark by 17:30 and the wind off the water makes it feel colder than the numbers.
When is the cheapest time in December?
The first three weeks. The monuments are empty and rates are at low-season levels, and the Yilbasi premium does not start until about the 26th.
Does it snow in Istanbul in December?
It is possible but uncommon this early – January and February are the more likely months. December is wet and windy rather than snowy.
Are the monuments busy in December?
No – along with January and February it is the quietest stretch. Hagia Sophia, Topkapi and the Basilica Cistern have little or no queue.
Where do people go for New Year in Istanbul?
Ortakoy and the Bosphorus waterfront for the fireworks, and Taksim and Istiklal for the crowds. Bosphorus-view restaurants sell fixed-price menus that book weeks ahead.
Will the Bosphorus ferries run in December?
Usually, but the lodos wind suspends them on the worst days. Keep a metro or bus alternative if crossing to the Asian side matters to your plan.
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
