December in Turkey is cold, cheap and quietly one of the most interesting months. Istanbul drops to about 13°C and is at its wettest, Cappadocia gets its first proper snow, the ski season opens, and Konya holds the Seb-i Arus whirling dervish ceremonies, culminating on 17 December. New Year is celebrated hard, and Christmas is an ordinary working day.
Seb-i Arus: the dervishes at Konya
The most significant thing in a Turkish December. 17 December is the anniversary of the death of Rumi – Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, the thirteenth-century poet and mystic – and the Mevlevi order calls it Seb-i Arus, the wedding night, because it marks his union with the divine rather than his death.
Konya holds ceremonies over roughly the ten days to the 17th, in a purpose-built hall rather than a tourist venue. The sema is a religious ritual: the dervishes turn with the right palm up to receive and the left palm down to give, and the audience is expected to watch in silence without applause.
Practical notes: tickets and Konya accommodation book out well ahead; the city is otherwise conservative and quiet; and the Mevlana Museum, Rumi’s tomb, is the most visited museum in Turkey outside Istanbul. If you cannot get to Konya, sema is performed year-round at the Galata Mevlevi House and Sirkeci station in Istanbul.
Weather by region
- Istanbul – about 13°C by day and 8°C at night, and one of the wettest months of the year. Grey, windy and dark by 17:30, with occasional snow.
- Cappadocia – around 9°C by day and freezing at night, with the first reliable snow of the winter on the fairy chimneys.
- The Mediterranean coast – Antalya is the mildest at around 17–18°C, sunny between fronts, with most resorts closed.
- The Aegean – mild and wet; Ephesus and Pamukkale empty.
- Eastern Anatolia – deep winter, and the ski season is open at Palandoken and Erciyes.
Christmas and New Year in Turkey
Continue planning your Turkey trip
Worth being clear, because visitors get this wrong. 25 December is an ordinary working day in Turkey – shops, offices and transport run normally, and there is no public holiday. Istanbul’s Christian communities hold services, and hotels and international districts such as Nisantasi and Bebek put up decorations for visitors.
What Turkey does celebrate is New Year, and it does it thoroughly. Yilbasi on 31 December brings decorated trees (which confuses visitors into thinking they are Christmas trees), gift-giving, big family dinners, fireworks over the Bosphorus and a national lottery draw that the whole country watches. 1 January is the public holiday.
Restaurant set menus on Yilbasi are fixed-price and expensive, and they book weeks ahead.
Skiing and snow
The Turkish ski season opens through December. Palandoken above Erzurum is the most snow-sure, Erciyes near Kayseri is modern and close to Cappadocia, and Uludag above Bursa is the nearest to Istanbul and the busiest. Early December depends on snowfall; by mid-month the eastern resorts are generally running.
Prices and crowds
Low for most of the month and then sharply higher for New Year. From 1 to about 20 December, Turkey is at low-season rates with Istanbul’s monuments empty – the best value window. From about the 26th, Yilbasi pricing takes over in Istanbul and Cappadocia, and cave hotels in Goreme charge their highest rates of the winter.
See how much a trip to Turkey costs.
What to pack
Proper winter clothing: a warm waterproof coat, layers, gloves and a hat. Cappadocia mornings are below freezing and Istanbul’s wind off the Bosphorus is the thing that catches people out. Add shoes with grip for snow and wet cobbles, and modest clothing for mosques. See what to do in Turkey.
The December 2027 calendar
- 1–20 December – low-season rates with empty monuments; the best value window of the month.
- Through mid December – the ski season opens at Palandoken, Erciyes and Uludag.
- The ten days to 17 December – Seb-i Arus ceremonies at Konya; book well ahead.
- Friday 17 December – the anniversary of Rumi’s death and the culminating ceremony.
- Saturday 25 December – an ordinary working day in Turkey; no public holiday.
- Friday 31 December – Yilbasi; fireworks over the Bosphorus and fixed-price restaurant menus booked weeks ahead.
- Saturday 1 January – New Year’s Day, the public holiday.
Read alongside
- Turkey in November – the quietest month and gold valleys.
- Turkey in January – the cheapest month and deep ski season.
- Best time to visit Turkey – all twelve months compared.
- Cappadocia in December – the region in detail this month.
- Best time to visit Istanbul – the city-level view.
- How much a trip to Turkey costs – low-season and New Year numbers.
- Turkey travel guide – regions and how to combine them.
Frequently asked
What is Seb-i Arus?
The commemoration of Rumi’s death on 17 December, held over roughly the preceding ten days at Konya. The Mevlevi order calls it the wedding night, because it marks union with the divine. The sema is a religious ritual watched in silence, not a performance, and tickets book well ahead.
Is Christmas a holiday in Turkey?
No. 25 December is an ordinary working day with no public holiday. Turkey celebrates New Year instead – Yilbasi on 31 December, with decorated trees, gifts, big dinners and fireworks – and 1 January is the public holiday.
How cold is Turkey in December?
Istanbul averages about 13°C by day and 8°C at night and is at its wettest. Cappadocia is near 9°C by day and freezing at night with the first snow, and Antalya holds 17–18°C.
Can you ski in Turkey in December?
Yes, progressively. Early December depends on snowfall; by mid-month Palandoken and Erciyes are generally running, and Uludag near Istanbul follows.
Do balloons fly in Cappadocia in December?
Sometimes. Winter has the highest cancellation rate of the year because flights are grounded for wind, so allow three mornings and book the first. Snow on the valleys is the reward when it works.
When is the cheapest time in December?
The first three weeks. Istanbul’s monuments are empty, rates are at low-season levels, and the New Year premium does not begin until about the 26th.
Does it snow in Cappadocia in December?
Usually, and it is the first reliable snow of the winter. The cave hotels – carved into rock, generally with heating and fireplaces – are at their most appealing in exactly this weather.
What happens on New Year in Turkey?
Yilbasi is the big celebration: decorated trees, gift-giving, large family dinners, fireworks over the Bosphorus and a national lottery draw watched across the country. Restaurant set menus are fixed-price and book weeks ahead.
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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.
