TourIstanbul city tours while in transit

Turkish Airlines flies to many destinations around the world using its Istanbul Ataturk Airport base as a hub. And if you are flying with Turkish Airlines, the airline offers free city tours while in transit provided by TourIstanbul. So instead of spending a long wait in the airport, Turkish Airlines passangers can discovery Istanbul, one of the world’s premier destinations.

The tours, with English speaking guides, are offered three times daily and are designed to give transit passengers a quick, but interesting overview of Turkish Airlines’ home base. Depending on each passenger’s schedule, tours are offered with the following timings 09:00-15:00, 09:00-18:00 and 12:00-18:00.

TourIstanbul is a free layover service for all international transit Turkish Airlines passangers. Everything on the tour, the shuttle, museum entrances and the meals, are free. In the tour, TourIstanbul introduces Ottoman Cuisine to the participants. Even a single person’s participation is enough to start up the tour so there is no minimum number to wait.

Not all transit passangers of Istanbul Ataturk Airport can enjoy the tour. Both flights should be with Turkish Airlines’ flight numbers (codeshared or operated) Connection times between flights  should not be longer than 24 hours and shorter than 6  hours.

Begun in 2009, the program continues to attract more participants each year, with approximately 16,000 taking advantage of the offer in 2013. The growing popularity of the tours is a confirmation that Turkish Airlines brings added value for its customers at no additional cost.

Istanbul Blue Mosque

How to participate Istanbul City Tours by Turkish Airlines?

You do not need to book it in advance. All eligible passangers of Turkish Airlines can simply join the tours by showing up at the hotel desk in the arrivals hall of Ataturk International Airport at least 30 minutes prior to the departure of the tour.

Below is the list of places visited during the tour:

Blue Mosque
Hippodrome
German Fountain
Serpentine Column
Obelisk of Thedosius
Topkapı Palace
Basilica Cistern
For more information on the tours you can visit http://www.istanbulinhours.com. You can visit our Istanbul tours pages for more Istanbul sightseeing tours.

Turkish Airlines will open its Istanbul Arrival Lounge for Business Class passengers

Turkish Airlines opened its new "Istanbul Arrival Lounge" in a ceremony, designed to provide a space where inbound guests may refresh themselves before exiting the Istanbul Ataturk Airport. This is the most recent innovation directed at making Business Class travel on Turkish Airlines a uniquely pleasurable experience.

The Lounge offers passengers shower facilities, areas for changing clothes and staff dedicated to ironing clothing items if desired. There are also delicious treats prepared by Turkish DO & CO—all designed to ready passengers for the tasks that await them upon leaving the airport. This service is especially valuable to guests arriving in the early morning when hotel rooms are generally not yet available for check-in.
Also available are daily local and foreign newspapers and magazines, a full wireless internet connection, media walls and charging points for passengers’ electronic devices.

The lounge will be open every day to receive arriving passengers from 05:00 - 12:30 (local time) and will be closed each day at 13:00 (local time).

Only Business Class passengers and Economy or Comfort Class passengers having Elite Plus membership will be able to use the lounge on arrival in Istanbul following their international flights. Star Gold members and other Miles & Smiles members--except Elite Plus members - will not be eligible to use the Lounge. Additionally, eligible passengers will not be permitted to bring guests.

Turkish Airlines Istanbul Arrival Lounge at Ataturk Airport