I’m a huge fan of Istanbul and Turkey in general. I’ve had nothing but wonderful experiences there (even with attempted scammings twice) and between the architecture, food and people it is one of my favorite places to visit and one that I return to willingly, which is a big step for me. When a visit can be had on the cheap that’s an even bigger draw. And right now there are some great deals out there for travel from the USA to Istanbul.
The deals are for the shoulder season so look for travel in September or October for great weather and even better rates. Here’s what the fare calendars look like for October, departing a few cities in the USA:
In many cases the W fares on United Airlines aren’t too much more than these lowest fares (~$300 ex-EWR) and the upgrade inventory is plentiful. I’ve already confirmed my flat bed for a weekend in early October. It is going to be a lot of fun.
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IST is one of our fave places too – did a long-weekend mileage run there a couple of years ago – maybe we’ll join you in Oct 😉
$353 more for W from EWR which is not bad, but over $500 more for W out of IAD
I’ve been to greece >20 times, but never to Turkey. I really want to go next time there’s a good sale and I can get the time away from work.
I was Instanbul about 2 years ago and tried a cooking school called “Cooking a la Turka” one evening, it was a lot of fun and a great way to learn more bout turkish food/cooking.
Going in November but flying Delta which also has great rates this fall.
I went last year when UA/LH had the big sale. Had a great time!
Seth…how do you get upgraded? Is this cuz you got status? I dont have any status..but would love to go…however, no way will I endure a 10+ hr flight in coach ehhee.. can I upg with miles?
I paid the slightly higher rate to get the W fare and am redeeming some of my GPUs on the flight. If you buy the lower fare it can be upgraded with cash+miles but it is not going to be cheap.
And 10 hours in coach isn’t all that horrible. I’ve done it a few times.
How are prices in general in IST – food, lodging, and such? We’ve been thinking of doing a Turkey trip one of these days.
@PanAm: Expensive. But I do recommend the Park Hyatt and Ritz.
It can definitely get expensve, particularly for name brand lodging, but there are some decent value options as well. Points at the Hilton above Taksim Square was one of my best redemptions ever and the place I stayed last time wasn’t great ut it was completely reasonable for the price.
Taksis are reasonable and food can be either cheap or very expensive but it is nearly always delicious.
wow these fares went fast. The flights I was looking at went way up as of last night.
There are still a lot of cheap seats available from what I’m seeing. Any flexibility with the dates??