There is a small secret that seasoned travelers know well: not all layovers are there to spoil the journey. On the contrary, they can become a wonderful opportunity to visit some of the world’s most fascinating metropolises — sometimes completely free. This is the case with Turkish Airlines, the Turkish flag carrier that has made its hub in Istanbul a crossroads between East and West and a true travel experience in travel itself.
The airline, which in 2025 won for the tenth time the title of “Best Airline in Europe” at the Skytrax World Airline Awards and the award for best onboard catering, is not only one of the most awarded in the world: it is also among the most generous. For travelers with a long layover in the Turkish capital, Turkish offers two highly appealing programs, included in the ticket, Touristanbul and Stopover in Istanbul, which allow you to discover the city in a day or with an overnight stay. Put like this, this stopover is really worth it.
Touristanbul: the city to discover between two flights
The first of the two programs is named Touristanbul, for those with a layover between 6 and 24 hours. Instead of spending the day in the airport, you can join a free guided tour with transportation and meals included. You depart and return directly from the new Istanbul airport, with no need for complex reservations: simply present yourself at the Touristanbul desk at least thirty minutes before departure and choose the tour that best fits your flight times.
There are six tours every day, with different itineraries that change throughout the week. Some take you to iconic places like Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, and the Topkapi Palace; others offer views of the Bosphorus or strolls through the city’s most distinctive neighborhoods. All include a traditional lunch in restaurants selected for Turkish and Ottoman cuisine.
It’s an experience that lets you savor the essence of Istanbul even in just a few hours, and for free: you simply need an international ticket with a suitable layover and a sufficiently long connection.
Stopover in Istanbul: one night on the Bosphorus
But that’s not all. If the layover lasts more than 20 hours, the airline offers another advantage: Stopover in Istanbul. It’s a program designed for travelers undertaking long intercontinental journeys who want to take a break without adding costs to the ticket.
Economy Class passengers are entitled to a free night in a 4-star hotel, while Business Class travelers can stay up to two nights in a 5-star hotel with breakfast included. The service is available for more than 120 countries, Italy included, and can be requested easily by emailing [email protected] at least 72 hours before the trip, providing the booking reference and the ticket details.
This is a unique opportunity to explore the city at a relaxed pace, strolling through the center, the Karaköy and Galata neighborhoods, climbing the tower to enjoy the Bosphorus view, or discovering the cafés and galleries of the Asian side in Kadıköy, where Istanbul reveals its most authentic yet modern side at the same time.
How it works and who it really benefits
Joining the programs is straightforward: you simply need a Turkish Airlines ticket with a number starting with 235, a layover that aligns with the tour schedules, and, in some cases, an electronic visa (eVisa) which you can obtain in a few minutes online. All up-to-date information and sign-up forms are in the site sections dedicated to Touristanbul and Stopover.
Those with less than 6 hours of layover will have to stay in the airport (for those traveling in Business, the lounge offers incredible experiences, from a rest room to a massage, from a simulator to discover iconic places to a wide selection of traditional foods cooked on the spot); but for those with more time, it’s really worth planning. The advice, in fact, is to intentionally choose a flight with a long layover: this way you gain an extra experience without spending anything.
Not a mission impossible, given that Turkish Airlines now operates in more than 131 countries and serves 355 destinations with a fleet of over 506 aircraft, with direct flights from Rome, Milan, Venice, Bologna, Naples, Catania, Palermo, Bari and Turin. From here, planes depart and arrive with layovers in Istanbul toward Tokyo, Bangkok, Singapore, New York, Buenos Aires, Maldives, Zanzibar, and Cape Town, to name just a few.
