Ramadan in Istanbul for tourists: what changes and what doesn't

Every year a few guests write to ask whether they should move their trip because it falls in Ramadan. We always give the same answer: please don't. The city keeps working by day, and at sunset it does something you will not see in any other month.

The short answer

Ramadan barely affects tourists in Istanbul. Museums, shops, transport and most restaurants run as normal, you can eat and drink in public, and nobody expects you to fast. What changes is the rhythm of the evening: the hour before sunset is the busiest of the day, the moment of iftar is the quietest, and the squares around the great mosques stay lively late into the night. For 2027, the first fast falls on Monday 8 February.

When is Ramadan in 2027?

Ramadan follows the lunar calendar, so it starts about eleven days earlier each year and slowly moves through the seasons. In 2027 it falls at the end of winter, which suits anyone who likes the city quiet. These are the dates in the Turkish calendar of religious days:

The daily fast runs from just before dawn until sunset. Sunset in February and March is around six in the evening, a little later each week. For the exact time on any day, the religious affairs directorate publishes official prayer times for Istanbul, and the evening prayer time is the moment of iftar. If you are still choosing your month, our guide to the best time to visit Istanbul sets the weather against the crowds.

Can you eat in public during Ramadan?

Yes. Restaurants and cafés stay open through the day in every part of the city a visitor is likely to spend time in, and you will see Istanbul residents eating lunch too, since not everyone fasts. Nobody will expect you to skip a meal, and no one will comment if you drink water on a hot walk.

Two small courtesies go a long way. In the more traditional neighborhoods, such as the streets around Fatih or Eyüp, sit down to eat rather than walking along with a sandwich. And do not picnic in a mosque courtyard in the afternoon. That is the whole of the etiquette. Clothing does not change either: the rules that apply inside a mosque are the same in every month, and our post on what to wear in Istanbul covers them.

Iftar: the hour the city changes

About an hour before sunset, the city starts to hurry. Traffic is at its heaviest, bakeries have queues for Ramazan pidesi, the soft round flatbread baked only this month, and taxis are hard to find. Then the call to prayer sounds, and for half an hour the streets go almost silent while the city sits down to eat. It is one of the most remarkable moments in Istanbul, and a lovely time to be on a ferry.

The meal itself is taken seriously. UNESCO added iftar and its traditions to its list of intangible cultural heritage in 2023, nominated jointly by Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Iran and Uzbekistan. A traditional table starts with dates and water, then soup, then the main dishes, and often ends with güllaç, a light dessert of thin pastry sheets in sweetened milk and rose water. Our Istanbul street food tour is the easiest way to taste the Ramadan specialties without guessing what to order.

If you want dinner at the moment of iftar, book. Restaurants near the old city offer set iftar menus and fill up fast. If you are invited to share an iftar, say yes. Wait for the call to prayer before you eat, and you will be looked after.

Evenings around the mosques

After iftar, the old city comes out. The squares around the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, and the waterfront at Eyüp, fill with families, tea, roasted corn and sweets. Look up at the larger mosques and you may see mahya, messages written in lights strung between the minarets. It is an Ottoman custom, and the GoTürkiye page on Ramadan and its feasts describes it along with the drummers.

The drummers are the other thing you will notice, or hear. Before dawn, a davulcu walks the residential streets beating a drum to wake people for sahur, the meal before the fast begins. In a hotel in the old city you may hear one around three in the morning. Toward the end of the month they knock on doors for a tip. Like every tip in Türkiye, it is customary but up to you, and our guide to tipping in Turkey explains the habit.

Visiting mosques during Ramadan

The big mosques stay open to visitors outside prayer times, exactly as they are all year. The difference is the evening. The long night prayers, teravih, fill the mosques after dark, and on the Night of Power they are packed until dawn. So we plan mosque visits for the morning, when Süleymaniye and the Blue Mosque are calm, and leave the evenings for the squares outside.

Ramazan Bayramı: the holiday after

The month ends with a three-day national holiday, known in Turkish as Ramazan Bayramı or Şeker Bayramı, the Sugar Festival. In 2027 it runs from 9 to 11 March, with the half-day eve on the 8th, and in some years the government bridges it into a longer break. Families visit their elders, children collect sweets, and it is a cheerful time to be in the city.

It is also when Turkey travels. Domestic flights, long-distance buses and hotels fill up, and the ferries to the Princes' Islands are crowded. The Grand Bazaar closes for the holiday days, and state museums such as Topkapı Palace traditionally open late on the first morning, so check before you plan those days. If you land during the holiday, book your ride from the airport in advance; our Istanbul airport transfer guide explains the options.

How we plan a Ramadan day

Not much changes on a private day with us, but the order does. Mosques go first, while they are quiet. Lunch happens as normal, because nobody expects you to fast. We aim to finish before the pre-iftar traffic, or we end the day at a table in time for the call to prayer, if you would like to share the moment. Your guide can also tell you which evening that week is likely to be the most crowded.

If your dates fall in February or March 2027, have a look at our private Istanbul tours, from €150 per group, not per person, with a licensed guide and a private car. Entry tickets and tips are not included; tips are customary but always at your discretion. Tell us your dates and ask us for a quote, and we will plan the day around the month.

Ramadan in Istanbul — frequently asked questions