Turkey Weather in April 2024: Travel Tips for First-Timers

Turkey's weather in April is mild to warm, with best places to travel to including Istanbul and Cappadocia. Continue reading for more information on travel and weather, including average temperatures, rainfall, humidity, and travel tips for the month of April.

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Turkey Weather in April: Overview

Averages:

• Temperature range: 10–20°C (50–69°F)
• Rainfall: 4 cm (2 inches)
• Rainy days: 8
• Sunshine hours/day: 6
• Sea temperature: 16°C (61°F)
• Humidity: 60–74% (lightly muggy in the south to more humid on the northwest coast)

April falls in spring in Turkey, and the weather in April is mild to warm, but not yet hot, throughout most of the country. The days are starting to get longer in April, with more sun and less rain as well. Temperatures in Antalya can reach up to 22°C (72°F) in the daytime, meaning that temperatures towards the end of April are likely to be just about right to start thinking about heading to Turkey's beaches.

Humidity levels remain muggy, with higher levels of humidity seen around the coast (Antalya, for example), as well as in Istanbul.

Weather of Turkey's Major Cities in April

13-Day Turkey Natural Beauty Immersion Tour

The Best Places to Visit in Turkey in April

April is a great time of year to visit to see Istanbul and Cappadocia and partake in some of the more-active sightseeing and outdoor activities such as hiking or diving. April's weather isn't too hot or too cold, making it one of the more pleasant times of the year to visit.

Apart from that, April offers the unique chance to see the Istanbul Tulip Festival, which happens in Istanbul every year throughout the month.

Read on to find out more about where to visit in Turkey in April ahead of booking your trip!

1. Istanbul — Visit Istanbul Tulip Festival

Istanbul is a beautiful city spanning two continents, Europe and Asia, which you'll notice in the cuisine, the architecture, and in Istanbul's history. Apart from the usual sights, including the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the Bosphorus riverscape, we also suggest checking out Top 10 Things to Do in Istanbul, for itinerary inspiration.

If you do visit in April, you'll be able to see the tulips in bloom at the Istanbul Tulip Festival, which is held in Istanbul in this month every year. You can see the beautiful flowers in Emirgan Park, outside the Blue Mosque, and generally around the entire city from late March into April and sometimes early May depending on the temperatures.

Global Highlights can help arrange for you to see the beautiful tulip fields, alongside some other activities in Istanbul. For more inspiration, check out the following Istanbul itineraries:

• Istanbul Old City Walking Tour — Full-day Guided Immersion of the Old Days
• Istanbul Land & Sea Combo with Food Tasting — 2-Day Istanbul Sightseeing and Food Tasting Tour
• Turkey Food Tour — 4-Hour Private Night Food Tour in Istanbul

2. Check out Cappadocia's Famous Landscape

April is one of the more popular times of the year to visit Cappadocia, an absolute must-see. You've probably seen the images of the pointed rocky landscape and hot air balloons.

For more information about visiting Cappadocia to go on a hot air balloon ride, check out this piece on Turkey's Weather in March, which has a similar recommendation.

Tour suggestion: Top Natural Heritages Combo of Turkey — 3-Day Private Adventure Tour through Cappadocia and Pamukkale

4-Hour Private Night Food Tour in Istanbul

3. Hike the Lycian Way near Antalya's Coast

While April's weather doesn't lend itself to a purely beach holiday, there is still some incredible landscape to be seen around Antayla, Turkey's most famous beach destination. If you're into hiking, April is a great time of year to hike the Lycian Way near Antayla before temperatures get too high in the summer.

This hike takes you to vastly differing natural sights, as well as around an abandoned Greek village near Kayakoy and Roman ruins near Patara, and you can end it all with a beautiful boat trip to secluded bays and sunken ruins for a unique experience.

4. Scuba Dive off the Shore of Bodrum

Turkey has some beautiful scuba diving spots, with April through to October being optimal for diving. As April is just the beginning of the peak diving season, it's a great time of year to get some off-peak diving in.

Bodrum is along the Aegean Sea and has some great sites to dive at with colorful sea life, many depths, and to top it off, there's also the underwater museum, which is one of the best in the world.

If you'd like to visit Bodrum for a dive in April, reach out to Global Highlights and we can get you a tailor-made itinerary for diving and more in Turkey.

Turkey Festivals in April: Eid al-Fitr, National Sovereignty and Children's Day

April sees the end of Ramadan in Turkey, and this is celebrated with Eid al-Fitr between April 9 and 12 in 2024 (March 30 to April 1 in 2025 and March 20 to 22 in 2026). To learn more about visiting Turkey during Ramadan itself, check out our piece about visiting Turkey in March.

For Eid, there are a few days public holiday meaning that domestic travel and tourist spots might be busier as people travel around the country. If you are planning to be in Turkey during this time, it's worth calling up ahead to your planned restaurants and sights to ensure they are open.

On April 26 every year, Turkey also celebrates National Sovereignty and Children's Day, a public holiday. During this day there are performances and celebrations arranged by schools, and students decorate their classrooms. There is no real impact on tourism on this day, but it can be fun to witness.

3-Day Top Natural Heritages Combo of Turkey Tour

Low Season: Low Crowding and Lower Prices

April is still the low season in Turkey, meaning that you can expect fewer people around the major tourist destinations, as well as lower costs for internal flights, other transportation, and accommodation around the country. This makes it a great time of the year to visit.

What to Wear in April

Visitors coming to Turkey in April are best off bringing a variety of layers to account for the ranging temperatures throughout the country as well as during the day. How many layers you will need will mostly depend on where in the country you visit.

For those looking to go to Istanbul, we recommend bringing a jumper or light coat, as the evenings still get quite chilly. If you are visiting Cappadocia, you will also want to bring an additional layer on top of a sweater, such as a thicker winter coat. If you are planning on visiting Antalya or Bodrum, you won't need a sweater in April until the sun has set.

For the active visitor looking to go hiking, we recommend sturdy footwear as well as activewear. If you are hoping to visit a mosque or a church while you are in Turkey, you'll have to cover your head with a shawl, so it's best to be prepared with one of your own, although there is always the option to rent or borrow one.

Monthly Weather in Turkey

Suggested reading: Best and Worst Times to Visit Turkey>>>

7-Day Turkey Classical Wonders Tour

Recommended Tours for Turkey in April

There are so many incredible things to see in Turkey, it can be difficult to decide on where to go and how to plan your time there. To help you get started, these are some of our most popular itineraries that are suitable for April.

• Great Circle of Turkey — 16-Day Turkey Legends: Istanbul–Canakkale–Kusadasi–Pamukkale–Antalya–Cappadocia
• Natural Beauty Immersion — 13-Day Natural Highlights of Turkey: Istanbul–Fethiye–Faralya–Blue Cruise–Antalya–Cappadocia
• Romantic Turkish Honeymoon — 10-Day Private Honeymoon Tour: Istanbul–Fethiye–Antalya–Cappadocia
• Classical Wonders — 7-Day Top Highlights of Turkey: Istanbul–Cappadocia–Kusadasi
• Turkey Tours

Of course, we can also design an itinerary to fit your needs and requirements. Just let us know where you would like to go, how long you're planning on visiting Turkey for, and what is top of your list to see, and our experts can make some suggestions. Contact us to begin a tour inquiry.