Istanbul has a moderate climate year-round. It may be a little warmer (and more humid) from mid-July to mid-August, and it can snow during January and February. The peak-season months (with the best weather) are from mid-April to June and September to October. During the off-season, you can generally find better deals and smaller crowds; the weather is usually good; and all the sights are open.
Keep in mind that prices in Istanbul are higher in mid-August (for the Formula 1 car race) and around Christmas and New Year's. During the holiday season, you'll see lots of vacationing Europeans, mostly from Spain, Italy, and France.
Weather conditions can change throughout the day—especially in spring and fall—but extremes are rare. Summer temperatures generally range from 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (42 to 60 degrees in winter). Temperatures below freezing and above 90 degrees make headlines. For more information refer to the climate chart in the appendix; for daily weather, go to www.meteor.gov.tr

ISTANBUL THROUGH THE YEAR

Istanbul is at its best in late May and early September, when temperatures are mild and sunshine is plentiful. High season, from June to August, is the most expensive, crowded and hottest time to visit, but the summer arts and music festivals are highlights in the city's cultural calendar. Late November until March or April can be - damp and dreary. However, Istanbul is still mild in autumn and winter and, with fewer tour parties around, you can enjoy the sights in peace. As well as arts and sporting events, several public holidays and religious festivals punctuate the year. It is wise to be aware of these when planning an itinerary as some sights may be closed or else crammed with locals enjoying a day out. Some of these celebrations are also fascinating spectacles in their own right.

SPRING

As the winter smog fades and sunshine increases, cafes and restaurants prepare for the first wave of alfresco dining. After a winter's diet of apples and oranges, a welcome crop of spring fruits, including fresh figs, strawberries and tart green plums, arrives in the shops. Toasted sweetcorn is sold from carts (, and a spring catch of sea bream, sea bass and turbot is on the menu. Tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and pansies fill parks and gardens, and the distinctive pink buds of the Judas tree are seen along the Bosphorus, Monuments and museums are generally uncrowded in spring, and discounts are available at many hotels. In May the popular son et lu-miere shows outside the Blue Mosque begin and continue until September.

EVENTS
Easter (March or April). Pilgrimage to the Monastery of St George on Buyukada in the Princes' Islands . International Istanbul Film Festival (late March-mid-April), selected cinemas. Screening of Turkish and foreign films and related events. Tulip Festival (April), Emirgan Park . Displays of springtime blooms. National Sovereignty Day (23 April). Public holiday marking the inauguration of the Turkish Republic in 1923 . Children take to the streets in folk costume. Commemoration of the Anzac Landings (25 April), Gallipoli. Britons, Australians and New Zealanders gather at the location of the Anzac landings at Gallipoli during World War I.

Spring Day and Workers'
Day (1 May). Unofficial public holiday when workers usually attend union-organized rallies. Kakava Festival (early May), Edirne. A celebration of gypsy music and dance. Youth and Sports Day (19 May). Public holiday in commemoration of the start of the War of Independence (see p3D in 1919, with sporting events and other activities held throughout the city in stadiums and on the streets. International Istanbul Theatre Festival (May-June), various venues. European and Turkish productions. Conquest of Istanbul (29 May), between Tophane and Karakoy and on the shores of the upper Bosphoms. Mehmet the Conqueror's taking of the city in 1453 (see p26) is re-enacted in street parades and mock battles.

SUMMER

In contrast to an all-too-brief spring, the warm weather and clear skies of summer can linger on in Istanbul until November, In July and August temperatures soar and although luxury hotels have air conditioning, cheaper ones do not. Popular sights are packed with tourists throughout the high season. Picturesque locations outside Istanbul may, on the other hand, be overrun by locals. At weekends city dwellers trek out to the Belgrade Forest and Black Sea beaches or to health clubs along the Bosphorus. Those who can afford it flee to their coastal summer homes until autumn.
For those who stay behind there is a strong summer culture. This includes a wild nightlife in hundreds of bars and night spots , and enthusiastic support for many arts festivals, which attract world-famous performers. Look out, too, for events taking place in liistorical buildings. You may be able to listen to classical music in Haghia Eirene or enjoy a pop concert in the Fortress of Europe on the Bosphorus . This is also the best time of year for outdoor sports such as hiking, horse-riding, water sports, golf and parachuting.
In summer, the menu focuses more on meat than fish, but vegetables and flesh fruit - such as honeydew melons, cherries, mulberries, peaches and apricots - are widely available. In July and August many shops have summer sales .

EVENTS
Silk Market (June-July), Bursa. Special market for the sale of silk cocoons . International Istanbul Music and Dance Festival (midJune-July). Classical music, opera and dance performed in historic locations. Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio isstaged annually in Topkapi Palace . Bursa Festival (June-July), Bursa Park. Music, folk dancing, plays, opera and shadow puppetry. Navy Day (1 July). Parades of old and new boats along the Bosphorus. International Istanbul Jazz Festival (July), various venues. International event with a devoted following. International Sailing Races (July). Regatta held at the Marmara Islands (seepl69). Grease Wrestling (July), Kırkpınar, Edirne. Wrestlers smeared in olive oil grapple with each other . Hunting Festival (3 days, late July), Edirne. Music, art and fishing displays. Folklore and Music Festival (lateJuly), Bursa. Ethnic-dances and crafts displays. Festival of Troy (August), Çanakkale. Re-enactment of the tale of Troy . Victory Day (30 August). Public holiday commemorating victory over Greece in 1922.

AUTUMN

Residents of Istanbul often consider their city to be at its best in autumn. As the summer heat loses its grip, chestnut sellers appear on the streets , pumpkins are sold in the markets, and fresh figs are eaten in abundance. In the surrounding countryside, cotton, wheat and sunflowers are harvested. Migratory grouper and bonito are among the tastiest types of fish which are caught at this time of year.
A popular beauty spot for its array of autumn colours is Lake Abant, 200 km (125 miles) east of Istanbul. Meanwhile, bird-watchers converge on the hills overlooking the Bosphoms to view great flocks of migratory birds heading for their warm wintering grounds in Africa .
On the cultural agenda is a world-class arts biennial and an antiques fair which blends Turkish and Western aesthetics. Several public holidays reaffirm Turkey's commitment to secularism, including Republic Day in late October, during which flags are hung from balconies. The bridges over the Bosphorus  are hung with particularly huge flags.

EVENTS
Tüyap Arts Fair (September), opposite the Pera Palas Hotel . A showcase of Istanbul's artistic talent. Yapi Kredi Festival (September), various venues. A celebration of music and dance promoting young performers.

Republic Day (29 October). Public holiday commemorating Atatiirk's proclamation of the Republic in 1923 . The Turkish flag adorns buildings in the city, Akbank Jazz Festival (October), various venues. Jazz music. International Istanbul Fine Arts Biennial 2007 ( October-November every two years). International and local avant-garde artists exhibit work in historic locations such as Haghia Eirene and the Imperial Mint, and the Basilica Cistern .

Anniversary of Death (10 November). A minute's silence is observed at 9:05am, the precise time of Atatiirk's death in Dolmabahce Palace in 1938. Tiiyap Book Fair (October), Belikduzu Fair and Congress Centre. Istanbul's premier publishing event showcases prominent writers. Efes Pilsen Blues Festival (early November), selected venues. Foreign and local blues bands play in popular music venues throughout the city.
Interior Design Fair (first week of November), ciragan Palace Hotel Kempinski . Interior designers and antique dealers display upmarket wares in this popular annual show. Elit's Kusav Antiques Fair (mid-November). Military Museum . Sale of local and foreign paintings, furniture, carpets, maps, books, porcelain, textiles, silver, clocks and bronze statuary.

WINTER

There are distinct bonuses to visiting Istanbul in the winter, when even major sights are uncrowded, although the rain, fog and pollution may be off-putting. Shops in the Akmerkez, Galleria, Capitol and Carousel malls hold sales, making the city a shopper's paradise for leather, woollens and fashion.
Outside Istanbul, when enough snow has fallen on the mountains, the ski season begins in Uludag, one of Turkey's most important winter sports resorts. Meanwhile, tea with baklava and cream cakes is consumed in the cosy cafes along the Bosphorus and in the old quarter of Beyoglu.

EVENTS
Mevlana Festival (17-24 December), Mevlevi Monastery . Enthusiastic Istanbul devotees perform special dances in honour of the founder of the famous Whirling Dervishes. Christmas (late December). Though Christmas Day is not a public holiday, major hotels organize seasonal festivities. New Year's Day ' / January). Public holiday incorporating European Christmas traditions.
including eating turkey, decorating trees and partying. Strings of lights adorn the main roads. Karadam Ski Festival (second half of February), Uludag Mountain. Competitions organized by local radio stations and the Uludag Ski Instructors' Association.

MUSLIM HOLIDAYS

The dates of Muslim holidays vary according to the phases of the moon and therefore change from year to year. In the holy month of Ramazan, Muslims refrain from eating and drinking between dawn and dusk. Some restaurants are closed during the day. and tourists should be discreet when eating in public. Straight after this is the three-day Şeker Bayramı (Sugar Festival), when sweetmeats are prepared. Two months later the four-day Kurban Bayramı (Feast of the Sacrifice) commemorates the Koranic version of Abraham's sacrifice. This is the main annual public holiday in Turkey, and hotels, trains and roads are packed. Strict Muslims also observe the festivals of Regaip Kandili, Miraç Kandili, Berat Kandili
and Mevlİd-İ-Nebİ.