Istanbul on Public Holidays: What Is Open and Closed in 2026–2027

Türkiye has two kinds of public holiday. National holidays such as Republic Day on 29 October fall on the same date every year, and most sights stay open. The two religious holidays, Ramazan Bayramı (Eid al-Fitr) and Kurban Bayramı (Eid al-Adha), move about eleven days earlier each year, last three and four days, and are when the bazaars and some palaces actually close.

This guide lists the holiday dates from now to the end of 2027 and what each one means for the places visitors ask about most. Everything here was checked as of 30 October 2026. Where an official source does not say, we tell you so instead of guessing.

Holiday calendar for late 2026 and 2027

The national holidays are fixed by law. The religious holiday dates come from the 2027 calendar of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet). The day before each religious holiday, and the day before Republic Day, is an arife (eve): government offices close at 13:00, but shops, museums and transport run normally unless announced otherwise.

For reference, the 2026 religious holidays have already passed: Ramazan Bayramı was 20–22 March and Kurban Bayramı 27–30 May 2026. Republic Day 2026 was on Thursday 29 October, with the half day on Wednesday 28 October. The next holiday on the calendar is New Year's Day.

Is the Grand Bazaar open on holidays?

The Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı) is open Monday to Saturday, roughly 08:30–19:00, and closed every Sunday. On holidays the pattern is:

• Religious holidays: closed at least on the first day of Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı. Shops usually start reopening on the second or third day, but there is no published timetable. In 2027 the first day of Kurban Bayramı (16 May) is a Sunday, so the bazaar is shut that day either way.
• Republic Day (29 October): the bazaar has opened on 29 October in previous years, including 2025. We found no official announcement for 2026, and individual shops decide for themselves.
• New Year's Day: Turkish press reported the bazaar fully closed on 1 January 2025. Expect the same on 1 January 2027 and plan your shopping for 31 December or 2 January.
• Other national holidays (23 April, 1 May, 19 May, 15 July, 30 August): normally open, unless the date falls on a Sunday.

So, is the Kapalıçarşı open on a Sunday? No. A few shops on the streets outside open, but the covered market is shut. Visit on Saturday, or go to the Spice Bazaar instead.

Is the Spice Bazaar open today?

The Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı) in Eminönü is open every day, about 08:00–19:30 Monday to Saturday and slightly shorter on Sundays. It closes at least on the first day of the two religious holidays, though the street-facing shops outside often stay open. On national holidays such as 29 October it has opened in past years; no special hours were announced for 2026.

If you are reading this on a normal day that is not a Bayram, the answer to "is the Spice Bazaar open today" is almost always yes. The days before a religious holiday are its busiest of the year, as locals stock up on sweets, nuts and coffee, so go early in the morning.

Museums and palaces on holidays

Istanbul's big sights are run by three different bodies, and each has its own holiday rules:

• National Palaces (Topkapı, Dolmabahçe, Beylerbeyi and the smaller pavilions) publish a holiday list. All are closed on New Year's Day. Dolmabahçe is closed on the first day of both religious holidays. Topkapı is closed on the first day of Ramazan Bayramı but open on the first day of Kurban Bayramı (in 2026 it opened 10:30–17:30 that day). Both are open on 23 April, 1 May, 19 May, 15 July, 30 August and 29 October, unless that is their weekly closing day: Monday for Dolmabahçe, Tuesday for Topkapı.
• Ministry of Culture and Tourism museums (Galata Tower, the Maiden's Tower, the Archaeology Museums and others listed on muze.gov.tr) are generally closed on the morning of the first day of each religious holiday and open from about 13:00. They open on national holidays.
• Other operators set their own hours. The Basilica Cistern changed operator in June 2026, and its holiday hours under the new management have not yet been published.

Is Dolmabahçe Palace open on 28 October? Yes, in 2026: 28 October was a Wednesday, and the palace's only weekly closing day is Monday. The National Palaces list does not mention shorter hours on holiday eves. The palace is also open on 29 October. See our Dolmabahçe guide for tickets and hours.

Is the Maiden's Tower open in 2026? Yes. According to muze.gov.tr it is open every day, 09:00–18:00, with the ticket office closing at 17:00. As a Ministry site, expect a late opening on the first day of a religious holiday. Details in our Maiden's Tower guide.

Mosques during the holidays

Mosques never close for a holiday, but they become places of worship first. On the first morning of each Bayram, a special holiday prayer is held shortly after sunrise, and Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Süleymaniye Mosque fill up well before it. Plan to visit later in the morning or on the following days. The usual pauses around the five daily prayers and the Friday noon prayer still apply, and no official visiting timetable is published.

Ferries, metro and free rides

Public transport runs on every holiday, usually on a Sunday-style timetable. Free rides do happen, but there are two separate systems:

• State-run rail lines are made free by a presidential decision published in the Official Gazette. For 29 October 2026, decision no. 11919 (Resmî Gazete, 23 October 2026) made Marmaray, the Sirkeci–Kazlıçeşme line and the Gayrettepe–Istanbul Airport–Halkalı metro (M11) free for everyone. The same lines were reported free for Kurban Bayramı 2026 (27–30 May). These decisions are made holiday by holiday, so check the Gazette a few days before.
• City-run transport (İETT buses, metrobüs, most metro and tram lines, Şehir Hatları ferries) is run by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, İBB. It has made rides free on many holidays, for example during Ramazan Bayramı 2026, but in past announcements free travel was tied to a personalised İstanbulkart registered to an ID number. Most short-stay visitors have an anonymous card and pay the normal fare.

Ferry timetables often change on holidays, and the Princes' Islands boats are busy on every Bayram. On 1 May, Taksim Square is closed off. In 2026, M2 metro stations at Taksim, Şişhane and Osmanbey and the Kabataş–Taksim funicular were shut for the day, and some ferries from the European-side piers were cancelled. For the basics of fares and cards, see our public transport guide.

Traffic around the holidays

• 29 October: the official ceremony closes Vatan Caddesi in Fatih and connecting streets from early morning until the programme ends, with a rehearsal closure on a day the week before. Evening crowds gather along the Bosphorus for fireworks.
• Religious holidays: many residents leave the city, so central roads are often quieter on the holiday itself. The day before and the last day are the opposite: airports, bus stations and the motorways out of town are among the busiest of the year.
• Ramadan: the hour before sunset is the slowest time to cross the city, as everyone heads home for iftar.

If you land on a Bayram eve or a holiday evening, a fixed price helps. Our Istanbul Airport to Sultanahmet transfer is $70 in a Private Mercedes Vito and $80 in a VIP Vito, and to Taksim it is $65 / $75. That is per vehicle for up to 6 passengers, with tolls and waiting included, paid to the driver on arrival.

Planning a holiday day in Istanbul

1. Check the calendar above and mark the first day of any Bayram that falls in your trip. That is the one day to avoid the bazaars and Dolmabahçe.
2. Swap your days around. Bazaars before the holiday, palaces and the Bosphorus on the holiday itself, mosques from the second day.
3. Book ahead for popular sights, since domestic visitors fill them during the Bayram days. Online tickets are sold on muze.gov.tr and millisaraylar.gov.tr.
4. Allow extra time to the airport on the eve and the last day of a religious holiday.

Istanbul VIP is operated by Regatta Turizm (TÜRSAB licence 10138).