Traveling to Turkey from the United States is a long journey but with many options in terms of flights, thanks to the economic and touristic strength of both countries. In this post we tell you all the possibilities and we also tell you what document/s you must have in order to enter Turkish territory.
USA-Turkey air connections
One of the good news for those wishing to travel to Turkey from the United States is the large number of direct flights available. All of them are operated by the national carrier Turkish Airlines and have Istanbul Airportas their final destination, while the originating ones are varied. Here is a list:
- Atlanta – Hartsfield – Jackson
- Boston – Logan
- Chicago – O’Hare
- Dallas – Fort Worth
- Denver
- Detroit
- Houston – George Bush
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- Newark
- New York – JFK
- San Francisco
- Seattle – Tacoma
- Washington – Dulles
Moreover, in some cases the frequency is really high, with one a day in the case of Washington – Dulles or even two a day from Los Angeles and Miami, two particularly important cities for the U.S. population of Hispanic origin.
Travel times vary depending on the geographical location of the city. The longest flights are from the west coast of the country, with an average of 13 hours from cities such as Los Angeles or San Francisco. On the other hand, from the east coast, such as New York or Boston, the duration is 10 hours or even slightly less.
If a stopover is added to the trip, the variety of flights increases even more, with U.S. and non-U.S. carriers such as United, Lufthansa, JetBlue and many others. Some of these intermediate cities for stopovers are Amsterdam, London, Paris or Madrid, among many others.
And for travel to other Turkish cities from the United States, the route will require one or more stopovers. If it is done with Turkish Airlines, that stopover will necessarily be at Istanbul Airport. From there, it is possible to reach any other Turkish destination: Ankara, the Aegean Coast, Cappadocia and a long etcetera.
That variety of routes also translates into greater price diversity. And here’s the other good news for U.S. travelers: increased competition makes it possible to find really cheap flights, in some cases for just over $500 in economy class.
Visa for U.S. citizens
The bureaucratic requirements to enter Turkey often change depending on the geopolitical or health conditions of the moment, so we recommend that you consult the official website of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs before organizing your trip.
But the good news as of July 2024, the time of writing this post, is that U.S. citizens do not need a visa to enter the country: it is enough to carry a valid passport (valid for 6 months from the date of entry to the country), to enjoy a stay of 90 days (framed in a period of 180 consecutive days).
This condition of “90 days in 180 consecutive days” makes it possible that, during your trip in Turkey, you can leave Turkish territory to, for example, take a cruise to the Greek Islands, as we offer in our tour catalog.
We remind you that Turquía Exclusiva does not take care of the reservation or management of airline tickets, nor does it take care of obtaining visas or passports. But if you are going to travel to Turkey from the United States and want to make a tour with us, you can contact us for help and advice on these and other issues.
