When to ride in Türkiye, region by region

Türkiye is big enough that some region is always good for riding. The coasts are mild in spring and autumn and very hot in midsummer. The interior is cold in winter, and the high east is only really open from June to September. Pick your months by region, then check the holiday calendar.

The short answer

For a trip that covers several regions, late May to late June and September to early October work best. Spring is greener but wetter inland. Autumn is drier and the sea is still warm. July and August are fine in the mountains and the northeast, and hard work on the south and west coasts.

All temperatures below are long-term monthly averages from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM), measured in each province's main town. Mountain roads will be colder.

Marmara and İstanbul

İstanbul has the mildest summer of the western cities, with average July highs near 30 °C. Winters are cool and damp: January sees rain on about 16 days, against three or four in July and August. May, June and September are the easy months to ride in and out of the city. Leaving for the interior? See İstanbul to Cappadocia.

Aegean coast

The Aegean is almost dry from June to September. İzmir averages under one rainy day in July and August. It is also hot: average July highs pass 33 °C, and nights stay above 22 °C. April, May and October are warm without being draining. Midwinter brings regular rain, on about 12 days a month. Ride the Çeşme to Bodrum coast in spring or autumn.

Mediterranean and the Lycian coast

Antalya is the hottest of the stations here. July and August average 34 °C highs with nights near 23 °C, and almost no rain. Winters are mild but very wet: December and January each bring more than 220 mm of rain on the coast. The coast is also busy in summer. Antalya counted 17.1 million tourists in 2025, and set its one-day record of over 104,000 foreign arrivals on 26 July 2025. For the Lycian coast, April–May and October–November are the sweet spots. The Taurus crossing from Konya climbs from the coast to the cold plateau, so pack for both in spring and autumn.

Cappadocia and Central Anatolia

Nevşehir sits on a high plateau, and it shows. January averages just below freezing, with lows around −4 °C, and snow is normal in winter. Summer days are warm, around 28 °C, but nights fall to about 14 °C, so bring a warm layer even in July. May is the wettest month, with rain on about 13 days. June and September are the most reliable. See the Cappadocia valleys loop.

Black Sea and the Kaçkar

The Black Sea coast is green because it rains in every month. Trabzon averages 8 to 13 rainy days a month all year. July is the driest month, and October and November the wettest. Summers are mild, with highs around 26 °C, which makes this the region to ride in July and August. Ride the Samsun to Hopa coast road then.

The Kaçkar yayla roads are different. In late June 2025, crews were still cutting through snow more than 5 metres deep in places to reopen the road to Balıklı Yaylası, at about 2,400 m above Ardeşen. On 2–3 July 2025, snow fell above 2,000 m on plateaus such as Anzer, Kavron, Samistal and Ovit. Plan high yayla riding for July to early September, and expect cold, wet weather at any time.

Eastern Anatolia high plateau

Erzurum and Kars have long, severe winters. January averages −9 °C in Erzurum and −11 °C in Kars, with average lows of −14 °C and −16 °C. Average lows hover around freezing in April and reach only about 4 °C in May. Late spring is also the wettest time: Kars has rain on about 18 days in May. July and August are the best months, with highs around 26 °C and nights near 10 °C. September is usually still dry and settled. By November, average temperatures are close to freezing again.

Holiday traffic in 2027

The two religious holidays bring the heaviest traffic of the year, as millions travel home or to the coast. On Diyanet's 2027 calendar:

• Ramazan Bayramı: 9–11 March 2027, with the eve (arefe) on 8 March.
• Kurban Bayramı: 16–19 May 2027, with the eve on 15 May.

Traffic builds from the working day before the holiday. At the start of the 2026 Kurban Bayramı, the North Marmara and Anatolian motorways queued at Akyazı. The İstanbul–İzmir motorway was congested, and there were long queues at the Osmangazi Bridge toll booths. Avoid the main routes out of İstanbul and Ankara on those days, and book rooms on the coast early.

Quick checklist

• Mixed-region trip: aim for late May to June or September to early October.
• South and west coasts: avoid riding midday in July and August.
• Kaçkar yayla roads and the eastern plateau: plan for July to September.
• Pack a warm layer for Cappadocia and the east, even in summer.
• Expect rain on the Black Sea coast in any month.
• Keep 8 March and 15 May 2027 off the motorways.
• Before you go, read riding into Türkiye and fuel in Türkiye.