Sunrise & sunset times in Istanbul
Sunrise in Istanbul today is at 07:01 and sunset is at 18:44, giving 11h 43m of daylight (times for Friday, 2 October 2026, in Istanbul's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 18:08 to 18:44. The moon is a waning gibbous at 67% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for Istanbul, Turkey. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 05:32 and sets at 20:39 in Istanbul (15h 8m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 08:25 and sets at 17:38 (9h 13m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:07 | 19:16 | 12h 8m |
| June solstice | 05:32 | 20:39 | 15h 8m |
| September equinox | 06:51 | 19:01 | 12h 10m |
| December solstice | 08:25 | 17:38 | 9h 13m |
Full sun timeline for Istanbul
Civil dawn, when the sky starts to brighten before sunrise.
The moment the top edge of the sun appears on the horizon.
End of the soft, warm morning light photographers love.
The sun reaches its highest point in the sky for the day.
Start of the warm, low evening light before sunset.
The moment the sun dips fully below the horizon.
Civil dusk, when the last usable daylight fades.
Golden hour and blue hour in Istanbul
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 08:26 | 18:00 | 9h 33m |
| February | 07:59 | 18:37 | 10h 39m |
| March | 07:16 | 19:10 | 11h 54m |
| April | 06:25 | 19:43 | 13h 18m |
| May | 05:46 | 20:14 | 14h 28m |
| June | 05:31 | 20:37 | 15h 7m |
| July | 05:44 | 20:35 | 14h 51m |
| August | 06:13 | 20:03 | 13h 50m |
| September | 06:44 | 19:13 | 12h 30m |
| October | 07:15 | 18:23 | 11h 9m |
| November | 07:51 | 17:45 | 9h 54m |
| December | 08:21 | 17:36 | 9h 15m |
Sun and moon in Istanbul
For photographers, gardeners, runners and anyone chasing good light, the daily sun and moon schedule for Istanbul is easy to check here. This page shows live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, morning and evening golden hour, blue hour, dawn and dusk, plus the current moon phase and the moonrise and moonset times for Istanbul. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul sits at roughly 41.01 degrees north, in the northern hemisphere, so it sees a clear but moderate seasonal swing, with noticeably longer days in summer and cosier, earlier sunsets in winter. Because the length of the day changes with the seasons, the exact sunrise and sunset in Istanbul shift from week to week. Pick any date with the date picker to see how the light will fall on a specific day, which is handy for planning a shoot, an event, a wedding, a flight or simply the best moment to catch the last warm light of the evening. Golden hour, that soft warm window near sunrise and sunset, is the favourite of photographers in Istanbul. Blue hour, the cooler stretch just before sunrise and just after sunset, is ideal for cityscapes and long exposures. Combined with the moon phase and moon times, this gives you a complete picture of natural light over Istanbul, Turkey for any day of the year.
What time is sunset in Istanbul today?
The sun sets in Istanbul at 18:44 today, Friday, 2 October 2026, in Istanbul's own local time. The warm light starts well before that: evening golden hour opens at 18:08, giving 36 minutes of low golden light before the sun reaches the horizon. Sunset is not the end of the light either. Last light, the moment usable daylight ends at civil dusk, follows 27 minutes later at 19:12, and the sky is properly dark at 20:16, 1h 31m after sunset.
Tomorrow the sun sets at 18:43 in Istanbul. That is 1 minute 40 seconds earlier than today. Over the coming week sunset moves 11 minutes 28 seconds earlier.
Planning around the light? See golden hour in Istanbul.
Is the day getting longer or shorter in Istanbul right now?
Istanbul gets 11h 43m of daylight today, from sunrise to sunset. Tomorrow will be 2 minutes 42 seconds shorter. Over the next seven days Istanbul loses 18 minutes 48 seconds of daylight.
That pace is not constant. In Istanbul the day length changes fastest around March, near the equinox, when it moves by about 2 minutes 45 seconds per day, and it slows almost to a stop at the solstices in June and December. The word solstice means exactly that: the sun standing still.
When are the earliest and latest sunrise and sunset in Istanbul?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Istanbul falls on 8 December at 17:35, 13 days before the December solstice, and the latest on 27 June at 20:40.
Sunrise runs on its own schedule: earliest on 14 June at 05:31, latest on 4 January at 08:29, 14 days after the December solstice. The four dates in the table below do not line up with the solstices, and they are not supposed to. Earth's orbit is slightly elliptical and its axis is tilted, so the sun runs a few minutes fast or slow against clock time through the year. That offset, the equation of time, is what pushes the earliest sunset ahead of the shortest day and the latest sunrise behind it.
| Extreme | Date | Local time | Why then |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earliest sunrise | 14 Jun 2026 | 05:31 | 7 days before the June solstice |
| Latest sunrise | 4 Jan 2026 | 08:29 | 14 days after the December solstice |
| Earliest sunset | 8 Dec 2026 | 17:35 | 13 days before the December solstice |
| Latest sunset | 27 Jun 2026 | 20:40 | 6 days after the June solstice |
For the longest and shortest day themselves, see day length in Istanbul.
How long does twilight last in Istanbul?
First light in Istanbul arrives 27 minutes before sunrise today, at 06:34. After sunset the light hangs on for another 27 minutes, until 19:12. That evening stretch is not the same all year in Istanbul: it runs from 27 minutes at its shortest, in September, to 34 minutes at its longest, in June. The lower the angle at which the sun crosses the horizon, the longer twilight lasts, which is why dusk is a slow affair at high latitudes and abrupt near the equator.
Full three-band twilight tables: dawn in Istanbul and dusk in Istanbul.
How high does the sun get in Istanbul?
At midday on the June solstice the sun stands 72.4 degrees above the horizon in Istanbul. On the December solstice it climbs only 25.6 degrees. A midday sun that low throws a shadow about 2.1 times the height of whatever casts it, so even at noon in midwinter the shadows in Istanbul are long ones.
Frequently asked questions about Istanbul
What time is sunrise in Istanbul today?
The sun rises in Istanbul, Turkey at 07:01 on Friday, 2 October 2026, and sets at 18:44. Use the date picker above to check sunrise for any other day. All times are given in the local time zone of Istanbul.
When is golden hour in Istanbul?
Istanbul has two golden hours each day. On Friday, 2 October 2026 the morning window runs from 07:01 to 07:38, and the evening window from 18:08 to 18:44, all in local time. Pick another date above to plan a shoot down to the minute.
Why do sunrise and sunset change through the year in Istanbul?
Because Istanbul lies in the northern hemisphere, its days are longest around June and shortest around December. In Istanbul the longer solstice day runs about 15h 8m and the shorter one about 9h 13m, as shown in the table above. As Earth orbits the Sun, the point on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets moves, which lengthens or shortens the day and shifts sunrise and sunset times.
Are the times for Istanbul accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of Istanbul and shown in its local time zone. They are accurate to about a minute for a clear, flat horizon. Hills, tall buildings and atmospheric conditions can shift the moment you actually see the Sun by a few minutes.
Does this page show the moon phase for Istanbul?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for Istanbul are all shown for the selected date, so you can plan around a full moon or a dark new moon sky.
How much daylight does Istanbul gain or lose each day?
Istanbul has 11h 43m of daylight on Friday, 2 October 2026 and is losing daylight: 18 minutes 48 seconds over the following seven days, with tomorrow 2 minutes 42 seconds shorter than today. The daily change is at its largest near the March and September equinoxes and almost stops at the June and December solstices.
When is the earliest sunset in Istanbul?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Istanbul is on 8 December at 17:35, 13 days before the December solstice. The earliest sunset and the shortest day are not the same date, because the sun runs a few minutes fast or slow against clock time through the year, an effect called the equation of time.
How long does it stay light after sunset in Istanbul?
About 27 minutes on Friday, 2 October 2026. The sun sets at 18:44 and usable daylight ends at civil dusk, 19:12, with full astronomical darkness at 20:16. The higher the latitude, the longer that fade takes.
Data and methodology: every time on this page is computed from Istanbul's coordinates with SunCalc, an open source astronomy library, not estimated or looked up from a table. Coordinates 41.01, 28.98, time zone Europe/Istanbul. Accurate to about a minute for a flat, unobstructed horizon; terrain, tall buildings and atmospheric conditions can shift the moment the sun is actually visible by a few minutes. Full method on methodology.
Nearby cities
Sun and moon times for places close to Istanbul. Sunrise and sunset shift as you move east, west, north or south.
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Subscribe to a live feed of Istanbul's sunrise and sunset in your own calendar app, so today's light is always a glance away. It updates by itself, with no account.