Ski Holidays in Türkiye: Choosing a Resort, a Hotel and Your Flights

Anyone comparing ski resorts in Türkiye is really deciding two things at once: where to sleep and how to get there. For residents and visitors alike, the trip comes down to a hotel near the slopes, a domestic flight to the nearest airport and a transfer between the two. Below we compare Uludağ, Kartalkaya, Erciyes, Palandöken and Sarıkamış on those two questions.

Five resorts at a glance

Altitudes come from each resort's page on Go Türkiye, the official tourism portal of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Road distances and times are OSRM route estimates without traffic. Snow, chains and weekend queues add time in winter.

By road from Istanbul: Uludağ and Kartalkaya

These are the two large resorts you can reach from Istanbul without a flight. Taking Sabiha Gökçen Airport on the Asian side as the starting point, Uludağ is 156 km away, a little over two hours without traffic. İDO ferries from Yenikapı also cross to Bursa, on a seasonal timetable.

Uludağ also has a cable car from Bursa. It runs from Teferrüç station in the city up to the Hotels Zone on the mountain in about 20 minutes. You can stay on the mountain for a weekend, or stay in Bursa and ski for the day.

Kartalkaya is 29 km from Bolu by mountain road. From Sabiha Gökçen it is 272 km, from Ankara Esenboğa 214 km, so it works from either city by car. Kartepe in Kocaeli is another resort within easy reach of Istanbul.

Fly in: Erciyes, Palandöken and Sarıkamış

The three resorts in central and eastern Anatolia sit higher. Pegasus flies direct from Sabiha Gökçen to Kayseri in about 1 hour 25 minutes, to Erzurum in 1 hour 50 minutes and to Kars in 1 hour 55 minutes. Other airlines' schedules change with the season, and winter weather can cancel flights, so avoid booking your return for the last hours of the trip. We issue domestic tickets as an authorised agent of Turkish Airlines, Pegasus and AJet, as our domestic flights page explains.

Erciyes is easy to reach: the Tekir entrance is about 35 minutes from Kayseri Airport and 1 hour 20 minutes from Göreme in Cappadocia. Palandöken is practically part of Erzurum, 6 km from the city centre. Its top point is 3,176 m and Go Türkiye describes it as better suited to experienced skiers. At Sarıkamış the runs come down through pine forest, and Go Türkiye gives its season as 20 December to 20 March.

Slope-side or in town: where to stay

A hotel at the slopes means you walk to the lift in the morning and can be back in your room at lunch. A city hotel gives you more to do in the evening and usually a wider choice of hotels.

At Sarıkamış the ski area is right next to the small town. If you stay in Kars instead, the drive to the slopes takes about an hour, which suits people who also want time in Kars.

Kartalkaya has few beds on the mountain, so ask early for New Year and the Turkish school holiday. Whichever hotel you choose, if you are travelling as a family, ask how far your room is from the fire exits and what the hotel's emergency procedure is.

Beginners and children

Go Türkiye lists ski instructors and equipment hire at Uludağ and Kartalkaya, and both are close to Istanbul for a first try. At Palandöken the hardest run is Ejder, which can close in fog. With children, ask the resort what age its ski school starts at and whether there is a sledging area.

For families who want Cappadocia in the same trip, Erciyes is the obvious choice. You can stay in Cappadocia and drive up for a day or two on the slopes. Our private Cappadocia trip guide covers the region itself.

When the season runs

Opening dates depend on snow and each resort announces its own. Go Türkiye gives late December to late March for Uludağ and December to the end of March for Kartalkaya. No calendar can promise snow.

If your children go to a Turkish state school, the mid-year break between terms runs from 25 January to 5 February 2027, and the spring break from 8 to 12 March 2027. International schools set their own dates, but resorts fill up in the Turkish holiday weeks and over New Year either way.

Hotel, flights and transfers in one quote

When the hotel and the flights are booked separately, check-in day and flight day do not always match. Our offer states the hotel's location, the price and the cancellation terms, and we add the domestic flight and the airport transfer to the same quote. For a programme that adds Cappadocia or Kars, see our domestic tours. Lift passes, lessons and ski hire are sold by the operators at each resort.

A group of ten or more friends or colleagues falls under the airlines' group rules, explained in our group flight booking guide. If your company is thinking of a ski trip as a staff reward, our group company Seda Mice organises incentive trips, as its incentive trips page explains.

Frequently asked questions

When does the ski season start in Türkiye?

At these five resorts, usually in December, depending on snow.

Which ski resort is closest to Istanbul?

Among the large resorts, Uludağ, 156 km by road from Sabiha Gökçen. Kartepe in Kocaeli is closer but smaller.

Which resort suits beginners?

Uludağ and Kartalkaya, where Go Türkiye lists instructors and ski hire. Palandöken is better for experienced skiers.

Should we stay at the resort or in the city?

If you will ski most of the day, stay at the slopes. For evenings out or sightseeing, stay in town. At Uludağ, Erciyes and Palandöken the town is close enough for either.

Can we fly with our skis?

Yes. Turkish Airlines and Pegasus treat a ski set as sports equipment and charge for it separately. Pegasus takes it in the hold in its own bag, in limited numbers, and asks you to add it through its call centre before the flight. Turkish Airlines charges each item under its sports equipment tariff and notes that rules may differ on AJet flights.

Can we combine Erciyes with Cappadocia?

Yes. The Tekir entrance is about 1 hour 20 minutes by road from Göreme.

Send us your dates, the number of people and whether you would rather stay at the slopes or in town, and we will quote the hotel and flights together. Our hotel options across the country are on the domestic hotels page.