Flying from Paris to Istanbul?
Add a departure date and see which side gets the sun.
Flying from Paris to Istanbul?
Add a departure date and see which side gets the sun.
Flying from Paris to Istanbul?
Add a departure date and see which side gets the sun.
Paris → Istanbul
A medium flight from France to Türkiye. Istanbul is 1 hour ahead. Turn your watch forward before you arrive.
The City of Light
Paris is a compact, dense capital wrapped by a ring road, its historic core walkable and tightly stitched together by the Metro. Inside that ring the city is small enough to cross on foot or by train, and a car is more trouble than help. Grand boulevards, museums, and the river define the center, while much of everyday Paris and both its airports sit in the surrounding suburbs. Arriving from either airport means a train or road trip across that ring.
City access
Charles de Gaulle is the main airport, northeast of Paris. The RER B suburban train runs to the center in around forty-five minutes, alongside buses and taxis. It is a large, multi-terminal airport, so leave time to move between them.
Nearby airports
| 34 km / 21 mi |
Surrounding hubs
| 348 km / 216 mi | |
| 399 km / 248 mi | |
| 407 km / 253 mi |
The city on two continents
Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus, the only major city set on two continents, with most of its life on the European side and a fast-growing Asian side across the water. It is huge and hilly, layered with Byzantine and Ottoman history around the old core and dense modern districts running for miles. Ferries, trams, and metro lines tie it together, though traffic across the bridges can be heavy. Its two airports sit far apart on opposite sides of the city, so the one you use shapes the trip.
City access
Istanbul Airport is the large main hub, well to the northwest of the city on the European side. It connects by metro and airport buses, but it is a long way out, so allow a generous hour or more into the center depending on traffic. It sits far from the second airport, so the two are not easy substitutes.
Nearby airports
| 64 km / 40 mi |
Surrounding hubs
| 518 km / 322 mi | |
| 553 km / 344 mi | |
| 789 km / 490 mi |
Find out which side of the plane to sit on.
Pick your airports, set your departure time, and you're done.
We calculate the sun's position based on your flight path and departure time, then tell you which side of the plane gets direct sun and which stays shaded. No guessing, just math.
Enter your flight
Pick your departure and arrival airports and set your departure time at the departure airport. FlightSide estimates the duration and you can adjust it if you know the exact schedule.
We track the sun along your route
Your flight path is broken into hundreds of points. At each one we check where the sun is and which side of the plane it faces.
You get a recommendation
Which side of the plane to sit on, left or right, depending on whether you'd rather avoid the sun or enjoy it. The percentages and the map are there if you want to see why.
Want to go deeper? Accuracy, edge cases, polar routes — see the FAQ →
Notes from the product.
Small updates, route observations, and clearer explanations for how the app keeps evolving.
Type less, wait less, wonder more
Airport search now understands metro codes and old city names, FlightSide loads noticeably faster, and a new Feeling lucky button chooses a flight for anyone without one in mind.
A closer look at the route, not just the seat
FlightSide now shows the two cities and key details about the flight alongside the seat recommendation: confirm you picked the right airports, read the time change off two clocks, and check the return leg.
It's all about the sun (after all)
Not all sunlight reaches the side windows. FlightSide now weighs the sun’s angle to the cabin and shows twilight along the route.