Sun & light planner

Golden hour in Istanbul

In mid-June golden hour in Istanbul starts at 19:57 and lasts 41 minutes; in mid-December it starts at 16:53 and lasts 44. The tool is set to Istanbul — pick your shoot date.

In Istanbul the evening golden hour starts at 19:57 in mid-June (41 min) and at 16:53 in mid-December (44 min). Pick a date for the exact day.

Location

Shoot date

Time of day

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Or drag across the day chart.

Obstruction on the horizon

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A row of buildings or a hill: about 5° for a four-storey block 100 m away.

Exact coordinates

Latitude

Longitude

Europe/Istanbul

golden (sun 6° to −0.8°)
dusk (−0.8° to −4°)
blue (−4° to −6°)
night
sun altitude

Golden hour, evening: —
Blue hour, evening: —
Golden hour, morning: —
Sunrise: —
Sunset: —
Daylight: —
Sun sets toward: —
Highest sun: —
Sun at chosen time: —
Shadow of a 1.80 m person: —

Drag the map to place the spot exactly

One column per day, midnight at the top. Click a day to open it. Breaks in the bands are clock changes.

15th of	Sunrise	Sunset	Golden pm	Length	Blue until	Daylight
Jan	08:28	18:00	17:18–18:00	42 min	18:31	9 h 33 min
Feb	08:00	18:38	18:00–18:38	38 min	19:07	10 h 38 min
Mar	07:17	19:11	18:34–19:11	36 min	19:38	11 h 53 min
Apr	06:26	19:43	19:07–19:43	37 min	20:12	13 h 17 min
May	05:47	20:15	19:36–20:15	39 min	20:46	14 h 28 min
Jun	05:32	20:39	19:57–20:39	41 min	21:12	15 h 06 min
Jul	05:45	20:36	19:55–20:36	41 min	21:09	14 h 51 min
Aug	06:14	20:05	19:27–20:05	38 min	20:34	13 h 50 min
Sep	06:45	19:16	18:39–19:16	36 min	19:43	12 h 31 min
Oct	07:16	18:25	17:48–18:25	37 min	18:53	11 h 10 min
Nov	07:52	17:47	17:06–17:47	41 min	18:17	9 h 55 min
Dec	08:23	17:37	16:53–17:37	44 min	18:08	9 h 15 min

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Golden hour in Istanbul, month by month

The evening window in Istanbul is longest in December (44 minutes) and shortest in March (36 minutes). Values for the 15th of each month, local time, daylight saving included.

Istanbul, 2026: sun times on the 15th (Europe/Istanbul)
Month	Sunrise	Sunset	Golden hour, evening	Length	Blue hour until	Daylight
January	08:28	18:00	17:18–18:00	42 min	18:31	9 h 33 min
February	08:00	18:38	18:00–18:38	38 min	19:07	10 h 38 min
March	07:17	19:11	18:34–19:11	36 min	19:38	11 h 53 min
April	06:26	19:43	19:07–19:43	37 min	20:12	13 h 17 min
May	05:47	20:15	19:36–20:15	39 min	20:46	14 h 28 min
June	05:32	20:39	19:57–20:39	41 min	21:12	15 h 06 min
July	05:45	20:36	19:55–20:36	41 min	21:09	14 h 51 min
August	06:14	20:05	19:27–20:05	38 min	20:34	13 h 50 min
September	06:45	19:16	18:39–19:16	36 min	19:43	12 h 31 min
October	07:16	18:25	17:48–18:25	37 min	18:53	11 h 10 min
November	07:52	17:47	17:06–17:47	41 min	18:17	9 h 55 min
December	08:23	17:37	16:53–17:37	44 min	18:08	9 h 15 min

Where the sun goes down

Around the June solstice the sun sets in Istanbul at 302° (WNW), around the December solstice at 238° (WSW) — 64° apart. A façade that gets backlight at the end of a summer day is lit from the side in winter, and a street that frames the sunset in July may not see it at all in January.

The highest sun of the year stands at 72° at noon, the lowest at 26°. Below about 15° the light turns warm and the shadows long enough to shape a face; the day chart in the tool shows when the sun crosses that line on your date.

Frequently asked

When does golden hour start in Istanbul today?

The tool above opens on today’s date for Istanbul. As a guide: in mid-June it starts at 19:57, in mid-December at 16:53.

How long is golden hour in Istanbul?

Between 36 minutes (March) and 44 minutes (December) in the evening, measured from 6° sun altitude to sunset.

Does a building to the west change this?

Yes. Set the obstruction slider to its angle: a four-storey building 100 m away is about 5° and ends direct sun noticeably before sunset. The tool shows how many minutes you lose.