Cheapest€286.29
- Ariana Afghan Airlines AA277111:345h 28m17:02Istanbul SAWKabul KBL
Door to door 8h 38mCO2 545.1 kgChanges 0Fixed, no changes
Traveling from Istanbul to Kabul costs €286.29 at the cheapest and takes 8h 12m door to door at the fastest, across 1 mode and 3 operators. The route covers 3,683 km. Cheapest is by flight, fastest is by flight.
At a glance
- Distance
- 3,683 km
- Fastest
- 8h 12m
- Average
- 8h 31m
- Services per day
- 13
- Cheapest
- €286.29
- CO2 per passenger
- 545.1 kg
Every way to make this journey
Journey times below are door to door, so they include getting to the terminal and away from it at the other end. Fares are the cheapest we currently sell on September 29, 2026.
| Mode | Door to door | Moving | At the ends | From | CO2 | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight | 8h 18m | 5h 8m | 3h 10m | €345.88 | 545.1 kg | 12 |
- 8h 18mFastest, by Flight
- €345.88Cheapest, by Flight
- 545.1 kgLowest CO2, by Flight
- 3,683 kmDistance traveled
The cheapest and the fastest on September 29, 2026
Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.
Fastest€416.68
- Ariana Afghan Airlines AA625417:105h 8m22:18Istanbul ISTKabul KBL
Door to door 8h 18mCO2 545.1 kgChanges 0Fixed, no changes
Lowest CO2€302.84
- TCDD Taşımacılık TC411407:302h 47m10:17Istanbul HalkaliAnkara Gar
- Ariana Afghan Airlines AA707011:144h 57m16:11Ankara ESBKabul KBL
Changes at Ankara, with 57 minutes between services and a walk of about 14 minutes.
Door to door 10h 38mCO2 506.7 kgChanges 1Fixed, no changes
Today's real departures
Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modeled until our booking connectors are live.
Checking the live timetables.
Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modeled until our booking connectors are live.
Prices over the next three weeks
Live from our own engine, refreshed on every request. The cheapest days for each way of traveling are marked.
| Cheapest fare by mode and day for Istanbul to Kabul | MonSep 14 | TueSep 15 | WedSep 16 | ThuSep 17 | FriSep 18 | SatSep 19 | SunSep 20 | MonSep 21 | TueSep 22 | WedSep 23 | ThuSep 24 | FriSep 25 | SatSep 26 | SunSep 27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight | €564.18 | €528.19 | €465.65 | €577.16 | €552.97 | €570.67 | €405.47 | €352.37 | €345.88 | €362.99 | €458.57 | €424.35 | €443.82 | €358.86 |
| Train | €575.09 | €585.54 | €579.49 | €771.44 | €601.49 | €707.64 | €527.79 | €356.19 | €451.34 | €376.54 | €481.04 | €493.69 | €601.49 | €457.94 |
Cheapest day: 2026-09-29 · €286.29
Arriving in September changes what you want from a room in Kabul. It is not a thing we sell, so here is who does.
A room in Kabul for the night the flight gets in
Sort by distance from Minibuses to Bamyan and you can see which places are ten minutes on foot and which are not.
Search Kabul on AgodaOr compare on Booking.com
Partner links. We do not sell accommodation. We earn a commission when a booking completes, and it never changes what you pay.
When to book Istanbul to Kabul
The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.
- €377.7490 days
- €303.9960 days
- €247.9445 days
- €252.0730 days
- €319.9221 days
- €358.8614 days
- €405.477 days
- €465.653 days
- €564.181 days
- Cheapest lead time
- Fares bottom out around 45 days ahead, at €247.94.
- How much it moves
- The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 128 percent. The most expensive point is €564.18, 1 days out.
- What that means
- Today sits inside the cheap window, which closes about 45 days before departure. Waiting from here has usually cost money on this corridor rather than saved it.
Book now Fares on this route are lowest around 45 days ahead. You are inside that window.
Which departure day costs least
Median cheapest fare for each weekday, taken across the next three weeks of real prices.
- €358.86Sun
- €352.37Mon
- €345.88Tue
- €362.99Wed
- €458.57Thu
- €424.35Fri
- €443.82Sat
How the fare moves month by month
The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.
- €528.19Sep
- €319.33Oct
- €292.78Nov
- €295.14Dec
- €276.26Jan
- €232.01Feb
The route
What the journey actually looks like
Direct or connecting, how far the route really runs, and what happens when a connection is missed.
- Direct or connecting
- 69% of the services we sell on this corridor run through without a change. The remaining 31% involve one connection.
- How far it really runs
- The route covers 3,683 km against 3,576 km in a straight line, a detour of 3 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
- Where the change is
- Connections are made at Ankara, Mazār-e Sharīf, Baku, Mashhad. The gap between arriving and leaving is 57 minutes, of which about 14 is walking.
- If the connection is missed
- The tightest connection we sell here has a 17 percent chance of not being made on the timetable alone. Part of this journey is a self transfer between separate tickets, so leave more time than the minimum and expect to check in again.
- First and last departure
- The first service of the day leaves Istanbul at 06:01 and the last at 17:10, across 12 departures. The return direction keeps its own timetable, so the times back are not these times reversed.
Where you leave from and where you arrive
The stations, airports and ports each mode on this corridor actually uses.
Istanbul
Rail
- Istanbul Halkali
- Vadistanbul
- Tünel
Bus
- Istanbul Esenler Otogar
- İGS
Air
- IST
- SAW
Ferry
- Istanbul Yenikapi
- Eminonu
Kabul
Bus
- Minibuses to Bamyan
Air
- KBL
The fare from KBL into Kabul is the one price on this trip we cannot show you, because it is not ours.
Getting from KBL into Kabul
A price agreed before you fly, a driver at arrivals, and a car big enough for the bags.
Book a ride from KBL with Daytrip
Partner links. We do not operate transfers. We earn a commission on a booking, and the fare is the same as going direct.
Who runs this route
Speed, flexibility and what is on board. Nothing here is a rating, because we have not earned one.
| Operator | From |
|---|---|
 Ariana Afghan Airlines | €286.29 |
 Kam Air | €308.71 |
 Turkish Airlines | €303.40 |
What the fare is made of
Every part of the total, so the number at checkout is the number here.
| Part | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Operator fare | €235.00 | 82% |
| Taxes | €42.30 | 15% |
| Supplier fees | €7.00 | 2% |
| Our service fee | €1.99 | 1% |
| Total you pay | €286.29 | 100% |
Check-in is at three and you will be in Kabul well before then. Lockers are not something we run.
Where to leave your bags in Kabul
Stores, cafes and hotels that take luggage, with the hours on the map so you know what is still open when you come back.
Check Kabul on StasherOr try Bounce
Partner links. We do not run these networks. We earn a commission on a booking, and the price is the same as going direct.
Questions about Istanbul to Kabul
The questions people actually ask about this trip, answered from the same prices and times the page above is built on rather than written once and left to go stale.
How long does it take to get from Istanbul to Kabul?
The fastest journey from Istanbul to Kabul takes 8h 12m door to door, of which 5h 8m is spent moving, on the flight. Most services take around 8h 31m, because that average includes slower stopping services and journeys with a connection. Times include reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end.
How much does it cost to travel from Istanbul to Kabul?
The cheapest fare from Istanbul to Kabul is €286.29, checked on September 13, 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €465.65. Both figures are the total for one passenger, including taxes, supplier fees and our service fee, so nothing is added at checkout.
What is the cheapest way to get from Istanbul to Kabul?
The cheapest way from Istanbul to Kabul is by flight, at €345.88 for one passenger on September 29, 2026. That journey takes 8h 18m door to door. Cheaper is rarely faster on this corridor, and the comparison table on this page shows what each mode costs against what it saves.
When should I book Istanbul to Kabul?
Fares from Istanbul to Kabul bottom out around 45 days before departure, at €247.94. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive lead time is 128 percent, measured on September 13, 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.
Which day of the week is cheapest for Istanbul to Kabul?
Tuesday is the cheapest day to depart from Istanbul to Kabul, at €345.88. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on September 13, 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.
Which month is cheapest for Istanbul to Kabul?
February is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Istanbul to Kabul, at €232.01 for one passenger. Each month is priced on its fifteenth, so the comparison is like for like rather than a mix of weekends and midweek departures.
Who runs service from Istanbul to Kabul?
3 operators sell services from Istanbul to Kabul across 1 mode: Ariana Afghan Airlines, Kam Air, Turkish Airlines. Journey times, fares and fare conditions differ between them, and the operator table on this page compares all of them on speed, flexibility and what is provided on board.
Is there a direct service from Istanbul to Kabul?
69 percent of the services we sell from Istanbul to Kabul are direct. The rest connect at Ankara, Mazār-e Sharīf, Baku, Mashhad, with about 57 minutes between the two services. Both legs are sold on one booking, so a missed connection is rebooked at no charge.
Which station or terminal do services from Istanbul to Kabul use?
Services from Istanbul to Kabul by flight leave from Istanbul IST and arrive at Kabul KBL. Allow about 3h 10m in total for reaching the departure terminal and leaving the arrival one, which is already included in every door to door time on this page.
Can I change or refund a ticket from Istanbul to Kabul?
0 of the 3 operators we sell from Istanbul to Kabul allow a change or a refund. A change on a changeable fare costs €5.00. The operator table on this page names which is which, and the condition is shown again before you pay.
Where these numbers come from
Observed service A carrier record shows this named operator serving this named pair, and we carry that through unchanged.
Schedules, seat counts and fares are generated by our own model until the supplier contracts are signed. Places, coordinates, operators, which operator serves which pair, and every distance are real. We would rather say that on every page than let a modeled number pass for a filed one.
Defined in full at Door to door, Fares, The booking window, Carbon, Distances
- On this page
- Every figure above was computed for Istanbul to Kabul on September 13, 2026: 3683 km of route against 3576 km in a straight line, 13 services a day, 3 operators, a cheapest fare of €286.29, and 8h 12m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.
The trip is the easy half to plan. The days in Kabul are the half people leave until last.
Day trips out of Kabul and across Afghanistan
The tickets worth having in advance, because the line at the door is usually the whole morning.
See Kabul on KlookOr browse GetYourGuide
Partner links. We do not sell tours or tickets. We earn a commission on a booking, and it never changes the price.
Other ways to make this journey
Leaving Istanbul
Arriving in Kabul
Leaving Kabul
- 18Places you can leave for
- 11Countries
- 8Operators
Plan a trip from here
Ask Ori for the same corridor under a different constraint, or for a longer trip that starts on it.