Stopovers between San Francisco and Istanbul
San Francisco to Istanbul is about 10,765 km. 12 cities sit close enough to the route to add a night or two, and Helsinki, Reykjavík, Warsaw have airline stopover programs. Pick your dates to see what each one really costs.
Cities on the way
Finnair's hub and a natural break between Europe and Asia.
Sits almost exactly on the great circle between North America and Europe, so the detour is tiny.
Good-value city with LOT's free stopover program.
Train from the airport to the old town in 12 minutes, so even a single night works.
Metro from the airport to the centre in 15 minutes; great for one night.
Canada Line train to downtown; mountains and ocean together.
Easy airport train and a very walkable centre.
Train from Schiphol to Centraal in 15 minutes, every few minutes.
Beer gardens, museums and easy Alpine day trips.
S-Bahn reaches the centre in 15 minutes; the Rhine valley is close.
Fjord city with a fast airport train.
Arlanda Express reaches the city in 20 minutes.