Middle East Flight Routes

Stopover or destination

The Gulf's three big airlines built their networks on the idea that you would change planes in Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi on the way somewhere else, and they are very good at it — the connections are frequent, the terminals are built for transferring, and the fares are often lower than flying direct elsewhere. What is worth deciding early is whether you want that connection to be ninety minutes airside or two nights in the city, because the two produce very different trips.

If you take the stopover, two to four nights is the range that works. Dubai and Doha both have metro systems that reach the main hotel districts from the airport without a taxi, so a short stay is genuinely practical rather than a logistical exercise. Under a day is not usually worth clearing immigration for. The Middle East stay guides cover which districts sit on those metro lines.

Istanbul is two airports and two continents

Istanbul airport (IST) sits on the European side and handles the long-haul network; Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) is across on the Asian side and serves mostly low-cost and regional traffic. If you are staying in Sultanahmet or Beyoğlu — which almost everyone is on a first visit — arriving at SAW means crossing the Bosphorus in traffic, and that can take well over an hour at the wrong time of day. The fare difference is often real, but so is the transfer.

Once you are in the city, Istanbul is a place where the ferries are genuinely the best way to move between the two sides, and where a hire car is close to useless. Our London to Istanbul guide goes into which airport suits which neighbourhood.

Fare families and what is actually included

Gulf carriers have a reputation for generosity that is broadly deserved but no longer automatic. Emirates, Qatar and Etihad all sell tiered economy fares now, and the lowest tier typically restricts seat selection, charges for changes and sometimes trims the checked allowance. It is still usually more inclusive than a European low-cost fare, but the difference between the cheapest and second-cheapest fare on the same flight can be worth paying once you factor in a seat and a bag.

Read the fare label rather than the airline's reputation, and confirm the baggage allowance on the partner site before you book — that is where the binding terms live.

Heat, and the calendar that follows it

The Gulf's season is the inverse of Europe's. Between roughly October and April the weather is superb, the Marina walks and desert camps are pleasant, and the region is at its most expensive and busiest. From June to September the daytime heat is severe enough that outdoor plans stop being realistic, and the trip becomes largely indoors — malls, museums and hotel pools. That is not necessarily a bad holiday, and prices reflect it, but it is worth going in with clear expectations.

Two other things move the calendar. Ramadan shifts by around eleven days each year and changes restaurant and café hours considerably, though hotels and tourist sites continue to operate. And the region's big event weekends — Formula One in Abu Dhabi, major conferences in Dubai — fill hotels well beyond their usual rates, so check what is on before you commit to dates.