iGA Lounge, Istanbul Airport

The new Istanbul Airport (known in English as Istanbul Airport, code IST) is the main international airport serving the Turkish city of Istanbul. It has three terminals: terminal 1 is for domestic flights, terminal 2 for international flights, and terminal 3 for both domestic and international flights.

The total capacity of the IST airport is an incredible 200 million passengers per year. The airport serves as a major transfer hub. If you’re flying from Prague with Turkish Airlines (or other carriers) to distant parts of Asia (such as Kyrgyzstan, Iran) or Africa (like Egypt without a travel agency), you’ll likely connect through Istanbul.

For long-haul flights with layovers, you might have several hours to wait (from quick two-hour connections to long layovers of five hours or more). In such cases, it might be worth spending time in a more comfortable environment, such as an airport lounge offering better amenities, food, drinks, and even showers. At Istanbul Airport, one such lounge is the iGA Lounge.

On my trip to Mauritius, I had just under three hours to transfer in Istanbul, and I decided to spend this time in the iGA Lounge, despite the fact that reviews of this lounge weren’t as enthusiastic as those for the Sky Lounge in Vienna.

The iGA Lounge in Istanbul is open 24 hours a day, and I arrived there around midnight. By that time, the hot buffet was mostly closed, and guests could help themselves from large tables offering about 10 types of Turkish appetizers and salads.

I tried the couscous, which was truly excellent, and I would have been thrilled to receive it in any restaurant. However, other dishes were less impressive in terms of flavor. Guests could also grab filled rolls or a limited selection of sweets, which didn’t come close to the quality of Turkish desserts typically found elsewhere.

The bar is located at one end of the iGA Lounge and is not self-service. Beer, poured wine, and even mixed cocktails (e.g., gin and tonic) are available. Despite the lounge being crowded, the staff was quick and had no issues with guests coming back for multiple drinks.

The non-alcoholic section was much more extensive, offering sparkling or still water, Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Fuzetea, and Cappy juices. Guests could also help themselves to coffee or Turkish tea.

What I must highlight about the iGA Lounge is its view. The lounge is located on the first floor in the center of the terminal, at the highest possible point. This allows you to observe the bustling activity below, even late at night.

The lounge is enormous and offers plenty of seating. The new Istanbul Airport was opened just a few years ago, so the lounge is very modern in design.

Another advantage is that once inside the lounge, you can access three hours of Wi-Fi. Passengers outside the lounge only get one hour.

You can access the lounge for free with certain credit cards, or you can purchase entry directly. I bought access for 720 CZK (28.80 EUR) through the travel card Revolut, which I always use on my trips.

For more information about the iGA Lounge at Istanbul Airport, click on the map link:

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