Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Copenhagen to Istanbul. The left side wins overall because the Istanbul arrival view over the Bosphorus and historic peninsula is one of the most spectacular urban approaches in Europe, and the left side also captures the Baltic Sea coastline and parts of the Black Sea region during the cruise portion of the flight.

During takeoff from Kastrup (CPH), sit on the Right side for the best views. CPH typically departs on runway 22L/22R heading southwest, then turns southeast toward Turkey. The right side gives you a clear view back over the Øresund strait and the Øresund Bridge connecting Denmark to Sweden, plus the low-lying coastline of Amager island below. Notable sights include: Øresund Bridge, Øresund strait, Amager Fælled (the flat green island below), southern Swedish coastline at Malmö.

When landing at Ataturk (IST), sit on the Left side for the best views. Istanbul Atatürk airport primarily uses runways oriented roughly east-west (06/24). Arriving from the north on runway 06, the left side faces north and gives a direct view over the Bosphorus strait, the Golden Horn, and the historic peninsula with the Sultanahmet skyline. The right side faces south over the Sea of Marmara. Notable sights include: Bosphorus strait, Golden Horn inlet, Sultanahmet historic peninsula (Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia silhouettes), Sea of Marmara.

The flight from Kastrup (CPH) to Ataturk (IST) takes Approximately 3 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes.

The route tracks southeast over the Baltic Sea, then crosses the Polish or Romanian coast depending on routing, passes over Bulgaria or the Black Sea coast, and descends into Istanbul from the northwest. Notable features include the Baltic Sea, the Carpathian mountain ridges visible as distant elevated terrain in Romania, the Danube plain, and the Bulgarian highlands before the Black Sea coastline appears on the left side during descent.