Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Denver to Istanbul. The right side wins overall because the Istanbul arrival view of the Bosphorus, Golden Horn, and Sultanahmet peninsula is one of the most spectacular urban approaches in the world. The left side at departure has the better Rocky Mountain view, but the right side delivers on both the arrival and also captures the Greenland ice sheet and Atlantic coastlines during the transatlantic cruise portion of the flight.

During takeoff from Denver International (DEN), sit on the Left side for the best views. DEN typically departs east or southeast on runways 16/17/25/26. A left-side seat on an eastward departure gives you a clear look back at the entire Front Range of the Rockies as the aircraft climbs and turns. The Rocky Mountain wall from Pikes Peak in the south to Longs Peak in the north is laid out in a single panoramic sweep. Notable sights include: Front Range of the Rocky Mountains (Longs Peak, Mt. Evans, Pikes Peak), Denver city grid and downtown skyline, Cherry Creek Reservoir, the flat expanse of the High Plains stretching east.

When landing at Ataturk (IST), sit on the Right side for the best views. Istanbul Ataturk Airport (IST/LTBA, now largely replaced by the new Istanbul Airport but historically referenced) — and the new Istanbul Airport — both sit on the European side of Istanbul. Approaches from the west or northwest over the Black Sea or Thrace typically bring the right side of the aircraft over the Bosphorus Strait, the Golden Horn, and the historic peninsula of Sultanahmet with the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia visible. A right-side seat captures this iconic urban geography on final approach. Notable sights include: Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn inlet, Sultanahmet historic peninsula (Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia), Sea of Marmara.

The flight from Denver International (DEN) to Ataturk (IST) takes Approximately 12 to 13 hours nonstop (no direct service exists currently — typical routing via connections adds 15-18 hours total travel time).

The great circle route crosses the northern Great Plains of Canada, then arcs over the southern tip of Greenland or the Labrador Sea, crosses the North Atlantic, passes over Ireland or Scotland, then tracks across England, the Netherlands or Germany, Poland, and Ukraine or Romania before descending into Turkey. Notable features include the Canadian Shield's lake-dotted boreal forest, Greenland's ice sheet edge and fjords, the British Isles coastline, the Alps visible to the south as a distant white ridge, and the Danube River valley in central Europe.