Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Washington to Istanbul. The right side wins overall. The Washington DC departure view is one of the most iconic urban aerial views in the world and is reliably spectacular. The left side has the edge on landing, but the right side also picks up decent views of the Atlantic coast during climb-out and the southern English coastline or northern France depending on routing. The DC departure alone makes right the stronger choice for the full journey.

During takeoff from Washington Dulles International (IAD), sit on the Right side for the best views. Dulles typically departs east on runway 01R/19L or northeast on 12/30. A right-side seat during an eastbound departure gives you a clear view of the Washington DC skyline, the Potomac River, and the National Mall monuments as the aircraft banks toward the Atlantic. The Capitol dome and Washington Monument are unmistakable from this angle. Notable sights include: Washington Monument and National Mall, Potomac River, Capitol Hill, Reagan National Airport below.

When landing at Ataturk (IST), sit on the Left side for the best views. Istanbul Ataturk (now largely replaced by IST but historically used) sits on the European side of Istanbul. Aircraft typically approach from the west or northwest over the Sea of Marmara. A left-side seat gives you the Bosphorus strait, the historic peninsula of old Istanbul with its dense skyline of minarets, and the Asian shore of Istanbul across the water. Notable sights include: Bosphorus Strait, Sea of Marmara, Historic Peninsula of Istanbul (Sultanahmet), Asian shore of Istanbul.

The flight from Washington Dulles International (IAD) to Ataturk (IST) takes Approximately 10 to 11 hours.

The flight typically tracks northeast over the Atlantic, crossing the southern tip of Greenland or Iceland depending on jet stream routing, then over the British Isles or northern France, across central Europe over Germany and Austria or the Alps, then southeast over the Balkans and Bulgaria before descending into Istanbul. The Alps are potentially visible from either side depending on exact routing, and the Adriatic or Black Sea coastlines may appear on the right side during the final descent corridor.