Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Lyon to Istanbul. While the right side wins at takeoff for Alpine views, the left side delivers more sustained interest across the full flight — it picks up the northern Adriatic coastline over Slovenia and Croatia in the mid-flight, the Greek mainland and Thessaloniki region, and then the spectacular Istanbul approach over the Marmara and Bosphorus. The Istanbul arrival alone makes left the stronger overall choice.

During takeoff from Saint Exupery (LYS), sit on the Right side for the best views. Lyon-Saint Exupéry's primary departure runway 36R sends aircraft northward before turning east, placing the Alps squarely on the right side. You get a direct view of the Belledonne massif and the Chartreuse range as the aircraft climbs and banks southeast toward the Mediterranean corridor. Notable sights include: Belledonne massif, Chartreuse massif, Lac du Bourget (largest natural lake in France), Rhône valley corridor.

When landing at Ataturk (IST), sit on the Left side for the best views. Istanbul Atatürk's dominant approach is from the west on runway 06, meaning the aircraft tracks over the Sea of Marmara before touchdown. The left side gives you the Bosphorus strait, the historic peninsula with the Old City skyline, and the Golden Horn — the right side faces mostly suburban sprawl. Notable sights include: Bosphorus strait, Sea of Marmara, Istanbul Old City peninsula (Sultanahmet, Hagia Sophia silhouette), Golden Horn inlet.

The flight from Saint Exupery (LYS) to Ataturk (IST) takes Approximately 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours.

The flight tracks southeast from Lyon across the northern Italian Po Plain, then over Slovenia and Croatia with views of the Adriatic coast, across northern Greece passing near Thessaloniki and the Thessaloniki plain, then over Thrace before descending into Istanbul. The Dinaric Alps are visible crossing the Balkans, and on clear days the Aegean coast of Greece appears before the final descent over the Sea of Marmara.