Sabiha Gökçen has one place to sleep past passport control, the Kepler Sleep Cabins, and a hotel a short walk from the terminal for anyone who can enter Türkiye. Left luggage and currency exchange are open around the clock.
Can you sleep at Sabiha Gökçen airport during a layover?
Yes. Past passport control in international departures, Kepler Sleep Cabins rent cabins by the hour, with showers and lockers, for passengers flying out internationally. If you can enter Türkiye, the ISG Airport Hotel is a 5-minute walk from the terminal. Neither publishes a price, so check when you book. The Plaza Premium Lounge in departures is open to travellers in any class who book entry ahead or hold a lounge pass.
Sleeping past passport control: Kepler Sleep Cabins
At Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW), the only beds you can use without entering Türkiye are the Kepler Sleep Cabins, on the mezzanine past passport control in international departures. Everywhere else to sleep is landside.
- What you get. A private cabin by the hour, with a shower, a smart toilet and lockers. There are 28 cabins for men, 14 for women and 5 family rooms, booked at self-service kiosks.
- Who can use them. Passengers with an international flight out of Türkiye. Pegasus offers them to its own passengers as the Kepler Club.
- Price. Not published, and nor is a minimum stay, so check at the kiosks before you settle in.
- Getting there. On a connection, follow the signs once you’re through to international departures. If you’ve been into town, check in for your flight and clear passport control first.
How a connection works here, and whether your passport needs a visa for it: visa and transit rules.
Cabins and the hotel by the terminal
| Hotel | Where | Airside or landside | How you get there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kepler Sleep Cabins | International departures, mezzanine | Airside | After passport control |
| ISG Airport Hotel | Next to the terminal | Landside | A 5-minute walk from the terminal |
The ISG Airport Hotel has 128 rooms on four floors, for crews and transit passengers as well as everyone else. It’s outside the terminal, so you clear passport control into Türkiye to use it, and need a passport that lets you in. It publishes no prices or day rate: book on its own site, or ring +90 216 588 50 00 and ask about a few hours’ rest.
Day rooms
There’s no published day-room rate at Sabiha Gökçen. The Kepler cabins are rented by the hour, which is the closest thing; for a few hours in a hotel bed, ask the ISG Airport Hotel.
Lounges you can pay for
Three business lounges overlook the apron: the Plaza Premium Lounge and two Turkish Airlines CIP lounges, one in domestic and one in international departures.
| Lounge | Where | Who can use it | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plaza Premium Lounge | Domestic and international departures | Pegasus and other airlines with a contract, lounge schemes and some Turkish bank cards, or entry booked ahead | Not published |
| Turkish Airlines CIP lounges | One in domestic, one in international departures | Passengers of airlines with a contract | Through your airline |
The Plaza Premium Lounge is the one to try without an airline’s invitation, and it takes travellers in any class. Priority Pass, LoungeKey and DragonPass are among the lounge schemes it accepts, and GetYourGuide sells entry. It publishes no price or time limit at Sabiha Gökçen, so check whether your card or scheme covers it before you fly, or book ahead through GetYourGuide or the lounge (+90 216 706 0 706).
Showers
Showers come with the Kepler Sleep Cabins, past passport control in international departures. No shower-only price is published, so ask at the Kepler kiosks.
Fast Track
The airport sells Fast Track lanes through passport control and security: ₺1,630 for international arrivals, ₺1,630 for international departures and ₺1,070 for domestic departures (seen November 2026). It isn’t sold at the transfer points, so passengers changing planes can’t use it, and it doesn’t get you on board any sooner. It’s worth paying for on arrival only when your layover is tight and the queue is long.
Left luggage
The left-luggage office is on the international arrivals level, before you leave the terminal, and open around the clock. It charges by the day and by the size of the bag, and publishes no rates, so ask at the desk or call +90 212 588 88 02. It’s landside: to use it, you’ve passed passport control into Türkiye, which suits a day in town rather than a connection spent airside.
Connections, money and Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi is free in the terminal.
- SIM cards. Türk Telekom, Turkcell and Vodafone have shops on the arrivals level. An eSIM set up before you fly avoids the queue.
- Money. Currency exchange offices are open around the clock, in international departures both before and after passport control, in international arrivals and in the baggage hall, and there’s a Yapı Kredi bank branch in the arrivals hall.
- Prayer rooms. There are ten, five for women and five for men, including on the international departures mezzanine towards the 300 gates, and opposite gates 602 and 607 to 608.
- Checking in. Check-in for international flights closes 60 minutes before departure. Back from town with your boarding pass and no bag to drop, 90 minutes is enough to clear passport control and security and reach your gate.