Send Flowers to Turkey from France: Times, Payment, Dates

Paris and the Île-de-France, Strasbourg and the rest of Alsace, Lyon, Grenoble, Marseille: France has a large Turkish community and many Franco-Turkish families, and plenty of French people have friends in Istanbul or fond memories of Cappadocia. If someone you care about lives in Türkiye, a bouquet delivered to their door says what a phone call can't. This guide covers what is specific to sending flowers to Turkey from France: the cut-off in French time, paying with a French bank card, two Mother's Days three weeks apart, the 1 May trap, and how to write a Turkish address and card. For the general process, see how to send flowers to Turkey from abroad.

How it works

Nothing is sent from France. You order online, a local florist near your recipient hand-ties the bouquet and delivers it in person, and you receive a photo of the delivery by email or WhatsApp. No customs, no parcel, no days in transit. We deliver to all 81 provinces of Türkiye, down to neighbourhood (mahalle) and village (köy) level.

The cut-off in French time: 12:00 or 13:00

Orders placed before 14:00 Türkiye time are delivered the same day in the larger cities; deliveries to remote villages may take until the next day. Türkiye stays on UTC+3 all year round. Metropolitan France switches between winter and summer time on the last Sunday of March and of October, so:

• Winter time (CET): Türkiye is 2 hours ahead, so order before 12:00 French time.
• Summer time (CEST): Türkiye is 1 hour ahead, so order before 13:00 French time.

An order placed at 21:00 in Paris lands at 23:00 (winter) or 22:00 (summer) in Türkiye and goes out on the next delivery day. Ordering over breakfast or before lunch is the easiest way to make the same-day cut-off. If you live in an overseas département, simply count back from 14:00 Türkiye time.

There are no deliveries on Sundays or on Turkish public holidays: 1 January, 23 April, 1 May, 19 May, 15 July, 30 August, 29 October and the days of Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı. French holidays such as Ascension, 15 August, All Saints' Day or 11 November are normally ordinary delivery days in Türkiye.

Watch out for 1 May

In France, 1 May means a sprig of lily of the valley (muguet) for the people you love. In Türkiye, 1 May is Labour and Solidarity Day, a public holiday, so there is no delivery that day. If you want flowers to arrive for the occasion, choose 30 April. The same logic applies in July: 14 July is an ordinary working day in Türkiye, but 15 July, Democracy and National Unity Day, is a public holiday.

Paying with a French card

Most French bank cards are Carte Bancaire (CB) cards co-branded with Visa or Mastercard. We accept Visa and Mastercard, so a co-branded CB debit or credit card normally goes through without any problem. Things to know:

• The charge is in Turkish lira (TRY). Prices can be displayed in euros as an approximate guide, but your bank converts the lira amount at its own rate, so your statement may differ slightly.
• Fees outside the euro zone. Many French banks charge a commission on card payments in a foreign currency. Your bank's fee schedule (plaquette tarifaire) shows the amount; some online banks don't charge it.
• Strong authentication. You approve the payment with 3-D Secure, usually in your banking app or with a code sent by SMS.
• Payment refused? Check your card's online payment limit (plafond) and whether online payments abroad are enabled in your banking app.

The delivery fee depends on the district and is shown in the cart before you pay. For a full breakdown, see how much it costs to send flowers to Turkey.

Two Mother's Days, three weeks apart

This is the easiest date to get wrong when you live in France. In Türkiye, Mother's Day (Anneler Günü) is the second Sunday of May: 9 May in 2027. In France, the Fête des Mères is usually the last Sunday of May, moved to the first Sunday of June when it clashes with Pentecost: 30 May in 2027. If your mother or mother-in-law lives in Türkiye, the Turkish date is the one that counts; everyone around her will be celebrating then. As we don't deliver on Sundays, Anneler Günü flowers arrive on the Saturday before (8 May 2027). Order a few days ahead, because florists are at their busiest.

Father's Day is simpler: the Fête des Pères and Turkish Babalar Günü both fall on the third Sunday of June (20 June 2027), so flowers arrive on Saturday 19 June. Valentine's Day 2027 is a Sunday as well: choose Saturday 13 or Monday 15 February. For Bayram, which is a public holiday, we deliver on the days before.

Other occasions

• Birthdays and anniversaries: see our birthday flowers and anniversary flowers.
• Get well: hospitals are a common destination; give the ward and room number.
• Condolences: Turkish funerals usually take place very quickly, often the next day. Read condolence flowers in Turkey first.
• Congratulations: a new job, a graduation or a wedding in the family.

Some habits don't translate exactly from France to Türkiye, from the meaning of colours to the number of stems. Our guide to Turkish flower etiquette explains what to keep in mind.

Where French orders go

Many Turkish families in France have roots in Central Anatolia, on the Black Sea coast or in the east of the country, while relatives also live in the big cities: Istanbul, with districts such as Kadıköy and Beşiktaş, Ankara and Izmir. French friends and partners often send to the coast, to Bodrum or Antalya, and to Cappadocia, where hotels in Ürgüp and the surrounding towns are a popular spot for a surprise. You can type place names without Turkish characters when you search.

Writing a Turkish address

A French address goes from the street number to the postcode and town. A Turkish one goes from large to small:

1. İl (province), e.g. Nevşehir
2. İlçe (district), e.g. Ürgüp; the delivery fee depends on it
3. Mahalle (neighbourhood) or köy (village)
4. Cadde or sokak (street), building number, kat (floor), daire (flat) and, in gated complexes, the site name and blok

Always add the recipient's phone number. In villages without house numbers, a landmark such as “next to the mosque” helps the courier. In hotels, including Cappadocia's cave hotels, deliveries go to reception: give the guest's full name and room number. If a remote address can't be reached, we contact you.

A few lines in Turkish for the card

If your recipient doesn't read French, a sentence or two in Turkish makes the card truly personal:

• “Anneciğim, Anneler Günün kutlu olsun.” – Happy Mother's Day, dear mum.
• “Doğum günün kutlu olsun!” – Happy birthday!
• “Tebrikler, mutluluklar dilerim.” – Congratulations, I wish you every happiness.
• “Seni çok özledim.” – I miss you very much.
• “Başınız sağ olsun.” – My condolences (the standard Turkish expression of sympathy).

Sign off with “Fransa'dan sevgilerle” (with love from France) and your name.

Quick checklist

1. Area chosen down to mahalle or village
2. Delivery date is not a Sunday or a Turkish public holiday, and not 1 May
3. Ordered before 12:00 (winter) or 13:00 (summer) French time for same-day delivery
4. Recipient's phone number added
5. Visa or Mastercard ready, with your banking app for 3-D Secure

If the bouquet arrives damaged or wilted, send us a photo within 24 hours and we will deliver again or refund you. Questions? Message us on WhatsApp or write to info@flowerturkiye.com. Ready to choose? Browse our bouquets.