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On my first Camino in 2015 my son and I decided to fly from Chicago to Madrid with a very l o n g layover in Istanbul first, which saved $300 each on airfare. It was pure torture trying to sleep in the airport for many hours before taking off again. It also adds many more hours of time in the air as Istanbul is much farther east and south than Madrid...I say never again. We did not know of the incentives of perks offered at that time. But I would not consider it anyway as unrest in that country has been escalating.It's a bit crazy but Turkish Airlines has flights to Spain from many places that include a stopover in Istanbul with a night or two free hotel stay. So, for example, I could book a Boston to Madrid or Barcelona flight that stops in Istanbul first and see the sights there before flying to Spain. I saw this first three years ago and the price then was about what I paid for our airfare anyway. Then, if the stopover was short, you could get a free bus tour of the city. See https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-tr/flights/stopover/
The site has links for you to check visa requirements (you may need a visa for Turkey even you don't for the EU.)