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Istanbul itinerary

Every place in “15 Top Places to Visit in Istanbul”. Save places in the guide to make this list yours.

  1. 1

    Hagia Sophia - 1,500 Years of Sacred Architecture

    No list of places to visit in Istanbul can start anywhere else. Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) has been a Byzantine cathedral, Ottoman mosque, secular museum, and - since 2020 - a functioning mosque again, all under the same…

    Address
    Sultan Ahmet, Ayasofya Meydani No:1, 34122 Fatih, Istanbul
    Nearest transit
    T1 tram - Sultanahmet stop (1 min walk)
  2. 2

    Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) - Six Minarets and 20,000 Tiles

    The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) stands directly opposite Hagia Sophia, a deliberate architectural challenge commissioned by Sultan Ahmed I in 1609. Its popular name comes from the more than 20,000 handmade Iznik…

    Address
    Sultan Ahmet, At Meydani No:7, 34122 Fatih, Istanbul
    Nearest transit
    T1 tram - Sultanahmet stop (2 min walk)
  3. 3

    Topkapi Palace - Four Centuries of Ottoman Power

    Topkapi Palace (Topkapi Sarayi) served as the primary residence and administrative centre of the Ottoman sultans for nearly 400 years, from the mid-15th century until the 1850s. The complex sprawls across a promontory…

    Address
    Cankurtaran, 34122 Fatih, Istanbul
    Nearest transit
    T1 tram - Gulhane stop (5 min walk through park)
  4. 4

    Basilica Cistern - An Underground Cathedral of Water

    The Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnici) is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns beneath Istanbul's streets. Built in 532 CE under Emperor Justinian (the same ruler who built Hagia Sophia), this underground…

    Address
    Alemdar, Yerebatan Caddesi 1/3, 34110 Fatih, Istanbul
    Nearest transit
    T1 tram - Sultanahmet stop (2 min walk)
  5. 5

    Grand Bazaar - 4,000 Shops Under One Roof

    The Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi) is one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world, a labyrinth of 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops that has operated continuously since 1461. The original structure was…

    Address
    Beyazit, Kalpakcilar Caddesi, 34126 Fatih, Istanbul
    Nearest transit
    T1 tram - Beyazit/Kapalicarsi stop (2 min walk)
  6. 6

    Spice Bazaar - Istanbul's Aromatic Market Hall

    The Spice Bazaar (Misir Carsisi, also called the Egyptian Bazaar) is Istanbul's second-largest covered market, built in 1660 as part of the New Mosque complex at Eminonu. The L-shaped hall contains around 85 shops…

    Address
    Rustem Pasa, Eminonu, 34116 Fatih, Istanbul
    Nearest transit
    T1 tram - Eminonu stop (2 min walk)
  7. 7

    Suleymaniye Mosque - Sinan's Ottoman Masterpiece

    The Suleymaniye Mosque is widely considered the finest work of Mimar Sinan, the greatest architect of the Ottoman Empire, and many regard it as the most beautiful mosque in Istanbul. Commissioned by Suleiman the…

    Address
    Suleymaniye, Prof. Siddik Sami Onar Caddesi, 34116 Fatih, Istanbul
    Nearest transit
    T1 tram - Beyazit stop (10 min walk uphill)
  8. 8

    Galata Tower - Medieval Watchtower with Panoramic Views

    The Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi) is a 67-metre stone cylinder that has dominated the Beyoglu skyline since 1348, when it was built by Genoese colonists as the apex of their fortified trading quarter across the Golden…

    Address
    Bereketzade, Galata Kulesi Sokak, 34421 Beyoglu, Istanbul
    Nearest transit
    M2 metro - Sishane stop (5 min walk) or Tunel funicular
  9. 9

    Istiklal Avenue and Taksim Square - Istanbul's Beating Heart

    Istiklal Caddesi is a 1.4-kilometre pedestrian boulevard running from Taksim Square to the Tunel funicular station near Galata Tower. In the late Ottoman period this was the Grande Rue de Pera, the European-style high…

    Address
    Istiklal Caddesi, 34433 Beyoglu, Istanbul
    Nearest transit
    M2 metro - Taksim stop; Tunel funicular at southern end
  10. 10

    Bosphorus Cruise - Where Europe Meets Asia

    A cruise up the Bosphorus strait is essential for understanding Istanbul's geography - the narrow waterway that separates the European and Asian halves of the city, connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. The…

    Address
    Eminonu Ferry Terminal, Pier 3, 34116 Fatih, Istanbul
    Nearest transit
    T1 tram - Eminonu stop (adjacent to ferry pier)
  11. 11

    Dolmabahce Palace - Ottoman Baroque on the Bosphorus Shore

    Dolmabahce Palace replaced Topkapi as the main Ottoman royal residence in 1856, and its European-inspired design represents a dramatic break from traditional Ottoman architecture. The 285-metre Bosphorus-facing facade…

    Address
    Viskela Caddesi No:1, 34357 Besiktas, Istanbul
    Nearest transit
    T1 tram - Kabatas terminus (10 min walk north)
  12. 12

    Chora Church (Kariye Mosque) - The Finest Byzantine Mosaics in the World

    The Chora Church (Kariye Camii, formerly the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora) is home to what many art historians consider the most important surviving cycle of Byzantine mosaics and frescoes outside of Ravenna. The…

    Address
    Dervish Ali, Kariye Cami Sokak No:18, 34087 Fatih, Istanbul
    Nearest transit
    T4 tram - Edirnekapi stop (10 min walk) or taxi
  13. 13

    Hippodrome and the Sultanahmet Square

    The Hippodrome (At Meydani) was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople for over a thousand years - a Roman chariot-racing arena that once held 100,000 spectators. Today the elongated Sultanahmet Square…

    Address
    Sultan Ahmet, At Meydani, 34122 Fatih, Istanbul
    Nearest transit
    T1 tram - Sultanahmet stop (1 min walk)
  14. 14

    Ortakoy and the Bosphorus Waterfront

    Ortakoy is a compact waterfront neighbourhood on the European shore of the Bosphorus, directly beneath the First Bosphorus Bridge (15 July Martyrs Bridge). The centrepiece is the Ortakoy Mosque (Buyuk Mecidiye Camii), a…

    Address
    Ortakoy, Mecidiye Koprulu Sokak, 34347 Besiktas, Istanbul
    Nearest transit
    Bus 22, 25E, or 40 from Kabatas or Besiktas (15 min)
  15. 15

    Princes Islands - A Car-Free Escape in the Sea of Marmara

    The Princes Islands (Adalar) are a chain of nine islands in the Sea of Marmara, just 12-20 km southeast of central Istanbul. Motor vehicles are banned on all islands, making them a remarkably quiet escape from the…

    Address
    Buyukada and Heybeliada, Princes Islands, Istanbul
    Nearest transit
    Sehir Hatlari ferry from Kabatas (75-90 min)

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