Things to do in Istanbul
A real day-by-day plan, the places travellers rate highest, and one button to make it your own.
Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, a megacity, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical center. With a population of over 15 million, it is home to 18% of the population of Turkey. Istanbul is among the largest cities in Europe and in the world by population. It is a city on two continents; about two-thirds of its population live in Europe and the rest in Asia. Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus – one of the world's busiest waterways – in northwestern Turkey, between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Its area of 5,461 square kilometers (2,109 mi2) is coterminous with Istanbul Province.
Source: Wikipedia (Istanbul), CC BY-SA
Highlights travellers rate highest
Hidden Garden Restaurant Sultanahmet
Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
Hagia Sophia, officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, is a mosque and a major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. It was formerly a church (360–1453) and a museum (1935–2020). The last of three church buildings to be successively erected on the site by the Eastern Roman Empire, it was completed in AD 537, becoming the world's largest interior space and among the first to employ a fully pendentive dome. It is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture". From its dedication in 360 until 1453, Hagia Sophia served as the cathedral of Constantinople in the Byzantine liturgical tradition, except for the period 1204–1261 when the Latin Crusaders installed their own hierarchy. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, it served as a mosque, having its minarets added soon after. The site became a museum in 1935, and was redesignated as a mosque in 2020.
The Blue Mosque
Day 1 on the trip
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Day 2 on the tripGülhane Park
Gülhane Park is a historical urban park in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey; it covers an area of 9.7 ha, is adjacent to and on the grounds of the Topkapı Palace. The south entrance of the park sports one of the larger gates of the palace. It is the oldest and one of the most expansive public parks in Istanbul.
Istanbul Archaeological Museums
The Istanbul Archaeology Museums are a group of three archaeological museums located in the Eminönü quarter of Istanbul, Turkey, near Gülhane Park and Topkapı Palace. These museums house over one million objects from nearly all periods and civilizations in world history.
Topkapı Palace Harem Units
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7 days in Istanbul, planned day by day
Built from real, bookable activities — flights, stays and experiences included at around €1,017.
- 1
Arrival & Sultanahmet first steps
Land, settle into the Old Town base and ease in with the two grandest monuments at day's end when queues thin.
- 2
Imperial Topkapi & the archaeological treasures
A full day inside the Ottoman palace complex and its neighbouring museum, ending with a green wind-down.
- 3
Underground & undercover Istanbul
Pair the atmospheric cistern with a grand mosque, then dive into the Grand Bazaar quarter.
- 4
City walls & Byzantine mosaics
Head to the ancient land walls for Istanbul's finest mosaics and frescoes, a quieter, local-feeling day.
