One day in Istanbul

Day by day

1. Day 1: Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace

   Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace, Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) and Basilica Cistern, then Istiklal Avenue in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Hagia Sophia

      Women need a headscarf and everyone needs covered shoulders and knees; the visitor route can close around prayer times, especially Friday midday. Allow 1–1.5 hours.

   2. Late morning

      Topkapı Palace

      Head straight to the Harem and the Treasury on arrival, before tour groups reach them, then finish on the fourth-courtyard terraces. Allow 3–4 hours.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Simit

      Red street carts on every busy corner, ferry piers and on board ferries; bakeries sell warmer ones in the early morning.

   4. Afternoon

      Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)

      Use the separate visitors' entrance, carry your shoes in the bags provided and avoid the half hour around each call to prayer. Allow 45 minutes.

   5. Late afternoon

      Basilica Cistern

      Visit first thing in the morning or late in the day; the stone walkway is slippery when damp, so wear shoes with grip. Allow 45 minutes.

   6. Evening

      Istiklal Avenue

      Ride the historic Tünel funicular, opened in 1875, from Karaköy up to the bottom of the avenue and walk uphill towards Taksim.

Before you go

• Hagia Sophia: Queues for the visitor entrance build quickly in summer; arrive early in the morning or buy the ticket online where offered.
• Topkapı Palace: Buying the ticket online or arriving at opening time avoids the longest ticket queues in summer.

If it rains

• Swap in Grand Bazaar (Beyazıt): Enter through the Beyazıt or Nuruosmaniye gates, browse first and compare prices, and haggle politely; the hans on the outer edge are quieter and more authentic.
• Swap in Dolmabahçe Palace (Beşiktaş): Combine it with lunch in Beşiktaş and a ferry back to Eminönü or across to Kadıköy from the nearby Beşiktaş pier.
• Swap in Pera Museum (Beyoğlu): Pair it with a walk down to the Tünel end of Istiklal and a drink in the Asmalımescit lanes.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 8–9 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.2 hours in December to 15.1 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Tram. The T1 tram runs from Kabataş via Karaköy, Eminönü, Sultanahmet and the Grand Bazaar (Beyazıt) to the western suburbs, linking almost every Old City sight.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Istanbul
• 3 days in Istanbul
• 4 days in Istanbul
• 5 days in Istanbul
• 7 days in Istanbul

Questions travellers ask