Things to do · Istanbul · Turkey
20 best things to do in Istanbul
20 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Carlos Delgado, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Istanbul are Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace and Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque). Of the 20 picks below, 9 are free, 6 work on a rainy day and 5 suit children. Allow about 5 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Hagia Sophia
- Free sights
- 9
- Good on a rainy day
- Basilica Cistern
- Time to see the highlights
- 5 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hagia Sophia | Sultanahmet | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Topkapı Palace | Sultanahmet | 3–4 hours | Mid-priced |
| Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) | Sultanahmet | 45 minutes | Free |
| Grand Bazaar | Beyazıt | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Galata Tower | Galata | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| Bosphorus by ferry | Eminönü | 20 minutes–2 hours | Low cost |
| Basilica Cistern | Sultanahmet | 45 minutes | Mid-priced |
| Spice Bazaar | Eminönü | 1 hour | Free |
| Süleymaniye Mosque | Süleymaniye | 1 hour | Free |
| Dolmabahçe Palace | Beşiktaş | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Istiklal Avenue | Beyoğlu | 2 hours | Free |
| Balat and Fener walk | Balat | Half a day | Free |
| Kadıköy market streets | Kadıköy | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Maiden's Tower | Üsküdar | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Rüstem Pasha Mosque | Eminönü | 30 minutes | Free |
| Pera Museum | Beyoğlu | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Istanbul Modern | Karaköy | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Gülhane Park | Sultanahmet | 45 minutes | Free |
| Rahmi M. Koç Museum | Hasköy | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Pierre Loti Hill and Eyüp | Eyüp | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
The 20 best things to do
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Religious site · Sultanahmet
1.Hagia Sophia
Built in 537 under Emperor Justinian, Hagia Sophia was the largest church in Christendom for nearly a thousand years, became a mosque in 1453, a museum in 1934 and a mosque again in 2020. Visitors who are not praying follow a separate, ticketed route to the upper galleries, where Byzantine mosaics such as the Deësis look down into the vast domed nave.
Women need a headscarf and everyone needs covered shoulders and knees; the visitor route can close around prayer times, especially Friday midday.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Queues for the visitor entrance build quickly in summer; arrive early in the morning or buy the ticket online where offered.
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Art
Palace · Sultanahmet
2.Topkapı Palace
The Ottoman sultans ruled from Topkapı for about 400 years. Its four courtyards lead to the Imperial Treasury with the Topkapı Dagger and the Spoonmaker's Diamond, the Sacred Relics rooms, tiled pavilions and terraces overlooking the meeting of the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. The Harem, the sultan's private quarters, needs a separate or combined ticket and is worth it.
Head straight to the Harem and the Treasury on arrival, before tour groups reach them, then finish on the fourth-courtyard terraces.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Buying the ticket online or arriving at opening time avoids the longest ticket queues in summer.
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Views
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Religious site · Sultanahmet
3.Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)
Completed in 1616, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque has six minarets, a cascade of domes and an interior lined with more than 20,000 blue İznik tiles that give it its popular name. It is an active mosque with free entry for visitors outside prayer times, and it faces Hagia Sophia across the Sultanahmet park and fountain.
Use the separate visitors' entrance, carry your shoes in the bags provided and avoid the half hour around each call to prayer.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- History
Market · Beyazıt
4.Grand Bazaar
One of the oldest covered markets in the world, the Kapalıçarşı began trading in the 1460s and now has around 60 vaulted streets of jewellers, carpet dealers, leather shops, lamp makers and tea sellers. Old caravanserais (hans) around its edges still house workshops. It shuts on Sundays and public holidays.
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.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Shopping
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
Viewpoint · Galata
5.Galata Tower
The Genoese built this stone tower in 1348 as part of the walls of their Galata colony. A lift and stairs lead to a narrow balcony with a 360-degree view over the Golden Horn, the Old City skyline and the Bosphorus; the lower floors hold a small exhibition on the tower's history.
The queue is longest at sunset; go at opening time instead, or simply admire the tower from the surrounding lanes, which are free.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Iconic
- History
- Couples
- Photo spot
Experience · Eminönü
6.Bosphorus by ferry
The best way to see the Bosphorus is from the water. Şehir Hatları's Bosphorus tour from Eminönü runs up the strait past Dolmabahçe, Ortaköy, Rumeli Hisarı and the waterfront mansions, while ordinary commuter ferries from Eminönü, Karaköy or Beşiktaş to Kadıköy or Üsküdar give a 20-minute intercontinental crossing for the price of a transit ride.
Sit on the open upper deck on the left side heading north for the European shore, and buy tea and simit from the onboard vendors.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
- Photo spot
Historic site · Sultanahmet
7.Basilica Cistern
This 6th-century underground reservoir held water for the Great Palace of Constantinople. A walkway leads through a dim forest of 336 marble columns, many recycled from older buildings, to two column bases carved with upside-down Medusa heads. Restored lighting and occasional art installations make it one of the most atmospheric stops in the Old City.
Visit first thing in the morning or late in the day; the stone walkway is slippery when damp, so wear shoes with grip.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- Kids
- Photo spot
Market · Eminönü
8.Spice Bazaar
The L-shaped Mısır Çarşısı (Egyptian Bazaar) was built in the 1660s beside the New Mosque at Eminönü. Its stalls are piled with spices, dried fruit, nuts, Turkish delight and tea, and the streets outside are where locals buy coffee, cheese, cured meat and kitchenware at lower prices.
Walk the outside lanes towards Tahtakale for everyday shopping, and buy Turkish coffee freshly ground from the long-established roasters nearby.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
- Free
- History
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Religious site · Süleymaniye
1.Süleymaniye Mosque
Mimar Sinan built this mosque for Süleyman the Magnificent in the 1550s on the third of the city's seven hills. Its calm, light-filled interior is less crowded than the Sultanahmet mosques, and the garden holds the tombs of Süleyman and his wife Hürrem Sultan. The rear terrace looks over the Golden Horn to Galata.
Go late afternoon for the view from the terrace, then eat beans and rice at the lokantas on the street beside the mosque.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Views
Palace · Beşiktaş
2.Dolmabahçe Palace
Completed in 1856 when the sultans moved out of Topkapı, Dolmabahçe mixes European baroque and Ottoman styles along 600 metres of Bosphorus waterfront. Gilded halls, crystal staircases and a vast chandelier fill the Ceremonial Hall, and the room where Atatürk died in 1938 is preserved with its clocks stopped at 9:05.
Combine it with lunch in Beşiktaş and a ferry back to Eminönü or across to Kadıköy from the nearby Beşiktaş pier.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Street · Beyoğlu
3.Istiklal Avenue
This 1.4-kilometre pedestrian street runs from Taksim Square to Tünel past 19th-century embassies, arcades and churches, including the Çiçek Pasajı (Flower Passage) and the Church of St Anthony of Padua. Side streets lead to meyhanes, record shops, bookstores and rooftop bars.
Ride the historic Tünel funicular, opened in 1875, from Karaköy up to the bottom of the avenue and walk uphill towards Taksim.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- After dark
- Shopping
- Food
Neighbourhood · Balat
4.Balat and Fener walk
A walk through these Golden Horn quarters passes rows of painted houses, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Bulgarian St Stephen Church, built from prefabricated cast-iron panels in 1898, and the red-brick Phanar Greek Orthodox College on the hill above. Small cafés and antique shops line Vodina Caddesi.
Take a bus or the Golden Horn ferry to Fener or Balat and walk uphill; residents are conservative, so dress modestly and ask before photographing people.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Photo spot
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Architecture
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Market · Kadıköy
5.Kadıköy market streets
The pedestrian streets just up from Kadıköy pier are the Asian side's food market: fishmongers on Güneşlibahçe Sokak, delis selling cheese, olives and pastırma, pickle shops, bakeries and simple restaurants. The ferry over from Eminönü or Karaköy is part of the experience.
Come hungry at lunchtime, try pickle juice and stuffed mussels, then walk 15 minutes to the Moda seafront for tea.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- Free
- Shopping
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Landmark · Üsküdar
6.Maiden's Tower
This small tower on an islet off Üsküdar has served as a lighthouse, quarantine station and watchtower, and reopened as a museum after a restoration completed in 2023. Short boat shuttles cross from the Üsküdar shore; even without visiting, the Salacak promenade opposite is one of the city's classic sunset spots.
Sit in one of the waterside tea gardens at Salacak at sunset and watch the Old City skyline turn gold behind the tower.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Couples
- Kids
- History
Religious site · Eminönü
7.Rüstem Pasha Mosque
Raised above a row of shops near the Spice Bazaar, this small mosque by Mimar Sinan is covered inside and out with some of the finest 16th-century İznik tiles in the city, in tulip, carnation and geometric designs. It is easy to miss: a staircase from the market street leads up to the courtyard.
Look for the stone staircase on Hasırcılar Caddesi; visit between prayers and combine it with the Spice Bazaar.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Off the beaten path
- Architecture
Museum · Beyoğlu
8.Pera Museum
A private museum in a restored 19th-century building off Istiklal Avenue, best known for Osman Hamdi Bey's painting The Tortoise Trainer, Orientalist art, Kütahya tiles and a collection of Anatolian weights and measures. It also hosts well-curated temporary exhibitions.
Pair it with a walk down to the Tünel end of Istiklal and a drink in the Asmalımescit lanes.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- History
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Gallery · Karaköy
9.Istanbul Modern
Turkey's leading modern and contemporary art museum moved in 2023 into a building by Renzo Piano on the Karaköy waterfront. The collection traces Turkish art from the late Ottoman period to today, and the terrace and restaurant look across the Bosphorus to the Old City and Topkapı.
Leave time for the rooftop terrace, then walk along the Galataport waterfront towards Tophane.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Views
Park · Sultanahmet
10.Gülhane Park
Once the outer garden of Topkapı Palace, Gülhane is a shady, free park sloping down towards Seraglio Point, with plane trees, tea stalls and a view over the Bosphorus at its far end. In April its beds are planted with tens of thousands of tulips, a flower closely tied to Ottoman culture.
Walk through it after Topkapı to Seraglio Point and the tea terraces overlooking the Bosphorus.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Kids
Museum · Hasköy
11.Rahmi M. Koç Museum
Housed in an Ottoman anchor foundry and a former shipyard on the Golden Horn, this industrial museum displays vintage cars, steam engines, aircraft, trams, boats and a submarine you can walk through. Many exhibits are hands-on, which makes it the best museum in the city for children.
Reach it by the Golden Horn ferry, which stops at Hasköy, and combine it with Balat on the same day.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Viewpoint · Eyüp
12.Pierre Loti Hill and Eyüp
Above the Eyüp Sultan Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Turkey, a cable car climbs to a hilltop café named after the French novelist Pierre Loti. The terrace looks down the full length of the Golden Horn towards the Old City; walking up instead leads through a hillside Ottoman cemetery.
Visit Eyüp Sultan Mosque first, ride the cable car up and walk back down through the cemetery in the late afternoon.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Couples
- Off the beaten path
- History
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Hagia Sophia, Rüstem Pasha Mosque, Pera Museum and Istanbul Modern |
| History | Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace, Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) and Basilica Cistern |
| Views | Topkapı Palace, Süleymaniye Mosque, Galata Tower and Bosphorus by ferry |
| Outdoors and nature | Gülhane Park |
| Food and markets | Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, Istiklal Avenue and Kadıköy market streets |
| After dark | Istiklal Avenue |
| With children | Basilica Cistern, Bosphorus by ferry, Maiden's Tower and Gülhane Park |
| On a rainy day | Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar, Dolmabahçe Palace and Pera Museum |
What to book ahead
- 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.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Istanbul?
Hagia Sophia. Built in 537 under Emperor Justinian, Hagia Sophia was the largest church in Christendom for nearly a thousand years, became a mosque in 1453, a museum in 1934 and a mosque again in 2020.
+What can you do for free in Istanbul?
Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque), Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, Süleymaniye Mosque and Istiklal Avenue. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Istanbul when it rains?
Head indoors to Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar, Dolmabahçe Palace and Pera Museum.
+What is there to do in Istanbul at night?
Istiklal Avenue are best after dark.