The Best Things to Do in Istanbul

14 best things to do in Istanbul

Ranked best-first, with an insider tip and how to book each. Prices and hours change - check before you go.

1. 1

   Hagia Sophia

   Icons

   The 6th-century basilica-turned-mosque is the building that defines Istanbul: a dome so vast it was the world's largest cathedral for a thousand years, layered with Byzantine gold mosaics and giant Ottoman calligraphy roundels. No other building carries as much history per square metre.

   Insider tip: Visitors now enter via a dedicated route with timed tickets - book online to skip the line, and go at opening before the tour groups land. It closes to visitors during prayer times, so check the day's schedule. The upper-gallery route gives the best view of the dome and the surviving mosaics.

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2. 2

   The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque)

   IconsFree

   Hagia Sophia's great rival across the square, built to out-dome it in 1616 and famous for its six minarets and the tens of thousands of blue Iznik tiles that give it its nickname. The cascade of domes and half-domes is one of the finest silhouettes in the Islamic world.

   Insider tip: Entry is free but it shuts to visitors around each of the five daily prayers - the gap after morning prayer is the quietest slot. Dress modestly: legs and shoulders covered, headscarves for women (loaners are provided at the door), shoes off and carried in a bag. Come back at dusk when the minarets light up.

3. 3

   Topkapi Palace

   History

   The Ottoman sultans ruled a third of the known world from this sprawling palace of courtyards, pavilions and treasuries above the Bosphorus for 400 years. The Imperial Treasury's emerald daggers, the sacred relics chamber and the tiled intimacy of the Harem are the standouts.

   Insider tip: Buy the combined ticket that includes the Harem - it's the best part and skipping it to save a few lira is a false economy. Allow a solid half day and arrive at opening; the treasury queues balloon by mid-morning. The fourth-courtyard terraces have superb Bosphorus views for a breather.

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4. 4

   Basilica Cistern

   History

   A 6th-century underground reservoir held up by 336 marble columns rising out of dark, carp-filled water - Byzantine engineering turned into one of the most atmospheric spaces in the city. The two recycled Medusa-head column bases at the far end are the cult sight.

   Insider tip: Book a timed ticket online; the walk-up line bakes on the pavement in summer while ticket-holders walk past. Visits take 30-45 minutes, the walkways are damp and dim, and it's blissfully cool on a hot day - save it for the afternoon slump. Evening slots are moodier and quieter.

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5. 5

   The Grand Bazaar

   IconsFree

   One of the world's oldest and largest covered markets: 4,000 shops along 60-odd vaulted streets, trading carpets, gold, lamps, ceramics and leather since 1461. Even if you buy nothing, the painted arcades and the theatre of the haggle are essential Istanbul.

   Insider tip: Enter with a plan or happily without one - getting lost is the experience. Haggling is expected on carpets and jewellery (start well below the ask), less so on small fixed-price items. Closed Sundays. The quieter hans (courtyards) off the main drags hide the workshops and the best photos.

6. 6

   Spice Bazaar & Eminonu

   Food & drinkFree

   The 17th-century Egyptian Bazaar is a shorter, more fragrant cousin of the Grand Bazaar - pyramids of saffron, sumac, Turkish delight and dried fruit under painted vaults, beside the ferry-crowded Eminonu waterfront and the Galata Bridge's fish sandwiches.

   Insider tip: Taste before you buy and compare a couple of stalls; the shops one street behind the bazaar sell the same spices to locals for less. Pair it with the beautiful Rustem Pasha Mosque upstairs nearby - a tiny Iznik-tiled gem most visitors miss - and a balik ekmek (grilled fish sandwich) by the bridge.

7. 7

   Cruise the Bosphorus

   Outdoors

   The strait is Istanbul's main street, and seeing the city from the water - Ottoman palaces, wooden waterfront mansions, two intercontinental bridges and fortress walls sliding past - is the single best way to grasp its shape. It's also the most relaxing hour or two you'll spend here.

   Insider tip: Options scale with budget: the public ferries are the cheapest, the 90-minute short circle tours from Eminonu are the standard choice, and sunset yacht cruises are the splurge. The full-length cruise to Anadolu Kavagi eats most of a day - the short tour shows you the best of it.

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8. 8

   Ferry to Kadikoy and the Asian side

   NeighbourhoodsFree

   For the price of a bus ticket, the commuter ferry crosses to another continent - gulls trailing the boat, the old-city skyline of domes and minarets receding behind you. Kadikoy on the Asian shore is Istanbul's best eating district: market streets, meyhanes, third-wave coffee and almost no tour groups.

   Insider tip: Go hungry. Work through the Kadikoy market streets - fish stalls, pickle shops, lokantas - then coffee in Moda and the waterfront walk back to the pier for sunset over the European side. Ferries run constantly from Eminonu, Karakoy and Besiktas; just tap on with an Istanbulkart.

9. 9

   Galata Tower & Beyoglu

   Views

   The 14th-century Genoese tower anchors the north bank and its balcony has the classic 360-degree panorama: the Golden Horn, the old city's minaret-studded ridge and the Bosphorus in one sweep. Around it, Beyoglu's steep lanes hold the city's galleries, meyhanes and nightlife.

   Insider tip: The tower is small and the queue-to-view ratio can be poor at midday - book a slot online and go near opening or for sunset. Many rooftop cafes nearby offer nearly the same view with a drink for the price of entry. Walk down through Galata's lanes to Karakoy for the food scene afterwards.

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10. 10

    Suleymaniye Mosque

    HistoryFree

    The masterpiece of Sinan, the Ottoman golden age's great architect, crowning the third hill above the Golden Horn. It's grander in serenity than the Blue Mosque is in fame - a vast, calm prayer hall flooded with light, and a terrace with the best free view over the water.

    Insider tip: It draws a fraction of Sultanahmet's crowds, which is exactly why locals send you here. Same mosque etiquette applies: free entry outside prayer times, modest dress, shoes off. The garden terrace behind the mosque overlooks the Golden Horn - come in late afternoon light and eat at the famous bean restaurants beside it.

11. 11

    A traditional hamam

    Experiences

    The Ottoman bathhouse ritual - marble steam room, a vigorous scrub and foam massage under a domed ceiling pierced with star-shaped skylights - is Istanbul's signature sensory experience. Several working hamams date from the 16th century and have been restored to their full glory.

    Insider tip: The historic showpieces (Cagaloglu, Cemberlitas, the restored Zeyrek Cinili) cost more but the architecture is part of the treatment; neighbourhood hamams are cheaper and more local. Book ahead for the full scrub-and-foam package, go hydrated, and budget 90 minutes. Men's and women's sections or hours are separate.

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12. 12

    Dolmabahce Palace

    History

    Where the empire went baroque: the 19th-century waterfront palace the sultans built to out-Versailles Europe, with a 4.5-tonne crystal chandelier, a bearskin-lined staircase and 285 rooms of gilded excess right on the Bosphorus. The contrast with Topkapi's austere courtyards tells the whole late-Ottoman story.

    Insider tip: Visits are by set route and the ticket lines move slowly - book online and arrive early. Photography is restricted inside. It pairs naturally with Besiktas market streets for lunch or the Naval Museum next door; the ornate palace gate on the water is a photo stop even if you skip the interior.

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13. 13

    Balat & Fener

    Neighbourhoods

    The old Greek and Jewish quarters along the Golden Horn are Istanbul's most photogenic backstreets: steep cobbled lanes of candy-coloured houses, antique shops, cafe-lined stairways, the red-brick bulk of the Phanar Greek College and centuries-old churches and synagogues.

    Insider tip: Come in the morning for soft light on the painted houses and coffee at a hole-in-the-wall cafe, and wander without a fixed route - the hills are the attraction. It's a working, conservative neighbourhood as well as an Instagram set, so photograph doorsteps politely. A guided walking tour unlocks the layered Greek-Jewish-Armenian history.

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14. 14

    Eat your way through the city

    Food & drink

    Istanbul is one of the world's great eating cities and most of the best of it is cheap and on the street: simit from carts, doner and kokorec at counters, meze spreads at meyhanes, kunefe and baklava for dessert, Turkish breakfast that swallows a whole morning. Food here is a sight in its own right.

    Insider tip: A guided food walk through Kadikoy or the old city on your first day recalibrates everything you order afterwards. Don't leave without a proper Turkish breakfast (van kahvalti spreads are the deluxe version), fresh-from-the-oven baklava with clotted kaymak, and tea in a tulip glass anywhere with a water view.

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Where to stay in Istanbul

The best areas to base yourself, and who each suits.

• Sultanahmet

  First-timers - Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi and the cistern are all on foot, though the area empties of locals at night and restaurants skew touristy.

• Beyoglu & Galata

  Nightlife, cafes and galleries - the 19th-century quarter around the Galata Tower and Istiklal Avenue is where modern Istanbul eats and drinks, a tram-plus-funicular hop from the old city.

• Besiktas & the Bosphorus shore

  Waterfront polish - upscale hotels near Dolmabahce Palace with strait views, good ferry links and a lively market district behind.

• Kadikoy

  The Asian side - Istanbul's best casual food scene and a local, unhurried feel; you commute to the sights by scenic ferry, which is half the point.