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Top things to do in Istanbul

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Istanbul: the city's best neighbourhoods

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About Istanbul

Including tips for the best time to visit Istanbul

Straddling the border between Europe and Western Asia, Istanbul acts as an ancient crossroads of cultures, religions and civilisations.

Greek, Persian, Byzantine and Ottoman influences can be seen across the city. The mesmerising Hagia Sophia, for instance, stood for over 1,000 years as an ornate church before being converted into an Imperial Mosque, which it remained as for over half a millennia. And there’s Topkapi Palace, a lavish complex of halls, courtyards and terraces with commanding views over the Bosphorus Strait. Today, both structures are religious museums attracting millions of visitors every year.

The Blue Mosque is another glinting example of Byzantine-Ottoman fused architecture, with its domes, towering minarets and blue İznik tiles that adorn the interior. For a full view of the mosque’s design, enter through the crumbling remains of a Roman-era hippodrome in Sultanahmet Square.

Yet Istanbul’s oldest monuments could easily escape you. Deep beneath the ground are several hundred ancient cisterns, where water was once delivered via 20 kilometres of aqueducts from a local reservoir. The largest of these is the Basilica Cistern, which you can explore along raised wooden platforms.

Back on ground level, the Grand Bazaar will entice you with its maze-like network of craft stores and cosy teahouses. Go explore a little, before treating yourself to a Dürüm wrap on a street corner, or a mouthwatering meze in a bistro-style restaurant in Sultanahmet.

Tonight

From £9 per night

This weekend

From £18 per night

Next weekend

From £34 per night

Most popular time to visit October–December
Cheapest time to visit January–March
Local currency € 10 = £8.57
Language Turkish
Average weekend price £69 per night
Average weekday price £72 per night
Typical stay 2 nights

Points of interest in Istanbul

Stay near the top sightseeing spots in Istanbul

Istanbul reviews

What other travellers say about Istanbul

10

Friendly cosmopolitan city with lots of history, culture and...

27 March 2024

Friendly cosmopolitan city with lots of history, culture and art. The transport system is great and very affordable. We spent 5 days there but could have stayed more. Each neighbourhood has something different to offer. People are very friendly. Many restaurants to choose from for all budgets. Loved Kadikoy for it's eclectic authenticity. Do take the ferry, the views are spectacular, especially at sunset.

Maja
Maja United Kingdom
10

What a wondrous city!

27 March 2024

What a wondrous city! Exotic, exciting, fun, full of verve, never seems to sleep! A walk along the Bosphorus, a visit to the spice market, celebrating Sufi romanticism, paying respects at enormous and splendid mosques, there's lots to see and do, and filled with super restaurants, excellent food and overall, great value for money!

John
John United Kingdom
8.0

Beautiful sites, tickets at entries to mosques are well over...

27 March 2024

Beautiful sites, tickets at entries to mosques are well over 25€ (too much) there are ones you can go in for free. Men are absolutely disgusting, they grab your hand and drag you inside to restaurants, give inappropriate “compliments” and the vendors try to scam you for the last dime, for understanding and new travelers I think I would be helpful to know- Shop drink- 20-35 Tl Bag of chips- 40 Tl One kg of baklava reasonably priced at maximum 600-650 Tl One magnet souvenir is 25 Tl anyone trying a higher price is trying to scam you. Bring comfortable shoes be prepared to walk a lot, not that much to see but you can go on a 1,5 boat ride for 100 Tl, the other boat toes range from 19€ to 90€ not any different. the corn 🌽 T the stalls for 30 Tl is absolutely the best, Cats are everywhere and they are very friendly, the bank employees airport employees will push you not say excuse me or anything, are not well mannered at all very entitled and unhelpful. Regular people are very friendly and nice, it is not a dangerous country to visit as a single woman Russian tourists are everywhere so basically all places understand some level of russian.

Anonymous
10

Istanbul is a bustling and dynamic metropolis.

27 March 2024

Istanbul is a bustling and dynamic metropolis. As well as it is beautiful and interesting. My tips for urban westerners: 1. If possible choose the airport Sabiha Gökcen airport on the Asian Side. For 0.70 US/Euro yo get a one-line metro all the way in to the city (Kadiköy port). 2. Get the IstanbulKart for public transportation. Boats, Trams, Metro, cable cars and buses. Easy to top up when needed. $/€ 2-5 a day spent in my case, and we used it for 4-6 trips a day. 3. You like a cold beer on occassions? Kadiköy, Karaköy and Besiktas is where you will find bars. In Old town and the very muslim Üsükar port, most restaurants don't serve alcohol. 4. Karaköy is a good hub/area to stay in. Seaport area of Kadiköy is the nicest part, but a bit far from the landmarks. 5. In Taksim square and along Istikal street prices are higher than elsewhere and there are plenty of scammers. An initially priced $3 ice cream ended up being $12 instead. Cone was not included and pistaggio flavour was 150% extra. Just keep calm and smile, you will be scammed here.

Anders Högberg Malmö
Anders Högberg Malmö Sweden
10

We enjoy the vibrancy and bustle of the place.

26 March 2024

We enjoy the vibrancy and bustle of the place. The frequent trams are a brilliant and cheap way to get around. Entrance fees to the major tourist spots were dearer than expected. We booked a guided walking tour through a part of the city which was unknown to us, Fener and Balat (Fenerwalks). It was excellent value and conducted by a very knowledgeable and personable young lady, Kubra. we recommend it highly. A bit of Istanbul history unknown by any of us.

Tant
Tant United Kingdom
10

Istanbul is like London on steroids!

24 March 2024

Istanbul is like London on steroids!! Very exciting city absolutely full of history. You definitely need 4 nights and 5 days to experience everything the city has to offer. You can fit in (if you’re fit!) 2 walking tours (I would definitely recommend one that takes you over to Asia) The Grand Baazar. Hagia Sophia and several other mosques. This one is payable and is worth purchasing a joint ticket to the museum as well. Blue Mosque (free). Cistern Basilica (fresh water system). Topkapi Palace. Just generally walking around and exploring will take you all interesting corners of the city. I particularly liked the respect for street animals which are looked after by the state. I felt safe and comfortable at all times.

DEBORAH
DEBORAH United Kingdom

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