Things to do in Istanbul
Istanbul, Türkiye
52 hand-picked places in Istanbul, Türkiye: 20 landmarks, 12 museums, 13 mosques, 5 parks and 2 markets. Each has an editor's guide to what it is, when to go and what to know before you visit, with licensed photos. Start with the 3-day plan below, one area a day so you spend your time seeing rather than crossing town, or let the AI planner build a plan for your own dates, with restaurants, opening hours and live prices.
Plan my trip to Istanbul
3-day plan for Istanbul: one area a day
The best-known places, grouped by how close they are to each other. Distances are straight lines; the walk is a little longer.
Day 1: around Hagia Sophia
- 1.Hagia Sophia · Mosque
- 2.Sultanahmet Mosque · Mosque · 400 m away
- 3.Topkapı Palace · Museum · 1.0 km away
- 4.Galata Tower · Museum · 1.6 km away
Day 2: around Dolmabahce Palace
- 1.Dolmabahce Palace · Attraction
- 2.Maçka Park · Park · 800 m away
- 3.Military Museum · Museum · 700 m away
- 4.Yıldız Palace · Attraction · 1.9 km away
Day 3: around Süleymaniye Mosque
- 1.Süleymaniye Mosque · Mosque
- 2.Grand Bazaar · Market · 700 m away
- 3.Basilica Cistern · Attraction · 800 m away
- 4.Fatih Mosque · Mosque · 2.7 km away
Want this for your dates?
The AI planner adds restaurants nearby, opening hours and live flight and hotel prices, and changes the days as you like. Free, no sign-up.
Plan 3 days in Istanbul for meAll places in Istanbul
Landmarks and sights
Dolmabahce PalaceDolmabahce Palace is a nineteenth-century imperial palace in the Besiktas district on the European shore of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, on the waterfront between Kabatas and Besiktas.
Maiden's TowerThe Maiden's Tower (Kiz Kulesi), also known since Byzantine times as Leander's Tower, is a small tower on a rocky islet at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus, about 200 metres off the Uskudar shore on the Asian…
Basilica CisternThe Basilica Cistern, known in Turkish as Yerebatan Sarnici, the Sunken Palace, is the largest of the several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath Istanbul.
Yıldız PalaceYıldız Palace is a vast complex of former imperial Ottoman pavilions, villas and kiosks spread over a wooded hill above the Bosphorus in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul.
KüçükçekmeceKucukcekmece is a district and municipality on the European side of Istanbul, about 23 kilometres west of the city centre, covering 44 square kilometres with some 790,000 residents (2024), the second most populous…
OrtaköyOrtaköy, literally 'middle village', is a waterfront neighbourhood of Beşiktaş on the European shore of the Bosphorus, a former fishing village long since absorbed by the city.
Yedikule FortressYedikule Fortress, the "Fortress of the Seven Towers", is a historic stronghold in the Yedikule neighbourhood of Fatih at the southern end of Istanbul's land walls, near the Sea of Marmara.
S. Antonio di Padova Catholic ChurchThe Church of St Anthony of Padua, known in Turkish as Sent Antuan, is the largest Catholic church in Istanbul and the largest active church in Turkey, standing on İstiklal Avenue in the Beyoğlu district, slightly…
PolonezköyPolonezköy, the 'Polish village', is a small settlement set in woodland in the Beykoz district on Istanbul's Asian side, about 27 km from Taksim Square and 20 km from the Black Sea coast.
ArnavutköyArnavutköy, literally "Albanian village" after the settlers who founded it in the 16th century, is a quiet waterside neighbourhood on the European shore of the Bosphorus in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, lying…
KuzguncukKuzguncuk is a small, charming neighbourhood on the Asian side of the Bosphorus in the Uskudar district of Istanbul, with about 4,150 residents, centred on a green valley opening onto the strait between Beylerbeyi to…
NişantaşıNişantaşı is an upmarket residential quarter in the Şişli district on the European side of Istanbul and one of the city's best-known districts for high-end shopping.
Theodosius CisternThe Theodosius Cistern, known in Turkish as Şerefiye Sarnıcı, is one of the oldest Byzantine water cisterns lying beneath Istanbul, with its modern entrance on Piyer Loti Street in Fatih, a short walk from Sultanahmet…
Neve Shalom SynagogueThe Neve Shalom Synagogue, whose name means "Oasis of Peace" or "Valley of Peace", is the largest and most beautiful Sephardic synagogue in Istanbul, located at Büyük Hendek Street 61 in the Karaköy quarter of Beyoğlu…
Çamlıca HillÇamlıca Hill, or Big Çamlıca to distinguish it from the neighbouring Little Çamlıca, is the highest of Istanbul's hills and its best-known viewpoint, rising 288 metres above sea level in the Üsküdar district on the…
Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox ChurchHagia Triada (Holy Trinity) is a Greek Orthodox church in the Katip Celebi neighbourhood of Beyoglu in Istanbul, on Meselik Street at the southern edge of Taksim Square, under the authority of the Ecumenical…
ÇengelköyÇengelköy is a historic fishing village turned quiet neighbourhood on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul, between Beylerbeyi and Kuleli, with a population of 13,801 (2022).
Aynalıkavak PavilionThe Aynalikavak Pavilion (Aynalikavak Kasri) is a former Ottoman pavilion in the Haskoy neighbourhood of Beyoglu in Istanbul, on the slopes above the Golden Horn, administered today by the Directorate of National…
Sea Life IstanbulSea Life Istanbul, formerly known as TurkuaZoo, is a public aquarium inside the Forum Istanbul shopping centre in the Bayrampaşa district on the European side of the city.
Cağaloğlu HamamıThe Cagaloglu Hamam is a historic Turkish bath in the Cagaloglu quarter of Sultanahmet, in the heart of Istanbul's historic centre a few steps from Hagia Sophia.
Museums
Topkapı PalaceTopkapı Palace is the largest palace in Istanbul and was the main residence of the Ottoman sultans and the administrative centre of the empire for some four centuries, from the 1460s until the court moved to Dolmabahçe…
Galata TowerThe Galata Tower is one of the oldest and most beautiful towers in Istanbul and a symbol of the city, standing at the highest point of the old walls of Galata in the Beyoglu district north of the Golden Horn.
Rumeli FortressRumelihisarı, the Rumelian Fortress, is a vast Ottoman castle spread over the hills of the European shore of the Bosphorus in Sarıyer, directly beneath the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge at the narrowest point of the strait.
Museum of ArchaeologyThe Istanbul Archaeology Museums are a group of three museums in the Eminönü quarter near Gülhane Park and Topkapı Palace, housing over one million objects from nearly all periods and civilisations in world history.
Anadolu CitadelAnadolu Hisari, the Anatolian Fortress, known historically as Guzelce Hisar, the Beauteous Fortress, is a medieval Ottoman fortress on the Asian side of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, at the mouth of the Goksu creek in the…
Pera MuseumThe Pera Museum is a private art museum in the Tepebaşı quarter of Beyoğlu, the district once known as Pera, at Meşrutiyet Avenue 65 next to İstiklal Avenue and a short walk from Taksim Square.
Military MuseumThe Istanbul Military Museum (Askeri Muze) is a museum of Turkish military history in the Sisli district near Harbiye, a short way north of Taksim Square, run by the Turkish Armed Forces, which founded it in its modern…
Sakıp Sabancı MuseumThe Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum is a private fine-arts museum in the Emirgan quarter of Sarıyer, on the European shore of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, housed in the Atlı Köşk ("Mansion with the Horse"), an…
Atatürk MuseumThe Ataturk Museum in Sisli is a historic house museum devoted to the life of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, first president of the Republic of Turkey, in the Sisli district on the European side of Istanbul, on Halaskargazi…
The Jewish Museum of TurkeyThe Jewish Museum of Turkey, officially the Quincentennial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews, is a museum and cultural centre established by the Quincentennial Foundation to inform the public about the traditions and…
Aviation MuseumThe Istanbul Aviation Museum, also known as the Turkish Air Force Museum (Havacilik Muzesi), is a military aviation museum owned and run by the Turkish Air Force in the Yesilkoy neighbourhood of Bakirkoy district, near…
Istanbul Railway MuseumThe Istanbul Railway Museum is a small museum inside the historic Sirkeci Terminal in the Sirkeci neighbourhood of Fatih, on the Golden Horn near Eminonu.
Mosques
- Hagia SophiaHagia Sophia, officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, is one of the greatest buildings in the world and the most famous landmark of Istanbul, standing on the European shore in the heart of the historic peninsula.
Sultanahmet MosqueThe Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly known outside Turkey as the Blue Mosque, is Istanbul's most famous mosque and one of the great monuments of Ottoman architecture, the defining image of the city with its great dome…
Süleymaniye MosqueThe Süleymaniye Mosque is the largest Ottoman-era mosque in Istanbul and one of Mimar Sinan's greatest works, standing on the Third Hill of the city with a commanding view over the Golden Horn.
Eyüp Mosque ComplexThe Eyup Sultan Mosque is the holiest Islamic shrine in Istanbul, in the Eyup district on the European side near the Golden Horn, outside the historic walls of Constantinople.
Fatih MosqueThe Fatih Mosque is one of the greatest Ottoman mosques of Istanbul, in the Fatih district that bears its name, off Fevzi Pasa Avenue on the historical peninsula, named after Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror (Fatih), who…
Rüstem Pasha MosqueThe Rüstem Pasha Mosque is a small Ottoman mosque with an outsized reputation, tucked above the Hasırcılar (strawmat weavers') market in the Tahtakale quarter of Fatih, a short walk from the Spice Bazaar in Eminönü.
Little Hagia SophiaThe Little Hagia Sophia Mosque (Kucuk Ayasofya Camii), originally the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, is one of the most important early Byzantine buildings in Istanbul, in a quiet quarter south of the Blue…
Molla Zeyrek MosqueZeyrek Mosque, or Molla Zeyrek Mosque, historically the Monastery of the Pantokrator, is a large mosque on Fazilet Street in the Zeyrek quarter of Fatih, Istanbul, overlooking the Golden Horn from its hilltop.
Fethiye MosqueThe Fethiye Mosque, originally the Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos, the All-Blessed Mother of God, is one of the most famous Byzantine buildings in Istanbul, in the Carsamba neighbourhood of the Fatih district inside…
Arap CamiiThe Arap Mosque (Arab Mosque) is a historic mosque in the Karakoy quarter of Beyoglu in Istanbul, below the Galata Tower on the shore of the Golden Horn, the largest mosque on the Galata side and the most unusual in…
Sokollu Mehmet Pasha MosqueThe Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque in the Kadırga quarter of Fatih is one of Istanbul's most beautiful small mosques and one of the least visited.
Koca Mustafa Pasha MosqueThe Koca Mustafa Pasha Mosque, also known as the Sunbul Efendi Mosque, is a former Eastern Orthodox church converted into a mosque by the Ottomans, in the Kocamustafapasa quarter in the south-west of Istanbul's…
BeylerbeyiBeylerbeyi is a quiet neighbourhood on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus in the Uskudar district of Istanbul, immediately north of the Bosphorus Bridge and directly across the water from Ortakoy on the European side…
Parks and gardens
Belgrad ForestBelgrad Forest is one of the largest and best-known forests of Istanbul and the city's green lung, a mixed deciduous woodland dominated by oak at the easternmost point of the Thracian peninsula, about 20 kilometres…
MiniaturkMiniaturk is a miniature park and open-air museum on the north-eastern shore of the Golden Horn in the Sutluce district of Istanbul, opened on 2 May 2003.
Emirgan ParkEmirgan Park (Emirgan Korusu) is a historic park and one of the largest public parks in Istanbul, in the Emirgan neighbourhood of the Sariyer district on the European shore of the Bosphorus, on a gentle hill…
Maçka ParkMacka Park, officially Macka Democracy Park, is a large green recreation area in the heart of Istanbul's European side, occupying both sides of a valley between the Nisantasi, Macka and Besiktas neighbourhoods in this…
Baltalimanı Japanese GardenThe Baltalimani Japanese Garden is a garden devoted to Japanese heritage in the Baltalimani area of the Sariyer district on the European side of Istanbul, close to the Bosphorus shore.
Markets
Grand BazaarThe Grand Bazaar, the Covered Market (Kapalicarsi), in the Fatih district of Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and more than 4,000 shops over 30,700 square…
Egyptian BazaarThe Egyptian Bazaar, or Spice Bazaar (Misir Carsisi), is the second-largest traditional market in Istanbul after the Grand Bazaar and the most famous covered market after it, in the Eminonu quarter of Fatih on the…