What to see in Istanbul

Istanbul highlights

The places you can’t miss. In the app we sort them by day and close to each other.

1. Hagia Sophia

   A 6th-century basilica turned mosque; visit outside prayer times, dressed appropriately.

2. Blue Mosque

   Six minarets and an interior of Iznik tiles; shoes off and shoulders covered.

3. Grand Bazaar

   More than 60 covered streets and thousands of shops; haggle and get lost without fear, you always find your way out.

4. Bosphorus

   A cruise between Europe and Asia; the public ferry from Eminönü is the budget option.

5. Galata

   A Genoese tower with views over the Golden Horn; the streets around it are full of cafés and shops.

6. Topkapı Palace

   Four successive courtyards, the treasury with the emerald dagger and a terrace over the Golden Horn. The harem costs extra.

7. Basilica Cistern

   A forest of 336 columns underground, with two Medusa heads reused as bases. It reopened in 2022 with new lighting.

8. Süleymaniye Mosque

   Sinan’s masterpiece, at the top of the third hill. The rear courtyard, with the tombs, looks out over the Golden Horn.

9. Spice Bazaar

   Eighty-odd stalls of spices, nuts and lokum in an L-shaped Ottoman hall. Less overwhelming than the Grand Bazaar.

10. Dolmabahçe Palace

    European marble on the shores of the Bosphorus, the largest crystal chandelier in the world and the clock stopped at the hour of Atatürk’s death.

11. Balat

    Steep streets with painted houses, antique shops and synagogues in the old Jewish quarter. The upper streets are still quiet.

12. Kariye Mosque (Chora Church)

    14th-century Byzantine mosaics and frescoes, the finest in the city. It reopened as a mosque in 2024: take off your shoes and cover your head.

13. Maiden’s Tower

    An islet with a tower in the middle of the Bosphorus. It reopened in 2023 after restoration; you get there by small boat from Üsküdar or Kabataş.

Day trips from Istanbul

We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

• Bosphorus cruise ★ 4.8 (75,646 reviews)
• Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque ★ 4.1 (3,402 reviews)
• Basilica Cistern ★ 4.5 (10,250 reviews)

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Typical food of Istanbul

The dish you have to try there and how to make it at home, to whet your appetite before the trip (or to go back to Istanbul from your kitchen).

Balık ekmek

Istanbul’s fish sandwich: grilled mackerel in bread with onion, lettuce and lemon. You buy it by the Bosphorus, at Eminönü harbour, and eat it watching the boats.

• Serves 4
• 25 min

Ingredients

• 4 mackerel fillets
• 4 short baguette-style rolls
• 1 red onion
• 1/2 lettuce
• 2 tomatoes
• Lemon juice
• Sumac, hot pepper flakes (pul biber), salt and oil

How to make it at home

1. Slice the onion thinly and mix it with salt, sumac and parsley.
2. Salt the mackerel and cook it on a griddle with a little oil, skin side first, for about 3 minutes per side.
3. Warm the split rolls on the same griddle.
4. Fill with lettuce, tomato, the mackerel and the onion.
5. Finish with lemon and hot pepper flakes to taste.

The trick: Have it with a glass of pickle juice (turşu suyu), as they do at the harbour.

Frequently asked questions about Istanbul