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What to do in Istanbul After 4 stays in Istanbul, I'm starting to have a lot of recommendations to share for visiting Istanbul.
Preparing Your Istanbul Tour: Practical Tips!
Before telling you what to visit or what to do in Istanbul, let's quickly discuss some practical tips that can be helpful in preparing your trip to Istanbul. Especially if you go to Istanbul for the first time.
These tips are about the questions that are often asked when you go to Istanbul for the first time ...
Flight / Air Ticket For Istanbul
To visit Istanbul from Europe, it takes on average between 150 and 200 euros for a return flight.
There are also low cost connections (tickets around 110 euros on average) but we must add the price of luggage ... Interest is limited!
Istanbul has 2 airports:
Atatürk Airport (IST code) which is accessible by metro and which is the main airport
Sabiha-Gökçen airport (SAW code), located on the Asian side, is further away. It is mainly used for low cost flights. Bus to central Istanbul
To find a plane ticket to Istanbul at the best price, I recommend you to go through the comparator BudgetAir which allows comparing different companies but also to book directly on the site, without adding hidden banking fees ;-) Moreover, with each booking made on BudgetAir, you get a voucher of 7.50 euros for your next flight!
Where to sleep in Istanbul
Istanbul is a fairly large city. With the development of the metro over the last few years and especially the Marmaray line which allows, by metro, to go from the European side to the Asian side, it is now easier to travel in Istanbul.
Nevertheless, the question of where to stay in Istanbul remains valid, especially if you plan to visit Istanbul over 3 or 4 days. There are many things to see and do in Istanbul and it is always best to avoid unnecessary travel.
First of all, to find a good promotion on a hotel in Istanbul, you can visit the site Voyage-privé.com. There are often formulas "flight + hotel" or accommodation alone with promotions often very interesting!
Side location for sleeping in Istanbul, I recommend the neighborhoods of Eminönü and Sirkeci first. They are conveniently located, quickly accessible by metro from the airport. Sleeping in Istanbul in these areas will allow you to minimize your travel time ...
Moving to Istanbul
To get around Istanbul, Istanbulkart is highly recommended. This card allows you to take bus, tram, metro and boats with this one card.
In addition, by buying the card, the journey is cheaper (2.60 pounds against 5 pounds in unit ticket). Also, for each match, you only pay 1.95 pounds (instead of 5 in single ticket). The cost of this card is 6 TRY (Turkish lira), quickly profitable!
The Istanbulkart can be bought at each metro / tram station / pier at the vending machines. It is in these same places that you can recharge it. The ideal is to buy it directly at the subway station of Istanbul airport. For more information on transport in Istanbul, you can visit this site.
What Budget To Visit Istanbul
To give you an idea of the budget needed to visit Istanbul, I will give you some price ideas in Istanbul. I do not give a global budget because it depends on many parameters including the price of your flight to Istanbul, the price of hotel where you will sleep in Istanbul or the type of restaurant that you will favor during your city trip to Istanbul.
Here are some price ideas to get a budget idea to visit Istanbul:
- return flight from Paris: between 150 and 200 euros
- price of a metro / boat / tramway trip: TRY 2.60 (with Istanbulkart)
- price of a Uber ride or taxi from the airport to the center of Istanbul: around 20 euros
- price of a simple kebab: 2/3 euros
- price of a meal in a restaurant type canteen: about 5/8 euros
- price of a meal in a more upmarket restaurant: between 10 and 20 euros
- price of one night in a well located hotel, type 3/4 * (double room): between 30 and 60 euros per night
- price of the Museum Pass: 125 TRY is about 27 euros (including entry for Saint Sophie, Topkapi, Saint Sauveur, several museums.
It's impossible to get bored during a stay in Istanbul because there is so much to do in Istanbul! Visiting Istanbul could take weeks to soak up its monuments, churches, mosques, bazaars and other sites of interest.
part of a 5-day city trip to Istanbul, a week in the best case.
In the following of this post, I give you some ideas of things to do or see in Istanbul. You will see that the answer to the question what to do in Istanbul can be long, very long ;-)
To visit Istanbul is to visit its mosques!
What to do in Istanbul: visit the mosques of the city! First answer that should come to your mind ...
Istanbul is full of very often beautiful mosques. During my stays in Istanbul, I often visit one or two mosques a day. Visits are very fast and I really like Istanbul mosques.
If you are visiting Istanbul soon, do not limit yourself to the famous Blue Mosque! There are many other mosques to discover. Here are some that I really like:
- Rüstem Pasha Mosque in Eminönü
- Küçük Aya Sofya Camii, the little Saint Sophie
- the magnificent Ortakoy mosque (Büyük Mecideye Camii)
- Suleymaniye Mosque or Mosque of Soliman the Magnificent which offers a beautiful view of Istanbul from its gardens
- Yavuz Sultan Selim Mosque which also offers a beautiful view of Istanbul and is home to several tombs of Ottoman sultans
The entry of the mosques is completely free, including for the blue mosque.
Topkapi Palace
The Topkapi Palace is a must for a first time in Istanbul. Entrances to the palace and the harem are included.
It is easy to count 3 hours to visit Topkapi as there are things to see ...
To avoid the crowds, the ideal is to go at the end of the day, 2 or 3 hours before closing.
Saint Sophia, The Jewel Of Istanbul
Impossible to visit Istanbul without passing by Saint Sophie, true symbol of Istanbul. This basilica, then mosque and museum (it is no longer a place of worship) perfectly traces the rich history of Istanbul. Entrance is included in the Museum Pass as well.
It takes a good hour to visit Saint Sophie. Note, it is also possible to visit some tombs of sultans who are outside of St. Sophia. A sign tells you the way to the exit.
Whirling Dervishes In Istanbul
When traveling for the first time in Turkey, one often wants to attend a ceremony of whirling dervishes. Be aware that even though the flagship city of this Sufi stream is Konya (in Turkey), it is quite possible to attend a whirling dervish ceremony in the heart of Istanbul.
Different options are available to you. Clearly organized ceremonies for tourists, in the heart of Istanbul's tourist districts, or more authentic ceremonies, especially at Silivrikapi in a convent of dervishes.
Nevertheless, going to the Silivrikapi convent can take a little time. For an easier solution, you can opt for a dervish ceremony at the Hodja Pasha Cultural Center in Eminönü. You can reserve your place online to be certain of having a place for the desired day because attention, there is no ceremony every day ...
Leander Tower / Kiz Kulesi
The Leander Tower is located in the middle of the Bosphorus at the district of Usküdar. Previously, you had to take the boat to this area of Istanbul. From now on, the Marmaray metro line makes it possible to pass under the Bosphorus and to reach Usküdar in a few minutes from Sirkeci / Eminönü!
I do not necessarily recommend going to the tower itself, the interest is very limited. On the other hand, it is imperative to go to Usküdar, on the banks of the Bosphorus to observe a magic sunset on Sultanahmet and the Bosphorus! My favorite place for a beautiful sunset in Istanbul ...
Galata Tower
The Galata Tower is in the Galata district. The entrance is not included in the Museum Pass and it's quite expensive. Nevertheless, the view of Istanbul and especially the Golden Horn is very charming!
If you still have a budget for sightseeing in Istanbul, the Galata Tower is one of the best places to visit in Istanbul to have a beautiful panorama of the city!
Grand Bazaar
The Grand Bazaar is a landmark for shopping in Istanbul ... especially if you want to buy jewelry or souvenirs from Turkey. Negotiation essential.
There are also many exchange offices that offer an excellent exchange rate.
Egyptian bazaar
The Egyptian bazaar, which is located in Eminönü, is a very good place to buy Turkish delight, spices or other food products even if the prices tend to be a bit high ;-)
In the streets near the Egyptian bazaar, especially in the street leading to the Rüstem Pasha mosque, prices are milder! Go nevertheless through the Egyptian Bazaar, if only for the architecture of the building. It's a must-see when visiting Istanbul!
The Ortakoy District And Its Mosque
The district of Ortaköy is a little out of the way and is located north of Beyoğlu. The Ortakoy Mosque is the flagship building of the district, its interior and exterior architecture is very different from other mosques in Istanbul.
To reach Ortaköy, you have to take a bus or a boat (the metro / tram does not serve this area).
Saint-Sauveur-In-Chora And Its Mosaics
Saint-Sauveur-in-Chora is the church to visit to see the most beautiful mosaics of Istanbul. Entrance is included in the Museum Pass.
The interior of the church is full of very well preserved Byzantine mosaics. A must-see church There are other churches to visit in Istanbul but this one is the most beautiful. It would be a shame to discover Istanbul without visiting at least one church ...
Visit Istanbul Museums
Finally, among the must-see places to visit in Istanbul, one must necessarily mention some museums of the city. If the weather is rainy and you wonder what to do in Istanbul, you can turn to the museums of the city.
I particularly recommend the archaeological museum of Istanbul, very interesting. You can, among other things, see the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great.
Dolmabahce Palace
The Dolmabahçe Palace was the palace of the Ottoman Sultan during a part of the 19th century. The palace can be visited.
Among other things, you can see the room of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Admission is paid and not included in the Istanbul Museum Pass. To get there, you can take the tram to the station Kabatas very close to the palace.
Basilica Cistern
The basilica cistern was built by the Byzantines in the 6th century. This underground cistern was used to store more than 75,000 cubic meters of water. It is located close to St. Sophia.
Eyüp and His Mosque
The district of Eyüp is located north of the Golden Horn. To get there, the easiest way is to take a boat to Eminönü to go up the Golden Horn. The boat ride is very nice.
This district is mainly known for its mosque, Eyüp Sultan Mosque which houses the tomb of one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, called Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. The mosque is very busy, especially on Friday. There are many booths that sell religious products around the mosque.
On the heights of Eyüp, it is possible to take a break at the café Pierre Loti which offers a beautiful view of the Golden Horn especially if the sky is clear!
Going to Eyüp to discover this area will probably require a half-day in total (return trip + return trip). This is not necessarily a must in Istanbul but if you are planning a week to visit Istanbul, I recommend you to add Eyüp to your list of sites to visit in Istanbul.
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