The best things to do in Istanbul

1.Hagia Sophia

The 1,500-year-old church turned mosque, under one of the largest domes of the ancient world.

Tip: Since 2024, foreign visitors buy a ticket and see it from the upper gallery, with a separate entrance; the ground floor is for worshippers.

2.The Blue MosqueFree

Sultan Ahmed's mosque, with six minarets and more than 20,000 blue İznik tiles inside.

Tip: Entry is free. Cover shoulders and knees; women need a headscarf, which is lent at the door.

3.Topkapı Palace

The Ottoman sultans' palace for nearly 400 years, with courtyards, treasury, relics and the Harem.

Tip: Allow half a day, go at opening time, and note it's closed on Tuesdays.

4.Basilica Cistern

A 6th-century underground reservoir with 336 columns, two of them resting on Medusa heads.

Tip: The queue is shortest at opening or in the evening.

5.The Grand Bazaar

One of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world, with about 4,000 shops under painted vaults.

Tip: It's closed on Sundays. Bargaining is expected; walk away politely if the price doesn't move.

6.The Spice Bazaar

The Egyptian Bazaar at Eminönü, with spices, Turkish delight and dried fruit.

Tip: Walk round the corner to the Rüstem Paşa Mosque, covered inside with İznik tiles and often almost empty.

7.Süleymaniye MosqueFree

Sinan's masterpiece on the third hill, with a garden terrace looking over the Golden Horn.

Tip: Calmer than the Blue Mosque and just as beautiful. Free entry.

8.Balat and Fener

Colourful houses climbing the hill along the Golden Horn, old Greek and Jewish neighbourhoods, and the Chora (Kariye) Mosque with its Byzantine mosaics.

Tip: Combine it with a walk along the Golden Horn back towards Eminönü.

9.Galata Tower

A medieval Genoese tower with a narrow balcony and a 360-degree view of the old city and the Bosphorus.

Tip: Arrive at opening time; the queue builds through the day.

10.Istanbul Modern

Turkey's leading modern art museum, in a waterfront building by Renzo Piano that opened in 2023.

11.A hammam

A traditional Turkish bath with a scrub and foam massage. Kılıç Ali Paşa in Tophane, designed by Sinan, is one of the finest.

Tip: Book ahead; the historic hammams have set times or separate sessions for men and women.

12.İstiklal AvenueFree

The long pedestrian street from Taksim Square to Galata, with the red heritage tram, shops, passages and side-street meyhanes.

13.Pera Museum

A small museum off İstiklal, home to Osman Hamdi Bey's painting The Tortoise Trainer.

14.Çukurcuma and CihangirFree

Antique shops, cafés and Orhan Pamuk's Museum of Innocence on the slopes below İstiklal.

15.A Bosphorus ferry

The public Bosphorus tour boats from Eminönü pass palaces, wooden mansions and fortresses on both shores.

Tip: The public ferries cost much less than private cruises and the views are the same.

16.Dolmabahçe Palace

The 19th-century palace of the late sultans, all crystal chandeliers and gilded ceilings, on the Bosphorus shore.

Tip: It's closed on Mondays.

17.OrtaköyFree

A waterside mosque framed by the Bosphorus Bridge, with stalls selling stuffed baked potatoes (kumpir) and waffles.

18.The Princes' Islands

Car-free islands in the Sea of Marmara with wooden villas, pine woods and beaches, about an hour and a half by ferry.

Tip: Büyükada is the biggest and busiest; go on a weekday.

19.Kadıköy market

A food market district of fishmongers, pickle shops, delis and meyhanes, 20 minutes by ferry from Karaköy or Eminönü.

Tip: The ferry crossing is part of the fun; go hungry and graze.

20.Moda seafrontFree

A park and promenade on the Asian shore where locals gather at sunset, looking back at the old city skyline.