TÜRKİYE IN COLOUR · CITY GUIDE
🕌 Istanbul in Colour
Three days in the city on two continents
by Fatih Koçoğlu, born in Şanlıurfa, raised in Istanbul
Istanbul was my home from the age of six. It is a city you never finish. This guide gives you three full days: the great monuments of Sultanahmet, the colours of the old bazaars and Balat, the lights of Beyoğlu, and a ferry ride to Asia. You will walk a lot and eat well, and the sea is never far away.
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At a glance
- Best time
- April to June and September to November. Summer is hot and crowded, winter is grey but quiet.
- How long
- Three full days for the highlights. Five days if you want the Bosphorus and the islands too.
- Airports
- Istanbul Airport (IST) on the European side, Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side. Use the Havaist / Havabus airport buses or the metro.
- Getting around
- Buy an Istanbulkart at any metro or ferry station. It works on trams, metro, buses, ferries, funiculars and the Eyüp cable car.
- Where to stay
- Sultanahmet for the monuments, Karaköy or Galata for cafés and nightlife, Kadıköy for local life on the Asian side.
The itinerary
DAY 1 · Sultanahmet
Empires, domes and the old heart of the city
Everything today is within walking distance. Start early, the queues grow fast after 10:00.
- 08:30
Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıcı)
A 6th-century Byzantine water reservoir under the city: 336 marble columns in soft light, water at your feet, and two mysterious Medusa heads. Go at opening time.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 09:45
Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)
Built in 537, a church for 900 years, a mosque for almost 500, then a museum, and a mosque again since 2020. Foreign visitors buy a ticket and enter the upper gallery through a separate visitors' entrance, where you see the golden Byzantine mosaics up close. Check you are in the right queue. Shoulders and knees covered, scarf for women.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 11:15
Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii)
Six minarets and more than 20,000 blue İznik tiles inside. Entry is free, but it closes to visitors during the five daily prayers, so check the prayer times on the day. Shoes off, bag for your shoes at the door.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 12:00
The Hippodrome (Sultanahmet Square)
Once the chariot racing track of Constantinople. See the 3,500-year-old Egyptian Obelisk of Thutmose III, the bronze Serpent Column and the green-domed German Fountain.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 12:45
Lunch: Sultanahmet Köftecisi
The classic: grilled meatballs, white bean salad (piyaz) and ayran, served here since 1920.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 13:45
Topkapı Palace
Home of the Ottoman sultans for almost 400 years. Courtyards, the Harem, the Treasury with the Spoonmaker's Diamond, and terraces over the Bosphorus. Plan at least 2.5 hours. Usually closed on Tuesdays.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 16:30
Gülhane Park and the tea garden
Walk down through the old palace gardens to the tea garden at the end, with a view where the Bosphorus meets the Sea of Marmara.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 18:00
Galata Bridge at sunset
Walk to Eminönü, eat a fish sandwich (balık ekmek) from the boats, and watch the fishermen on the bridge as the mosques turn gold.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›
DAY 2 · Bazaars, tiles and painted houses
From the Grand Bazaar to Balat, then İstiklal by night
- 09:00
Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı)
One of the oldest covered markets in the world, started in 1461: about 4,000 shops of lamps, carpets, gold and ceramics. Closed on Sundays. Get lost on purpose.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 10:30
Süleymaniye Mosque
The masterpiece of the architect Mimar Sinan (1557). Calm, huge and full of light. Go round to the back terrace for one of the best free views over the Golden Horn.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 11:45
Rüstem Paşa Mosque
Hidden above the market streets, every wall is covered in turquoise, blue and red İznik tiles. Small, quiet, unforgettable.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 12:15
Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı)
Mountains of saffron, sumac, red pepper, Turkish delight and dried fruit. Compare before you buy, prices change a lot from shop to shop.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 14:00
Balat: Merdivenli Yokuşu and Kiremit Caddesi
Take a taxi or bus along the Golden Horn. Balat's red, yellow, green and blue houses are the most photographed streets in the city. Coffee in one of the small cafés.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 15:30
Fener Greek High School and the Iron Church
The huge red-brick school looks like a castle on the hill. Down by the water, the Bulgarian St Stephen Church is made entirely of cast iron, shipped in pieces from Vienna in the 1890s.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 17:00
Pierre Loti Hill
Take the cable car up from Eyüp. Tea on the terrace and a sunset over the whole Golden Horn.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 19:30
Galata Tower
Taxi to Karaköy and walk up to the medieval tower. The streets around it are full of colourful shops and street musicians.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 20:15
İstiklal Caddesi
No trip to Istanbul is complete without İstiklal. Walk from Tünel to Taksim with the red nostalgic tram, look into the old arcades and the Church of St Antoine. Saturday night is the liveliest.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 21:15
Dinner: Çiçek Pasajı
A 19th-century glass-roofed arcade full of meze tables, rakı and live fasıl music.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›
DAY 3 · The Bosphorus and the Asian side
Ferries, wooden houses, murals and a Moda sunset
- 09:00
Breakfast in Karaköy: Hoca Tahsin Sokak
Colourful little streets full of cafés. Order a serpme kahvaltı, the big Turkish breakfast with many small plates.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 10:30
Ortaköy
The white baroque mosque right under the Bosphorus Bridge is the postcard of Istanbul. Try a kumpir (stuffed baked potato) from the stalls.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 11:45
Ferry from Beşiktaş to Üsküdar
Cross from Europe to Asia in 15 minutes. Sit outside and throw a piece of simit to the seagulls.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 12:30
Kuzguncuk: İcadiye Caddesi
A village inside the city: colourful wooden houses, a mosque, a church and a synagogue side by side. Lunch in one of the small restaurants.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 14:30
Yeldeğirmeni, Kadıköy
Whole apartment walls painted with giant murals, vintage shops and student cafés.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 15:30
Kadıköy Market (Çarşı)
The best food market in the city: fish stalls, pickles, olives, cheeses and the famous Kadıköy sweets shops.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 17:00
Moda seaside
Sit on the rocks with the locals and the cats and watch the sky turn pink over the old city.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - 19:00
Night ferry Kadıköy → Karaköy
The best free show in Istanbul: Topkapı, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque lit up in front of you.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›
Got more time?
- +
Bosphorus cruise
The public Şehir Hatları ferry from Eminönü goes up the Bosphorus past palaces and wooden mansions. Cheaper and calmer than private tours.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - +
Dolmabahçe Palace
The glittering 19th-century palace on the water, with a 4.5-tonne crystal chandelier. Usually closed on Mondays.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - +
Chora (Kariye)
Some of the finest Byzantine mosaics and frescoes in the world, near the old city walls.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - +
Princes' Islands (Büyükada)
No cars, wooden mansions and pine forests, 1.5 hours by ferry. Rent a bicycle.
📍 Open in Google Maps › - +
Cihangir and Çukurcuma
Pastel apartment buildings, cats on every doorstep and colourful antique shops.
📍 Open in Google Maps ›
🍽️ What to eat and drink
- SimitThe sesame bread ring, from street carts every morning. Eat it with tea.
- Balık ekmekGrilled fish in bread, from the boats at Eminönü.
- Köfte & piyazGrilled meatballs with white bean salad, the Sultanahmet classic.
- Midye dolmaMussels stuffed with spiced rice. Squeeze lemon, eat with your hand, one after another.
- KumpirA giant baked potato filled with everything you want, Ortaköy's speciality.
- BaklavaTry it fresh in Karaköy. Order it with pistachio and a glass of tea.
- Turkish breakfastCheeses, olives, honey with kaymak (clotted cream), eggs, tomatoes, and endless tea.
- ÇayBlack tea in a tulip glass. Saying no to tea in Istanbul is almost impossible.
✅ Good to know
- Mosques: shoulders and knees covered, women cover their hair. Mosques close to visitors during prayer times, about 30 to 60 minutes each time, and longer at Friday noon.
- Museum Pass Istanbul can save time and money if you visit several state museums. Check which ones it covers before you buy.
- The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays. Topkapı is usually closed on Tuesdays and Dolmabahçe on Mondays.
- Taxis: use the BiTaksi app or make sure the meter is on.
- Wear good shoes. Istanbul is built on seven hills, and Balat, Galata and Cihangir are steep.
- The ferry is the cheapest Bosphorus cruise there is, and the locals' favourite.
🗣️ Speak a little Turkish
Locals light up when you try. Tap a phrase for audio and a full lesson.
- Merhaba!mehr·hah·bahHello!Listen
- Teşekkür ederim.teh·shehk·kewr eh·deh·reemThank you.Listen
- Lütfen.lewt·fehnPlease.Listen
- Bu ne kadar?boo neh kah·dahrHow much is this?Listen
- Tuvalet nerede?too·vah·leht neh·reh·dehWhere is the toilet?Listen
- Hesap lütfen.heh·sahp lewt·fehnThe bill, please.Listen
- Burası çok güzel!boo·rah·suh chohk gew·zehlThis place is beautiful!Listen
- Afiyet olsun!ah·fee·yeht ohl·soonEnjoy your meal!Listen
▶ Video lessons
Turkish guides for your trip
What's next
Next destination🎈 Cappadocia🧭 Türkiye travel essentials
Istanbulkart, taxi apps, airport transfers, tickets, a SIM, money, 112 and the official e-Visa — plus the Turkish phrases you need.
🎁 Get all 13 guides free
All thirteen “Türkiye in Colour” PDF guides in one go: itineraries, Google Maps links, food and phrases for the whole country.
Information checked in November 2026. Opening hours, ticket prices and visiting rules change often, so check the official site before you go.
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