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Things to do in Istanbul
36 verified places and 85 missions to truly experience Istanbul. Must-sees: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet), Topkapı Palace, Süleymaniye Mosque. Best known for: Culture, Leisure, Nature.
Plan your trip to Istanbul →Places in Istanbul
CultureHagia SophiaA basilica built between 532 and 537 on the orders of Emperor Justinian, the work of Anthemius of Tralles and…CultureBlue Mosque (Sultanahmet)An imperial mosque built between 1609 and 1616 by Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa, a pupil of Sinan, for Sultan Ahmed I.CultureTopkapı PalaceThe residence and administrative centre of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th century, commissioned by Mehmed…CultureSüleymaniye MosqueAn imperial mosque built between 1550 and 1557 by Mimar Sinan for Suleiman the Magnificent, on the third hill…NaturePrinces' Islands (Büyükada)An archipelago in the Sea of Marmara reached by ferry from Istanbul.LeisureKadıköyA district on the Asian shore of Istanbul, reached by ferry from Eminönü or Karaköy.CultureGalata TowerA stone tower built by the Genoese in 1348 as the highest point of their Galata colony, in the…CultureDolmabahçe PalaceAn Ottoman palace built between 1843 and 1856 on the orders of Sultan Abdülmecid I, the work of the…LeisureTaksim SquareThe central square of modern European Istanbul, in Beyoğlu, and the starting point of İstiklal Avenue.CultureHippodrome of ConstantinopleThe former chariot-racing circus of Byzantine Constantinople, now Sultanahmet Square between Hagia Sophia and…LeisureGrand BazaarKapalıçarşı, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, whose core began to be built around…CultureKariye (Chora)A former Byzantine church of the Holy Saviour in Chora, in the Edirnekapı district.CultureKız Kulesi (Maiden's Tower)A tower on a small island at the southern entrance to the Bosphorus, opposite Üsküdar.CultureYeni Cami (Spice Bazaar)The New Mosque, in Eminönü Square, was begun in 1597 at the request of Safiye Sultan and was not finished…CultureBasilica CisternA large underground water reservoir commissioned in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian I, in Sultanahmet…LeisureGalata BridgeA bridge over the Golden Horn that links Eminönü with Karaköy.CultureFatih MosqueA great mosque in the Fatih district, built between 1463 and 1470 by Mehmed II on the site of the Church of…CultureHagia IreneA Byzantine church in the first courtyard of Topkapı Palace, one of the oldest in Istanbul.CultureOrtaköy MosqueThe Büyük Mecidiye Camii was built in the mid-19th century for Sultan Abdülmecid by the architects Garabet…Leisureİstiklal AvenueA pedestrian street of about 1.4 kilometres that links Taksim Square with Tünel, in the Beyoğlu district.CultureKüçük AyasofyaA former Byzantine church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, built between 527 and 536 under Justinian, and…CultureIstanbul Archaeology MuseumsA complex of three museums next to the grounds of Topkapı Palace, founded in the late 19th century by Osman…CultureRumeli HisarıAn Ottoman fortress built by Mehmed II in 1452, in just a few months, to control the narrowest point of the…CultureRüstem Pasha MosqueAn octagonal-plan mosque designed by Mimar Sinan around 1563 for Rüstem Pasha, grand vizier of Suleiman the…CultureEyüp Sultan MosqueA mosque in the Eyüp district, beside the Golden Horn, erected in 1458 by Mehmed II near the supposed tomb of…CultureMuseum of Turkish and Islamic ArtsA museum installed in the palace of Ibrahim Pasha, a building from 1524 that stands next to the old…CultureBalatA historic neighbourhood on the shores of the Golden Horn, where Jewish, Greek and Armenian communities lived…CultureIstanbul ModernTurkey's museum of modern and contemporary art, founded in 2004 and moved to a new building designed by…CulturePera MuseumA private museum in Beyoğlu, in the former Bristol Hotel, a 19th-century building on Meşrutiyet Street.LeisureKaraköyA port neighbourhood at the foot of Galata Hill, on the north shore of the Golden Horn, across the Galata…Food & drinkÇiçek PasajıA covered 19th-century arcade next to İstiklal Street, in Beyoğlu, also known as Cité de Péra, with a…CultureArnavutköyA neighbourhood on the European shore of the Bosphorus, between Ortaköy and Bebek, known for its wooden…LeisureÇamlıca TowerA 369-metre telecommunications tower on Büyük Çamlıca Hill, in the Üsküdar district, on the Asian shore.LeisureGalataportA former cruise terminal in Karaköy turned into a pedestrian waterfront promenade of about 1.2 km facing the…NaturePierre Loti HillA hill in the Eyüp district overlooking the Golden Horn, with a long-established café-viewpoint and views of…CultureSultanahmet SquareA square and park between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, in the heart of Istanbul's historic peninsula.
Frequently asked questions
What to see in Istanbul in one day?
If you only have one day, start with the essentials: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet), Topkapı Palace, Süleymaniye Mosque and Princes' Islands (Büyükada).