Top 5 Places to See in Istanbul

Istanbul has more history per square kilometer than almost anywhere, and it’s easy to try to see too much. These five sights give you the essentials: Byzantine, Ottoman and modern Istanbul. The first four are within walking distance of each other in the old city (Sultanahmet), so you can see them in two unhurried days.

1. Hagia Sophia

Built as a church in 537, turned into a mosque, then a museum, and a mosque again since 2020, Hagia Sophia is the building that defines Istanbul. Its dome seemed impossibly large for its time, and it still feels that way inside.

Foreign visitors now buy a ticket and enter through a separate entrance to the upper gallery, while the ground floor is reserved for worship. The gallery has the best views of the mosaics.

Tip: Arrive at opening time or late in the afternoon. Women need a headscarf, and shoulders and knees should be covered.

More info

• Time needed: About 1 hour.
• Tickets: Paid entry for foreign visitors, who use a separate visitor entrance to the upper gallery. Turkish citizens and worshippers enter the ground floor for free.
• Getting there: T1 tram to Sultanahmet, then a 2-minute walk.
• Nearby: Blue Mosque (across the square), Basilica Cistern (3 minutes), Topkapı Palace (5 minutes).
• Good to know: Visits can pause around prayer times, especially at midday on Fridays. Women need a headscarf; long skirts or trousers for everyone.

2. Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)

Directly across the square from Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque gets its name from more than 20,000 blue İznik tiles inside. Unlike Hagia Sophia it is free to enter, and it remains a working mosque.

Tip: It closes to visitors for about an hour and a half around each prayer, so check the day’s prayer times. Friday midday is the busiest.

More info

• Time needed: 30–45 minutes.
• Tickets: Free. Donations are welcome at the exit.
• Getting there: T1 tram to Sultanahmet.
• Nearby: The Hippodrome and its obelisks (right outside), the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Hagia Sophia.
• Good to know: Closed to visitors for roughly 90 minutes around each of the five daily prayers. Shoes come off at the door, and scarves and wraps are provided if needed.

3. Topkapı Palace

For nearly 400 years this was the home of the Ottoman sultans. Walk through a series of courtyards to the Treasury (home of the famous Topkapı Dagger), pavilions covered in tiles, and terraces looking over the Bosphorus.

Tip: Buy the ticket that includes the Harem. It’s the most beautiful part of the palace. The palace is closed on Tuesdays.

More info

• Time needed: 2.5–3 hours, including the Harem.
• Tickets: Paid. Check whether the Harem is included before you buy.
• Closed: Tuesdays.
• Getting there: T1 tram to Gülhane or Sultanahmet, then walk up past Hagia Sophia to the Imperial Gate.
• Nearby: Gülhane Park, the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, Hagia Irene (in the first courtyard).
• Good to know: Lines are shortest right at opening. The Treasury and the Holy Relics rooms get crowded by late morning.

4. Grand Bazaar

One of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world, with thousands of shops selling carpets, lamps, ceramics, jewelry and spices along roughly 60 streets. It’s fun even if you don’t buy anything.

Tip: Bargaining is expected for carpets and souvenirs. The bazaar is closed on Sundays. Afterwards, walk downhill through the shopping streets to the Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı) and the waterfront.

More info

• Time needed: 1–2 hours, or half a day if you shop.
• Tickets: Free.
• Closed: Sundays and the first day of religious holidays.
• Getting there: T1 tram to Beyazıt–Kapalıçarşı, or walk 10 minutes from Sultanahmet.
• Nearby: Süleymaniye Mosque (10-minute walk uphill), the Spice Bazaar (15-minute walk downhill), the second-hand book bazaar (Sahaflar Çarşısı).
• Good to know: Shops open from morning to early evening. Prices for carpets, lamps and souvenirs are negotiable; spices and food usually are not.

5. Galata Tower

Cross the Galata Bridge to the Karaköy side and climb up to Galata Tower, a medieval stone tower with a 360° view over the old city, the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus.

Tip: Lines are long at sunset, so arrive early. The streets around the tower are full of cafés. Walk on to İstiklal Avenue afterwards.

More info

• Time needed: 45 minutes to 1 hour, plus queueing at busy times.
• Tickets: Paid.
• Getting there: T1 tram to Karaköy and walk uphill 10 minutes, or M2 metro to Şişhane and walk downhill.
• Nearby: İstiklal Avenue and Taksim, the Galata Bridge, Karaköy cafés, Galataport on the waterfront.
• Good to know: The viewing balcony is narrow and gets crowded at sunset. A weekday morning is calmest.

Bonus: a Bosphorus ferry

Not a single spot, but don’t leave without riding a public ferry between Europe and Asia, for example Eminönü to Kadıköy. It costs a fraction of a tour boat and gives you the same views.

Getting around: get an İstanbulkart on day one. It works on trams, the metro and ferries. The T1 tram links Sultanahmet with Karaköy.