The Perfect 3-Day Istanbul Itinerary

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Istanbul. Some guests will solely breeze by on an prolonged layover, whereas different vacationers will find yourself staying a lifetime. But if you happen to solely have 72-hours to discover the sky-high minarets, blood orange sunsets over the Mediterranean, and the hustle and bustle of Ottoman-era Bazaars, we’ve received the right itinerary for you.

Many guests to Istanbul are unaware of the town’s shape-shifting nature and its nuances, and barely handle to scratch the floor on having an immersive and actually cultural expertise. That’s why we’ve visited a number of occasions over the previous yr to craft the final guidelines of what you need to see throughout your go to.

3 Days, 18 Incredible Activities

There isn’t simply one approach to see the town, not to mention do it justice in just one go to. In the top, it all the time boils all the way down to which facet of it you’re most desperate to discover. Is it the primeval Greek buying and selling hub of Byzantium? The superb and everlasting Constantinople? Or is it the a lot newer, younger, and extra stylish facet of Istanbul?

Below, we are going to let you know exactly what’s one of the best ways to arrange a 3-day journey to Turkey’s primary metropolitan gem, a few of the landmarks you’ll be able to’t miss throughout your go to, and a mixture of what to see for historical past, tradition, procuring, and enjoyable.

*This itinerary has been deliberate for many who have a full 3 days in Istanbul. We would advise you to plan an additional two days for flying out and in of the town.

Day 1 – Old Constantinople And Other Historical Districts

We recommend beginning your first full day in Istanbul in Sultanahmet, positioned within the coronary heart of the Historical Peninsula – the strip of land jutting out into the ocean the place Constantinople was as soon as confined to, and thus its oldest district.

After gobbling down your hearty Turkish breakfast both at your resort, or one of many metropolis’s lovely cat-populated cafes, head very first thing to this historic plaza, the place the Old Hippodrome of Constantinople was positioned.

Here, you’ll be met with views of two of Istanbul’s most iconic sights: Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Located on reverse sides of the identical sq., these two buildings face one another off in a everlasting wrestle for dominance.

Hagia Sophia & The Blue Mosque

(09:00 – 10:00)

Entry: Free

Dresscode for males: Preferably long-sleeve shirts and trousers, no hats or head coverings except it’s for non secular functions

Dresscode for girls: They should cowl their heads and are suggested to decorate in a conservative method

First, stroll in the direction of the middle of the plaza. Admire the frilly fountain shows – if you happen to’re fortunate sufficient they’re on throughout your go to – and the colourful association of blossoms. Take your time taking within the surroundings, the mosques, the encompassing Roman ruins – maybe, seize a simit on the go forward of continuing to your first official attraction.

That would be the Ottoman pearl of the Blue Mosque, and for that, you can be strolling west. The Blue Mosque isn’t arduous to distinguish from different mosques within the metropolis, and even Hagia Sophia herself: in contrast to the pink-colored marble of the latter, it displays a grayish-white hue when the solar shines down upon it, revealing the intricate seventeenth century particulars.

Entering the mosque, which is in reality named after Sultan Ahmed, the identical Sultan who renames the Old Roman Hippodrome you’re in, you’ll quickly be taught why ‘Blue’ is a extra applicable description. The inside is beautifully-decorated with hand-painted azure tiles, making this one of the stunning UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Istanbul.

The Hagia, or ‘Saint’ Sophia traces its origins again to Roman occasions, when it was erected as a Christian cathedral and the guts of the Christian Orthodox world, till it fell to Ottoman forces upon the decline of Rome and the conquest of Constantinople within the Middle Ages. Being 1485 years outdated, that is the oldest and arguably most spectacular of the 2.

Throughout Istanbul’s historical past it has been a non secular website for Turkey’s Muslim inhabitants, and apart from a short interval as a museum – from the democratization of Turkey till the early twenty first century – the constructing’s newly-added minarets depart no query as to whose deity it serves right this moment. Even then, strolling into Hagia Sophia will hardly really feel like moving into a traditional mosque.

Moving onto the cathedral’s former nave, at present the mosque’s prayer corridor, you need to take your time gazing up, as soon as extra, although this time it’s not a Roman Constantinople that may stare again at you. The post-1500s inside is richly adorned with large mosaics in Islamic calligraphy, and the indelible Ottoman mark is clear.

In spite the various sides it’s assumed all through History – cathedral, mosque, museum, then mosque as soon as extra – Saint Sophia is a cussed outdated woman who refuses to dim its Roman essence, all of the whereas proudly carrying a Muslim apparel bestowed upon it by its Turkish conquerors. Still to this present day, it’s modern-day Istanbul’s piece de resistance.

Bonus: if you happen to’re a fellow Roman Empire fanatic, maybe you want to take a look at the Column of Constantine, certainly one of Constantinople’s finest preserved free-standing columns and a UNESCO-recognized construction relationship again to the 4th century. It is free to go to and solely a 13-minute stroll from Sultanahmet Square.

Topkapi Palace

(10:00 – 11:30)

Entry: 320 Turkish liras

There aren’t any dressing guidelines

Still throughout the precinct of the Old Hippodrome, head subsequent to Topkapi, certainly one of Istanbul’s most necessary museums and a big Ottoman palace constructed within the fifteenth century, with the only function of housing the Sultan and its court docket. Inside, they’ve stored a lot of the bygone Empire’s most treasured belongings, together with:

Beautiful rugs with intricate patterns as outdated as 500 years;
Centuries-old clocks;
Scepters and swords;
Moses’ employees;
Hair from the beard of Prophet Mohammed;
The Sultan’s vests and extra.

Aside from the Historical facet of issues, you’re free to go to the plush gardens, the Hamman as soon as housing the ladies of the court docket (and the Sultan’s many lovers). Since the palace was constructed going through the Bosphorus, vacationers are additionally graced with unparalleled views of the enduring waterway, and of Istanbul’s Asian – or Anatolian – facet within the distance.

Istanbul is full of museums and heritage landmarks, and so as to save up some money, I like to recommend you get a five-day Istanbul Museum Pass, granting you a single entry to every of the town’s top-rated sights, together with Topkapi Palace. According to the official website, the worth is at present 700 Turkish lira, or roughly USD 37.67.

I do know, the U.S. greenback is totally crushing it worldwide.

Basilica Cistern

(11:30 – 12:30)

Entry: 190 Turkish lira

There aren’t any dressing guidelines.

You nonetheless have a while earlier than lunchtime, and to prime off your introduction to Istanbul as Constantinople, I might advise you to leg it to the Basilica Cistern earlier than the crowds begin gathering. This is among the most spectacular landmarks within the metropolis, and one which even featured on our listing of 6 underground European attractions to flee the warmth over summer season.

Built within the sixth century, it was however a water reservoir for the Roman Great Palace, toppled by the town’s later Turkish makeover, a part of a posh system of a whole lot of comparable cisterns mendacity beneath Istanbul. They all resemble an underwater cathedral with tall, sturdy columns holding the below-ground ceiling, however that is arguably the very best preserved.

Personally, I imagine both early within the morning, or lunchtime when most are feeling peckish and are searching for a chew to eat are two of the very best occasions to go to, as overtourism can get a bit an excessive amount of in different peak visitation hours. You ought to plan accordingly as tickets can promote out rapidly, and this attraction doesn’t appear to be included on the Museum Pass.

Once underground, ensure you search for the upside-down and sideways Medusa heads, and sculptures supporting two of the Roman columns. Nowadays, resulting from apparent causes, the cistern isn’t crammed with water to its full capability to permit for visitation, so that they shouldn’t be troublesome to identify – and if you happen to’re a fan of Greek mythology, I’d recommend you learn up on the explanation why the heads are mendacity in such an unnatural angle beforehand.

Don’t overlook, in fact, to snap as many footage as you’ll be able to for the ‘Gram, particularly if the cistern is empty. This is indisputably one of the photogenic and dreamy spots in all of Istanbul.

Grand Bazaar and Lunch

(12:30 – 14:00)

In actuality, you would spend a whole day on the Grand Baazar wandering by its historic lined streets and over 4000 retailers, providing all the things from carpets to spices, and all issues in between.

For the sake of this itinerary, we’re going to take a whole day and squeeze it into 90 minutes, simply sufficient time to seize a chew at a meals cart or cafe contained in the bazaar, and to take a look at some area of interest retailers of what you’re most focused on shopping for.

During my most up-to-date go to to the Grand Bazaar, I used to be available in the market to purchase gold. Many individuals assume the bazaar is only a vacationer lure and a spot the place they’re prone to get ripped off, however the reality is way from that. People have been buying and selling gold contained in the Grand Bazaar for a whole lot of years and plenty of retailers are owned by multi-generation jewelers. With the good alternate price of the USD, mixed with the flexibility to barter immediately with suppliers, it’s a incredible place to buy gold proper now.

You could make your approach to a specific space of the market based mostly on what you’re most focused on, whether or not that be antiques, clothes, carpets, leather-based, furnishings, or different specialty retailers.

Alternative thought: If you’ve been to the Grand Bazaar earlier than, or the considered a market with over 250,000 guests per day overwhelms you, head to a bougie lunch within the space as an alternative. Just 3 minutes on foot from the bazaar is an ultra-premium restaurant known as Nusr-Et, which is bound to impress even essentially the most discerning diner. If you’re after a price range lunch expertise, attempt Pudding Shop – Lale Restaurant that’s standard with each vacationers and locals alike.

Go For A Stroll In The Colorful Balat & Fener

(14:00 – 15:00)

Entry: Free

Open-air attraction the place no dressing guidelines apply.

Istanbul is comprised of many layers, and through a chronic weekend, we don’t have sufficient time to tick the entire containers on our bucket listing. So we’ll have to be sensible. There are tons of Instagrammable districts full of colourful homes round the entire metropolis, each on the European and the Asian sides, however for a newcomer, possibly they need to be concentrate on these two:

Balat & Fener, two historic neighborhoods that now virtually type a single entity.

Reaching Balat or Fener from Sultanahmet Square, the place you began your tour, shouldn’t be greater than 20 Turkish lira, based on this online taxi calculator, however ensure you test official fares on the BiTaksi app and watch out for taxi scams and dodgy drivers as Turkey has been lately named the fifth country the place these incidents are almost certainly to occur.

Arriving to Balat & Fener, you can be met with the traditional European-style streets resulting in a hilltop monument – extra particularly, the fifteenth century Greek Patriarchate & St George’s Church. Prior to the First World War, Greeks had been one of many largest ethnic teams in Turkey, owing it to the truth that, in Ancient Times, Constantinople was Greco-Roman territory.

Now they’re a minority throughout your complete nation, together with Istanbul, however the vibes in Balat & Fener are notoriously distinct from different districts like Sultanahmet and Galata. It is extremely scenic, with tall home windows and really colourful wood facades which can be an Ottoman trademark making for stunning landscaping.

Besides the ‘Colored Houses of Balat’, you don’t wish to miss the Neo-Byzantine-styled St Stephen’s Bulgarian Orthodox Church, one other mark of the world’s historically Christian nature and of one other of Istanbul’s historic residents, the Bulgarians. It was famously made out of prefabricated forged iron, and it is among the few ‘iron churches’ left.

Istanbul Photo Session

(15:00 to 17:00)

Just earlier than the golden hour hits is the right time to take essentially the most memorable and delightful photographs on this unbelievable rooftop studio positioned within the Fatih/Belat neighborhood. Acclaimed photographer Ahmet Bolat creates beautiful photographs and movies for vacationers, with the last word backdrop of the town behind. You can put on your individual garments or undergo his in depth assortment of attire and genuine Turkish costumes for each women and men.

Sessions begin at $100 USD.