Istanbul. This magical city rich in history and full of diversity, a city which has a one of a kind geographical location (partly in Europe and partly in Asia) inspired us with its mixture of modern and traditional and made us want to discover more of Turkey on our next visit. After a 4 day visit, we can really say it is a place you simply have to visit once and a city in which you easily fall in love. More about it in this new city guide post.

I´ve been wanting to visit it for such a long time now, but there has somehow never been a chance to do that. One of the ways to see it is also during a longer layover, because Turkish airlines has quite good connections all over the world and now with its massive new airport things are even expanding. So after coming back to Germany from Brazil, we chose to fly through Istanbul on the way back to Slovenia and selected a 4 day layover. For 130€ per person with 30kg baggage included, this was a very good deal. Still slightly jet-lagged and with horribly bruised knees (yeah I fell down the stairs just the evening before the flight) we were determined to have the best time possible in Istanbul. So, what can you see, do and experience over here? Here is my top 25.

1. THE BLUE MOSQUE | one of Istanbul´s most recognizable landmarks

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One of Istanbul´s most iconic sites, the BLUE MOSQUE with 6 MINARETS, got its name after the beautiful hand painted blue tiles, decorating the mosque´s interior. We had a little bit of bad luck because a part of it was just being renovated, but it was still an interesting visit. There is NO ENTRY FEE, but take care to take your shoes off before entering, women need to cover themselves with a scarf – if you don´t have one, you can borrow one there.

2. HAGIA SOPHIA MUSEUM | from basilica to impressive mosque and great museum

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On the other side of the park in front of the Blue Mosque you cannot miss visiting another great building in this area, AYASOFYA, also known as HAGIA SOFIA. Although it looks like (and once indeed was) a MOSQUE, it was initially built as a CHURCH and it is actually a MUSEUM today. ENTRY FEE is 72 Turkish lira (around 11€), it is closed on Mondays.

3. HIPPODROME | former horse racing track

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A former Roman HORSE RACING TRACK could host tens of thousands of spectators back in its best days and there were many beautiful towers raising up to the sky around here. On the square which is called Sultanahmet Meydanı today, there are only 3 TOWERS LEFT – the most impressive of the three has to be the EGYPTIAN OBELISK. The area is very close to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, so it is easy to visit while you are there.

4. TOPKAPI PALACE | Sultan´s residence turned into a museum

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Nearby Hagia Sophia you can visit one of the most famous palaces in the city, TOPKAPI PALACE, built as a SULTAN RESIDENCE and now a MUSEUM. It is so big and there are so many different rooms and buildings, you can easily spend 3 or more hours here. ENTRY FEE is 72 Turkish lira (around 11€), but if you wish to visit the former HAREM as well, you need to pay 42 lira extra.

During all the centuries when the palace was in active use, they were rebuilding and adding new rooms and smaller villas so the whole complex is really full of little COURTYARDS, GARDENS and PARKS as well. But mostly we were stunned by all the MOSAICS, ORNAMENTS and other DETAILS decorating the inside and the outside walls. There are nice views on the city and the open sea from the palace too.

5. PARK GÜLHANE | wonderful tulip fields near Topkapi palace

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Just under Topkapi palace there is a very nice park, a true green oasis, always much appreciated in big cities. The best time to visit is without a doubt in the Spring when FIELDS OF TULIPS cover the park, but it is a peaceful place to visit in other times of the year too. Mistakenly tulips are mostly associated with The Netherlands, but the bulb originally came to Europe from Istanbul.

6. CISTERNA BASILICA | the most famous underground Byzantine cistern

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Under Istanbul peninsula, there is supposed to be dozens of similar cisterns, which were all of great importance during siege as they were the only source of water for the people. Today, you can visit 2 BYZANTINE CISTERNS, Cisterna Bazilica and Cisterna Theodosius.

First, we visited THE BIGGEST WATER CISTERN in Istanbul, Cisterna Basilica, which is located just a minute walk away from Hagia Sophia. ENTRY FEE is 20 Turkish lira (around 3€). When you have your ticket, you are allowed to go down to discover this impressive underground rooms, which also host 336 ANTIQUE PILLARS. The most famous pillars are the ones with HEADS OF MYTHICAL CREATURES MEDUSAS. This place is definitely worth the visit and the entry fee is quite reasonable for what you get.

7. CISTERNA THEODOSIUS | newly opened undergound cistern

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Second cistern, which opened its doors just very recently, almost impressed us even more than the first one. It was smaller, but yet not less impressive. There is NO ENTRY FEE and there is an elevator to go down underground. In this 1600 years old dark place one really feels small and unimportant. Also, at the time of our visit there was an interesting display of TRADITIONAL TURKISH CARPETS.

8. CITY MUSEUMS | museums to visit in Istanbul

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Besides the museums I already mentioned above, there are many more you can visit here. Those who like history, art and culture can check out the following ones for example – ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM, MODERN ART MUSEUM, MUSEUM OF TURKISH AND ISLAMIC ARTS, KARIYE MUSEUM, MUSEUM OF INNOCENCE and CARPET MUSEUM.

9. GRAND BAZAAR | amazing market with over 4000 shops

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In this huge COVERED MARKET from the 15^th Century you can shop or stroll around more than 60 STREETS and visit over 4000 SHOPS selling anything from clothes to dishes, jewellery, china, furniture to toys and more. Aimlessly walking around is the thing to do if you are a tourist, there are 22 entrances, so don´t worry, you will find your way out of this amazing, busy maze.

To rest your feet you can stop for a coffee or tea in one of the many little bars, there are also restaurants – meat lovers should check out NUSR-ET RESTAURANT. There are heaps of shops outside the bazaar selling more or less similar items but of course, for a much cheaper price.

10. SPICE BAZAAR | Egyptian bazaar near Galata bridge

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Spice market or EGYPTIAN BAZAAR as it is also called is the second most known market in Istanbul, just after Grand Bazaar. It is much smaller though, but very organised and worth visiting even if you do not buy anything. Otherwise you can buy spices, nuts, dried fruits, coffee and more. It is located very close to Galata Bridge.

11. GALATA BRIDGE | connecting the old and the new part of Istanbul

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The most famous of the 3 bridges that connect THE OLD AND THE NEW EUROPEAN PARTS OF THE CITY on both sides of the GOLDEN HORN is already the fifth version of the original bridge built in 1845. If you have the time, do walk over the bridge – it it full of LOCAL FISHERMEN and the lower part of the bridge is full with RESTAURANTS.

12. DOLMABAHCE PALACE | museum and residence of the last sultans

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This magnificent palace sitting at the Bosphorus channel was the RESIDENCE OF THE LAST SULTANS, later on it was used by Atatürk (founder of Republic of Turkey) for protocol meetings and events and today it is a MUSEUM. ENTRY FEE is 60 Turkish lira (around 10€) and another 40lira if you want to see the HAREM.

13. BOSPHORUS CRUISE | panoramic boat tours in Istanbul

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If you are tired of walking or simply enjoy taking boat cruises, fear not, there are many to choose from here. We did a 2,5hrs one, starting in KABATAS MARINA, driving up along the European side, turned back at the second bridge and returned along the Asian side. While sipping hot tea we spotted so many wonderful VILLAS, FANCY WEALTHY HOMES, FORTS and BEAUTIFUL GARDENS on both sides of the city. Absolutely recommend taking the boat in Istanbul!

14. RAINBOW STAIRS | colorful stairs in Beyoglu area

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While hurrying to KABATAS marina for our boat ride, we caught a glimpse of these stairs, but were too short on time and desire to cross the street and take pictures of them. But, for everyone keen on Insta posing pics, you find the stairs in Beyoglu area, very close to SALI PAZARI metro station.

15. GALATA TOWER | well-preserved tower with 360° view form the top

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This beautifully preserved VIEWING TOWER used to be one of the highest buildings around. Today, this is of course not the case anymore, but its 360° VIEW BAR on the top still offers great views on the city. ENTRY FEE is 35 Turkish lira (around 5€). We decided to skip going up, because the weather was not so nice at that moment.

16. TAKSIM SQUARE | thw largest and most famous square in Istanbul

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The MOST FAMOUS and LARGEST SQUARE around here is located in Beyoglu, the European side of Istanbul. Always busy and full of people, it is also the MAIN METRO STATION. Surrounded by numerous restaurants and bars, we also find the famous REPUBLIC MONUMENT here.

17. ISTIKLAL STREET | pedestrian area of modern Istanbul

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One of the MOST KNOWN STREETS OF MODERN ISTANBUL runs from Taksim square for about a mile in south-west direction and it is a PEDESTRIAN AREA, with an exception – watch out for the lovely OLD RED TRAM. Here, we find lots of MODERN SHOPS, all sorts of RESTAURANTS, lively BARS and CLUBS.

18. BOAT TRIP TO THE ASIAN SIDE | Kadikoy, Moda and other areas on the other side

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Even though we first intended to cross over to the Asian side of the city ourselves, we cancelled this plan in the end, due to the weather that afternoon. Had to keep something for our next visit. But we heard some good things about KADIKOY and MODA areas over there. Also, if you are looking for cukinary experiences, go check out CIYA SOFRASI RESTAURANT which was featured in Netflix Chef´s table.

19. CITY MOSQUES | over 3000 active mosques across the city

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In total there are over 3000 ACTIVE MOSQUES in Istanbul, which means you will see them literatelly everywhere. While some are smaller, some are greater. If you want to see more of the interesting ones, look up the following ones: SÜLEYMANIYE, SEHZADE, RÜSTEM PASHA, YENI CAMI and EYÜP.

20. TRADICIONAL HAMAM | scrubs and massages in Istanbul

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We didn´t visit one this time, but if this is your thing – Istanbul is the place to do it. There are quite some places, but there is a difference between a TURKISH BATH and a TRADITIONAL HAMAM. There are always separate rooms for women and men, also the person who scrubs and massages you will always be the same gender as you are. We´ve heard the scrubbing part can be a bit rough thugh so it might not be the best for those with extra sensitive skin.

21. STREET FOOD | what to eat and drink in Istanbul

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City streets are dotted with vendors selling QUICK SNACKS. In Autumn, the smell of ROASTED CHESTNUTS and CORN filled up the air, but you could still get the traditional Turkish ice cream called DUNDURMA. They are masters in flipping it around, you should order one to see the show. Then there is SIMIT (Turkish bagels), which is often eaten with creamy cheese, PIDE and LAHMACHUN (both similar to pizza, but in different shapes), KUMPIR (baked whole potato filled with different things), BOREK (savoury pastry filled with minced meat, cheese or spinach), DURUM (Turkish burrito), all kinds of KEBABS and more. Thrilled to drink AYRAN after a long time again and the best new drink discovered was A FRESH POMEGRANATE JUICE.

22. ROOFTOP BARS & RESTAURANTS | dinner and drinks with awesome views

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Before coming here, having a dinner in a roof top restaurant with VIEWS OVER THE OLD CITY over the old city was on the top of my “to do things”, but I really did not imagine there are sooo many roof top places over here! I thought we will have to do a real Google research to find one, but no, in Sultanahmet / Fatih area they are everywhere. The fanciest one we visited the first evening was FINE DINE ISTANBUL (on the picture) – slightly more expensive, but good choice if you are looking for a nice dinner with a view.

23. TRADICIONAL RESTAURANTS | Meze, Hookah and oriental restaurants

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There are lots of such traditional restaurants in ORIENTAL STYLE, where you can also sit on the carpets on the floor if you wish. all over the old city. In some of them you can also smoke the HOOKAH (also known as shisha). Not sure if they are more for tourists than the locals, but in any case I like the atmosphere and they seem to be serving traditional dishes. We fell in love with MEZE, a mix of vegetable, meat & fish hot and cold starters. Those come in small cups and are served with yummy flat bread – if you are not too hungry you can simply get them for the main course.

Everyone who loves to try out LOCAL SPECIALITIES and DISHES should also try HUMUS (cheakpea spread), KÖFTE (meatballs), small TURKISH BEEF RAVIOLI, eggplant MUSAKA, LAMB cooked in a special clay pot, STUFFED WINE LEAVES, fried or grilled CLAMS and SCAMPI, different sorts of CHEESE, MENEMEN (mixed eggs with vegetables), CORBA (lentil, tomato, or meat soup), DOLMA (filled vegetables) and more. There is a huge variety of DESERTS, read about them in the next point.

24. TURKISH SWEETS | traditional desserts and snacks

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Anyone for sweets? I admit, this is not me at all, but seeing all those desserts I had to try some too. Probably the most known are BAKLAVA and LOKUM (sweet jelly-like texture topped with powdered sugar), also known as TURKISH DELIGHT. You often get a little cube of lokum with coffee. Then here is HALVA (made out of sesame paste, nuts and sugar), LOKMA (fried dough), PUDDING, KDAYIFE and others. Lots of choices for those with a sweet tooth. And those who dare, should try the CHICKEN PUDDING DESSERT. And no, this is not a typo, such a thing seems to really exist.

25. TURISH COFFEE AND TEA | traditional Turkish drinks

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Back home in Slovenia we drink lots of coffee and we cook it similar like in Turkey. We even call it Turkish coffee. So I always thought people in Turkey drink even more coffee than we do. But now I see, I was wrong, they are much bigger tea lovers. Anyhow, we bought some fresh MEHMET EFENDI COFFEE to take home and drank lots of tea during our 4 days.

Surely there are many more interesting corners to visit of such a big city, but this list might be helpful if you are visiting for the first time. We had a nice couple of days and are looking forward coming back to Turkey one day.

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