Istanbul isn’t just about the sights. In reality, it’s a city where brief, intense experiences (mosques, bazaars) alternate with moments when it makes sense to slow down – a boat trip, a cup of tea, the views.

If you’re here for 2–3 days, opt for a mix of different types of activities rather than ‘as many sights as possible’.

• 👉 Istanbul in 3 days: the best route around the city

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Boat trips and public ferries

Istanbul is situated by the sea, so a boat trip is naturally a great option.

There’s a huge range of options on offer, from cheap public ferries to luxury cruises with meals and parties on board. What will you choose?

A cruise on the Bosphorus (the best thing to do in the city)

In my opinion, this is one of the things you really shouldn’t miss.

Which cruise should you choose?

1) Public ferry (best value for money)

• costs a few dozen lira – you can usually pay with an Istanbulkart or your own contactless card
  • 👉 See the ‘Transport in Istanbul’ section for full details
• the same views as the expensive cruises
• less touristy

Best routes:

• Eminönü → Kadiköy
• Karaköy → Kadıköy
• Both take about 30 minutes and boats run every 20 minutes

You’ll cross the Bosphorus from Europe to Asia, see both parts of Istanbul and sail past the famous Maiden’s Tower on the way.

3) Organised cruises

• more expensive (from around 600 try for 30 minutes)
• sometimes including dinner / entertainment

These are more suitable in the evening, when public ferry services are less frequent.

You can find the latest timetables and price list on the official website ofSehirhatlari.istanbul.

For a trip across the Bosphorus, you can also use the regular ferry services, which, although not primarily intended for tourists, offer the same views. You can find the timetables via the link above.

An alternative option is sightseeing cruises, which are slightly more expensive but allow you to sail closer to the shore, so you’ll see more. These cruises are operated by many different companies; with some, you can book in advance, whilst with others you can simply buy a ticket on the spot.

Cruises on the Golden Horn

Whilst strolling through the centre of Istanbul, you’ll undoubtedly notice the Golden Horn, a wide river valley that was flooded by seawater and now forms part of the city.

A very popular option is a cruise on the Golden Horn, during which you can see Istanbul’s major landmarks, such as the Süleymaniye Mosque, from the water.

As well as sightseeing cruises, you can also use the ferriesoperated by Sehir Hatlari, which runs several routes between various ports in Istanbul and along the Golden Horn.

The following ferries are available, for example, but there are many more options on offer:

• Halic Hatti route: between the port of Uskudar (on the Asian side of Istanbul) and Eyup (the final stop on the Golden Horn), the service stops at almost every port
• Kadiköy – Eyüp route: from Kadiköy harbour, route 28 runs approximately every hour to most harbours in the Golden Horn

You can also easily combine a cruise on the Golden Horn with public transport in either direction.

We recommend getting off at Hasköy pier, for example, to visit the Rahmi M. Koç Transport Museum; the final stop at Eyüp is also a good choice, as you can visit the Eyüp Sultan Mosque there and take the tram back to the city centre.

Cruises to the Princes’ Islands

Just like many locals, you can take the opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and head to the Princes’ Islands.

This archipelago in the Sea of Marmara is the perfect destination for a summer visit, where you can explore its beautiful hidden corners and enjoy a swim at the local beaches. Find out more about the Princes’ Islands via this link.

Visit the mosque

In a city as large as Istanbul, you’ll find hundreds of mosques. It would therefore be a great shame to leave this metropolis without visiting one of these spiritual places.

In Istanbul, some mosques are open to non-Muslim visitors, provided they observe all the rules and no prayers are taking place at the time.

Among the most beautiful mosques in Istanbul are:

• The Blue Mosque – a large mosque with six minarets in the city centre, featuring a blue-hued interior
• Suleiman Mosque – one of Istanbul’s most beautiful mosques, situated on a hill overlooking the city
• Hagia Sophia – a former Byzantine church with unique mosaics, which was later converted into a mosque
• Yeni Valide Mosque – a popular mosque in a suburb of Istanbul

How should you behave in a mosque?

As a non-believer, you can enter most large mosques without any problems. You just need to observe a few rules.

• Free entry (with the exception of Hagia Sophia)
• No entry during prayer times
• Shoes must be removed
• Women: head, shoulders and legs must be covered
• Men: no shorts

Scarves are usually available to borrow on site.

In most mosques in Istanbul, photography is permitted, but it is considered polite not to photograph locals whilst they are praying or without their consent. During prayer times, foreigners are not allowed to enter the mosques and must therefore wait until later.

Bazaars and markets – where to go and how to avoid getting ripped off

Traditional Turkish bazaars in Istanbul have changed a great deal in recent years.

Personally, I was expecting a local, lively atmosphere – I’d imagined it to be a bit like Cairo, but a bit tidier.

In reality, however, all the best-known markets are now practically filled withshops catering solelyto tourists.

The local atmosphere has largely disappeared from these bazaars in particular:

• The Grand Bazaar
• Egyptian Bazaar
• The market beneath the Blue Mosque

If you’d like to experience a more traditional Turkish market frequented by locals, head to the Asian side, particularly the areas of Kadıköy, Moda or Üsküdar, where you’ll find plenty of markets selling mainly food, fruit and vegetables.

Have a soak in a Turkish bath (Hammam)

Turkish baths, or hammams, are an integral part of Islamic culture and can be found in many Muslim countries.

In some places, you can simply visit them as they are no longer in use; in others, it’s well worth experiencing the full atmosphere of a Turkish bath and having a soak there.

Visiting non-tourist thermal baths can be a challenging experience for some foreigners due to hygiene standards and the staff’s attitude; the women’s sections in particular have come in for criticism.

Nevertheless, you’ll find public Turkish baths in almost every neighbourhood of Istanbul, and you can experience local life there very cheaply.

How it works (in reality)

You go inside, are given a towel, and head into the hot room. There, you lie down on a large marble slab and simply relax for a while.

Then a member of staff comes over and starts the exfoliation. And I really mean exfoliation. It’s not gentle. It feels more like someone is ‘cleaning’ you.

This is followed by a foam massage – that’s probably the most pleasant part. Your whole body is covered in foam, you get a short massage, and then they rinse you off with water.

The final stage is a bath under an ice-cold shower.

The whole thing takes about an hour.

Tips for the Hammam

Among the most popular Turkish baths for tourists in Istanbul are:

• ÇagalogluHamam: the last Ottoman bathhouse to be built, with a beautiful interior; the basic ‘The Istanbul Dream’ package costs 60 eur
• Hurrem Sultan Hamami: a white-themed bathhouse right in the city centre, the Pir-ü Pak basic bath package for 85 eur
• Aga Hamami: a luxurious Turkish bath dating from 1454 with a historic interior; the ‘Traditional Package’ for 1 100 try

💬 Do you have any tips for specific hamams in Istanbul? Let us know in the comments, thanks!

Food – what and where to eat?

I really love Turkish cuisine, so I was looking forward to the food in Istanbul.

And this part of my stay didn’t disappoint.

Personally, I’d steer clear of restaurants in the heart of the most touristy areas, such as the area around the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia (Sultanahmet), Karaköy or the Istiklal pedestrian street between Taksim Square and the Galata Tower.

The restaurants on the Galata Bridge are also overpriced.

There are some very expensive tourist restaurants here.

Book a hotel in the centre of Istanbul

What else to do

• go one street further
• See where the locals are sitting
• ignore restaurants with touts

What to try

• kebab (not the tourist spots)
• balik ekmek (a sandwich with fish caught in the Bosphorus)
• baklava

Corn, chestnuts and simit

A distinctive feature of Istanbul’s culture is theubiquitousstalls selling boiled sweetcorn and roasted chestnuts.

These are often complemented by stalls selling ‘simit’, a typical Turkish bread, available in both savoury and sweet varieties.

Prices are the same everywhere, so there’s no need to look for cheaper stalls outside the tourist areas.

Sit back and enjoy a cup of Turkish tea or coffee

No visit to Istanbul should be complete without sitting down to enjoy a traditional Turkish tea or coffee.

You can buy these hot drinks for a few lira from street stalls, or pop into one of the cosy local tea houses and enjoy a moment of tranquillity whilst watching the traditional ritual of preparing tea in two teapots.

However, tea or coffee is merely a means of allowing you to sit back for a moment, soak up the local atmosphere and enjoy the beautiful views of this hilly city straddling two continents.

Walks through the local neighbourhoods

When you’ve had enough of touristy Istanbul, there’s nothing easier than veering off a few streets to the side and wandering aimlessly through the local neighbourhoods.

Although Istanbul is a huge city, it isn’t entirely cosmopolitan and, away from the major tourist attractions, it retains a distinct Turkish character.

Where did I like best?

I didn’t have enough time in Istanbul to venture far from the city centre, but even so, I found some very interesting and photogenic spots.

• Sultanahmet– the narrow streets just a few steps from the Blue Mosque; if you look hard enough, you might even come across a lovely view of the Sea of Marmara

• Beyoğlu– just a few steps from the very touristy area around the Galata Tower, you can stroll down the steep local streets towards Karaköy

• Eminönü– below the Süleymaniye Mosque, towards the Golden Horn and the Halic metro station, lies a very local – and in places rather grubby – neighbourhood where you’ll feel as though you’ve stepped back a few decades.

Istanbul by night

In the evening, Istanbul has a completely different vibe.

I quite liked it during the day, though it was a bit boring at times. But in the evening, I was thrilled.

Restaurants and bistros are usually open until midnight, and the darkness, combined with the subdued lighting, often creates a wonderful, photogenic atmosphere.

Where to go in the evening?

• a rooftop restaurant + a drink (the best place for this is the Eminönü district, below the Süleymaniye Mosque)
• a ferry trip across the Bosphorus
• a walk along the waterfront

What, on the other hand, stays closed in the evening?

All the bazaars and large markets. I suppose I’d got the idea from my last trip to Thailand that there’d be brilliant night markets here, like the ones on Koh Samui.

But both the Grand Bazaar and the Egyptian Bazaar close as early as 7 pm.

Set off on a day trip

If you’re spending several days in Istanbul, you might find time for a day trip out of the city. Some visitors fly to more distant parts of Turkey, such as Pamukkale or Ankara, but these destinations aren’t the best choice given the time involved in the journey. So where should you go on a day trip from Istanbul?

• The village of Kumköy: this peaceful village on the Black Sea coast is the ideal destination for a day out on the beach and a swim on hot days
• The city of Bursa: Turkey’s fourth-largest city offers a range of sights; the mountains beyond the city are a popular skiing destination in winter, whilst in summer you can head there for hiking
• The Bosphorus Strait: a cruise along the Bosphorus is a unique experience; you can also explore the various villages along the strait thanks to the bus service
• The Princes’ Islands: an archipelago in the Sea of Marmara, with several ferries sailing there daily directly from Istanbul; you can visit for hiking, sightseeing and swimming in the sea