Istanbul is not just about the sights. Realistically, it's a city where short intense experiences (mosques, bazaars) alternate with moments when it makes sense to slow down - the boat, the tea, the views.

If you're here for 2-3 days, choose a mix of different types of activities rather than "as many sights as possible".

Discover the 10 best hotels in Istanbul

Cruises and public ferries

Istanbul is located by the sea, so of course it's a good idea to go on a cruise.

There are a huge number 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 activity in town)

This, for me, is one of the things you shouldn't miss.

Which cruise to choose?

1) Public ferry (best value for money)

• Costs a few tens of lira - can be paid with a regular Istanbulkart or your own contactless card
  • 👉 detailed in the chapter Transport in Istanbul
• same views as expensive cruises
• less touristy

Best routes:

• Eminönü → Kadiköy
• Karaköy → Kadiköy
• both take about 30 minutes and the boats sail every 20 minutes

Crossing the Bosphorus from Europe to Asia, you will see both Istanbul city centres and sail past the famous Maiden Tower on the way.

3) Organized cruises

• More expensive (from 600 try for 30 minutes)
• sometimes dinner / program

Makes more sense in the evening when the frequency of public ferries is lower.

For current timetables and price list, please visit the official website of sehirhatlari.istanbul.

You can also use the regular ferry lines to travel along the Bosphorus, which are not primarily for tourists, but you can enjoy the same views on them. Timetables can also be found at the link above.

An alternative option is cruises, which are a bit more expensive, but again you sail closer to shore so you see more. Cruises are operated by many different companies, with some you can book in advance, with others you can just buy it on the spot.

Golden Horn cruises

As you walk through the centre of Istanbul, you will no doubt notice the Golden Horn, a wide river valley that was flooded with 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 great landmarks such as the Suleiman Mosque from the water's surface.

In addition to the cruises, you can also take advantage of the ferries of the Sehir Hatlari company, which operates several lines between different ports in Istanbul and the Golden Horn.

There are, for example, the following ferries, but there are many more options on offer:

• Halic Hatti line: between the port of Uskudar (the Asian part of Istanbul) and Eyup (the last stop of the Golden Horn), the line stops at almost every port.
• Kadiköy - Eyup line: from Kadiköy port, line 28 runs approximately every hour to most ports in the Golden Horn

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

For example, we recommend getting off at Hasköy port and visiting the Rahmi M. Koç Transport Museum, while a good option is also the last port of call, Eyüp, at which you can visit the Eyüp Sultan Mosque and take the tram back to the city centre.

Cruises to the Princes' Islands

Like a large number of locals, you can take the opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of the metropolis for the Princes Islands.

This archipelago in the Sea of Marmara beckons for a summer visit of discovering beautiful spots and swimming at the local beaches. To find out more about the Princes' Islands, follow this link.

Visit the mosque

In a city as big as Istanbul you will find hundreds of mosques. Therefore, it would be a great shame to leave this metropolis without visiting one of these spiritual places.

In Istanbul, some mosques are open to non-believing visitors as long as they follow all the rules and are not currently holding prayers.

Among the most beautiful mosques in Istanbul are:

• The Blue Mosque - a large mosque with six minarets in the centre of the city with a blue-coloured interior.
• Suleiman Mosque - one of Istanbul's most beautiful mosques, situated on a hill with views of the city
• Hagia Sophia - a former Byzantine temple with unique mosaics that was later converted into a mosque
• Yeni Valide Mosque - a popular mosque in the suburbs of Istanbul

How to behave in the mosque?

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

• Free entry (Hagia Sophia is an exception)
• no entry during prayers
• shoes off
• women: covered head, shoulders, legs
• men: no shorts

Scarves are usually available for loan on site.

Photography is allowed in most mosques in Istanbul, but it is polite not to take pictures of locals during prayer or without their permission. Foreigners are not allowed in mosques during prayer time and must wait until later.

Bazaars and markets - where to go and how not to get burnt

Traditional Turkish bazaars have changed a lot in Istanbul in recent years.

Personally, I was expecting a local and lively atmosphere - I imagined it to be a bit of a tidier Cairo.

But in reality, all the most famous markets are already filled with practically only shops for tourists.

The local atmosphere has disappeared especially from these bazaars:

• The Grand Bazaar
• The Egyptian Bazaar
• Marketplace under the Blue Mosque

If you do want to experience a more traditional Turkish market where the locals go, head to the Asian part, especially the Kadiköy, Moda or Üsküdar areas, where you'll find plenty of markets mostly selling food, fruit and vegetables.

Take a dip in the Turkish baths (Hammam)

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

In some places you can go to them because they are no longer in use, but other times it's worth experiencing the full atmosphere of a Turkish bath and taking a dip in one.

Visiting non-Tourist thermal baths can be a challenging experience for some foreigners because of the hygiene and attitude of the staff, and the women's sections in particular have been criticised.

Nevertheless, public Turkish baths can be found in almost every district of Istanbul and you can experience the life of a local very cheaply.

How it works (in real life)

You come in, get a towel and go into the hot room. There you lie down on a big marble stone and just lie there for a while.

Then someone from the staff comes in and starts the peeling. And I mean really scrub. It's not gentle. It's more like a feeling of being "cleaned".

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

The last stage is a bath under an ice shower.

The whole thing takes about an hour.

Tips for Hammam

Among the most popular tourist Turkish baths in Istanbul are:

• CagalogluHamami: the last Ottoman bath built with a beautiful interior, The Istanbul Dream basic package for 60 eur
• Hurrem Sultan Hamami: a whitewashed spa in the heart of the city, basic Pir-ü Pak bath package for 85 eur
• Aga Hamami: a luxurious Turkish bath from 1454 with a historic interior, Traditional Package for 1 100 try

💬 Do you have your tips for specific hamam baths in Istanbul? Let us know in the comments, thanks!

Food - what and where to eat?

I really like Turkish cuisine, so I was looking forward to eating in Istanbul.

And this part of my stay did not disappoint.

Personally, I would avoid restaurants in the heart of the most touristy areas like around the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia (Sultanahmet), Karaköy or the pedestrian street Istiklal between Taksim Square and the Galata Tower.

The restaurants on Galata Bridge are also overpriced.

The tourist restaurants here are very expensive.

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What to do differently

• Go down the street
• watch where the locals sit
• Ignore the restaurants with the bouncers.

What to taste

• kebabs (not touristy places)
• balik ekmek (sandwich with fish from the Bosphorus)
• baklava

Corn, chestnuts and simit

A specific culture of Istanbul is the ubiquitous stalls with boiled corn and roasted chestnuts.

These are often accompanied by "simit" stalls, which are typical Turkish pastries, both savoury and sweet.

Prices are the same everywhere, so you don't have to look for cheaper stalls outside the tourist areas.

Sit down with a Turkish tea or coffee

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

Buy the hot drinks for a few lira from stalls right on the street, or use one of the local cosy teahouses to enjoy a bit of tranquillity combined with the ritual of traditional tea making in two pots.

But tea or coffee is just a means of sitting back for a while, soaking up the local atmosphere and enjoying the beautiful views of the hilly city of two continents.

Strolling through the local neighbourhoods

When you tire of touristy Istanbul, there's nothing easier than stepping a few streets over and wandering aimlessly through the local neighbourhoods.

Although Istanbul is a huge city, it's not exactly cosmopolitan and retains a distinct Turkish character outside of the major tourist sights.

Where did I like it best?

I didn't have enough time in Istanbul to go completely out of the centre, but I still found some very interesting and photogenic places.

• Sultanahmet - streets just a few steps away from the Blue Mosque, if you look for a long time you can get a nice view of the Marmara Sea

• Beyoglu - just a few steps from the very touristy area around the Galata Tower, you can walk down the steep local streets towards Karaköy

• Eminönü - below Suleiman Mosque towards Golden Horn Bay and Halic metro station is a very local, sometimes even dirty, neighbourhood where you go back a few decades.

Evening Istanbul

Istanbul has a completely different vibe in the evening.

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

Restaurants and bistros are usually open until midnight, and the darkness with dim lights can often create a wonderfully photogenic atmosphere.

Where to go in the evening?

• Rooftop restaurant + drink (the Eminönü district below Suleiman Mosque is best for this)
• ferry ride across the Bosphorus
• walk around the water

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

All the bazaars and big markets. I guess I had an idea from my last trip to Thailand that there would be great night markets like on Koh Samui.

But both the Grand Bazaar and the Egyptian Bazaar close around 7pm.

Take a day trip

If you're spending more than one day in Istanbul, you might find time for a day trip outside the city. Some visitors head by air to more distant parts of Turkey, such as Pamukkale or Ankara, but these places aren't a good option due to the time it takes to get there. So where to go on a day trip from Istanbul?

• Kumköy village: a peaceful village on the Black Sea coast is the perfect destination for beaches and swimming on hot days
• Bursa City: Turkey's fourth largest city offers many sights, the mountains behind the city are a popular skiing destination in winter and hiking in summer
• The Bosphorus Strait: a cruise on the Bosphorus is a unique experience, and you can explore the various villages along the strait by bus
• The Prince's Islands: an archipelago in the Sea of Marmara, where several ferries leave daily directly from Istanbul for hiking, sightseeing and swimming by the sea