{"id":26466,"date":"2018-04-19T01:00:52","date_gmt":"2018-04-18T15:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?p=26466"},"modified":"2025-03-12T02:38:13","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T15:38:13","slug":"what-to-do-in-istanbul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-do-in-istanbul\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do in Istanbul, from must-dos to lesser-known gems"},"content":{"rendered":"

If I was given the choice to spend an eternity in one city and one city only, I would pause ever so slightly, then wholeheartedly reply, \u201cIstanbul.\u201d<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

I lived in Istanbul<\/a> <\/strong>for three years, and then returned back to my current home of Toronto in late 2017. Though, Istanbul isn\u2019t a city that you leave behind, it\u2019s a city that you carry with you. It\u2019s a deep and powerful place. You can’t feel indifferent about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thankfully, I\u2019m very confident that if you arrive in the city with the right mindset and advice, you\u2019ll leave as I did\u00a0\u2013 knowing you\u2019ll go back, but feeling blessed that you arrived in the first place. In three years, I learned a lot about the city (and myself). I spent every available moment chasing stories and moments that led me from the dim of the narrow streets to the wide breadth of the Bosphorus Strait.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"What<\/a>

Smiling over Sulemaniye Mosque<\/p><\/div>\n

With this, I want to share what I\u2019ve learned, so you too can appreciate what I wouldn\u2019t hesitate to call the world\u2019s greatest city (and all this coming from a traveller who has been to thousands.) I could write a guide that would take you several years to read, but for posterity sake, I\u2019m going to tell you what you need to tackle if you\u2019ve got a few days in the city! <\/span><\/p>\n

The Istanbul essentials<\/b><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019ve only got a couple of days to spare in my beloved Istanbul, then it\u2019s fair to assume that a large swath of that time will be spent in the area of Sultanahmet. I could certainly think of worse places to spend my time, I\u2019ll tell you that much. Let me run down what I wouldn\u2019t miss in general, while highlighting Sultanahmet.<\/p>\n

The Blue Mosque<\/h5>\n

Perhaps I\u2019m biased after living in Istanbul for several years, but I would contend that the Blue Mosque is the most aesthetically appealing building on the planet. I wouldn\u2019t want to calculate the sum total of time that I\u2019ve spent admiring this building. There\u2019s actually a fountain directly between the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque that I\u2019d recommend standing at and giving yourself the opportunity to go into sheer admiration mode (of both buildings for that matter.) <\/span><\/p>\n

I would contend that the exterior is in fact more impressive than the interior, but it is still worth going inside to understand the scale of the building, and to pay your respects to the fact that it\u2019s still an important functioning mosque in the city to this day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"What

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque<\/p><\/div>\n

Hagia Sophia<\/h5>\n

The Hagia Sophia (pronounced aya sofya), is an ancient orthodox church turned mosque turned museum. You\u2019d be remiss to not visit simply because there\u2019s just nowhere else like it on the planet, and that\u2019s worth something. It\u2019s a building that is said to epitomize Byzantine architecture, and yet many would argue that no other building more epitomizes modern day Istanbul. <\/span><\/p>\n

Though there\u2019s typically a fair bit of restoration work going on inside nowadays, it\u2019s very much worth it to go in and check it out. Perhaps no other building epitomizes the history of this city and its transition from ancient Christianity to modern Islamic than the Hagia Sophia.<\/span><\/p>\n

CHECK OUT INTREPID’S RANGE OF SMALL GROUP TOURS IN TURKEY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The Basilica Cistern<\/h5>\n

The Basilica Cistern, not far from the other two above aforementioned sights, is probably my favourite site in the city, and not just because the James Bond film From Russia with Love<\/em> was filmed there. It\u2019s an ancient water cistern that has all the right lighting, and with its columns and symmetry it\u2019s a photographer\u2019s dream.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Basilica

Basilica Cistern<\/p><\/div>\n

Topkap\u0131 Palace<\/h5>\n

It\u2019s now a museum, but it once served as the headquarters of the Ottoman Empire, which you\u2019ll note was rather large in its heydey. That\u2019s precisely what their collection of goods on site suggests, that they hand their hands all over the planet, and brought back enough spoils to fill a palace. There is, quite literally, a building called the <\/span>Fat\u0131h K\u00f6\u015fk\u00fc<\/span><\/i>, which translates to Conqueror\u2019s Pavilion. It\u2019s a collection fit for a king, or perhaps I should say \u201ca sultan.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bosphorus<\/h5>\n

In my opinion, you\u2019ve got to find a way to get out on the Bosphorus Strait, one of the prettiest bodies of water on the planet. Bosphorus cruises galore are offered throughout the area of Sultanahmet, and they\u2019re typically fairly decent and reasonably priced. Realistically, it doesn\u2019t really matter what means you take to get out and see what\u2019s known as the Golden Horn (where many of Istanbul\u2019s major sights are).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"BosphorusIf you\u2019ve got the time to spare, I would personally take the tram from Sultanahmet all the way down to Karak\u00f6y, which should take roughly 30 minutes. From there, you can hop on a ferry that will take you over to the Asian side, and specifically to an area known as Kad\u0131k\u00f6y. The ferry ride itself offers absolutely brilliant views of the city, but beyond that, I tend to think that Kad\u0131k\u00f6y is one of the most dynamic areas in the city. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve got the time to spare, I\u2019d walk around Kad\u0131k\u00f6y and check out their thriving cafe scene. Taking a stroll down the infamous \u201cbar street\u201d might also be of interest to you – I know it was for me on more than one occasion!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Kad\u0131k\u00f6y

The street art of Kad\u0131k\u00f6y<\/p><\/div>\n

SUBSCRIBE TO INTREPID’S NEWSLETTER FOR TRAVEL TIPS, COMPETITIONS, GIVEAWAYS & MORE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Also worth a glance around Istanbul<\/b><\/h3>\n
Traditional Bosphorus neighbourhoods<\/h5>\n

A lot of people come to Istanbul, and they never really see what I would deem to be the true Bosphorus. It\u2019s totally understandable considering how much there is to see in an area like Sultanahmet. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When I had friends come to visit, I had many tell me that their favourite memories were created walking through some of the seaside neighbourhoods I\u2019m about to mention. <\/span><\/p>\n

My suggestion would be to start in the area of Ortak\u00f6y, and head down to the water to see the ever impressive Ortak\u00f6y Mosque. The idea is to walk (or cab\/uber) down the entirety of the shoreline until you get to a neighbourhood called Bebek. Basically, just take a morning or afternoon and start in Ortak\u00f6y then head towards Arnavutk\u00f6y, which I would contend might be Istanbul\u2019s prettiest neighbourhood. If you\u2019re feeling thirsty, there\u2019s a top floor bar in this neighbourhood with unstoppable views of the Bosphorus known as Alexandra. Just keep walking up the stairs, you\u2019ll know when you\u2019re where you need to be.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Arnavutk\u00f6y

Views of Arnavutk\u00f6y<\/p><\/div>\n

Not long after that you\u2019ll end up in Bebek, where you\u2019ll see beautiful homes across the hillside. A small note here that the Starbucks in Bebek is probably the most incredible I\u2019ve seen on the planet, so don\u2019t forget to stop there! You can\u2019t miss it. In Bebek, you\u2019ll see fishermen adorning the shoreline, and people swimming and laughing. On a sunny day in Bebek, the tourism rush of Sultanahmet will feel a world away, trust me. <\/span><\/p>\n

Karak\u00f6y<\/h5>\n

It would be fair to say that Karak\u00f6y is Istanbul\u2019s most \u201cInstagrammable neighbourhood.\u201d You\u2019ve got posh and funky restaurants galore intermixed with healthy portions of design and graffiti. One street in particular has umbrellas above you filling the streets and it makes for some marvelous photography and colourful moments. If you\u2019ve got the time, it\u2019s worth spending a few hours here. I\u2019d personally recommend a cafe called \u201cKarabatak\u201d or the ever funky \u201cHan Karak\u00f6y.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A must-visit neighbourhood according to Jen Hartin, Intrepid’s Istanbul-based Destination Manager for the Middle East:<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am lucky enough to live in Balat which is full of funky cafes, colourful houses and lots of cats! It is full of history and has a village-like feel. The architecture is Greek Ottoman and it’s great for a wander.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

LOOKING FOR A DAY TRIP IN ISTANBUL? YOU’LL LOVE INTREPID’S SISTER COMPANY, URBAN ADVENTURES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Highlights from Istanbul’s cuisine<\/b><\/h3>\n
Turkish Breakfast<\/h5>\n

Turkish Breakfast or <\/span>Kahvas\u0131 <\/span><\/i>is my single favourite meal on the planet. I mean that. It\u2019s a beautiful combination of breads, jams, eggs, meats and more that will have you waking up without an alarm. In my humble opinion, the two best spots for breakfast are <\/span>Nezi <\/span><\/i>in the Bebek neighbourhood, and the more central <\/span>Cafe Privato<\/span><\/i> which you can find in the Galata neighbourhood.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Turkish

Turkish breakfast at Cafe Privato<\/p><\/div>\n

Bahklava<\/h5>\n

It\u2019s sweet and it\u2019s delicious. If you\u2019re looking to get your hands on some good quality stuff, there\u2019s a fleet of stores called Faruk G\u00fcll\u00fco\u011flu that does things right. You can actually find one in Taksim Square if you\u2019re around that area. <\/span><\/p>\n

Turkish Delight<\/h5>\n

My advice here is to eat as much Turkish delight as humanly possible while you\u2019re in Istanbul because you\u2019ll miss it. Try it anywhere and try it everywhere, then decide what\u2019s best for you. Turkish delight comes in all shapes and sizes, my friend, and most of them are delicious. There\u2019s a lesson about humanity tangled up in there somewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

READ MORE: 6 DELICIOUS DISHES TO TRY IN TURKEY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u00c7ay (tea) \/ Turk Kahvas\u0131 (turkish coffee)<\/h5>\n

Despite the fact that Turkish coffee is considerably better known worldwide, I would say that tea is significantly more popular. I had friends in Istanbul that would have up to 30 cups of \u00e7ay per day, and start each one by popping a cube of sugar in their mouth – now that is dedication. Tea is part of the lifeblood of Istanbul and Turkey at large, and you wouldn\u2019t go wrong to dive in. That being said, as a tourist, you might get more out of the coffee which packs a seriously caffeinated punch. Drink both in droves.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Turkish

Turkish tea<\/p><\/div>\n

Foodie tips from Jen Hartin, Intrepid’s Istanbul-based Destination Manager for the Middle East:<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love\u00a0Akin Restoran. Based in Halic, it’s such a gem that few very expats know about it. The food is good local produce. Don’t leave without trying\u00a0Ayranasi Corba (cold yogurt soup full of cracked wheat, chickpeas and mint) and\u00a0Baldiz Tatlisi (rolls of crispy pastry filled with helva). If you like the idea of a Turkish BBQ, you’ll also love\u00a0ocakbasi\u00a0restaurants – one of my favourites is Zubeyir.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Day trips from Istanbul<\/b><\/h3>\n

With Turkish Air being based in Istanbul (naturally), you\u2019re very well connected to the country, but for most destinations (Cappadocia, Ephesus, Bodrum etc.), I\u2019d recommend more than a day. In light of that, my favourite \u201cday trip\u201d as it relates to Istanbul is a trip to the Princes\u2019 Islands. You\u2019re taking boats so you don\u2019t have to worry about that devastating Istanbul traffic, and you feel like you\u2019re in another world altogether. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Princes\u2019 Islands<\/h5>\n

The Princes\u2019 Islands are just a lovely ferry ride away from Istanbul, all of them reachable in less than an hour. Typically, there are a handful of islands that people go to. There\u2019s B\u00fcy\u00fckada or “Big Island,\u201d Heybeliada \u00a0or “Saddlebag Island,” Burgazada or \u201cFortress Island\u201d, and K\u0131nal\u0131ada or “Henna Island.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Personally, I\u2019m very partial to Heybeliada which has the perfect combination of civilization and nature. You can go out for a perfect lunch, then retire at the beach for the afternoon and leave the hustle and bustle of Istanbul well behind you.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to tackle Istanbul in a few days, in sum<\/h3>\n
\"The

The Grand Bazaar<\/p><\/div>\n

The truth is, you won\u2019t. It\u2019s a city that goes so deep – I spent three years there, and I still have a lifetime of exploration to do. But isn\u2019t that just a marvelous problem to have? I\u2019ve spent three hours in some places and felt like I had read every page of their book a dozen times. Isn\u2019t it incredible that I spent over a thousand days in Istanbul, and I feel like I need ten thousand more? <\/span><\/p>\n

Istanbul is one of the world\u2019s great cities, there\u2019s no question about it. I\u2019m biased, but I\u2019ve also been lucky to set foot in a lot of different cities, and there\u2019s something special about this city. There\u2019s no city like Istanbul and I, for one, couldn\u2019t be happier about that. So go there, and go back, it\u2019s the city that keeps on giving, and you just need to put out your hand. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ready to explore this unique and wonderful city? Check out Intrepid’s range of small group tours in Turkey.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

(Image credits from top to bottom: Intrepid Travel, Chris Mitchell, Intrepid Travel, Chris Mitchell x7.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I lived in Istanbul for three years, and then returned back to my current home of Toronto in late 2017. Though, Istanbul isn\u2019t a city that you leave behind, it\u2019s a city that you carry with you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16010,"featured_media":26485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[455,1313],"tags":[1286,297,56,257,58],"class_list":["post-26466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-guides","tag-city-guide","tag-istanbul","tag-middle-east","tag-travel-tips-2","tag-turkey","ipf_region-turkey"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat To Do In Istanbul: The Ultimate Guide | Intrepid Travel Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I lived in Istanbul for three years, and then returned back to my current home of Toronto in late 2017. 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Though, Istanbul isn\u2019t a city that you leave behind, it\u2019s a city that you carry with you.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-do-in-istanbul\/","og_site_name":"The Good Times by Intrepid","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intrepidtravel\/","article_published_time":"2018-04-18T15:00:52+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-11T15:38:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Intrepid-Travel-turkey_istanbul_blue-mosque_2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Chris Mitchell","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Intrepid_Travel","twitter_site":"@Intrepid_Travel","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Chris Mitchell","Est. reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-do-in-istanbul\/","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-do-in-istanbul\/","name":"What To Do In Istanbul: The Ultimate Guide | Intrepid Travel Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-do-in-istanbul\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-do-in-istanbul\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Intrepid-Travel-turkey_istanbul_mosque-sultanahmet.jpg","datePublished":"2018-04-18T15:00:52+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-11T15:38:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/0102083d2f0efa69e5ad1e7133134119"},"description":"I lived in Istanbul for three years, and then returned back to my current home of Toronto in late 2017. Though, Istanbul isn\u2019t a city that you leave behind, it\u2019s a city that you carry with you. Here's what I'd recommend you do, see, explore and eat when visiting it.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-do-in-istanbul\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-do-in-istanbul\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-do-in-istanbul\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Intrepid-Travel-turkey_istanbul_mosque-sultanahmet.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Intrepid-Travel-turkey_istanbul_mosque-sultanahmet.jpg","width":800,"height":450,"caption":"The Sultan Ahmed Mosque"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-do-in-istanbul\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What to do in Istanbul, from must-dos to lesser-known gems"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/","name":"The Good Times by Intrepid","description":"adventure news","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/0102083d2f0efa69e5ad1e7133134119","name":"Chris Mitchell","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28f3484b82a366c9fae56b3991cceed8de172a876d0d3aace90fa1f6d58c8445?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28f3484b82a366c9fae56b3991cceed8de172a876d0d3aace90fa1f6d58c8445?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Chris Mitchell"},"description":"Chris regularly thanks his unquenchable sense of curiosity for ensuring he's never in one place for too long. He's been to over 75 countries across this gorgeous planet of ours and has always felt that all that's needed for a good trip is a well-bound notebook, a well-written book, and a passport with an expiry date that offers a little wiggle room for extending your journey. As a freelance writer and blogger, Chris is only too pleased that his passion for travel, photography, and writing have ever so politely collided. You can follow his adventures at travelingmitch.com, or with the handle @travelingmitch on any of your favourite social media platforms.","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/author\/chris-mitchell\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Intrepid-Travel-turkey_istanbul_mosque-sultanahmet.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4OQMK-6SS","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16010"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26466"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82394,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26466\/revisions\/82394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}