Istanbul

Galata Tower

Galata Kulesi

It was built by the Genoese in the 14th century on the city walls of Galata, marking the highest point of their territory. Ride an elevator and take two flights of stairs to the top, then walk the parapet for a 360°-view of Istanbul, including the entire Sultanahmet peninsula: crowned by Topkapı Palace, the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. A beautiful spot worthy of a lot of pictures.

Daily 08:30-23:00 (last entry at 22:00)·650 TL · Entry 650 · Built 1348

Hagia Sophia

Aya Sofya

The third and grandest of the churches on this site, completed in 537 AD. The 30-m diameter dome covers what was for over 1000 years the largest enclosed space in the world, only surpassed in 1520 by Seville cathedral. It used "pendentive" architecture to throw the dome's weight onto four stout pillars, a design that inspired many Eastern Orthodox churches and Ottoman mosques. It became a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453, remaining so until 1931. It was then a museum until 2020 when it was again proclaimed a mosque. That means you must work around prayer times and dress appropriately. Very cheap disposable headscarves are available for purchase outside the building.

24 hours·Adult €25 · Heritage listed · Wheelchair accessible

Kariye Mosque

Chora Church

Chora means countryside, and when built as a monastery in the 4th century it stood outside the Constantine walls; a century later, it was incorporated into the Theodosian walls. It was rebuilt in the 11th century then wrecked by an earthquake, so the structure and fabulous mosaics you see now are from the 14th century. When the church was converted to a mosque in 1500 the mosaics were plastered over, and only restored in 1958 when it became a museum. In 2020 it was again proclaimed a mosque but here (unlike Fethiye Mosque) they saw the sense and tourist income of preserving the mosaics. About 15 minutes before prayer times, visitors are sent out and (if they have kept their ticket) can come back around half an hour later through the main entrance. Those who attend prayer are sent out after prayer; they cannot stay to visit and can only access the parts of the chora that lead to the prayer room.

Sat-Thu 09:00-18:00·Free for Turkish citizens, 20€ for everyone else · Heritage listed · Wheelchair accessible

Egyptian Bazaar

Mısır Çarşısı

Smaller than Grand Bazaar, it specialises in herbs and spices. Very touristy, but prices (even after haggling) are twice those in the rest of the city.

Daily 08:00-19:30·Wheelchair accessible

Dolmabahce Palace

Dolmabahçe Sarayı

This lavish palace with 285 rooms and 43 halls was the admin centre for the Ottoman Empire in its last 60 years. The palace government block (Selamlık) includes the Imperial Mabeyn (State Apartments) and Muayede Hall (Ceremonial Hall), while the Imperial Harem was the sultan's private quarters. Also here are the Painting Gallery, Music Museum, Clock Museum and Museum of Palace Collections. Free audio guide in several languages available by the ticket office. No photography inside, no backpacks but you can leave them in the cloakroom. Allow 3 hours to see everything.

Tue-Sun 09:00-17:00·Foreigners pay 1200 TL for Selamlık + Harem + Painting Museum, Domestic Visitors 170 TL, Müzeumkart not accepted · Wheelchair accessible

Basilica Cistern

Yerebatan Sarnici

Vast underground cistern built by Justinian in 532 to store the city's water, the largest and best-known of the hundreds constructed. It's a cathedral-like space with 336 richly decorated columns. Time was you explored in a little rowing boat, but tourist numbers have soared and water levels have dropped, so now you follow a boardwalk, with lights, piped music and art installations. It's sometimes a film location, and stages concerts. But the crowds rob it of atmosphere and you might prefer to seek out one of the less-visited cisterns.

Daily 09:00-18:30, 19:30-22:00·Adult 09:00-18:30 1500 TL (23€); 19:30-22:00 2400 TL (47€)

Beylerbeyi Palace

Beylerbeyi Sarayı

Bling palace-cum-summer house in mid-19th-century Ottoman style. Notable for its reception hall, bathing pavilion, and second floor restroom with spectacular Bosphorus view. Visit by guided tour only, these start every half-hour.

Tue-Sun 09:00-16:00·60 TL

Yıldız Palace

Yıldız Sarayı

A vast complex of former imperial Ottoman pavilions and villas in Istanbul, Turkey, built in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was used as a residence by the Sultan and his court in the late 19th century.

08:00–19:00 during summer, and till 17:00 during winter·Free

Maiden's Tower

Kız Kulesi

One of the icons of the city is also called the Leander's Tower, on a Bosphorus islet off Salacak. The local myth ascribes its name to a princess, whose father wanted to protect her in this offshore tower from a prophecy that she would be killed by a snakebite on her birthday, but the snake found its way inside a basket of fruits — ironically a birthday present from her father — and you've probably already guessed the rest of the story. In actual timeline, it served as a defensive structure (there was a wall connecting it to the Asian mainland, and the Byzantines used to stretch a chain from here to the European mainland across the mouth of the Bosphorus to shut it to adversary shipping in times of conflict, but they didn't during the final Ottoman siege in 1453), as a customs and quarantine station, as a lighthouse, as a warehouse of various sorts of goods, and as a high-end restaurant before the last restoration finished in 2023 dedicated it as a museum. There is a light show viewable from the mainland every day at 21:00.

Daily 09:00-20:00·€27 + 50 TL boat trip

Museum of Innocence

Masumiyet Müzesi

Opened in 2012, this museum is unique and a must-see when you are in the Beyoğlu area. It was created by Turkish Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk alongside a novel of the same name. It tells the love story of the two main characters from the novel, and represents life in Istanbul during the late 1970s to early 1980s, as it exhibits thousands of objects from that era.

Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, Thu 10:00-21:00·40 TL, 30 TL students, free admission on presentation of the novel

Palace of the Porphyrogenitus

Tekfur Sarayı

The Byzantines built several great palaces in Constantinople and this is the only one to survive almost intact. It's from the late 13th century, in typical alternating marble and red-brick rows, and was an imperial residence: Porphyrogenitus means "born to the purple" indicating the heir to the crown. Yet it was merely an annex or pavilion within the much greater Palace of Blachernae, of which nothing else remains. It's set within the north end of the Theodosian Walls and was much bashed during the Ottoman capture. Later it was variously a menagerie, brothel, pottery, poorhouse and bottle works, then fell derelict in the 20th century. In 2021 it re-opened as a museum.

Tue-Sun 09:00-17:00·Adult 300 TL

Miniaturk

It was built in 2001 and is the first miniature park in Istanbul (the world's largest miniature park in respect to its model area). The park hosts icons of many cultures and civilizations. Models vary from the Hagia Sophia to Galata Tower, from Safranbolu Houses to the Sumela Monastery in Trabzon, from Qubbat As-Sakhrah to the ruins of Mount Nemrut. In addition, some works that have not survived into the present, such as the Temple of Artemis, the Halicarnassus Mausoleum and Ajyad Castle, were recreated. All former Ottoman Empire in one place.

Daily 09:00-18:00·250 TL; concession for domestic visitors · Wheelchair accessible

Fatih Mosque

The original mosque was built between 1463-1470 by the Greek architect Atik Sinan, by order of Sultan Mehmet II the Conqueror, on the site of the former Church of the Holy Apostles, which had served as Byzantine Imperial burial place for a thousand years. The grand complex with eight medreses, a library, hospital, hospice, caravanserai, market, hamam, primary school and public soup kitchen was smashed again and again by earthquakes, and the present building is from 1771 to a different design. The interior is lavish, and outside is the ornate tomb of Mehmet II and his wife Gülbahar Hatun.

Free

Pera Museum

Pera Müzesi

A private museum with a large painting collection and archaeological collections of measurement units and tools used in Asia Minor since antiquity and faiences of Kütahya.

Tue-Sun 10:00-19:00, Sun 12:00-18:00·20 TL, concession 10 TL, free on Fridays 18:00–22:00, students free on Wednesdays

İstanbul Modern

A nice, organized museum with contemporary installations. It may be seen as overpriced given its small size. It also has a simple cafe.

Tue-Thu Sat Sun 10:00-18:00, Fri to 20:00·350 TL, concessions for students and domestic visitors

Fethiye Mosque

Pammakaristos Church

The Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos ("All-Blessed Mother of God") was built between the 11th and 12th centuries. The parekklesion or side-chapel was added maybe 1300, with rich mosaics. The main building became a mosque in 1591, named for Sultan Murad III's conquest (fetih, hence Fethiye) of Georgia and Azerbaijan: the interior was opened up, but the chapel was undisturbed and in modern times became a museum. In 2020 the entire building was proclaimed a mosque, and every scrap of Byzantine artistry was covered up, so now there's nothing worth seeing.

Free

Theodosius Cistern

Şerefiye Sarnıcı

This was rediscovered in 2010 when an overlying building was demolished. It was built circa 430 AD to store water brought in by Valens Aqueduct. It's smaller than the better-known Basilica Cistern, but better lit, more atmospheric and less touristy.

Daily 09:00-19:00·Adult 650 TL · Entry 650TRY

Little Hagia Sophia

Kücük Ayasofya Camii

Built as the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus around 530 AD, the same time as Hagia Sophia, but their styles differ. Transformed into a mosque in the early 1500s, it's beautifully decorated, with fine marble details, and has a pleasanter atmosphere than the larger busy mosques. The adjoining madrasa houses craft shops.

Sat-Thu 09:30-20:30, Fri 14:30-20:30·Free

Grand Bazaar

Kapalı Çarşı

Vast historic covered bazaar with over 4400 shops. These are organized around their wares, so the silver jewellers are clustered together, shoe shops are together in another alley, and so on. Prices are double those elsewhere and locals don't shop here, but it's an atmospheric place with a vast selection, and some of the antique dealers have genuinely rare stock.

Mon-Sat 09:00-19:00·Limited wheelchair access · Heritage listed

Topkapı Palace

The imperial enclave of the Ottoman emperors for four centuries. Lavishly decorated, with exhibitions of fine craftmanship and four courts of increasing grandeur. The second court has the Harem and the State Treasury, housing a weaponry display. On the right, towards the Bosphorus, there is the kitchen exhibition, also with a collection of coffee cups throughout the centuries. The third court has the Imperial Treasury on the right (also with a great view over the Bosphorus) and a collection of Islamic and Christian relics on the left. The views from the Fourth Court over the Bosphorus are spectacular. Reckon on spending several hours here and bring water as the museum kiosk is overpriced. The museum kiosk is in the kitchen section, on the right-hand side of the second court. Toilets can also be found there, towards the beginning of the second court. These have a shorter line than those in the second court, towards the third court.

Wed-Mon 09:00-17:00·Adult 2750 TL (combi for Palace, Harem and Hagia Irene) · Limited wheelchair access · Built 1545

The Jewish Museum of Turkey

A former synagogue, the museum's exhibit details how the cultures mixed with and influenced each other in the past 500+ years since the Spanish expulsion.

Mon-Thu 10:00-16:00, Fri 10:00-13:00, Sun 10:00-14:00

Rahmi M. Koç Industrial Museum

Sanayi Müzesi

This is an industry museum showcasing the evolution of machines. Many transport related items including a submarine, classic cars, railway carriages, an out-of-service Bosphorus ferry and a Douglas DC-3 aircraft (possible to board) are on display, among others. Also houses a typical Istanbul streetscape with its shops and all as how it would look in the past.

Tue-Fr 09:30-17:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-19:00·600 TL (July 2024, about €17); concessions for students and domestic visitors · Wheelchair accessible

Museum of Archaeology

İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri

Turkey was slow to protect its antiquities and to display them properly, but in 1867 Sultan Abdülaziz toured the museums of Paris, London and Vienna and saw what was needed. The main collection is in a grand neo-classical building of 1891, with two annexes for ancient art and Islamic art. Exhibits include Sumerian tablets, pieces of the wall of Babylon, Roman statues, and the Alexander Sarcophagus. There are very detailed historical explanations in both Turkish and English. There is also quite an accurate exhibition about the historical layers and epochs of the city of Troy. If you are passionate about history, you can spend many hours here, so bring a supply of water and food (the museum café is quite expensive). In the summer, on Saturdays and Sundays, they have concerts in the courtyard.

Daily 09:00-17:30. The Tiled Kiosk and the Museum of Oriental Art are closed as of October 2025·Adult €15. Beware of the ticket office staff adding the audio guide to the ticket price without asking if you want it. It's not compulsory and you don't need it. Check the bill before paying!

Rumeli Fortress

Rumeli Hisarı

Built in first half of the 15th century, this is the large medieval castle under the Second Bosphorus Bridge. Its former name Boğazkesen (Turkish)/Laimokopia (Greek) means both "strait-blocker" and "throat-cutter" in both languages and denotes the reason of its building—to shut the supply routes from the Black Sea in the north into the slowly falling apart Byzantine Empire through the Bosphorus. Rumeli, literally "the Roman land", was the name of the European half of the Ottoman Empire, and as is usual with some other structures and villages along the Bosphorus, used as a prefix to differentiate Rumeli Hisarı from its counterpart in the Asian Side, the much smaller Anadolu Hisarı just across the Bosphorus.

09:00-17:00 (closed Mon)·130 TL (about €4.25)

Sultanahmet Mosque

Blue Mosque

The defining image of Istanbul, dominating the skyline with its great dome and six minarets. Completed in 1617 for Sultan Ahmed I, it's still a working mosque, so dress appropriately and avoid prayer times. Enter via the courtyard on the SW side. You step (shoeless) into the blue-tiled prayer hall beneath the main dome and its semi-domes. The mihrab is of finely carved marble, well-lit, and the minbar (pulpit) next to it is visible from almost all parts.

Closed · opens 9 am tomorrow·Free

Atatürk Museum

Atatürk Müzesi

A historic 3-storey house, easily distinguishable among the modern apartment buildings thanks to its brightly coloured and gracefully decorated exterior. This is where the future founder of the Turkish Republic, Kemal Atatürk rented in 1919 while staying in Istanbul before setting sail to Samsun on the Black Sea coast to start the Turkish War of Independence. Hosts Atatürk-related paraphernalia and photos.

Mon-Wed Fri Sat 09:00-16:00·Free · Free entry · Wi-Fi

Ortaköy

A neighbourhood on the bank of Bosphorus with the Ortaköy Mosque—the baroque mosque under the Bosphorus Bridge, combination of which are one of the most iconic images of Istanbul. This artsy neighbourhood is filled with nice cafes, some of which offer kumpir—a baked potato with various fillings such as mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, sweetcorn, sausage slices, carrots, mushrooms, Russian salad among others—which the neighbourhood is well-known for, and a perfect view crowded and fun. The way from Beşiktaş takes around 25 minutes on foot and is along an avenue shaded by huge plane trees, though the usually-heavy traffic may take some of its peacefulness away.

Silivri

A resort on the Marmara coast. It's the westernmost part of Istanbul, between Çatalca and the province of Tekirdağ. There are some remnants of the Anastasian wall here, the scrappy ruins of a castle, an ancient cistern, the Piri Paşa Mosque, and Uzunköprü the long aqueduct.

Anadolu Citadel

Anadolu Hisarı

A medieval citadel on the Bosphorus at the mouth of the Göksu creek. It was built in the late 14th century to control (polite word for "choke off") shipping along the Bosphorus, which narrows to 660 m at this point. It worked in tandem with Rumeli Citadel, built some 50 years later on the European bank. It fell into disrepair but was restored in the 1990s. You can't go in, but it's a pleasant setting; the entire village is named Anadolu Hisarı after the fort and has many traditional wooden houses (yalı). Ferries along the Bosphorus call here.

Interior is closed·Built 1393

Rüstem Pasha Mosque

Built in 1564 by Mimar Sinan for Rüstem Pasha, Grand Vizier of Suleiman the Magnificent, this small mosque has an interior covered by beautiful Iznik pottery, then at its zenith.

Daily 06:00-21:30·Free · Wheelchair accessible