Historic places in Istanbul

Historic places in Istanbul

1. 
   SeeHistoric siteGalata

   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
2. 
   SeeHistoric siteHistorical Peninsula

   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
3. 
   SeeHistoric churchHistorical Peninsula

   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
4. 
   BuyMarketHistorical Peninsula

   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
5. 
   SeeCity gateEuropean Bosphorus

   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
6. 
   SeeHistoric siteHistorical Peninsula

   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€)
7. 
   SeeMuseumAsian Bosphorus

   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
8. 
   SeeAttractionEuropean Bosphorus

   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
9. 
   SeeAttractionAsian Bosphorus

   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
10. 
    SeeMuseumHistorical Peninsula

    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
11. 
    SeeMuseumGalata

    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
12. 
    SeeAttractionHistorical Peninsula

    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
13. 
    SeeMuseumGalata

    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
14. 
    SeeHistory museumHistorical Peninsula

    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
15. 
    SeeHistoric siteHistorical Peninsula

    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
16. 
    BuyHistorical Peninsula

    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
17. 
    SeeHistory museumHistorical Peninsula

    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
18. 
    SeeHistory museumHistorical Peninsula

    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!
19. 
    SeeHistory museumEuropean Bosphorus

    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)
20. 
    SeeHistoric siteHistorical Peninsula

    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
21. 
    SeeMuseumNew City

    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
22. 
    SeeHistoric siteEuropean Bosphorus

    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.
23. 
    SeeRural

    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.
24. 
    SeeCastleAsian Bosphorus

    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
25. 
    SeeRailway museumHistorical Peninsula

    Istanbul Railway Museum

    İstanbul Demiryolu Müzesi

    Housed in the Europe-side railway terminus of 1890, this exhibits Ottoman and modern Turkish railway history. The Orient Express came and went from here, with passengers for further east transferring to ferries then the Asia-side terminus of Haydarpaşa, for trains to Crimea, Baghdad and Damascus.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, last entry 16:40·Free · Free entry · Wheelchair accessible
26. 
    SeeHistoric siteHistorical Peninsula

    Molla Zeyrek Mosque

    This is a triple structure: the church of the Monastery of Pantokrator built 1118, then a public church circa 1136 plus a chapel that served as a royal mausoleum. It became a mosque and medresse in Ottoman times, but without massive alteration so it's a prime example of middle-Byzantine architecture. It's nowadays again a mosque, photogenic by day or dusk but the area should be avoided at night.

    24 hours·Free · Built 1124
27. 
    SeeCastleHistorical Peninsula

    Yedikule Fortress

    The Golden Gate was the ceremonial entrance through the Theodosian city walls. After the Ottomans captured the city in 1453, Mehmed II needed a stronghold for his treasures and documents. The gate was therefore bricked up and the walls reinforced into a fortress, with valuables stored in its seven towers, hence yedi kule. In the following century the treasury moved to Topkapi Palace and the fort became a prison for high-level detainees - Osman II was strangled here in 1622. It remained in use until 1837, whereupon the Golden Gate was re-opened.

    Tue-Sun 08:30-17:00·Adult 250 TL
28. 
    SeeHistory museumEuropean Bosphorus

    Linden Palace

    Ihlamur Kasrı

    A 19th-century neo-Baroque manor built as an imperial summer retreat in a valley, named after the linden grove in its grounds.

    Free
29. 
    SeeMuseumKadıköy

    Toy Museum

    Oyuncak Müzesi

    Historic collection of 2000 toys, the oldest are a French-made violin from 1817 and a US-made doll from 1820. Exhibits are museum pieces not interactive.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00·Adult 420 TL, conc or child 360 TL
30. 
    SeeHistoric siteEuropean Bosphorus

    Arnavutköy

    The neighbourhood of Arnavutköy (literally "Albanian village", paying homage to its founders in the 16th century) features impressive yalıs, multiple-storey wooden mansions lining the waterfront, and all bearing significant artwork on their facades. Beware there are two areas called Arnavutköy - the other is the site of the new airport, away northwest of the city.
31. 
    SeeHistorical Peninsula

    St George's Cathedral

    Turkish: Aya Yorgi, Greek: Agíou Geōrgíou

    This is modest from the outside, as the Ottomans would not permit non-Muslim religious buildings to rival the mosques. The interior is lavish but its chief importance is as the senior Eastern Orthodox church. Their Patriarchate has been housed here since 1586 when they were ejected from Agia Sophia.

    Closed · opens 8:30 am tomorrow
32. 
    SeeAttractionAsian Bosphorus

    Kuzguncuk

    This attractive neighbourhood was home to a large Christian and Jewish population until some decades ago and still has a number of sights like two synagogues, some churches among which the Armenian Surp Krikor Lusavoriç, dozens of wooden houses and a Jewish and Christian cemetery.
33. 
    SeeHistoric buildingAsian Bosphorus

    Beylerbeyi

    is a small port with a popular fishing dock. There are many restaurants: those on the port-side serve alcohol and are moderately expensive, those down the side-streets are cheaper. Notable buildings include the 18th-century Hamid-i Evvel mosque, and the 19th-century highway tunnel (which is closed as of Dec 2018). But the standout attraction is the palace.
34. 
    SeeHistory museumAsian Bosphorus

    Küçüksu Palace

    Küçüksu Kasrı

    If you are already in the area, it's worth considering to visit this waterside neo-Baroque manor, built in the 19th century for the countryside and hunting excursions of the Ottoman dynasty. The area, where the Göksu River flows into the Bosphorus, was known as "the Sweet Waters of Asia" by the pioneer European travellers of the epoch (as opposed to "the Sweet Waters of Europe", another contemporary elite recreational area on the other side of the city, where the Kağıthane and Alibeyköy Rivers empty into the Golden Horn).

    Closed · opens 9 am tomorrow
35. 
    SeeMuseumGalata

    Adam Mickiewicz Museum

    A historic house museum dedicated to the life of Adam Mickiewicz, renowned Polish poet. This is where he lived while in Turkey from September 1855 to 26 November 1855, when he died of illness.

    Daily 09:00-19:00·Free
36. 
    SeeHistoric siteHistorical Peninsula

    Nuruosmaniye Mosque

    Built 1748-55, this launched the style we call Ottoman Baroque, with its grand central dome and pencil-thin minarets. It was copied throughout their empire and is replicated in new mosques even today. The name means "light of the Ottomans," and the interior uses light powdery decor, bathed with much more natural light than its gloomier classical predecessors. The complex also has a madrasa and the imaret (public soup kitchen).

    Free
37. 
    SeeHistoric siteHistorical Peninsula

    Koca Mustafa Pasha Mosque

    Sümbül Efendi Mosque

    Built in the early 5th century as a monastery dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle, in 766 it was the burial place of Saint Andrew of Crete and was later re-dedicated to him. It was rebuilt in the late 9th century and again in the 13th, then around 1490 converted into a mosque. From the 16th century it was occupied by the Dervishes, when the legend arose that a chain hung to a cypress tree in the courtyard was a truth diviner. The chain was swung between rival witnesses and the one it hit was telling the truth. The cypress stump is still standing.

    Daily 07:00-19:30
38. 
    SeeMuseumHistorical Peninsula

    Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam

    İslam Bilim ve Teknoloji Tarihi Müzesi

    Museum in a restored building that was the stables for Topkapı Palace. It exhibits various instruments for astronomy, clocks, pumps, weaponry, a steam-powered döner spit, and so on developed in Islamic realms down the centuries, but these are modern repro, and explanations of their context are skimpy. Islamic science and technology preceded that of Europe, as they insist, but they get the tone wrong, as if that was the triumphal culmination rather than the springboard for further advance.

    Daily 09:00-17:30·Adult €10
39. 
    SeeHistoric siteAsian Bosphorus

    Çengelköy

    About 15 minutes walking north of Beylerbeyi lies the historical fishing village Çengelköy. Its long history is attested by an 800-year-old sycamore tree on one of the two main terraced squares, and the Byzantine Aya Yorgi church. The restaurants and piers of Çengelköy offer some of the best panoramas along the Bosphorus, including a view on the old city under the first bridge. The neighborhood was popular amongst TV directors during the 1970s and it has become a (possibly the most) popular location to have lunch or dinner on the eastern side of Istanbul. Many historic mansions have been restored and multiple boutique chocolatiers were opened. Most restaurants in Çengelköy don't offer alcoholic beverages. Exceptions include the restaurant at the main pier (Iskele), and Tapasuma, the restaurant of hotel 'Sumahan on the Water', located in a former Ottoman Raki distillery. You can get there by taking bus 15 or 15F from Üsküdar, it is just a few stops further than Beylerbeyi. Going to Çengelköy by car is not advised; traffic can be very intense on the narrow road along this side of the Bosphorus.
40. 
    SeeGalata

    Arap Camii

    Galata Camii, San Paolo, San Domenico

    The building was erected as a Roman Catholic church in 1325 by the friars of the Dominican Order, near or above an earlier chapel dedicated to Saint Paul (Italian: San Paolo) in 1233. In 1299, the Dominican Friar Guillaume Bernard de Sévérac bought a house near the church, where he established a monastery with 12 friars. A new, much larger church was built near or above the chapel of San Paolo in 1325. Thereafter the church was officially dedicated to San Domenico. After the Fall of Constantinople, according to the Capitulations of the Ottoman Empire with the Republic of Genoa, the church, which by that time was known by the Turks under the name of Mesa Domenico, remained in Genoese hands, but between 1475 and 1478 it was transformed, with minor modifications, into a mosque by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and became known as Galata Camii ("Galata Mosque") or Cami-i Kebir ("Great Mosque"). Towards the end of the century Sultan Bayezid II assigned the building to those Muslims of Spain (Andalusia) who had fled the Spanish Inquisition and migrated to Istanbul; hence the present name Arap Camii (Arab Mosque). Today, Arap Camii is the largest mosque on the Galata side of the Golden Horn. It is one of the most interesting mosques in the city due to its early Italian Gothic architectural style and church belfry, which has practically remained unaltered even after being converted into a minaret.

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Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Istanbul (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Place data from Overture Maps.