Istanbul in 3 days
The palace not on a Tuesday, the bazaar not on a Sunday, and a whole day up the Bosphorus on the city ferry — three Istanbul days arranged by what opens when.
- How long
- 3 days
- Getting around
- An Istanbulkart for the T1 tram
- Rhythm
- Sultanahmet in the morning
Three days in Istanbul are arranged by opening days rather than by the map: Topkapı is shut on Tuesdays, the Grand Bazaar on Sundays, and the long Bosphorus trip on the city ferry takes about six hours. So day one is not a Tuesday, day three is not a Sunday, and day two belongs to the boat until late afternoon.
Sultanahmet and the palace
Hagia Sophia. Foreign visitors go up to the gallery on a €25 ticket; on Fridays there is no entry around the midday prayer.
The Blue Mosque across the square, between two prayers, then the Basilica Cistern — an underground reservoir of 336 columns, where two Medusa heads serve as column bases. Tickets €35.
Lunch in Kumkapı or the side streets behind Hagia Sophia.
Topkapı, the Ottoman sultans' palace. The €49 ticket covers the palace, the Harem and the church of Hagia Irene, so the Harem is not bought separately.
Gülhane park below the palace, down to the point where the Golden Horn meets the Bosphorus.
The Bosphorus, then Galata
The Bosphorus pier at Eminönü, for the morning sailing. The Uzun Boğaz Turu is a Şehir Hatları city ferry, not a private cruise: it calls at Beşiktaş, Üsküdar, Kanlıca, Sarıyer and Rumeli Kavağı, and the return ticket is €11.
Anadolu Kavağı, the last stop, where the boat waits before heading back. Walk up to Yoros Castle, which looks out to where the Bosphorus opens into the Black Sea, then lunch in the village.
Back at Eminönü — the whole trip takes about six hours. Walk across the Galata Bridge to the far side of the Golden Horn.
The Galata Tower, tickets €30, then İstiklal from the tower towards Taksim.
Dinner in Karaköy, or a meyhane with meze in Nevizade.
The Asian side and the bazaar
Ferry from Eminönü to Kadıköy. The market in the streets round the pier, bookshops and cafés — a district people live in, with no monument on the list.
The T3 heritage tram along Bahariye to Moda, about twenty minutes one way, then a walk by the sea and lunch.
Ferry back, then the Grand Bazaar.
The Süleymaniye, the mosque on the hill above the bazaar.
Where the plan breaks in Istanbul
- A Tuesday or a Sunday in the wrong place. Topkapı and the Grand Bazaar are shut on those days; each day in the plan stands alone, so they swap in turn.
- Friday noon in Sultanahmet. Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque close to visitors for the Friday prayer — Friday is not the day for the first part of the plan.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
What if I only have two days?
Drop day three, Kadıköy — not the Bosphorus. The long Bosphorus trip is the only part of the plan that needs a whole day and the morning sailing, so it cannot be squeezed into a free afternoon.
Ready for Istanbul?
Where to next
Where to stay in Istanbul
→Sultanahmet, Karaköy, Beyoğlu or Kadıköy — two districts on the T1 tram, one up the funicular and one across…
Safranbolu · 315 km
→An Ottoman town tourism skipped because it's too far from the sea
How well does Istanbul suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
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