Mistakes everyone makes in Istanbul

Most Istanbul days go wrong in the same few places: a palace that is shut on the morning you chose it, a Friday visit that collides with midday prayers, a boat trip mistaken for a ride across town. Each mistake costs hours rather than money, and each has a plain fix, which is to move one thing to another day or another hour.

The wrong day for the wrong place

The belief that museums are closed on Monday does not hold in Istanbul. Hagia Sophia, Topkapı, the Cistern and the Galata Tower are all open on Mondays, and the one palace that is shut is Dolmabahçe. Topkapı takes its day off on Tuesday, when Dolmabahçe is open, so the two palaces cover each other. Guided tours of Hagia Sophia do not run on Fridays.

Dolmabahçe is also closed on 1 January and on the first days of religious holidays.

So the rule is short. Put Topkapı on a Monday and Dolmabahçe on a Tuesday, send Hagia Sophia to the morning on a Friday, and leave the bazaar for any day but Sunday. A queue outside a closed gate eats the one slot of a short trip.

The long Bosphorus tour as transport

The long Şehir Hatları tour from Eminönü to Anadolu Kavağı takes about six hours, and about two and a half of them are spent ashore in the village. It leaves in the morning and costs €11 return. Taken to cross the city, it eats a whole day, which is the mistake. Treat it as the day itself, with the stop at Anadolu Kavağı and the Yoros fortress on the hill above the village as the reward.

There are shorter ways onto the water. The short Şehir Hatları tour runs about two hours without stops, at €6, with a single departure a day, so it fits into half a day. Tour tickets are sold at the booths on the piers, and the Istanbulkart does not pay for them.

Getting aroundAn ordinary ferry between Eminönü and Kadıköy takes about twenty minutes and crosses the strait for €1.16, while the long tour is a day of its own, and the page on getting around sets the two apart.Getting around Istanbul →

A winter day that depends on a ferry

Lodos, the south-westerly wind, is what stops the boats. On 31 December 2025 Şehir Hatları, İDO and BUDO sailings were cancelled, on 3 January 2026 those of Şehir Hatları and İDO went the same way, and on 19 January 2026 departures were cancelled again, the long Bosphorus tour and the İDO boat to Bursa among them. The governor had warned of winds of 50 to 70 km/h on 3 January. Thick fog cancels sailings too. Keep Marmaray as the reserve, because it runs in a tube 1.4 km long under the strait and does not depend on the weather. Treat the boat as the first plan and the train as the second.

When to goWhich month is for walking and which for an umbrella is covered in the guide on when to go.The best time to visit Istanbul →

The airport that does not match the hotel

Istanbul Airport stands on the European side and Sabiha Gökçen on the Asian side, and the Bosphorus lies between them. From IST to Sultanahmet you need the M11, the M2, the F1 funicular and the T1 tram, three changes in all. From SAW the M4 takes about 52 minutes to Kadıköy, and then a ferry to Eminönü and the T1. A hotel in Sultanahmet booked with a flight into SAW therefore adds a boat to the first day, while a hotel in Kadıköy booked with a flight into IST does the same in the other direction.

AirportBoth airports, the route to each district and the night arrival are set out on the airport page.From the airport to Istanbul →

Where to stayThe shore your hotel stands on decides the rest of your rides, and the guide on where to stay shows which district sits where.Where to stay in Istanbul →

Galata Tower at sunset

Sunset is the slowest hour at the tower. The queue forms because everybody wants the same view at the same minute, and the lift only goes to the sixth floor, after which the last two floors are narrow stairs. The tower is open daily from 8:30 to 23:00, with the last entry at 22:00. The ticket costs €30 whichever hour you come, so the early start gives you more for the same money. Go at 8:30, or after dark, when the line is shorter.

Dolmabahçe at midday

Entry to the palace is metered, and groups fill the middle of the day. Everyone goes through a security check at the gate, even with a ticket bought in advance. Come at 9:00, when it is quieter. Allow more than an hour and a half, and up to nearly three hours if you take both wings and the painting museum, which alone needs about half an hour.

• Put the one place with a queue first thing in the morning: the Galata Tower at 8:30 or Dolmabahçe at 9:00.
• Give each palace its own open day: Topkapı on a Monday, Dolmabahçe on a Tuesday.
• Keep a dry reserve for the wind: Marmaray and a day on land instead of a ferry.

3 daysThe three-day plan already places the closed days where they belong.Istanbul in 3 days →

Day tripsThe islands, Bursa and Edirne each need a full day, so do not add them to a day with no spare time.Day trips from Istanbul →

BudgetWhat each of these tickets costs is gathered in the budget guide.What Istanbul costs →

FoodA lunch by the piers is a better use of the hour than waiting at a closed gate.What to eat in Istanbul →