7 Best Places to visit in Istanbul

#1. Blue Mosque

The mosque, originally named Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is a landmark building in Istanbul. It is also known as the Blue Mosque because its walls are all decorated with blue and white tiles from Iznik which is known worldwide for its tiles.

Mosques traditionally have one, two or four minarets and this is what makes Istanbul Sultan Ahmed Mosque unique as it has six minarets. According to legend, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire asked the architect to build the minaret into gold, and the pronunciation of "gold" and "six" in Turkish is very similar, so the Blue Mosque has become the only building in the world with six minarets.

Basic Information:

Name in Turkish: Sultan Ahmet Camii
Address: Sultanahmet Mah At Meydanı Cad No: 7, İstanbul 34122, Türkiye
Entrance fee: Free
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 09:00 to 21:00, closed every Friday afternoon at worship time

How to get there:
1. Take Tram T1 and get off at Sultanahmet Station
2. Visitors staying in hotels in Sultanahmet district can walk to the mosque

#2. Hagia Sophia

Aya Sofya, located across the street from the Blue Mosque, was built during the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian (532-537 AD), when the Byzantine Empire was at its peak. A true architectural masterpiece that influenced building designs and practices, it was originally an Orthodox Cathedral. It was later converted into a Catholic Cathedral, and then an Ottoman Mosque, serving as the city’s main mosque for many years.

After the fall of the Byzantine Empire, Hagia Sophia was transformed into a Turkish mosque dedicated to Allah. Hagia Sophia is a religious museum shared by Christians and followers of MuhammadThe fresco of the Virgin Mary embracing Jesus above the dome glows with golden light. There is also a Weeping Column in the church. Everyone has to put their thumbs into the hole, use it as the center, and turn the rest of their fingers in a circle to pray for health and safety.

Basic Information:

Name in Turkish : Ayasofya Müzesi
Address: Ayasofya Meydanı, Sultanahmet, Fatih, Istanbul
Entrance fee: Adult: 72 lire, children under 8 years old are free

Opening Hours: Closed every Monday
1. April 1st to September 30th: 09:00 to 19:00, ticket sales stop at 18:00
2. From October 1st to March 31st of the following year: 09:00 to 17:00, ticket sales stop at 16:00

How to get there:
1. Take Tram T1 and get off at Sultanahmet Station
2. Visitors staying in hotels in Sultanahmet district can walk to here.

#3. Topkapi Palace

Topkapi Palace was the first official palace built after the Ottoman Empire entered Istanbul. Compared with the European-style New Palace, it has a strong Ottoman-style royal architectural feature.

Due to the popularity of Chinese porcelain in Europe during the Ottoman period, the palace houses the highest quality and largest number of Chinese porcelain in the world except for China, covering more than 600 years of Chinese porcelain treasures from the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. It is a good place to study the history of Chinese porcelain and the centuries-old relationship between China and Turkey.

It was also known as the Old Palace, is located on a peninsula promontory full of historical relics in Istanbul. Here you can overlook the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus. From the conqueror Muhammad's capture of Constantinople in 1453 to the 19th century, for nearly four hundred years, successive sultans lived here to receive visits and manage state affairs. Today, the open house section displays a large collection of china, weapons, paintings, manuscripts of calligraphy and jewelry. Topkapi Palace consists of four courtyards and other small buildings such as the harem, like a city within a city. The entire palace is supplied with water through underground troughs, with imperial kitchens, sleeping chambers, gardens, libraries, schools and mosques.

Basic Information:

Name in Turkish: Topkapı Sarayı
Address: Cankurtaran Mahallesi, Topkapi Palace Museum, Fatih/İstanbul
Entrance fee :
1. Adult: 72 lire for the palace, 42 lire for the harem
2. Children: free for children under the age of 8 in the palace, free for children under the age of 6 in the harem

Opening Hours: Closed on Tuesdays
1. April 1st to October 1st: 09:00 to 18:45, ticket sales stop at 18:00
2. From October 2nd to March 31st of the following year: 09:00 to 16:45, ticket sales stop at 16:00

Transportation to:
1. Take the light rail T1 at Gülhane Station
2. It is about 15 minutes’ walk from Hagia Sophia

#4. Grand Bazaar

It is one of the largest and oldest markets in the world. If you want to truly feel the charm of the Grand Bazaar, you need to prepare for more than half a day. There are more than 4,400 shops here, serving 64 streets, and more than 25,000 people work here. The market even has a fountain, police station and 2 mosques! For tourists who come here, shopping is no longer the purpose, and it has become a must-see attraction. In the past, each street was reserved for a different industry.

Basic Information:

Name in Turkish : Kapalı Çarşı
Address: Kalpakçılar Cad. Sorguçlu Han. No:22 Kapalıçarşı Beyazıt İstanbul Tükiye
Entrance fee: Free
Opening hours: 08:30～19:00, closed on Sundays

How to get there:
Take the light rail T1 and get off at Beyazıt-Kapalı Çarşı station.

#5. Bosphorus Strait

The Bosphorus Strait, also known as the Istanbul Strait, is the dividing line between Europe and Asia, and runs through Europe and Asia at the same time. Along the coast of the strait, past and present, splendid luxury and simplicity and pure beauty coexist so vividly. This winding natural strait is shuttled by busy cargo ships, transport ships connecting Europe and Asia, and large and small cruise ships every day. You can take a cruise ship to enjoy the bustling Istanbul skyline and the novelty of sailing the bridge between two continents: Europe and Asia.

#6. Dolmabahce Palace(New Palace)

The Dolmabahce Palace was the last royal palace in the Ottoman Empire, also known as the "New Palace". The Royal Palace is beautiful and attached to the European coast of the Bosphorus. The palace is tall and spacious, more imposing and luxurious than the old palace. The architectural style is the European style. The entire wall is 600 meters long. They were amazed. Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, died in this palace on November 10, 1938.

The palace covers an area of 15,000 square meters, with 285 rooms and 43 halls. It is magnificent and shows the glory and wealth of the Ottoman Empire. Compared with the old palace, the harem architecture of the new palace is more grand and luxurious. The treasures inside are dizzying, luxurious crystal lamps, ivory, and gold work abound. Among them is the world's second largest 4,500-kilogram crystal chandelier. The bathrooms and toilets are all inlaid with white marble, and all doors and windows are carefully carved from high-quality wood. The entire construction cost 5 million Ottoman gold pounds, equivalent to 35 tons of gold, 14 tons of which were used to make gold leaf to decorate the ceiling of the palace. There are also famous paintings distributed in the hall and various rooms, which are very worth admiring. In addition, the guards standing at the entrance of the palace are also the highlight of attracting tourists' attention. They are tall and mighty, and they are motionless, so that many people think they are statues.

Basic Information:
Name in Turkish: Dolmabahçe Sarayı
Address: Vişnezade Mahallesi, Dolmabahçe Cd., Beşiktaş, İstanbul

Entrance Fee:
1. Adult: Royal Palace 72 lire
2. Children: Free for children under 6 years old, adults above 6 years old

Opening Hours: Closed every Monday and Thursday
1. April to October: 09:00-17:00
2. November to March: 09:00-16:00

Transportation to:
1. Take the light rail T1 and get off at Kabataş Station and walk for about 10 minutes.
2. If you don’t want to walk, you can take a taxi directly to the new palace.

#7. Taksim Square and Istiklal Street

Taksim Square is the main transportation hub of Istanbul, and it is also the gathering place for major gatherings and parades of the Turkish people. In the center of the square is the Republic Monument, which was built to commemorate the founding of the Turkish Republic. The square is connected to Istiklal Avenue, and the famous red nostalgic tram starts from the square and runs along Istiklal Avenue.

Istiklal Street is known as Istanbul's "Champs Elysees Avenue" and is a leisure place for locals to shop and entertain. There are many boutique stores, music stores, cinemas, theaters, libraries, cafes, bars, chocolate shops and restaurants on this 3-kilometer long pedestrian street. Going along the Independence Street all the way to the Strait, you can also see Galatia tower. The tower is nine stories tall, with an open observation deck for a 360-degree view of Istanbul. There’s a restaurant and café on the upper floors that will definitely result in a once-in-a-lifetime dining opportunity.

Basic Information:
Turkish name and address:
1. Taksim Square: Taksim Meydanı
Address: Taksim Meydanı, Istanbul, Turkey
2. Istiklal Street: Istiklal Caddesi
Address: Istiklal Caddesi, Istanbul, Turkey

Entrance fee: Free
Opening hours: all day

Transportation to:
1. Take the bus or subway and get off at Taksim Station, walk southwest from Taksim Square and enter the north entrance of Istiklal Street, and play in the direction of the south exit;
2. Take the tram and get off at Tünel Station, go from the south exit of Istiklal Street to the north exit, and end at Taksim Square.