- Balık ekmek (grilled fish sandwich) at Eminönü, eaten by the water.
- Testi kebap is Cappadocia's; in Istanbul eat döner, lahmacun and midye dolma (stuffed mussels).
- Karaköy and Kadıköy for the modern restaurant scene; the Spice Bazaar quarter for lokum and baklava.
Istanbul City Guide
The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque), Istanbul. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Istanbul is the city where two continents meet: 15 million people spread across the Bosphorus, with sixteen centuries of imperial history layered under a thoroughly modern metropolis. It was Byzantium, then Constantinople, then the Ottoman capital, and it wears all three.
The essentials: Sultanahmet's Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapı Palace, the Grand Bazaar, and the Bosphorus ferry. Then go deeper: the Süleymaniye Mosque, the Chora mosaics, the Beyoğlu side, and the food, which deserves days of its own.
What to do in Istanbul
Sultanahmet: the old city
- 1
Hagia Sophia The great church of 537, mosque since 1453: the dome, the mosaics, the scale. - 2
Blue Mosque Sultanahmet Mosque (completed 1616): six minarets, 20,000 İznik tiles. - 3
Topkapı Palace Four centuries of sultans: the Harem, the treasury, the Bosphorus terraces. - 4
Basilica Cistern The 6th-century underground cistern: 336 columns and the Medusa heads. - 5
Hippodrome The Byzantine chariot-racing ground: the Obelisk and the Serpent Column.
Bazaars and the Golden Horn
- 1
Grand Bazaar 61 covered streets, 4,000 shops: the world's oldest great market. - 2
Spice Bazaar The 1664 Egyptian Bazaar: lokum, saffron, dried fruit. - 3
Süleymaniye Mosque Sinan's greatest mosque on its hill: the courtyard and the city view. - 4
Chora Church (Kariye Mosque) The Byzantine mosaics and frescoes, among the finest anywhere.
Beyoğlu and the Bosphorus
- 1
Galata Tower The 1348 Genoese tower and its 360-degree panorama. - 2
Istiklal Street The pedestrian mile: the red tram, arcades, Pera's old embassies. - 3
Bosphorus ferry Kadıköy or Üsküdar by commuter ferry: two continents for the price of a bus ticket. - 4
Dolmabahçe Palace The sultans' 19th-century palace: crystal staircases and the great hall. - 5
Princes' Islands Büyükada's wooden mansions and car-free streets, an hour by ferry.
Istanbul Hotel Guide
How to choose the best places to stay in Istanbul. Verified properties below; for the full list, search live availability on Booking.com.
Luxury
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet
The converted neoclassical building steps from the Blue Mosque: the old city's grand address.
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Luxury
Pera Palace Hotel
The 1892 Orient Express hotel in Pera: Agatha Christie's room, the old lift.
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Luxury
Çırağan Palace Kempinski
The sultan's palace on the Bosphorus, now the city's most palatial hotel.
View on Booking.comLuxury
Ajwa Hotel Sultanahmet
Ottoman-styled luxury in the old city, famous for its breakfast spread.
View on Booking.comMid-range
Georges Hotel Galata
Rooftop-terrace boutique by the Galata Tower, with the Golden Horn view.
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Witt Istanbul Suites
Design suites in Cihangir, Beyoğlu's most charming quarter.
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10 Karaköy
The design hotel in the old bankers' quarter by the Galata Bridge.
View on Booking.comWhere to eat
Getting there and around
Istanbul Airport (IST) is 40 km northwest; the M11 metro reaches the city. Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) serves the Asian side. Trams (T1) connect Sultanahmet with Karaköy and Beyoğlu; the Marmaray rail tunnel and ferries cross the Bosphorus.
Eating in Istanbul
Fledge Food has a full guide to how Istanbul eats: its defining dishes and how to order them, street food decoded, the markets, and the neighborhoods to eat in.