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Sultanahmet (Blue)
Mosque, Istanbul.




 

Plan at least 3 days in Istanbul — so much to see & do (even with kids), lots of good hotels, hostels, apartments/flats, restaurants, bazaars & shops, even beaches. Here are the best tours & itineraries...

You can see Istanbul's top sights in a rush on an overnight stay, but you'll need at least 2 days to do them justice, and 3 or 4 days to really get a sense of the city. In a week, you can get a good look at most of what Istanbul has to offer, do some shopping and enjoy an excursion as well.

Many of Istanbul's top sights such as Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome, are in or near Sultanahmet, as are many good hotels, including charming Ottoman inns.

Istanbul's Grand Bazaar is just a 12- to 15-minute walk or short tram ride west of Sultanahmet along the old Roman road called Divan Yolu.

Once you've settled into your Istanbul hotel, you might want to take a city tour for orientation, and later a Bosphorus cruise or an excursion to the Princes' Islands, to the nearby cities of Edirne, İznik (Nicaea) or Bursa, Gallipoli and Troy, or even Ephesus or Cappadocia. More...

Be sure to take some time to just sit at a sidewalk café and sip Turkish tea or coffee, or go native and smoke a nargile (water pipe). Dine on savory Turkish cuisine in an excellent Istanbul restaurant, consume a traditional fish sandwich by the Golden Horn, and you'll realize why it's my favorite city in all the world.

Are you a male traveler? Read this!

—by Tom Brosnahan