14 things to do (and 3 NOT to do) in Istanbul - 2024 Turkey Travel Guide

Part Asia and part Europe, a place where East and West blend harmoniously... We are talking about Istanbul, the ancient Constantinople, a city that has had a strong appeal and great charm for centuries.

If you are looking for a holiday where mystery and beauty go hand in hand, where the desire to visit monuments and churches is directly proportional to the inevitable temptation to go shopping in typical shops and markets, then Istanbul is the city for you.

The Turkish metropolis preserves all its oriental charm, between dreamy architecture and streets that smell of spices, thanks to the bazaars present in every corner of the city.

Here is a guide on what to see in Istanbul, the best attractions and things to do!

1. Blue Mosque.

The Turks call it Sultan Ahmet Camii, for the Europeans this evocative and mystical place of prayer is known as the Blue Mosque.

The exterior of the building is striking for the harmony and elegance of its forms. Six imposing minarets underline its beauty; the game of domes is ingenious: a central dome flanked by four semi-domes around which other smaller semi-domes push the visitor's gaze towards the sky.

But the even more beautiful marvel is yet to come because it is located inside the sacred building. The interior of the religious structure is in fact covered with over 20,000 colored ceramic tiles, whose predominant shades are turquoise and blue (hence the name). This stylistic choice, associated with the play of light created by the numerous small windows on the domes, has made this very important place of prayer into a welcoming and fascinating environment.

You enter barefoot and with shoulders and knees strictly covered; women are also required to cover their heads. The show is really worth the price of this little “sacrifice".

2. Aya Sofya.

Built between 532 and 537 at the behest of Justinian, valuable materials were used for its construction, including columns from the temples of Diana in Ephesus and Athens in Egypt. Mehemet the Conqueror wanted to transform it into a mosque; hence the presence of minarets, minbars and large circular discs on the walls with Muslim sacred names engraved in Turkish. In 1935 Ataturk, father of the new Turkish Republic, transformed it into a museum. Recently, however, the splendid Basilica has once again been converted into a mosque.

The main feature is the immense central dome (831 m in diameter), apparently without supports, which gives the building's interior space a great lightness in contrast to the rather squat and heavy exterior. Inside you can admire stupendous Byzantine mosaics.

3. Basilica cistern.

This incredible underground water deposit was built in AD 532 by Emperor Justinian, on the spot where a pagan basilica had originally stood. It has been open to the public since 1987, thanks to walkways that allow visitors to visit it.

Going down a staircase, you find yourself inside a large submerged temple, 140 meters long and 70 meters wide, with a ceiling supported by 336 columns. The scenery is really special also thanks to the play of reflections due to the water. To make the setting even more precious are the two large heads of Medusa, positioned in the north-western corner, on which the pedestals of two columns rest.

4. Topkapi Palace.

Topkapi Palace was completed in 1478 and was for a long time the residence of the Ottoman sultans. Its location served not only to reaffirm the supremacy of the empire, but also to control the maritime traffic in transit between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

It looks like a citadel, inside which there are kiosks, harems, belvederes, courtyards and lush gardens, where 26 of the 36 sultans of the Ottoman Empire lived. It has been a museum since 1924 and is still open to the public today.

The "gems" of the residence (for which a separate ticket and line must be paid!) are the harem and the Imperial Treasury where clothes, weapons and precious items of the sultanate are kept, including the Topkapi Dagger and the 86 carats.

5. Hippodrome.

The Hippodrome was the place of sport and aggregation of ancient Byzantium, the name by which Istanbul was called in the Ottoman imperial period. Today, unfortunately, very little remains of the ancient Hippodrome built by Settimio Severo, and subsequently enlarged by Constantine.

Although partially devastated by riots and looting, this attraction still preserves some of the most important monuments of the Turkish capital: the legendary Obelisk of Theodosius (dedicated to Emperor Theodosius I); the Serpentine Column from the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, Greece; the Column of Constantine, of unknown origin.

It is located next to the Blue Mosque, a 5-minute walk from the Hagia Sophia museum road Sultan Ahmet Parki.

6. Grand Bazaar.

Surely one of the most peculiar places in the city, as well as the best place to go shopping. The Grand Bazaar, with an area of 31,000 square meters, 18 gates, 60 streets and over 4,000 shops and artisan workshops, the Kapalı Çarşı, is the largest covered market in the world as well as one of the oldest. An intricate maze of narrow streets and passages dominated by frescoed vaults. A great hustle and bustle, these are the elements that best characterize it. Voices, colours, perfumes, noises... and goods of all kinds.

The Grand Bazaar is a sort of ancient shopping center where you can buy everything: from old books to carpets, through jewels, traditional clothes, fabrics, spices, and artifacts of various kinds. Shops and stalls are organized by product type, so you will find the street of the goldsmiths, the street of cobblers, and so on.

7. Galata Tower.

In the center of the ancient European district of Beyoglu stands the Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi), one of the most iconic attractions of the city and a legacy of the Genoese merchants who settled here since 1273. Following the Ottoman conquest, it was used as a prison and later as a fire lookout platform.

It measures 66 meters in height, and from its summit (easily reached by lift), it offers a breathtaking view, one of the most suggestive in Istanbul.

8. Archaeological Museum.

The Istanbul Archeology Museum is one of the most important of its kind. It was founded by the painter and archaeologist Osman Hamdi in 1891.

It houses some world-famous objects and the collection is basically divided into three parts. The most important is that of the sarcophagi, whose main relic is the Alexander sarcophagus (4th century BC). This is followed by the Collection of Oriental Art where Ottoman sepulchres and artifacts from Egyptian, Sumerian and Akkadian cultures are exhibited. The highlight of this collection are some fragments of the Babylonian Ishtar Gate. And finally the collection of ceramics and jewels, located in the tiled kiosk.

9. Dolmabahçe Palace.

Dolmabahçe Palace (Dolmabahçe Sarayı) is a splendid building that is more reminiscent of Europe than the Middle East in style and characteristics. It was built in the mid-1800s in the Beşiktaş district, commissioned by Sultan Abdülmecid I.

It has an imposing size, with an extension of almost one km on the Bosphorus. Inside it houses over 285 rooms, 44 reception rooms and 68 bathrooms, and is embellished with baroque, neoclassical and rococo elements. It was for a long time the main administrative center of the Roman Empire, and since the late 1980s it has been a partially open museum.

10. Ortakoy Mosque.

It is not as famous or magnificent as Aya Sofya or the Blue Mosque, but this small mosque is very impressive and picturesque due to its location with spectacular view of the Bosphorus.

Directly overlooking the water, practically in the shadow of the bridge over the strait, the Ortaköy mosque is simple, and it is extraordinarily beautiful and exciting precisely because of its simplicity. Inside, you can admire pearl-colored walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, and numerous crystal chandeliers.

Always open, closed only during prayers.

11. Istiklal Avenue and Taksim Square.

The most modern and most luxurious area of Istanbul. Istiklal Caddesi, which means Avenue of Independence (and until 1923 it was called in French Grande Rue de Péra) is the most famous street in the city, frequented by about a million people every day and one and a half kilometers long. It is a pedestrian street full of shops, restaurants, bookshops, art galleries, cinemas, pubs and night clubs. Historically it is connected to the European presence in the city; for this reason you will find numerous churches, former embassies, consulates, but also "international" shopping shops and, if you are tired of Middle Eastern flavours, western restaurants and bars.

Istiklal Caddesi finally flows into Taksim Square, the modern heart of the city, an important commercial district with numerous restaurants, shops and hotels.

12. Church of St Savior in Chora.

One of the best examples of Byzantine art in the world. Built between 1316 and 1321, the Church of San Salvatore in Chora boasts Byzantine frescoes and mosaics in excellent condition.

Just like Aya Sofia, San Salvatore in Chora was also transformed into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest. During this domination, the frescoes and mosaics were covered with plaster, a material that favored the excellent state of conservation which, fortunately, we can still enjoy today!

The term "chora" means "outside the city", because the church was built outside the ancient walls of Byzantium.

13. Fatih district.

One of the most "conservative" neighborhoods in Istanbul. It is in fact the most observant area from a religious point of view (women wear the burqa), with the monumental complex of the Fatih Mosque in the centre.

Strolling through its streets, and especially in the market area, is an experience that cannot leave one indifferent. Today, many immigrants from the far eastern Anatolian areas live here, who also brought with them their sensational regional culinary traditions: this is why Fatih is also considered as the gastronomic center of the city. In fact, it is here that you have to come to try the most authentic flavors of Turkish cuisine. Note the 200-year-old wooden houses from the Ottoman period. A very picturesque glimpse of the city.

14. Suleiman the Magnificent Mosque.

The Suleiman Mosque (Süleymaniye Camii) is the first imperial mosque in Istanbul. Built around 1550, it is the most important work of the great architect Mimar Sinan, a fundamental figure of Ottoman art, comparable to our Michelangelo and Leonardo. The Suleiman Mosque is located on one of the hills of the city and can only be reached on foot at the end of an uphill stretch.

The position overlooking the Golden Horn makes it iconic; from the rear courtyard you can admire a splendid panorama towards Eminönü and Galata. With the Bosphorus in the background, this majestic building is a constant reminder of the splendor and grandeur of the Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, it can be seen from several points of the city thanks to the unmistakable profile made up of the imposing dome and the 4 minarets.

15. Warnings.

Atatürk and the Turkish flag are sacred.

Atatürk, literally "The Father of all Turks", is the Turkish hero par excellence. He is the one who brought Turkey into the modern and secular era. Still today the photos of him, his portraits, the statues of him, are scattered in all the buildings, schools or on the streets.

I therefore advise you to respect this emblematic figure of Turkey and consequently also of the flag.

Do Turks speak Arabic?

This is a question I get asked all the time. Are Turks Arabs? Do Turks speak Arabic? Well no. Having religion in common does not make us one ethnic group.

It is like saying that a Frenchman, an Italian or an Irishman are the same thing.

Never blow your nose in public!

This peculiarity will make more than one person smile… In Turkey it is not seen willingly blowing one's nose loudly in public. In fact, you can dry your nose discreetly, but if the need to blow your nose is pressing, you head to a bathroom or an isolated place to clean it properly.