Istanbul — Sights
One ferry ride takes you from Europe to Asia.
- Hagia Sophia — A 1,500-year-old dome that foreigners see from the €25 upper gallery
- Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) — A free, shoes-off mosque lined with blue tiles
- Topkapı Palace — Four centuries of sultans; half a day with the Harem
- Basilica Cistern — A 6th-century underground reservoir of 336 columns standing in water
- Grand Bazaar — Thousands of shops under one roof, shut on Sundays
- Spice Bazaar — An L-shaped market for tasting and buying lokum, spices and tea
- Galata Tower — A €30 360-degree lookout with long sunset queues
- Bosphorus Cruise — One to six hours on the water between Europe and Asia
- Süleymaniye Mosque — Sinan's masterpiece: fewer crowds and a free Golden Horn view
- Dolmabahçe Palace — A European-style 19th-century Ottoman palace with show-stopping chandeliers
- İstiklal Avenue & Taksim Square — Istanbul's main drag, with a red tram nosing through the crowds
- Balat & Fener — Pastel houses on stepped lanes, with vintage cafés
- Kadıköy & Moda — Ferry across to Asian-side market lanes and a seaside walk
- Büyükada, Princes' Islands — A car-free island day of bikes and wooden mansions
- Pierre Loti Hill — Ride the cable car up and look down the Golden Horn over çay
- Istanbul Archaeology Museums — Alexander Sarcophagus and the oldest peace treaty
- Chora Church (Kariye Mosque) — Byzantine mosaics on Hagia Sophia level, without the crowds
- Maiden's Tower (Kız Kulesi) — A tiny tower at sea: boat, café and the skyline
- Ortaköy Mosque & Waterfront — Baroque mosque under the bridge, kumpir and sunset
- Rüstem Pasha Mosque — Up the stairs, a mosque wrapped in İznik tiles
- Istanbul Modern — Renzo Piano's waterfront modern art museum
- Rumeli Fortress — Mehmed II's 1452 fortress, built in four months
- Galata Bridge — Anglers above, fish restaurants below, ferries all around
- Çemberlitaş Hamamı — Sinan's 1584 hammam, classic scrub and foam
- Pera Museum — Home of The Tortoise Trainer and Orientalist paintings