#1 Ayasofia
#2 Basilica Cistern
#3 The Blue Mosque
#4 Topkapi Palace
#5 The Egyptian Spice Market
#6 The Grand Bazaar
#7 Dolmabahce Palace
#8 Istiklal Street and Taksim Square
#9 Galata Tower
#10 Galata Bridge
#11 Tea in Kabataș
#12 Visit a Turkish bath house
#13 The New Mosque
#14 The Theodosian Walls
#1 Ayasofia
Ayasofia/Hagia Sofia is the place to visit in Istanbul. It is a 1,400 year old impressive building, the largest Christian cathedral in the world, then the largest mosque in the world (at some point).I liked it so much I even had a separate post for it (the link below)
Hagia Sofia
Expect to spend about 2-3 hours here as it is a very big structure with a lot of corners to explore.
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#2 Basilica Cistern
It is located right next to the Ayasofia. Built during the 6th century (year 532 to be more specific) to provide water for the Great Palace of Constantinople (at the time the imperial palace for the Byzantine Emperors).
It is called the Basilica Cistern because above it there used to be a ... basilica (aka church). Its capacity is 80,000 cubic meters and it has been built using 336 columns (a lot of them taken from ancient temples from across the Roman/Byzantine Empire). That is why a lot of the columns are very ornate.
The entrance is through a small building (which can be easy to miss). After going down the stairs one enters the huge water storage room. There are platforms all around the location.
Another mesmerizingly huge ancient relic - the pictures do not do any good to the size of this thing (it is very tall and very wide - a few football fields maybe).
Among the more interesting columns there are a few that have a base with the sculpture of Medusas.
Another mesmerizingly huge ancient relic - the pictures do not do any good to the size of this thing (it is very tall and very wide - a few football fields maybe).
Among the more interesting columns there are a few that have a base with the sculpture of Medusas.
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#3 The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Mosque or in Turkish Sultan Ahmet Camii)
It is located right across the square from Ayasofia. The Blue Mosque was built during the reign of Sultan Ahmet (finished 1616) and it is called this way because of the blue tiles on the interior walls. As with many other historical monuments in Isanbul, it is ... well ... monumental - it has no less than six minarets, a huge interior with a lot of domes and very very ornate decorations.
Before visiting Istanbul, I must admit that I knew nothing about Islamic art. Islam forbids depictions of Allah and as a result the decorations (not only in mosques) are very very intricate with very complicated and beautiful patterns. The Blue Mosque is a the perfect example of Islamic art and decoration.
This is a working mosque so the building is closed during the five daily prayers and also it has a dress code: guys - no shorts, girls - you need a scarf to cover your head and also no skirts above the knees.
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#4 Topkapi Palace
The palace occupies the top of the Seraglio Point (Sarayburnu) - and has been inhabited since the Byzatium was a Greek colony.
It located within a 5-10 minutes walk from Ayasofia.Topkapi was built by Sultan Mehmet II around 1465 and until 1853 when Dolmabahce became the official residence.
Make sure to set aside about 3-4 hours for this site as, while it is not very large, it certainly has a lot things to see (3 courtyards plus the Harem).
After entering through the Topkapi Walls, the most visible landmark is the Gate of Salutation (which is the gate to the Second Courtyard).
The Second Courtyard/Divan was the location of the Ottoman court. Some of the notable buildings are the Imperial Council and the Tower of Justice.
At the end of this yard the Felicity Gate marks to entrance to the Sultan's quarters or the Third Courtyard/Inner Palace.
The Inner Palace included the Audience Chamber, the Imperial Treasury and the entrance to the Harem and of course was off-limits to everybody outside the Sultan's inner circle.
The Harem is one of the sections of the Sultan's apartments (400+ rooms) where sultan's mother (the Valide Sultan), the concubines and wives of the sultanas well as children, and their servants lived. It is not big in itself as it is very intricate. It is probably the most artsy part of the palace with very ornate tiling and decorations.
It located within a 5-10 minutes walk from Ayasofia.Topkapi was built by Sultan Mehmet II around 1465 and until 1853 when Dolmabahce became the official residence.
Make sure to set aside about 3-4 hours for this site as, while it is not very large, it certainly has a lot things to see (3 courtyards plus the Harem).
After entering through the Topkapi Walls, the most visible landmark is the Gate of Salutation (which is the gate to the Second Courtyard).
The Second Courtyard/Divan was the location of the Ottoman court. Some of the notable buildings are the Imperial Council and the Tower of Justice.
At the end of this yard the Felicity Gate marks to entrance to the Sultan's quarters or the Third Courtyard/Inner Palace.
The Inner Palace included the Audience Chamber, the Imperial Treasury and the entrance to the Harem and of course was off-limits to everybody outside the Sultan's inner circle.
The Harem is one of the sections of the Sultan's apartments (400+ rooms) where sultan's mother (the Valide Sultan), the concubines and wives of the sultanas well as children, and their servants lived. It is not big in itself as it is very intricate. It is probably the most artsy part of the palace with very ornate tiling and decorations.
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#5 The Egyptian Spice Market
It is located in Eminou (and really old ... duh - from 1660). Despite being smaller than the Grand Bazaar, it is probably more interesting (from a culinary point of view at least). It is not as intricate as the Grand Bazaar, so if you only want to spend an hour here, it is a better option than the Grand Bazaar.
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#6 The Grand Bazaar
The Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest markets in the world - built right after the Fall of Constantinople - (91 million visitors annually apparently). It is located in the Fatih district accesible by tram.
You can literally spend days in here - with plenty of things to buy - clothes, jewelry, pottery, lanterns and everything else you can imagine. It is very easy to get lost in here (so make sure to remember the gate you entered - there are 4 of them).
The best time to visit (and by best I mean less crowds, lower prices and better room to negotiate) is before noon. If you like to haggle, this is the place to be. I like to haggle, so I loved it - be sure to start the negotiation with half the price (pro tip: if you get kicked out - not literally - of the store , like I was, the starting bid was probably too low).
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#7 Dolmabahce Palace
Located far away from the big city in the Besiktas district, on the Bosphorus, Dolmbahce was the imperial palace from 1856 to 1922 (until the Ottoman Empire collapsed). Its construction nearly bankrupted the empire. It was meant as break from the old Ottoman ways, with style being very close to the Western European palaces of the time.
You can expect to spend about two hours tops here. No pictures are allowed in the Palace, but the exterior is magnificent with ornate gates - my favorite one being the gate to the Bosphorus.
It has two parts - just like to old Topkapi Palace (the Sultan's quartes and the Harem). The style is modern as the Palace was meant to be the place to receive foreign diplomats (a departure from the old Ottoman Empire which did not have any kind of diplomatic relations).
The main banquet hall - is really nice and full of grandeur (no pictures allowed unfortunately), but this is kinda the high-point of the visit to this palace.
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#8 Istiklal Street and Taksim Square
Istiklal Street is the main shopping boulevard - starts near the Galata Bridge and continues all the way to the Taksim Square. There are plenty of restaurants, cafes, tea lounges and of course high-end retailers along it (unless you are from North Korea you most likely have all of them in your home town or close to it).
One must try the ice-cream ... and everything else for that matter.
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#9 Galata Tower
The Galata Tower is one of those really old (1348) landmarks. It is located in the ... Galata district across the Golden Horn from the Fatih district.You can pretty much see it from most of the places in Istanbul, but the best views you can get are as you approach it from the small streets around it.
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#10 Galata Bridge
#11 Tea in Kabataș
Kabatas district can be best reached by tram (it is actually the terminal point - or it was at the time of this post - for the tram). There is boat pier, but the best thing about it is the park and promenade right next to the Bosphorus.
It is really pretty (specially on a sunny day) and one of the best places to enjoy a nice glass of tea with a view.
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#12 Visit a Turkish bath house
No visit in Instabul is complete without a visit to a hamam/Turkish bathhouse.We went to Aga Hamami, which is one of the oldest ones. It is not cheap, but definitely worth the money.
As you enter the building you get a locker and then you enter the bath itself. A huge room with plenty of cold and hot water faucets around it and with a huge heated marble slab in the middle. I also get a massage (separate room for the ladies). Awesomely relaxing experience.
#13 The New Mosque
It is located in Eminou right next to the ferry piers and near the Egyptian Spice Market it is beautiful/magic almost at night.
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... last but not least
#14 The Theodosian Walls
Called like that because they were built in 408 (1,600 years ago pretty much) by Byzantine emperor Theodosius.
They are the last on my list, not because they are not a good site to visit, but because they are farthest away from everything - right outside the Topkapi-Ulubati metro station (the Tokapi Gate metro has nothing to do with the palace, it is not close to it by any means). We actually stopped to see it on our way to the airport. Totally worth 30 minutes of your time, plus you actually get to climb on an abandoned piece of history.
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