20 sights
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Ruins
Basilica Cistern
A 6th-century underground water store with a forest of columns and two Medusa heads.Entry: Daytime admission is 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM. Night tickets cover 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM.Search tickets and tours on TiqetsMosque
Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)
Six minarets outside and thousands of blue İznik tiles inside.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on TiqetsMuseum
Dolmabahçe Palace
The lavish 19th-century palace on the Bosphorus that replaced Topkapı.Entry: Includes the Harem and the Painting Museum. Closed MondaysSearch tickets and tours on TiqetsViewpoint
Galata Tower
A medieval stone tower with a balcony view over the old town and the Bosphorus.Search tickets and tours on TiqetsMarket
Grand Bazaar
One of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world, with thousands of shops.Entry: Free to visit. Closed SundaysMosque
Hagia Sophia
Built as a church in 537 and a mosque again since 2020, with one of the largest domes of the ancient world.Entry: Visitor ticket: €[fee]Search tickets and tours on TiqetsMuseum
Istanbul Modern
Modern and contemporary art from Turkey and beyond, in a waterfront building in Karaköy.Closed MondaysSearch tickets and tours on TiqetsFood
Kadıköy market streets
Fish, meze, pickles and sweets in the market lanes by the Asian-side ferry pier.Entry: Pay as you goFood
Kumkapı
An old fishing quarter by the Sea of Marmara, its lanes lined with fish restaurants and meyhanes.Entry: Pay as you goMosque
Little Hagia Sophia
A 6th-century Byzantine church, now a mosque, a short walk from the Sea of Marmara shore.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on TiqetsMuseum
Maiden's Tower
A tower on a tiny island off Üsküdar, now a museum reached by boat.Entry: The boat over is paid separatelySearch tickets and tours on TiqetsNature
Moda Coastal Park
A seaside park on the Moda headland in Kadıköy, busy with walkers at sunset.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on TiqetsFood
Nevizade Street
A narrow Beyoğlu lane of meyhanes, taverns serving meze, fish and rakı, off İstiklal Avenue.Entry: Pay as you goFood
Ortaköy kumpir stalls
A lane of stalls beside Ortaköy Mosque selling kumpir, baked potatoes loaded with toppings.Entry: Pay as you goMosque
Ortaköy Mosque
A domed 19th-century mosque on the water, right below the Bosphorus Bridge.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on TiqetsMosque
Rüstem Pasha Mosque
A small Mimar Sinan mosque raised above the market streets, covered in İznik tiles.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on TiqetsMarket
Spice Bazaar
Spices, Turkish delight, dried fruit and tea by the Eminönü ferry piers.Entry: Free to visitMosque
Süleymaniye Mosque
Mimar Sinan's masterpiece on a hill above the Golden Horn.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on TiqetsFood
Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi
A long-running köfte (grilled meatball) house on Divanyolu Avenue, by the Sultanahmet tram stop.Entry: Pay as you goMuseum