Istanbul travel guide

At a glance

largest city in Turkey. For a first visit, Hagia Sophia, Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Topkapı Palace are strong starting points. This guide brings together 14 places, practical 1/3/5/7-day routes and a concise food shortlist so you can understand the city before shaping the trip around your pace.

Highlight stops

• Hagia Sophia — mosque, museum, and former church in Istanbul, Turkey
• Sultan Ahmed Mosque — historic mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey, also known as Blue Mosque
• Topkapı Palace — palace museum in Istanbul, Turkey
• Süleymaniye Mosque — mosque in İstanbul, Turkey
• Galata Tower — historical tower in İstanbul
• Bosphorus Bridge — bridge in İstanbul, Turkey
• Dolmabahçe Palace — palace in Istanbul, Turkey
• Taksim Square — square in Istanbul, Turkey

Food and drink

Use these well-documented flavours as a practical tasting shortlist; open an item to understand it and add it to your trip plan.

• sujuk — dry, spicy, fermented sausage of several Anatolian, Balkan, Middle Eastern and Central Asian cuisines
• dondurma — Turkish variety of ice cream
• pastırma — Anatolian cuisine cold cut, also found in neighbouring countries
• menemen — Turkish tomato, fresh pepper and optional onion with egg.
• nettle soup — traditional soup prepared from stinging nettles
• rakı — unsweetened, anise-flavored alcoholic drink

1-day itinerary

Day 1 · History and landmarks

Şehzade Mosque · Süleymaniye Mosque · Grand Bazaar · Hippodrome of Constantinople

3-day itinerary

Day 1 · History and landmarks

Şehzade Mosque · Süleymaniye Mosque · Grand Bazaar · Hippodrome of Constantinople

Day 2 · History and landmarks

Sultan Ahmed Mosque · Hagia Sophia · Topkapı Palace · Galata Tower

Day 3 · Architecture and city fabric

Taksim Square · Dolmabahçe Palace · Maiden's Tower · Bosphorus Bridge

5-day itinerary

Day 1 · History and landmarks

Şehzade Mosque · Süleymaniye Mosque · Grand Bazaar

Day 2 · History and landmarks

Hippodrome of Constantinople · Sultan Ahmed Mosque · Hagia Sophia

Day 3 · Museums and art

Topkapı Palace · Galata Tower · Taksim Square

Day 4 · History and landmarks

Dolmabahçe Palace · Maiden's Tower · Bosphorus Bridge

Day 5 · Architecture and city fabric

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge · Chora Church

7-day itinerary

Day 1 · History and landmarks

Şehzade Mosque · Süleymaniye Mosque

Day 2 · Local flavours

Grand Bazaar · Hippodrome of Constantinople

Day 3 · History and landmarks

Sultan Ahmed Mosque · Hagia Sophia

Day 4 · Museums and art

Topkapı Palace · Galata Tower

Day 5 · Architecture and city fabric

Taksim Square · Dolmabahçe Palace

Day 6 · History and landmarks

Maiden's Tower · Bosphorus Bridge

Day 7 · Architecture and city fabric

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge · Chora Church

Before you go

This route distributes nearby source-backed stops across balanced days. Opening times and ticket conditions can change; check the official source before visiting.