Istanbul Travel Guide: Things to Do, Opening Hours, Itineraries

Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya): tickets, opening hours and visiting rules

Hagia Sophia, Ayasofya in Turkish, dominates Sultanahmet Square, facing the [Blue Mosque](/fr/att...

Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet): opening hours, dress code and tips

The Sultan Ahmet Mosque, nicknamed the Blue Mosque, faces [Hagia Sophia](/fr/attractions/sainte-s...

Topkapı Palace: tickets, the Harem and visiting tips

Topkapı Palace stands on the tip of Istanbul's old city, between the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus a...

Grand Bazaar Istanbul: opening hours, layout and haggling tips

The Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı, "the covered market") is one of the oldest and largest covered mar...

Basilica Cistern: tickets, opening hours and the Medusa heads

The Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıcı) lies beneath the Sultanahmet district, right opposite [H...

Galata Tower: tickets, opening hours and views over the Golden Horn

Rising above the Galata district on the northern shore of the Golden Horn, the Galata Tower (Gala...

Bosphorus cruise: public ferry or private boat?

The Bosphorus, the strait that separates Europe from Asia, is best seen from the water. Along its...

Süleymaniye Mosque: Sinan's masterpiece

Built from 1550 to 1557 by the architect Mimar Sinan for Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the Sül...

Dolmabahçe Palace: tickets, opening hours and visiting tips

Dolmabahçe Palace stretches along the Bosphorus in the Beşiktaş district. Built under Sultan Abdü...

Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar) Istanbul: opening hours and what to buy

The Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı), also called the Egyptian Bazaar, is Istanbul's second great cov...

İstiklal Avenue and Taksim Square: the heart of Beyoğlu

İstiklal Avenue (İstiklal Caddesi, "Independence Avenue") runs for about 1.4 km through Beyoğlu, ...

Princes' Islands: ferry, Büyükada and tips for the day

The Princes' Islands (Adalar) are an archipelago in the Sea of Marmara, south-east of Istanbul, w...

Balat and Fener: colourful houses and the Orthodox Patriarchate

Balat and Fener lie side by side on the south shore of the Golden Horn, in the Fatih district, be...

Day trip to Bursa from Istanbul: getting there and what to see

Bursa, at the foot of Mount Uludağ on the southern shore of the Sea of Marmara, was the first cap...

Eyüp and Pierre Loti Hill: mosque, cable car and view

Eyüp, at the far end of the Golden Horn, is one of the holiest places of Islam in Turkey: the Eyü...

Istanbul Tulip Festival: dates and the best parks

Every April, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) plants millions of bulbs in the city's ...

Rumeli Hisarı Fortress: history, opening hours and views

Rumeli Hisarı, also called Boğazkesen ("the strait-cutter"), is the Ottoman fortress on the Europ...

Cağaloğlu Hammam: prices, what happens and tips for a first Turkish bath

The Cağaloğlu Hammam (Cağaloğlu Hamamı) stands in the Cağaloğlu neighbourhood, a few minutes' wal...

Hippodrome of Constantinople (Sultanahmet Square): obelisks and columns

The former Hippodrome of Constantinople is today Sultanahmet Square (Sultanahmet Meydanı), known ...

Istanbul Modern: the modern art museum on the Bosphorus

Türkiye's first museum of modern and contemporary art, founded in 2004 in a former port warehouse...

Istanbul Marathon: running from one continent to another

The Istanbul Marathon, run every year in early November, starts on the Asian side and crosses the...

Ortaköy Mosque: the mosque beneath the Bosphorus Bridge

Ortaköy Mosque, officially the Büyük Mecidiye Camii, stands at the water's edge on the Ortaköy pi...

Rüstem Pasha Mosque: the finest Iznik tiles

Hidden above the shops of the Tahtakale district, a few steps from the [Spice Bazaar](/fr/attract...

Theodosian Walls: walking the ramparts of Constantinople

The Theodosian Land Walls close off Istanbul's historic peninsula for about 5.7 km, from the Sea ...

The guide to living Istanbul