Istanbul in 2 days: the complete itinerary

Before you go: the rules that shape the two days

A few closures dictate the order of your visits. Topkapı Palace is closed on Tuesdays: do not make your first day a Tuesday. The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays: do not make your second day a Sunday. If you arrive on a Friday, note that mosques close to visitors during the main midday prayer: the Blue Mosque only reopens to tourists at 2.30pm that day.

In every mosque, clothing must cover the shoulders and knees, women cover their hair with a scarf, and shoes come off at the entrance. Visits are suspended during prayers, five times a day: allow an hour's leeway around midday.

For transport, buy an Istanbulkart, the rechargeable card valid on the tram, metro, funicular and public ferries. A single journey has cost 46.20 Turkish lira since July 2026 (fare checked in October 2026). All the details are in our guide to getting around Istanbul.

Day 1: Sultanahmet, from Hagia Sophia to Topkapı

Morning: Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque

Start at opening time with Hagia Sophia. A mosque again since 2020, it is visited through a paid route reserved for foreign visitors, leading to the upper gallery: the ticket costs €25 (price checked in October 2026). The ground floor is reserved for prayer. Allow an hour.

Then cross Sultanahmet Square to the Blue Mosque, which is free. From October to March, it welcomes visitors from 8.30am to 5pm, and from April to September until 7pm, outside prayer times. Its six minarets and thousands of Iznik tiles take 30 to 45 minutes to discover.

Midday: the Hippodrome and the Basilica Cistern

Right next door, the Hippodrome of Constantinople has kept its outline beneath Sultanahmet Square: the Egyptian obelisk of Thutmose III, the Serpent Column brought from Delphi and the Walled Obelisk mark out the old chariot-racing track. Have lunch in one of the small streets between the Hippodrome and Divanyolu, then go down into the Basilica Cistern, the great Byzantine reservoir with its 336 columns and two Medusa heads. It is open from 9am to 10pm, with a break between the day and evening sessions, from 6.30pm to 7.30pm.

Afternoon: Topkapı Palace

Then head up to Topkapı Palace, a five-minute walk behind Hagia Sophia. The combined ticket for the palace, the Harem and Hagia Irene costs 2,750 Turkish lira for foreign visitors (price checked in October 2026), and the ticket offices close at 5pm. Allow at least three hours: the successive courtyards, Sinan's kitchens, the Treasury, the Harem and the terraces of the Fourth Courtyard, facing the Bosphorus.

End of the day: Gülhane Park

When you leave the palace, walk down through Gülhane Park, the palace's former garden, to the Column of the Goths and the tea gardens looking out over the Bosphorus. If you saved your energy in the morning rather than for Topkapı, the Istanbul Archaeology Museums, at the park entrance, are a good alternative. Then have dinner in Sirkeci or in the streets of Sultanahmet.

Day 2: bazaars, Süleymaniye and a crossing to Asia

Morning: the Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar is open Monday to Saturday. Arrive early, before the crowds: its covered lanes hold thousands of shops selling jewellery, carpets, ceramics, lanterns and textiles. Wander for an hour or two, have a tea in one of the old caravanserais (han) around it, and do not feel obliged to buy: haggling is part of the game.

Late morning: the Süleymaniye Mosque

Walk north through the merchants' quarter to the Süleymaniye Mosque, built by the architect Sinan for Suleiman the Magnificent in the mid-16th century. Quieter than the Blue Mosque, it is free. Its terrace looks out over the Golden Horn, and the tombs of Suleiman and his wife Roxelana stand in the garden. Visit before the midday prayer.

Early afternoon: the Spice Bazaar and Rüstem Pasha

Walk down to Eminönü through the shopping streets of Tahtakale. Stop at the small Rüstem Pasha Mosque, lined with Iznik tiles, then enter the Spice Bazaar, also called the Egyptian Bazaar, for Turkish delight, tea, dried fruit and spices. Grab a quick lunch in Eminönü.

Afternoon: the ferry to Kadıköy

From the Eminönü piers, take a public ferry to Kadıköy, on the Asian shore: the crossing, paid with your Istanbulkart, skirts Seraglio Point and gives a view of the mouth of the Bosphorus and the Maiden's Tower. In Kadıköy, stroll through the fish market and the pedestrian streets, then on to the Moda district for the sunset over the old city. The whole area is described in our Kadıköy and Moda guide.

Evening: the Galata Tower and İstiklal Avenue

Take another ferry to Karaköy, on the European shore, then climb the Galata Tower, open into the evening: tickets cost €30 for foreign visitors (price checked in October 2026), and the night view over the Golden Horn and the illuminated mosques is worth the wait. Finish on İstiklal Avenue, Beyoğlu's great pedestrian street, with its arcades, meyhane (taverns) and terrace bars, all the way to Taksim Square.

The programme at a glance

Prices checked in October 2026: Hagia Sophia €25, Topkapı Palace 2,750 TL (combined ticket), Galata Tower €30, Blue Mosque and Süleymaniye free, Istanbulkart journey 46.20 TL.

Adapting the itinerary

• If it rains: swap the days to do the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar and the museums in grey weather, and save the ferry for the dry day. Our selection of things to do in Istanbul when it rains offers more ideas under cover.
• During the religious holidays: the Grand Bazaar closes on the first day of Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı, and museums only open at 1pm that day. The dates are in our guide to the best time to visit Istanbul.
• If you only have one day: follow our itinerary what to do in Istanbul in one day, focused on Sultanahmet.
• In April: add a stop at the tulip festival flowerbeds in Gülhane, on the way to Topkapı.

Further reading

With one more day, our Istanbul in 3 days itinerary adds the Bosphorus and its palaces. To choose a hotel close to this itinerary, see where to stay in Istanbul, and to plan your trip, our guide to the budget for a trip to Istanbul.