That we were dazzled by how culturally rich Istanbul is we already wrote about. This time we’re going to give you some insights into the plan, tips and the technicalities of our trip to Istanbul in four days that may help you in planning out your own journey. One thing’s for sure: cutting through the noise, and preparing well the trip will save you time and money.
If you are not yet decided how much time to spend in Istanbul and if this is your first time, have in mind that it is a big city with around 14 million people. Yet, four days is a reasonable time. You might ask: so few?
The city is divided in several regions and luckily, all the touristic must-see places are very close to each other, especially if you are accommodated in Sultan Ahmet (our chosen area).
Tip: For affordable guesthouses or hostels, go to www.booking.com or www.hostelworld.com.
Moreover, the public transportation works perfectly and it is frequent. You can use new tram, old tram, bus, metro and ferry.
Searching or puzzling out the city map will be less of a burden if you set your itinerary in advance and buy the Museum Pass Istanbul from museumpassistanbuldistributor.com, which covers a broader list of museums and is available for five days.
Day 1 – Sultan Ahmet (Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern)
First thing first, go to the stunning Topkapı Palace where you’ll spend at least two hours. The palace opens at 09:00 am, which is more than a perfect time to kick off the day (and what a day you’ll have!). We must admit we took most of our Istanbul pictures here. The architecture and the decoration with its tiles are absolutely out-of-this-world.
After the visit, descend to Hagia Sophia, where you can observe the vestiges of a former Christian basilica in a later imperial Mosque. The place is simply grand and sublime. (Note! If you don’t have the Museum Pass, hint at the two ticket lines, one is for the general public and another one for the guided groups.)
On the other side of the park, The Blue Mosque will be waiting for you. There’s no entrance fee, but you’ll have to take off your shoes and cover your head (women) or take the hat and be respectful, since it is still a Mosque in use.
Finally, you cannot skip the Basilica Cistern (it is not included in the museum pass), a large ancient cistern, with an impressive subterranean structure dating from the Early Roman Age. (Note! The camera flashes can be quite disturbing).
At this time of the day you might be feeling hungry, so follow the tracks of the tram and go down the Hamidiye street where there are plenty of Turkish restaurants to choose from.
Do you have a sensitive sweet tooth? Then you must hit the nearby Hafiz Mustafa for all the sweets and Turkish delights you can imagine…or haven’t imagined :).
Day 2 – Grand Bazaar + Spice Bazaar, Suleymaniye Mosque, Taksim Square, Beyoglu, Galata Tower
On the second day you will probably want to indulge in all the colours and smells the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar offer. The distance between the two is of merely half an hour.
After you’ve tasted all the Turkish delights and bought yourself a reasonable amount of spices and teas to bring back home, head to Suleymaniye Mosque, which is also relatively close (20 min walking distance). If you stick to your schedule, you will arrive there before the call of the prayer (ezan). Unfortunately, we lost track of time and hadn’t heard the call of the prayer, therefore we arrived too late to be allowed to enter. Nevertheless, it was still worthwhile because of its gardens and the breathtaking panoramic view over Istanbul.
By exiting on the main garden’s entrance, on your right hand side there are old and local neighbourhoods waiting to be discovered, where you will bump into restaurants with delicious food and less pricey than in the downtown area. Crossing the nearby Golden Horn Metro Bridge is an interesting option offering a new perspective over the Bosphorus and Galata Bridge, from where you can head to Taksim Square – the square where various governmental protests and demonstrations take place. Then you can walk down the Istiklal avenue, which is a “crowdy” experience, but at least you get to see the famous tram.
Not far is the bohemian Beyoglu neighbourhood where you can stroll around, go cat-watching, and eventually stop for a Turkish coffee in one of the many artsy cafés. Here you cannot miss the rainbow stairs painted for the Gezi Park protest.
Around 6 p.m. we went running to the Galata tower because we knew it takes a long time waiting in the ticket line. After two hours, we finally reached the top and here is why it’s worth paying a visit:
After that, we did another walking marathon until the Galata bridge just to catch the sunset. We must agree it is one of the best sunsets we’ve seen. Don’t miss it before you leave!
Note! We explored by foot all the above-mentioned spots. Should you consider some means of transportation, then after visiting Suleymaniye Mosque, catch the tram and stop in Karaköy, where you can see and use The Tunel – the second-oldest underground urban rail line in the world (after London) to get to the Taksim square.
Day 3 – Asian Side
Before catching the ferry in Kabatash to the Asian side, we recommend you to visit Dolmabahçe Palace, which is located in the Beşiktaş district (European side) and is just five minutes away from the ferry pier. This was the first European-style palace to be built in Istanbul (mid 19th century). It was also the Palace where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (the founder and first president of modern Turkey) lived, worked and actually died. The clock’s room where this happened is stopped at the exact hour Atatürk died.
Tip! Before hoping in the ferry, you can cool off on the café next to the Dolmabahçe Palace offering an outstanding view over Bosphorus river and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge.
The Asian side is like a breath of fresh air. We mostly roamed about the Kuzguncuk neighbourhood (read more about it in our post). It is a quiet area, much more intimate than the European side and with lovely buildings (on their doors people have a note hanging, asking passersby to stop taking pictures in front of their houses).
On your way back, while walking towards Üsküdar ferry dock, you will be able to see the Maiden’s Tower (Kız Kulesi). The seawall is crawled with cafes and bars to sit and enjoy a Turkish tea and the sweet breeze of the Marmara sea.
Day 4 – Princes’ Island
To really walk the talk, do what the Istanbulians do: go to one of the Princes’s Islands in the week-end (if you happen to be there on a week-end) where most of the locals go picnicking and barbecuing. When we were there in April, it was still quite calm, whereas in the summer, the population of the islands triples because of the tourists.
About our visit to the Heybeliada Princes’ Island, read our post A Day in Princes’ Island, Heybeliada.
This is it, our friends. Hope it helped. There are also all the details in the middle: the people we met, the cats, Attaturk and secret corners that we confessed about in this post – Istanbul, a millennial fusion of cultures and ethnicities.
Until our next travel adventure! And remember to drop us a comment below if you have any questions or want to tell us something we might have missed or…anything at all. 🙂
