Lonely Planet Pocket Istanbul

Contents

QuickStart Guide

Welcome to Istanbul

Top Sights

Local Life

Day Planner

Need to Know

Istanbul Neighbourhoods

Explore

Aya Sofya & Sultanahmet

Topkapi Palace & Eminonu

Grand Bazaar & the Bazaar District

Kariye Museum (Chora Church)

Istiklal Caddesi & Beyoglu

Dolmabahce Palace & Ortakoy

Top Sights: The Bosphorus

Best

The Best of Istanbul

Sultanahmet

Ottoman Heartland

Galata Galivant

Food

Drinking

Architecture

Hamams

Cay Bahcesis

Museums & Galleries

Views

Shopping

Nightlife

For Kids

For Free

Culinary Courses & Tours

Survival Guide

Survival Guide

Before You Go

Arriving in Istanbul

Getting Around

Essential Information

Language

Behind the Scenes

Our Writer

Welcome to İstanbul

In İstanbul, extraordinary experiences are found around every corner. Here, dervishes whirl, müezzins call from minarets and people move between continents multiple times a day. Home to millennia-old monuments and cutting-edge art galleries (sometimes in the same block), it’s a destination where eating, drinking and dancing are local priorities, and where everyone is welcome to join the party.

Sema (whirling-dervish ceremony) | RESUL MUSLU/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

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İstanbul

Top Sights

Aya Sofya

History resonates when you visit this majestic basilica. Built in the 6th century AD, its remarkable features include a massive dome and a stunning collection of Byzantine mosaics. Click here

SINERJI/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

İstanbul Top Sights

Topkapı Palace

The sultans lived in this pavilion-style palace with their families, concubines and servants during the glory days of the Ottoman Empire. Reminders of their privileged lifestyles are everywhere to be seen. Click here

ZZVET/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

İstanbul Top Sights

The Bosphorus

A ferry trip down the mighty Bosphorus Strait showcases a passing parade of mosques, palaces and mansions on both the Asian and European shores.

SEQOYA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

İstanbul Top Sights

Grand Bazaar

Sometimes described as the world's oldest and most evocative shopping mall, this colourful and chaotic covered market is the heart of İstanbul's Old City and one of its most atmospheric attractions. Click here

FARRIS NOORZALI/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

İstanbul Top Sights

Kariye Museum (Chora Church)

Great things can come in small packages. This diminutive Byzantine church is made extraordinary by virtue of its interior, which is adorned with exquisite mosaics and frescoes. Click here

INTS VIKMANIS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

İstanbul Top Sights

Süleymaniye Mosque

Truly deserving the tag 'living history', this imperial mosque atop the city's fourth hill is one of the few that has retained, restored and creatively reused its original outbuildings. Click here

AIVITA ARIKA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

İstanbul Top Sights

İstanbul Archaeology Museums

An eclectic and exhilarating collection of antiquities, classical sculpture, Ottoman tilework and Byzantine artefects is showcased at this museum complex next to Topkapı Palace. Click here

SAIKO3P/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

İstanbul Top Sights

İstiklal Caddesi

A promenade down this pedestrianised 19th-century boulevard is the quintessential İstanbul experience, offering a colourful snapshot of local life. Click here

EFESENKO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

İstanbul Top Sights

Pera Museum

Staging temporary exhibitions of international art alongside its magnificent permanent collection of Orientalist works, this classy museum is a must-see for all art lovers. Click here

ARIF HUDAVERDI YAMAN/ANADOLU AGENCY/GETTY IMAGES ©

İstanbul Top Sights

Basilica Cistern

Both architectural tour de force and virtuosic engineering feat, this evocatively lit underground cistern is one of İstanbul's most mysterious and magnificent Byzantine monuments. Click here

EFESENKO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

İstanbul Top Sights

Dolmabahçe Palace

This palace on the Bosphorus shore – built as the Ottoman Empire's power waned but making no concessions to this fact – offers an intriguing look at the artificial lives and ostentatious taste of the rulers. Click here

OZGUR GUVENC/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

İstanbul Top Sights

Blue Mosque

Beloved of tourists and locals alike, the most photogenic of İstanbul's imperial mosques is also one of the busiest places of worship in the city. Click here

JESSE DUROCHER/GETTY IMAGES ©

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İstanbul

Local Life

Insider tips to help you find the real İstanbul

İstanbul’s 14 million residents enjoy an exhilarating lifestyle that is crammed with culture, enriched by history and underpinned by family and faith. Head to their neighbourhoods, mosques, shops and cafes to see what makes life here so special.

Between the Bazaars

A Local shopping

A Historic buildings

The winding streets linking the historic Grand and Spice Bazaars are crammed with İstanbullus every day of the week except Sunday. Locals have purchased provisions, outfitted themselves and stocked up on household goods of every possible description here for centuries, and most show no sign of moving their custom to the soulless shopping malls found in the suburbs. Celebrate this fact by punctuating your visit to İstanbul with some exploration of the bazaars.

Other great places to experience the city like a local:

Küçük Ayasofya

Hocapaşa Sokak

Women's Bazaar

Eminönü fish sandwich stands

Mimar Sinan Teras Cafe

Manda Batmaz

Cihangir & Çukurcuma

A Ottoman houses

A Cafe culture

Though only a short distance away from action-packed İstiklal Caddesi, these two residential districts are relatively quiet and resolutely local. The steep and winding streets are lined with pretty timber houses and elegant apartment blocks dating from the 19th century, interspersed with bohemian cafes, neighbourhood bakkals (grocery shops) and junk stores in which the occasional antique treasure can be unearthed.

Antique store in Çukurcuma | RADIOKAFKA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Weekend Wander in Ortaköy

A Snack and market stalls

A Bosphorus views

A former fishing village, Ortaköy makes the most of its magnificent Bosphorus location. Centred on a waterside square full of eateries and cafes, the suburb is home to one of the city’s prettiest mosques and plays host to crowds of locals on weekends, who flock here to promenade, take ferry cruises, snack on local fast foods, browse the stalls of the Sunday handicrafts market and drink in the bars and cafes.

Waterfront and mosque at Ortaköy | JULIAN LOVE/GETTY IMAGES ©

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İstanbul

Day Planner

Short on time?

MWe’ve arranged İstanbul’s must-sees into these day-by-day itineraries to make sure you see the very best of the city in the time you have available.

Day One

MHead to Aya Sofya Meydanı and work out which of the museums and mosques in the immediate area will be on your visiting list. Don't miss Aya Sofya, the Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern. After your visits, wander through the Hippodrome, where chariot races were held in ancient times.

RSpend the afternoon admiring the huge collection of classical, Byzantine and Ottoman artefacts in the İstanbul Archaeology Museums, or the exquisite carpets and calligraphy in the Museum of Turkish & Islamic Arts.

NAfter dinner, claim a table at Derviş Aile Çay Bahçesi or Cafe Meşale, where you can enjoy tea and a nargile (water pipe). Alternatively, head to the A'YA Rooftop Lounge at the ritzy Four Seasons Hotel at Sultanahmet to admire its panoramic view. In winter a treatment at one of the Old City's Ottoman-era hamams is a relaxing and warm alternative.

Day Two

MIt's time to investigate the lifestyles of the sultans at Topkapı Palace. You'll need a half-day to explore the palace Harem, marvel at the precious objects in the Treasury, admire the recently renovated palace kitchens and wander through the pavilion-filled grounds.

RCross the Galata Bridge to explore the streets, cafes and boutiques of Galata, Tophane, Karaköy and Çukurcuma and consider a visit to the cutting-edge ARTER and İstanbul Modern galleries, the eclectic Pera Museum or the nostalgic Museum of Innocence.

NThe night is still young! Hit the bars and clubs in Asmalımescit, on İstiklal Caddesi or in Cihangir. Those who are still hungry should instead head to Karaköy for a late-night baklava fix at Karaköy Güllüoğlu.

Day Three

MGet ready to explore the city's famous Bazaar District. After visiting the magnificent Süleymaniye Mosque, make your way to the Grand Bazaar to explore its labyrinthine lanes and hidden caravanserais, picking up a few souvenirs along the way.

RAfter enjoying lunch at one of the bazaar district's many cheap eateries, follow the steady stream of local shoppers making their way down the hill to the streets around the Spice Bazaar. While there, seek out the exquisite, tile-adorned Rüstem Paşa Mosque and Hünkâr Kasrı. As the sun starts to set, head towards Galata Tower and the eating and entertainment district of Beyoğlu.

NAfter dinner, listen to some live jazz at Nardis Jazz Club or Salon. Alternatively, take a taxi to Babylon Bomonti, the city's best-known live-music venue.

Day Four

MBoard the Long Bosphorus Tour (Uzun Boğaz Turu) with İstanbul Şehir Hatları for a one-way trip up the Bosphorus and then make your way back to town by bus, visiting museums and monuments along the way. Alternatively, take the Dentur Avraysa hop-on, hop-off tour from Beşiktaş and visit the Sakıp Sabancı Museum in Emirgan and the Ottoman-era Küçüksu Kasrı and Beylerbeyi Palace.

RIf you decided to take a 90-minute cruise on a Bosphorus excursion boat rather than the full-day or hop-on, hop-off trip, you can devote the afternoon to visiting the Kariye Museum (Chora Church) or Dolmabahçe Palace.

NBid farewell to the city over a post-dinner drink at one of Beyoğlu's rooftop bars or make your way to Akarsu Yokuşu in Cihangir to wind down in one of its bohemian cafes.

Need to Know

Currency

Türk Lirası (Turkish lira; ₺)

Language

Turkish

Visas

Not required for some (predominantly European) nationalities; most other nationalities can obtain a 90-day visa electronically at www.evisa.gov.tr.

Money

ATMs are widespread. Credit cards accepted at most shops, hotels and upmarket restaurants.

Mobile Phone

Most European and Australasian phones work here; some North American phones don't. Check with