Travelling to Istanbul?
Istanbul is the only city in the world split across two continents, and the Bosphorus is not a river: it’s a strait with freighter traffic. Most of the monuments sit on the European side, in Sultanahmet. The Asian shore is where you go for dinner.
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What to see in Istanbul
8 ROUTESOur routes, not a list of everything. Places that have been there for centuries: no opening times or prices, which go stale.
- 01
Istanbul in a day: Sultanahmet
8 hTwo empires in one square kilometre. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the sultan’s palace and the world’s oldest bazaar, all on foot.Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) · The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) · Topkapı Palace · The Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan) · The Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı)Read the full guide - 02
Istanbul in a weekend
48 hOne day for the empires, one for the Bosphorus and the Asian side. Two continents in 48 hours, and it works.Friday night: Beyoğlu and Karaköy · Saturday: all of Sultanahmet · Sunday morning: a ferry up the Bosphorus · Sunday: Kadıköy, the Asian sideRead the full guide - 03
The Bosphorus and the palaces
6 hThe strait dividing two continents, with Ottoman palaces, wooden mansions and fortresses on both banks. Seen from a scheduled ferry.Dolmabahçe Palace · Ortaköy and the bridge · The Rumeli Hisarı fortress · The scheduled ferryRead the full guide - 04
Eating in Istanbul: far more than kebab
3 hThe Turkish breakfast is an institution, the fish comes in a sandwich by the bridge, and kebab is the tip of the iceberg.The Turkish breakfast (kahvaltı) · Balık ekmek and the Galata Bridge · Meze and rakı in a meyhane · The Kadıköy marketRead the full guide - 05
The neighbourhoods: Balat, Karaköy and Kadıköy
6 hOutside Sultanahmet the real city begins: coloured houses, café-lined slopes, and an entire shore with no tourists.Balat and Fener · Karaköy and Galata · İstiklal and Taksim · Kadıköy and ModaRead the full guide - 06
Day trips from Istanbul
8 hCar-free islands an hour away by ferry, the first Ottoman capital and the second. All without leaving the Sea of Marmara.The Princes’ Islands (Adalar) · Bursa · EdirneRead the full guide - 07
Istanbul airport to the centre
1 hThe airport is 40 km out and the metro doesn’t reach the old town. Which to take, by where you sleep and when you land.Metro M11: fast, but you’ll change · Havaist: the coach, and what changed in 2026 · Taxi: the yellow ones, on the meterRead the full guide - 08
Istanbul: practical tips
1 hThe İstanbulkart opens everything, mosques have rules, haggling is a language, and the traffic is worse than you imagine.The İstanbulkart: the first thing to buy · The mosques: the rules and the hours · Haggling, and the usual scams · The traffic, and the ferry · Data on your phoneRead the full guide
Airport to city centre
3 OPTIONSThe real options, with what actually decides it: which terminal it leaves from and where it drops you. Fares and timetables live with the operator, who keeps them current.
- MetroM11Gayrettepe · KağıthaneThe new airport’s metro line, underground and driverless. It does NOT reach the old town: change to the M2 at Gayrettepe or the M7 at Kağıthane. For Sultanahmet, expect two changes.30-40 minFares and timesMetro İstanbul
- BusHavaist HVL-9 / HVL-1Taksim · Aksaray (T1 a Sultanahmet)24-hour coaches to the main districts: HVL-9 runs to Taksim and HVL-1 to Aksaray. Neither reaches Sultanahmet directly since 2026: get off at Aksaray and take the T1 tram two stops. They don’t take cash.·Fares and timesHavaist
- TaxiSultanahmet · Taksim (~40 km)The yellow ones, metered. The airport is genuinely far out: expect a long ride.·Fares and timesİBB (taxis oficiales)
VIP lounges in Istanbul
4Before you fly, or on the layover. Pay per visit, whatever airline.