# Istanbul: map, what to do and when to go

In Istanbul, crossing from Europe to Asia takes twenty minutes by ferry on public routes with their own fares. Turkey’s largest city, divided by the Bosphorus, was the seat of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires and has not been the capital since 1923.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/istambul/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Istanbul: Is it worth crossing by ferry to the Asian side?** Yes: a third of the city lives on the Asian side, and that's where you eat and drink away from the tourist circuit.
- **Istanbul: How do you get from IST Airport to downtown?** IST (Istanbul Airport), opened in 2018 on the European side, sits about 40 km from the center: the M11 metro links the terminal to Gayrettepe in about 25 minutes, where you switch to the M2 toward Şişhane and Taksim.
- **Istanbul: How do you get to the Princes' Islands?** Ferry from Kabataş, Eminönü, or Kadıköy, 60 to 90 minutes to Büyükada, the largest of the nine islands.

## Historic peninsula, from the walls to the bazaar
Have simit and çay at 8am near Sirkeci station and enter the Blue Mosque right at opening, ahead of the tour buses.
- Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)
- Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii)
- Topkapı Palace
- Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan)
- Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı)
- Egyptian Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı)

## Galata, İstiklal and the Bosphorus shore
Have specialty coffee in Karaköy at 9am and walk up to Galata Tower; if you want to climb it, do so before 10am, the only time without an hour-long line.
- Galata Tower
- Dolmabahçe Palace

## Golden Horn and the Asian side
At 9am, walk through Balat and Fener, among colorful houses, the secondhand shops of Vodina street, the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the cast-iron church of Sveti Stefan, from 1898.
- Süleymaniye Mosque
- Chora (Kariye)

## Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/istambul/#g-lugar-santa-sofia
Fatih · One to two hours
Basilica completed in 537, a mosque from 1453, a museum from 1935 to 2020, and a mosque again since July 2020. The dome is 31 m across, 55 m off the ground. Since 2024, foreigners enter through the upper gallery.
Check access

## Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii)
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/istambul/#g-lugar-mesquita-azul
Eminönü · Up to half an hour
Built from 1609 to 1617, it has six minarets and an interior lined with more than 20,000 İznik tiles. Admission is free, and it closes to visitors during prayer times; the long restoration was completed in 2023.
Check access

## Topkapı Palace
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/istambul/#g-lugar-palacio-de-topkap
Eminönü · One to two hours
Residence of the sultans from 1478 to 1856, laid out in four successive courtyards, each more restricted than the last. The Treasury and the sacred relics are in the third; the Harem has a separate ticket. Admission about €55 / 2,750 ₺ in 2026, 3 hours to visit.
Check access

## Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan)
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/istambul/#g-lugar-cisterna-da-basilica
Fatih · Up to half an hour
Underground reservoir from 532, with 336 columns reused from older temples and two Medusa heads used as bases, one sideways and one upside down. Reopened in 2022 with a new walkway and lighting; about €38 / 1,950 ₺.
Check access

## Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı)
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/istambul/#g-lugar-grande-bazar
Fatih · Up to half an hour
Covered market begun in 1461, with about 60 streets and 4,000 shops under its vaults. Gold and jewelry in the old core of the Cevahir Bedesten, rugs and leather along the edges. Closed on Sundays and religious holidays.
Check access

## Süleymaniye Mosque
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/istambul/#g-lugar-mesquita-de-suleymaniye
Istambul · Up to half an hour
Mimar Sinan's masterwork, 1550 to 1557, on the third hill. Its garden holds the tombs of Suleiman and Roxelana, and the terrace behind it has the fullest open view of the Golden Horn. Admission free.
Check access

## Egyptian Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı)
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/istambul/#g-lugar-bazar-egipcio
Fatih · Up to half an hour
Spice market from 1664, financed by taxes from Egypt. Around it is the real commerce: Hasırcılar Street with its roasters and cheesemongers, and the kitchenware shops of Tahtakale, where the city buys its pots.
Check access

## Galata Tower
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/istambul/#g-lugar-torre-de-galata
Beyoğlu · One to two hours
Genoese tower from 1348, 67 m tall, finished when the district was a colony of Genoa. There's a fee to climb, and the view from the top is 360°.
Check access

## Dolmabahçe Palace
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/istambul/#g-lugar-palacio-de-dolmabahce
Beşiktaş · One to two hours
Opened in 1856 on the Bosphorus shore, with 285 rooms and a crystal chandelier weighing about 4.5 tons in the ceremonial hall. Atatürk died there on November 10, 1938, at 9:05am, and the palace's clocks are all set to that hour. Closed Mondays.
Check access

## Chora (Kariye)
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/istambul/#g-lugar-chora
Fatih · Half a day or more
A church with the most complete set of 14th-century mosaics and frescoes that survives from the Byzantine world, from the Palaiologan period. It went back to functioning as a mosque in 2024, with restricted access to part of the nave. Check before crossing the city for it.
Check access

**Istanbul: Is it worth crossing by ferry to the Asian side?**
Yes: a third of the city lives on the Asian side, and that's where you eat and drink away from the tourist circuit. The ferry from Eminönü to Kadıköy takes 20 minutes and charges the public transport fare, so treat the crossing as a commute, not a tour.

**Istanbul: How do you get from IST Airport to downtown?**
IST (Istanbul Airport), opened in 2018 on the European side, sits about 40 km from the center: the M11 metro links the terminal to Gayrettepe in about 25 minutes, where you switch to the M2 toward Şişhane and Taksim.

**Istanbul: How do you get to the Princes' Islands?**
Ferry from Kabataş, Eminönü, or Kadıköy, 60 to 90 minutes to Büyükada, the largest of the nine islands.

**Istanbul: What's the currency, and how much do things cost?**
The currency is the Turkish lira (₺), and prices age quickly here: high inflation changes the numbers fast, so confirm them before relying on them. In mid-2026, çay costs ₺25 to 50, a simit ₺15 to 25, a lokanta lunch ₺200 to 400, a sit-down dinner with a drink ₺700 to 1,500 per person, and a three-star hotel night €60 to 110, all approximate.

**Istanbul: What should you do when entering a mosque?**
Take off your shoes at the door, cover shoulders and knees, and for women, hair; loaner scarves are available at the entrance.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 3 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/istambul/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/istambul/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/istambul.md