10 Things to do in Istanbul, Turkey

Selam! Merhaba! A city with a rich historic past which still defines it today. City on the Seven Hills. The most Western among Asian cities and the most Eastern among European cities. And one of our favourites from the cities we’ve been to!

Let’s start with the list of things to do in Istanbul, Turkey.

1. Visit the Hagia Sophia/Aya Sofya

First a Greek Orthodox Christian Cathedral, later an Ottoman Mosque and now a Museum, the Hagia Sophia is an iconic symbol of Istanbul. The Byzantine architecture of the Hagia Sophia was the inspiration for many of the Ottoman mosques that you see scattered around Istanbul.

The minarets were an Ottoman addition and were not part of the original church.

The Christian mosaics on the top that were plastered over during the Ottoman era; Next to the Islamic features.

Note how the mihrab indicating the direction towards Mecca is off-centre because Hagia Sophia was not built originally as a mosque.

Simit Seller near Hagia Sophia

2. Visit the Suleymaniye Mosque

The Mosque grounds give an amazing view to the City, Galata Tower, Bosphorus Bridge(not pictured).

Imperial mosques in Istanbul were designed as a complex with buildings like hospital, hamam, medrese etc. You can still see many of these around the area, before you climb up to the mosque.

3. Experience a Hamam Bath

In the olden times, Turkish homes did not feature private bathing facilities. So people had to go to their local bath house (hamam) to get clean.
We visited the Ağa hamamı which is a historical Turkish bath built in 1454 for Sultan Mehmet (who ended the Byzantine Empire with the conquest of Constantinople (now Istanbul) )

We had the most wonderful experinece here and it took us to the age of the Sultans. This is the procedure in the Hamam:

1. Select the package you want – We selected a Bath + Massage one
2. Strip down to nothing but a bath towel (which will be removed soon) and secure your belongings in a locker
3. Spend some time in the steam room
4. Enter the actual hamam area where you can relax on the hot marble.
5. After this there is gender segregation. The females are taken to a room with only females where you lose the towel and are scrubbed down with a loofah. Wow, I thought my loofah back home was doing a good job of keeping me clean – apparently not. There was dirt coming off of me like I hadn’t bathed in weeks 😐
6. This was followed by a sudsy foamy wash top to toe.
7. You are dried and then taken into the massage room (with a towel on of course :P)
8. Lose the towel again for a good essential oil massage.

What a relaxing and refreshing experience!

4. Visit the Sultan Ahmet / Blue Mosque

5. Visit the Topkapı Palace

Topkapı palace was the residence & administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans. The famous sweet Baklava is believed to have been developed in the imperial kitchens of the Topkapı Palace.

Imperial Hall – Reception & Entertainment hall inside the Harem

6. Walk in & around Istiklal Caddesi

Located roughly between the Galata Tower and the Taksim square, the Istiklal Caddesi is a famous avenue consisitng of many shops and bakeries.

Istanbul nostalgic tramway

A neighbourhood near Istiklal Caddesi – a stark contrast

We took the funicular up from Karakoy from what is the the world’s second-oldest subway station. You can also see the famous Istanbul nostalgic tramway. It’s a fun ride up or down the Istiklal Caddesi on the tram.

7. Cross from Europe to Asia in seconds – Bosphorus Bridge

Bosphorus Bridge is one of the three suspension bridges spanning the Bosphorus strait separating European Istanbul from Asian Istanbul. You are not allowed to walk on it so we took a bus.

8. Walk around the Eminonu – Galata Bridge – Karakoy Area

9. Visit the Grand Bazaar

One of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, you can find everything from jewellery and clothes to carpets and food.

10. FOOD!

Istanbul is every foodie’s dream. Even if you are not a foodie, Turkish food is sure to entice you! There are just so many things to try, I kept telling my husband that we needed to take extra stomachs on rent with us 😛

Karakoy Gulluoglu – The Best Baklava! An assortment of baklava, tulumba, sutlu nuriye

Lezzet-i Şark Antep Sofrası – The Best Kunefe! Piping hot

Left – At Beydağı Döner Kebap; Right – At Ortaklar Kebap Lahmacun Kebabs, ezme, bulgur pilavi, cacik – So yummy!!

Left – Amazing Lahmacun at Çınaraltı Lahmacun Ve Kebap; Right – The yummiest islak/wet burger at Kizilkayalar

We came across this gem of a place Çınaraltı Lahmacun Ve Kebap on our last day in Istanbul. The food was amazing and more than that, the people were so warm and kind hearted and the walk itself gave us such an insight into everyday Istanbul away from the touristic sites.

Delicious Spinach and Meat Borek, Turkish Cay – SARIYER BÖREKÇİSİ EMİNÖNÜ

Left to Right – Chicken breast pudding (Just a challenge to oneself :/) and Sutlac(Silky rice pudding) at Saray Muhallebicisi; Katmer (Pista pancakes) at Keyfeder Künefe Katmer; Orange Helva at Hunkar

Pide at Hocapaşa Pidecisi

Baklava and Gullac at Hafiz Mustafa

Stay

We stayed at Hotel Buhara Family INN which was at a walking distance from Hagia Sophia and the Sultanahmet square.

Getting Around Istanbul

We bought the Istanbulkart(which can be topped up as required) from the new Istanbul Airport which can be used for the airport shuttle (Havaist) and also for the tram, bus and funicular within Istanbul – very convenient. For the most part, we just walked through Istanbul.

Tessekur Ederim and Gule Gule!