City guide

Istanbul

April-May and September-October for mild weather and fewer crowds; avoid peak July-August heatBest time

TurkeyRegion

Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus strait, spreading across both Europe and Asia, with a historic core of Ottoman and Byzantine monuments packed into the Sultanahmet peninsula. Ferries cross constantly between continents while the Grand Bazaar and Galata Tower anchor a city that is equal parts imperial capital and modern metropolis.

What's on in Istanbul Plan your trip

Photo: Hunanuk / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons

About Istanbul

Country: TurkeyPopulation: 15.519.267Time zone: UTC+3

IstanbulSee what's on

Das Flair & für wen

Ideal fürHistoric sightseeing (Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace); bazaar shopping and street food; short breaks combining Europe and Asia in one trip

Beste ZeitApril-May and September-October for mild weather and fewer crowds; avoid peak July-August heat

FortbewegungExtensive tram, metro and funicular network; ferries cross the Bosphorus between continents; Istanbul Airport (IST) and Sabiha Gokcen (SAW) serve the city

Wo übernachtenSultanahmet for walking to the major sights; Beyoglu/Taksim for nightlife and Istiklal Street

Eher nicht, wennYou want a beach holiday or a slow, quiet pace

Top things to do in Istanbul

The most popular sights, with 2026 entrance fees. Prices are adult admission — cheapest at the gate. Many of the best things are free.

Attraction	Entrance	Time	Why go
Hagia Sophia	€25	1-1.5 hours	A 6th-century Byzantine cathedral turned Ottoman mosque turned museum turned active mosque again (2020); its vast dome and surviving Christian mosaics alongside Islamic calligraphy make it Istanbul's single most iconic building.
Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)	Free	30-45 minutes	The early-17th-century mosque famed for its six minarets and interior blue Iznik tilework, directly facing Hagia Sophia across Sultanahmet Square.
Topkapi Palace	Varies	2-3 hours	The primary residence of Ottoman sultans for nearly 400 years, with the Imperial Treasury (Topkapi Dagger, Spoonmaker's Diamond), sacred relics, and the labyrinthine Harem quarters.
Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnici)	₺1,950	45 minutes-1 hour	A 6th-century underground Byzantine cistern of 336 columns, including the famous Medusa-head column bases, now atmospherically lit and walked via raised platforms.
Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi)	Free	1.5-2 hours	One of the world's oldest and largest covered markets, with 4,000+ shops across 61 streets selling carpets, jewelry, ceramics and leather since the 1450s.
Galata Tower	€30	45 minutes-1 hour	A 14th-century Genoese watchtower on the north bank of the Golden Horn, now a viewing gallery with 360-degree panoramas over the old city, Bosphorus and Golden Horn.
Bosphorus Cruise	Varies	1.5 hours (short circular) to 6 hours (full public ferry tour with Anadolu Kavagi stop)	A boat trip on the strait separating Europe and Asia, passing Ottoman waterfront palaces, fortresses and the two continental bridges — the classic way to see Istanbul's skyline from the water.
Dolmabahce Palace	₺2,000	1.5-2 hours	A lavish 19th-century Bosphorus-front palace built to bring European Baroque/Neoclassical grandeur to the late Ottoman court; Ataturk died here in 1938 and the room is kept as a memorial.
Suleymaniye Mosque	Free	30-45 minutes	Architect Sinan's 16th-century masterwork commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent, sitting on a hill above the Golden Horn with sweeping views and a calmer, less touristed atmosphere than the Blue Mosque.
Chora Church (Kariye)	Varies	45 minutes-1 hour	A Byzantine church renowned for the best-preserved cycle of medieval mosaics and frescoes in Istanbul, depicting the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary; converted back into an active mosque (Kariye Camii) in 2020.
Istanbul Archaeological Museums	€15	1.5-2 hours	A three-museum complex near Topkapi Palace holding the Alexander Sarcophagus, the Ancient Orient Museum and the tiled Kiosk — one of the world's richest collections of classical antiquities, with far shorter queues than the headline sites.