Istanbul first trip · 5 days

Day 1: Arrive in Istanbul

Istanbul

• Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan) · 1 h. Run by the city, so not on the Museum Pass; evening entry costs more. Buy online to skip the street queue.
• Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı) · 2.5 h. Closed Sundays and on the first day of religious holidays. Haggling is expected; agree prices in lira.

Local tip: Run by the city, so not on the Museum Pass; evening entry costs more. Buy online to skip the street queue.

Open day 1 route in Google Maps

Day 2: Explore Istanbul

Istanbul

• Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) upper gallery visit · 1.5 h. Hagia Sophia is a working mosque; foreign visitors use a separate paid route to the upper galleries (about €25). Cover shoulders and knees; women cover their hair. Queue at opening.
• Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) · 1 h. Free; closed to visitors during the five daily prayers and for longer at Friday midday. Shoes off, headscarves lent at the door.
• Topkapı Palace & Harem · 3 h. Closed Tuesdays. Palace plus Harem is about €50; the Museum Pass Istanbul covers both and skips the ticket queue.
• Spice Bazaar & Eminönü waterfront · 2 h. The streets west of the bazaar are cheaper than inside; try balık ekmek from the boats at Eminönü.

Local tip: Hagia Sophia is a working mosque; foreign visitors use a separate paid route to the upper galleries (about €25). Cover shoulders and knees; women cover their hair. Queue at opening.

Open day 2 route in Google Maps

Day 3: Explore Istanbul

Istanbul

• Süleymaniye Mosque & terrace view · 1.5 h. Free and calmer than the Blue Mosque; the rear courtyard looks over the Golden Horn at sunset. Same dress code and prayer-time closures.
• Bosphorus cruise (Şehir Hatları ferry or private sunset boat) · 2 h. The public Şehir Hatları short Bosphorus tour from Eminönü costs a fraction of private boats; private sunset cruises run about €25–40.
• Dolmabahçe Palace · 2 h. Closed Mondays; visits follow a set route and indoor photography is restricted. Atatürk died here in 1938.

Local tip: Free and calmer than the Blue Mosque; the rear courtyard looks over the Golden Horn at sunset. Same dress code and prayer-time closures.

Open day 3 route in Google Maps

Day 4: Explore Istanbul

Istanbul

• Galata Tower & Karaköy lanes · 1.5 h. Entry about €30 and included in the Museum Pass Istanbul; queues peak at sunset, so go early or late.
• Balat & Fener walk and Chora (Kariye) Mosque · 3 h. Steep, cobbled streets with coloured houses and cafés; the Chora mosaics charge foreign visitors about €20.
• Kadıköy market food walk on the Asian side · 3 h. Take the ferry from Eminönü or Karaköy (~20 min). Self-guided grazing is cheap; guided food walks cost about €70–100.

Local tip: Entry about €30 and included in the Museum Pass Istanbul; queues peak at sunset, so go early or late.

Open day 4 route in Google Maps

Day 5: Depart from Istanbul

Istanbul

Keep a buffer before your flight; check-out is usually noon.