You HAVE to do these things in Istanbul
Hi! Olivia here, Content Marketing Manager at Panache Cruises. I absolutely LOVE a city break and recently I went on one of my best city breaks yet!
I’ve never been to Türkiye before and was so excited to visit Istanbul, a city I had heard and learned so much about over the years. The city which spans two continents. The city of kebabs and baklava. The city of a thousand mosques!*
*There are actually 3,267 mosques in Istanbul!
I spent four nights and three full days exploring the city on foot and here are my top tips for unmissable things to do, see and eat whilst visiting this incredible city.
Explore the many mosques in the city
As I already mentioned, Istanbul is the city of mosques! The entire skyline is filled with minarets and the calls to prayer throughout the day will be sure to give you goosebumps.
First things first, head on over to the Hagia Sophia (also known as the Ayasofya) and marvel at the impressive architecture. Built as a Byzantine church in 532 AD, it became a mosque in 1453 after the Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople. In 1935 the Hagia Sophia became a museum before returning to a mosque in 2020. You can see the differences in the architecture on the exterior of the building and it really is an iconic thing to tick off your Istanbul list. You can go inside which costs anywhere from £20-£40 per ticket.
Sitting opposite is the Blue Mosque (my personal favourite) which you can enter for free — although watch out for prayer times as you can only go inside at certain times of the day. This ornate mosque, officially the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, features beautiful tiled interiors and lovely courtyards. Make sure to cover knees and shoulders and ladies must wear a headscarf to go inside.
Visit the Basilica Cistern
The one activity I sadly didn’t do whilst I was in Istanbul was visit the Basilica Cisterns. This ‘subterranean palace’ is a network of cisterns underground where a great Roman basilica once stood, which historically fed water to the nearby Topkapi Palace.
An architecturally impressive feat, the Basilica Cistern is also well known from a number of films, including the 1963 Bond film ‘From Russia with Love’ and the 2016 film ‘Inferno’. Just make sure to book tickets in advance, otherwise you’ll be queueing for hours (or you’ll miss out like I did)!
Go shopping in the Grand Bazaar
Even if you don’t consider yourself a big shopper, a visit to the Grand Bazaar is an absolute must. One of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar (as we know it today) began construction in 1455 and was completed sometime around 1730. It has over 4,000 shops and attracts between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors per day!
You can spend hours browsing the wares in the Bazaar; different areas are home to different industries such as lighting, carpets and textiles, clothing, carpentry and more. It’s a whole experience bartering for goods you want to buy — the Turkish people are so fun and friendly — and you’ll no doubt find something lovely and homemade to take home as a memento of your trip.
Eat all the Turkish food
I don’t know about you, but I travel for food. No matter where I go, I’m immediately on the hunt for local delicacies and treats. Istanbul didn’t disappoint; the food in this city is incredible and my mouth is watering just thinking about it all!
If you visit Galata you need to try fish wraps, the fish freshly caught and deboned before being combined with salad and grilled on an open flame. Other local delicacies you have to try in Istanbul are chicken shish and lamb kebabs, and menemen (shakshuka) for breakfast!
You can buy baklava and Turkish delight pretty much anywhere in the city, and the Grand Bazaar offers kilos of it for pennies. But the best baklava in the city is found at Karaköy Güllüoğlu, near the cruise port in Galata.
Take a ferry ride on the Bosphorus
One of the best activities in Istanbul is taking a boat ride along the Bosphorus. You might feel this is unnecessary if you’ve arrived in the city on a cruise, but there’s nothing better than sitting on the top deck of one of the many ferries operating at Galata Bridge and admiring the views along the river.
The boats get you pretty close to the shoreline too, so you can admire beautiful buildings on both the Europe and Asia sides of the city. We took a boat ride just before sunset and it was absolutely spectacular — and only cost 150 Turkish lira (~ £3.50)!
I hope this provides a good starting point for your visit to Istanbul. If you’ve been before and would add something different to this list, join our Facebook group, the Luxury Cruise Club, and start the conversation!
