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Your favorite lesser known sights & experiences in Istanbul

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Hi All, I'm looking for advice on some of the highlights of your trips to Istanbul beyond the "Top" sights.

We'll be spending 3.5 days in Istanbul the first week in September, and have the first 2.5 days pretty well planned out, hitting some of the core sights and experiences, but would like to get some opinions on additional things to do that we may have overlooked. Both my girlfriend and I are active travelers and love to stay busy on our international trips so no suggestion is too intense!

Day 1: Our flight touches down around 3pm, so between immigration and transit to Sultanhamet (We'll be staying at Hotel Valide Sultan next to the Hagia Sophia) we don't have any specific plans other than finding a nice place for dinner (Recommendations would be welcome here as well!). Might try and stop in the Hagia Sophia between prayers but otherwise will take it easy.

Day 2: Plan to spend the first half of the day in Sultanhamet visiting the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Basilica Cistern. Then we'll likely head over to the Grand Baazar for a late lunch and spend some time exploring there and stopping at Suleymaniye Mosque.

Day 3: Plan to arrive at Topkapi palace early and get in right at 9AM. We'll likely spend a few hours there before walking over to Galata and spending the afternoon exploring that side of the Golden Horn.

Day 4: This is where we'd love some recommendations. So far we've considered a Bosporus cruise (would love to sail by the Rumeli Fortress) or maybe heading over to the Yedikule Dungeons Museum and Golden gate to walk the Theodosian walls. Any experience with either of these or other sights?

Thanks in advance!

Posted by
700 posts

If it's your first visit to Istanbul, a Bosporus cruise is a must-do. Honestly, the Turyol cruises are just fine. It's a private ferry company that runs a two-hour tourist loop in addition to the regular commuter routes. The tourist cruises leave from Galata around every half hour. (I know they leave from Galata/Eminonou, and I think they run on the half hour. Double check to make sure.) Just like the more expensive cruises, Turyol takes you to the second bridge. You see Dolmabahce Palace, Ortakoy Mosque and the Rumeli Fortress. What's most important, though, is to see and feel just how crowded, narrow and strategically important the Bosporus is.

If you are up for an early morning visit to Suleymaniye Mosque, you can see a really spectacular sunrise over the Golden Horn and Bosporus.

I always enjoy a stroll down Istiklal Street. It has a very European feel.

I enjoyed (very hilly) Fener and Balat on my last visit. Fener/Balat has a funky, San Franciso-esque vibe that we enjoyed. We hired a private guide, who was able to arrange entrance to some Orthodox churches and mosques that are not always open to the public.

There are also a lot of great museums in Istanbul. The Archeological Museum, just next to Topkapi, is especially good.

Posted by
7049 posts

I agree with the Bosphorus Cruise, even though it's not lesser known. It can be on a local (as opposed to tourist) line and you'll still reap all the benefits. It was by far one of my favorite things to do, and was very memorable. I liked it so much that I also did a Golden Horn sailing as a comparison. Also, the Istanbul Modern Museum is set to reopen after a long restoration, so that's a good place to see modern Turkish art.

Posted by
4156 posts

Now for something entirely different -- profiteroles! I've had them in a variety of places, but none of those could compare to the delicious decadence of the ones at Inci Pastanesi. We had a late lunch there, but saved plenty of room for them. I hope you can make time to treat yourselves.

Here's a link to the famous and conveniently located near the Bosphorus Bridge Inci Pastanesi: https://restaurantguru.com/Inci-Pastanesi-Istanbul

Posted by
6 posts

I agree that a Bosphorous cruise is a must do. There are longer cruises than the 2 hour ones with fishing villages along the way. The thing we enjoyed most about Istanbul, in addition to the crowded tourist "must see" places, was simply walking miles along the Bosphorous (both the European and Asian sides). It is easy to walk across the bridges from Europe to Asia. The Asian side has the spice market and bazaar. Both sides have amazing small restaurants and places to explore along the water. We loved Turkey so much (went May 2023) that we are returning there next May.

Posted by
3 posts

Thanks all! These are some great suggestions. We'll absolutely plan on doing a Bosporus cruise, and I appreciate the other notes as well. Between Istiklal Street, the Asian side of the Bosphorous, and finding profiteroles I think we can fill up our schedule with some great additions!

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