Two continents, bazaars and mosques. Here is when to go, what a day costs on site and what to see, then Okela composes your itinerary hour by hour.

Compose my trip to IstanbulSee Istanbul in Okela

When to visit Istanbul

Best months: April, May, June, September, October and November.

What to see in Istanbul

1. Sainte-Sophie
   Hagia Sophia layers more than fifteen centuries of Byzantine and Ottoman history into a single space, under a dome that seems to float above the nave.
2. Mosquée Bleue
   Facing Hagia Sophia, the mosque of Sultan Ahmed stands out for its cascading domes and six minarets.
3. Palais de Topkapı
   For almost four centuries this is where the Ottoman Empire was governed, and you feel it as you move from courtyard to courtyard, getting closer to the sultan's private world.
4. Grand Bazar
   This covered market is a whole district of vaulted lanes, where merchants call out to one another and getting lost is part of the pleasure.
5. Bazar égyptien
   The Egyptian Bazaar is smaller and easier to read than the Grand Bazaar, a covered market under high vaulted ceilings where the smells of spices, tea and sugar blend from the entrance.
6. Tour de Galata
   This medieval stone tower rises above the Galata district and works as a landmark seen from much of the city.
7. Citerne Basilique
   Beneath the busy streets of Sultanahmet, this vast underground hall lines up hundreds of columns that disappear into dark water.
8. Bosphore (croisière, Eminönü)
   The Bosphorus is the strait that separates Europe from Asia, and seeing it from a boat gives Istanbul a dimension the streets cannot.

A sample itinerary for Istanbul, three days

Composed by Okela from the places in its database, with times. Yours takes your dates, pace and group into account.

Budget

Expect about €88 per person per day on site (accommodation, meals, transport and visits), depending on the comfort you choose. Okela shows the price of every step of your itinerary.

My Istanbul itinerary, hour by hour

Road trips through Istanbul

More destinations: Türkiye

Photo: Hunanuk, CC0, Wikimedia Commons.