Toward the end of the Ottoman Empire, Beylerbeyi Palace was used as a summer home for the sultan and his family and was also used to entertain visiting heads of states, including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. In a less glamorous piece of history, Beylerbeyi Palace was also the last holding place of one of the last sultans of the Ottoman Empire and the final one to maintain complete control of the government , Abdul Hamid II, during the decline of the empire.
Looking for the best view over Istanbul? Look no further than the Galata Tower. Built in the 14th century, the Galata Tower looks out over the Bosphorus Strait toward Sultanahmet, and you can easily pick out features like the grounds of the Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque from the top of the tower. A visit to the tower to enjoy its views is one of the most fun things to do in Istanbul and allows you to grasp just how sprawling and enormous Istanbul really is.
The Hippodrome chariot racing track can be seen today in the public gardens that stand in front of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Underneath the perfectly manicured paved area that you see today sit the memories of chariot races from thousands of years ago. The Egyptian Obelisk that sits right next to both the Hippodrome and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul has had quite a long life: it has been erected in the city for more than years… and it was already pushing years old when it got there!
And before there were the Ottomans, there were the Byzantines… and an Emperor Constantine, who gave Constantinople then known as Byzantium its second name. From this piece of history springs forward the famous and intricate walls of Constantinople, which were said to be some of the most intricate and impressive barriers of their time.
As the oldest surviving Byzantine cistern in Istanbul, the Basilica Cistern is definitely worth a visit! Combined, the museums house over one million objects related to world culture and history.
Located in the middle of the Bosphorus Strait, this small, Byzantine-era tower is better known for its legends than any solid history. As the legend goes, a sultan once heard a prophecy concerning his young daughter—that she would be bitten by a snake and killed on her 18th birthday. Then, on her 18th birthday, he paid her a birthday visit… and the snake he accidentally transported into the tower via a fruit basket filled with gifts bit and killed the girl.
Today, you can visit the tower to enjoy beautiful views of Istanbul and to eat at the restaurant on the ground floor or cafe on the second. The Roman Empire is well-known worldwide for its aqueducts, and that extended to Constantinople. Completed in the 4th century, the Valens Aqueduct is the largest surviving Roman aqueduct in the city.
Home to more than 4, stores covering 60 streets, the Grand Bazaar most certainly lives up to its name. Open since and nearly constantly busy ever since, the Grand Bazaar is the perfect place to enjoy the hustle and bustle of Istanbul in a beautiful setting. Though shopkeepers will attempt to beckon you into their shops and call after you, we found the salesmen in the Grand Bazaar much less pushy than in many other similar markets around the world. Will accepting an offer of tea, especially in tourist areas, up the pressure to buy something?
Jeremy once had a delightful hour-long conversation with a shopkeeper who we dropped our laundry off with, and we went through a couple of cups of tea each in the camera shop we visited to purchase a new lens. A food tour is a perfect way to start wrapping your head around the best foods in the city, and we recommend taking one as early in your trip as possible.
That way, you can use your newfound food knowledge to inform your shopping and ordering choices for the rest of your time in Istanbul! Book your Istanbul food tour today! The dish reminds us of rice pudding—when we first tried it, it was with tentative small spoonfuls just to say we had tasted it, but we ended up quickly devouring the whole plate!
Fresh fruit juice, simit essentially round pretzels covered in sesame seeds , corn on the cob, chestnuts, and kumpir loaded baked potatoes are all popular street foods in Istanbul , and tasting at least a couple of them should definitely make your list of fun things to do in Istanbul!
There are few things in this world more delicious than Turkish breakfast. Today, you can still buy a fish sandwich right under the Galata Bridge, wrapped in paper and ready for you to munch on it while you wander around the docks and admire the view of the Galata Tower and Bosphorus Strait. How often can you say that you had dinner between two continents? If so, make your way to the Asitane Restaurant in Istanbul! This unique restaurant specializes in recreating the dishes that would have been served to sultans and their families throughout the reign of the Ottoman Empire, making a visit to Asitane a meal and a history lesson in one.
Flavors will explode in your mouth because ingredients are used in season. Top 5 Istanbul cooking courses and food tours.
The view from here is one of the finest in Istanbul, looking out over domes and rooftops to the confluence of the Bosphorus and Golden Horn waterways and beyond. With its elegant symmetry and soaring interior, the mosque itself is considered among the masterpieces of the great architect Mimar Sinan. The complex around it is inviting and serene, with tall trees, a grassy lawn and a rose-studded cemetery. When the Byzantine emperors decided to build something, they certainly didn't cut corners.
The extraordinary subterranean Basilica Cistern , located opposite Aya Sofya, features a wildly atmospheric forest of columns to be exact , vaulted brick ceilings, mysterious carved Medusa-head capitals and ghostly patrols of carp. A testament to the ambitious town planning and engineering expertise of the Byzantines, the cistern has played a starring role in innumerable motion pictures remember From Russia with Love?
Officially named the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, after the early 17th-century Ottoman ruler Ahmed I, the Blue Mosque gets its better-known moniker from the color of the tens of thousands of İznik tiles that adorn its interior. With its enormous courtyard, grand prayer hall and six minarets an unprecedented number for a mosque when it was constructed this is a building made to impress — and to rival the Aya Sofya, which sits directly opposite across a landscaped square. The Bosphorus views are just as dazzling as the decor.
Though the city is sprawling, its central districts are walkable and reward wandering, with lively street life and distinct identities. You might also like: A hotel in Istanbul has the world's first baklava butler The best shops you can only find in Istanbul Local's guide to Istanbul. Lonely Planet Editors.
About us. Contact us. Photograph: Shutterstock 39 unmissable things to do in Istanbul The definitive guide to the essential sights, activities, shopping, restaurants and nightlife in Istanbul Written by Time Out Istanbul editors Monday 4 November Best things to do in Istanbul. Marvel at the lofty dome of the Hagia Sophia.
Museums Fatih. Read more. Be mesmerized by the tiles inside the Blue Mosque. Attractions Religious buildings and sites Fatih. Travel back in time to Byzantium at the Basilica Cistern. Attractions Historic buildings and sites Fatih.
Brush up on your ancient history at the Archaeology Museum. Attractions Parks and gardens Fatih. Don't miss: Thousands of tulips bloom in the park during springtime.
Put your bargaining hat on at the Grand Bazaar. Shopping Fatih. Shop for spices and souvenirs at the Spice Bazaar. Shopping Specialist food and drink Fatih. Restaurants Street food Fatih. Shopping Chocolate and sweets Fatih. Pause for a moment of reflection at St.
Antoine Church. Attractions Religious buildings and sites İstiklal Caddesi. Restaurants Turkish Fatih. Eat classic Russian fare at Restaurants Russian İstiklal Caddesi. Attractions Historic buildings and sites İstiklal Caddesi. Be entranced by whirling dervishes at the Galata Mevlevi Lodge. Museums Galata. Get nostalgic at the Museum of Innocence. See contemporary art at Istanbul Modern. A New Start for Arter. Listen to live jazz at Nardis. Music Jazz Galata.
Have a night out at Bomontiada. Tuck into a profiterole at İnci Pastanesi. Wine and dine at Mikla. Walk inside a wooded wonderland at Belgrad Forest. Dine on meze inside a historic train station at Mythos.
Hang out with a cocktail in hand at Arkaoda. Clubs House, disco and techno Moda. Show more. Recommended [image].
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