Istanbul in 3 days: a local guide's plan for your first visit

For a first trip to Istanbul, I’d spend one day in Sultanahmet, one in the bazaar district, and one in Beyoğlu with a ferry across to Kadıköy. This plan gives you time to see the big sights, sit down for proper meals, and still wander down a side street when something catches your eye.

Before you fix the order of the days, check three things against your dates:

• Topkapı Palace is closed on Tuesdays.
• The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays and on the main religious holidays.
• The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia close to sightseeing visitors around the Friday midday prayer.

Swap the days around to fit, and the plan works any day of the week.

Day 1: Sultanahmet and the Old City

Morning: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome

Start in Sultanahmet and visit Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque first, in whichever order suits that morning’s visiting times. They face each other across the square, so switching the order only takes a short walk. Sightseeing visitors to Hagia Sophia use a separate ticketed route up to the gallery. At the Blue Mosque, entry is free, but visits pause at prayer times. My guide to visiting mosques explains what to wear and how it works.

From the Blue Mosque, walk out onto the Hippodrome, the long square known in Turkish as At Meydanı (“Horse Square”). This was the chariot-racing track of Byzantine Constantinople. Look for the Egyptian obelisk and the bronze Serpent Column standing along its centre line, and take a close look at the carved base of the obelisk. Its reliefs show the emperor and his court watching the games, and they’re easy to miss if you only look up.

Afternoon: the Basilica Cistern or Topkapı Palace

For lunch, look for a lokanta, a casual restaurant serving home-style cooked dishes from a counter. A classic order is kuru fasulye (white beans in tomato sauce) with pilav (rice), and an ayran, a cold, salty yoghurt drink.

After lunch, visit the Basilica Cistern, the huge underground water reservoir a few minutes’ walk from Hagia Sophia, and find the two Medusa heads at the far end. My Old City walk brings these four sights together if you’d like someone to explain how they fit into the city’s history.

If Topkapı Palace is high on your list, give it the whole afternoon instead and move the cistern to another day. Ticket offices close in the late afternoon, so don’t arrive too late. Inside, choose a few sections you really want to see, such as the Harem and the Treasury, and leave time to walk between the courtyards.

Evening: Gülhane Park and an early dinner

If you still have daylight, take a short walk through Gülhane Park, next to the palace walls. Then head down towards Sirkeci for dinner. If your feet are done for the day, the T1 tram runs back up to Sultanahmet; check the direction on the platform before you board.

Day 2: the Grand Bazaar, the hans and Eminönü

Morning: start at Beyazıt

Take the T1 tram to Beyazıt–Kapalıçarşı and start at the Grand Bazaar. Before you go deep into the lanes, note which gate you came in by, or save it on your phone. Pick one thing to look for, such as a ceramic bowl or a cotton hamam towel, and compare a few shops before buying.

If your three days include a Sunday, put Beyoğlu and Kadıköy on that day and save the bazaar for a weekday.

Afternoon: the hans and the walk down to the water

Leave the covered bazaar on its north side and follow the busy shopping streets of Mahmutpaşa downhill towards the water. Along the way you’ll pass several hans, old commercial buildings with shops and workshops arranged around a courtyard. Büyük Valide Han, one of the largest, is just off Çakmakçılar Yokuşu. If its courtyard is open, have a respectful look from the entrance.

The streets are steep and crowded, so take your time and stop for a glass of tea on the way. If you’d rather avoid the walk, go back to Beyazıt and take the T1 tram towards Kabataş, getting off at Eminönü.

Evening: the Spice Bazaar and the Galata Bridge

At the bottom of the hill, walk through the Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı) if it’s still open. Try a piece of lokum (Turkish delight) or look for pul biber, Turkish red pepper flakes. If you buy by weight, ask for the price before they fill the box.

For an early dinner or a snack, have a balık ekmek, a grilled fish sandwich, by the water. Then walk onto the Galata Bridge and watch the fishermen and the lights coming on across the Golden Horn. If you have energy left, cross to Karaköy. If not, the Eminönü tram stop is close by.

Day 3: Beyoğlu in the morning, Kadıköy in the afternoon

Morning: walk downhill from Taksim

Start at Taksim Square and walk the length of İstiklal Avenue towards Tünel. Stop at Çiçek Pasajı, the old arcade, then continue down to Galata Tower. Starting at Taksim means most of the walk is downhill, although the streets between the tower and Karaköy are steep in places.

Go up Galata Tower if the view matters to you, and check the current ticket price and opening hours first. If the queue is long, admire the tower from the square below and spend the time exploring the surrounding streets instead. My Taksim & Beyoğlu walk follows this same route.

Afternoon: ferry from Karaköy to Kadıköy

From Galata, walk down to the Karaköy pier and look for a ferry to Kadıköy on the departure board. Tap your İstanbulkart at the gate, and keep enough credit for the return.

In Kadıköy, head into the market streets for lunch. Try lahmacun, a thin, crisp flatbread topped with spiced minced meat. Squeeze lemon over it, add parsley if it comes on the side, roll it up and eat it with your hands. For more food stops on both sides of the water, see What to Do in İstanbul.

Evening: Moda, then the ferry back

If you still want to walk, continue to Moda and its seafront, and go down to the water while there’s still daylight. If you’d rather take it easy, stay around Kadıköy market for dinner, close to the pier.

Before you sit down for dinner, check the times of the evening ferries back. Boats from Kadıköy go to both Karaköy and Eminönü, and the last departures vary, so pick the one that suits where you’re staying.

My tip

Once you’ve checked the closing days, choose one place each day that you’d be disappointed to miss. Give it the best part of your day, then let everything else fit around it. Three days won’t show you all of Istanbul, but this plan gives you a good feel for both sides of the city.