16 best things to do in Istanbul

27.06.2024 - 19:37 / lonelyplanet.com

Jun 27, 2024 • 11 min read

Capital of two empires, home to centuries of history and a vibrant modern metropolis: Istanbul has enough layers to spend a lifetime exploring.

Whether you want to dig deep into Ottoman history, Turkish cuisine, contemporary culture or the Byzantine past – or simply take in its pulsing street life or gaze out at the glistening waters of the Bosphorus – this is a city with something to offer almost every kind of traveler.

Here are the top things to do in Istanbul to experience the city’s different stories and faces.

The secrets of the seraglio (harem) will be revealed during your visit to the opulent Ottoman Topkapı Palace complex, which occupies the promontory of Istanbul's Old City. A series of powerful, infamous and sometimes short-lived sultans resided here with their concubines and courtiers between 1465 and 1830, and extravagant relics of their centuries of conquest, folly, intrigue, excess, patronage, diplomacy and war are everywhere you look. Highlights include the huge Harem, impressive Imperial Council Chamber, object-laden Imperial Treasury and picturesque Marble Terrace. 

The adjacent Gülhane Park was once part of the palace grounds but is now a beautiful public park, lined with towering plane trees where a colony of gray herons makes their nests. The Alay Köşkü (Parade Kiosk) near the park’s southern entrance, which overlooks the street outside, was where the sultan reviewed processions of his troops. 

Planning tip: With four courtyards and multiple museums, Topkapı Palace takes time to see fully. Arrive early and plan on half a day so you don’t feel like you’re speed-sightseeing your way through.

History resonates when you visit the majestic Byzantine basilica of Hagia Sophia. Built by order of the Emperor Justinian in the 6th century, its soaring dome, huge nave and glittering gold mosaics contribute to its reputation as one of the world's most beautiful buildings, and its fascinating history as church, mosque and museum make it the city's most revealing time capsule. Looted by marauding Crusaders in the 13th century, stormed by Ottoman invaders during the Conquest in 1453 and visited by millions of tourists after being converted into a museum in 1935, it is one of Türkiye's greatest treasures. 

Since its reconsecration as the Ayasofya Mosque in summer 2020 and the subsequent reopening of its upper gallery in January 2024, Hagia Sophia has been effectively split into two. The ground-floor narthex and nave are devoted to worshippers making the five daily Islamic prayers, with most of the building’s ancient marble floor covered by carpets and some of its mosaics shielded by retractable screens. Non-Muslim visitors may now only enter and tour the upper gallery, which