Istanbul

Why go

Istanbul is the city where you commute between continents. You tap a transit card at Eminönü, take a seat on the open deck of a ferry and spend twenty minutes watching tankers, gulls and minarets slide past on the way to Asia. The crossing to Kadıköy costs 65.21 lira, about $1.30.

Hagia Sophia was finished in 537 and has served as a cathedral, a mosque, a museum and, since 2020, a mosque again. Topkapı Palace was the seat of the Ottoman court for nearly four centuries. Mimar Sinan's Süleymaniye Mosque still holds the skyline above the Golden Horn. All three fit into one long day.

What brings people back is the ordinary city around the monuments. Shopkeepers send out for tea in tulip-shaped glasses while you browse, and lunch is a point-at-the-tray stew in a lokanta. Evenings stretch on in the meyhanes of Beyoğlu and Kadıköy, where meze keeps arriving until someone asks for the bill. More than 15.7 million people live here, and they fill the streets until late.

The lay of the land

Water organises everything. The Bosphorus strait divides the city into a European side and an Asian side, and the Golden Horn, a long inlet, splits the European side again.

South of the Golden Horn lies the historic peninsula, the district of Fatih. Sultanahmet sits at its eastern tip, with Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern and Topkapı Palace within ten minutes' walk of one another. Uphill to the west are the Grand Bazaar and the Süleymaniye Mosque. Further out, near the Byzantine land walls, are Fener, Balat and the Chora Mosque. Eminönü and Sirkeci line the waterfront with the ferry piers and the Spice Bazaar.

Cross the Galata Bridge and you reach Karaköy, which climbs past the Galata Tower to Beyoğlu, İstiklal Avenue and Taksim Square. North of there, the European shore of the Bosphorus runs past Dolmabahçe Palace, Beşiktaş and Ortaköy towards the Black Sea.

On the Asian side, Üsküdar and Kadıköy face the old city across the water. Kadıköy and its seaside neighbour Moda are where many young Istanbullus live, eat and go out.

Distances are large and road traffic is heavy, so plan your days by tram line and ferry route.

When to go

Spring and autumn are the best bets. From late April to early June, average highs climb from 16°C to 26°C and monthly rainfall stays under 50 mm, according to the Turkish State Meteorological Service's 1991–2020 normals. Tulip beds fill the city's parks in April, when the İKSV foundation also runs the Istanbul Film Festival. Its Istanbul Music Festival follows in June.

September and October bring warm sea air, highs of 20–25°C and thinner crowds once the school year starts. In 2027 the third and final leg of the 18th Istanbul Biennial runs from 18 September to 14 November. Rain returns in October, which averages 98 mm.

July and August average 28°C, and the humidity makes it feel hotter. Queues at the Sultanahmet sights are at their longest.

Winter is wet and grey. December averages 125 mm of rain, the most of any month, and the occasional heavy snowfall brings traffic to a halt. In return, rooms are cheaper and the mosques are quieter.

Plan around the religious holidays. Türkiye's Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) has published the 2027 dates: Ramadan begins on 8 February, Ramazan Bayramı falls on 9–11 March and Kurban Bayramı on 16–19 May. Most restaurants in central Istanbul stay open through Ramadan, and evenings turn festive around the sunset meal, iftar. During the bayram holidays, buses, flights and hotels fill with domestic travellers, and Topkapı Palace closes on the first day of Ramazan Bayramı.

What it costs

On 12 October 2026 one US dollar bought about 49.3 lira, and the lira had lost roughly 16% of its value against the dollar over the previous twelve months. Prices in lira catch up in sudden steps: the standard transit fare rose from 42 to 46.20 TL on 20 July 2026, and taxi tariffs went up the same week.

Everyday life is good value. A metro, tram or bus ride costs 46.20 TL ($0.94) on an Istanbulkart. A simit from a street cart costs 30 TL, and a small glass of tea in a neighbourhood tea house about 20 TL. Crowd-sourced Numbeo data puts a cheap restaurant meal at around 600 TL ($12) and a three-course dinner for two in a mid-range restaurant at about 2,750 TL ($56).

The big sights are where the money goes. Foreign visitors pay separate prices, often set in euros: Hagia Sophia is €25, Galata Tower €30 and the Chora Mosque €20, while Topkapı Palace's combined ticket costs 2,750 TL ($56) and Dolmabahçe 2,000 TL ($41). Add the Basilica Cistern and a first-timer can spend about $200 on entry tickets alone.

Alcohol is the other surprise: it is heavily taxed, and a pint of local draught averages around 235 TL ($4.80) in bars on Numbeo's figures.

Getting there and around

Most long-haul flights land at Istanbul Airport (IST), far out on the European side near the Black Sea coast. The M11 metro leaves from beneath the terminal and reaches Gayrettepe in about half an hour, where you change to the M2 for Taksim, Şişhane and the old city. The gates charge an Istanbulkart the line's full 73.19 TL and refund the difference when you tap out. Since 20 June 2026 the M11 also runs south to Halkalı, where it meets Marmaray trains to Sirkeci. Havaist coaches go to Sultanahmet for 420 TL and to Taksim for 470 TL. A taxi to Sultanahmet costs roughly 2,500 TL on the meter, plus tolls and traffic time.

Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW), on the Asian side, is the hub for low-cost airlines such as Pegasus. The M4 metro runs from the terminal to Kadıköy in about 52 minutes for a single 46.20 TL fare, and ferries cross from Kadıköy to Eminönü and Karaköy.

In town, buy an Istanbulkart (165 TL) from the machines at metro stations and piers, then top it up. A first ride costs 46.20 TL, and transfers within two hours get cheaper, falling to 17.18 TL from the third. A contactless bank card works at many gates but pays the 65 TL single-ticket rate.

The T1 tram is the visitor's workhorse, linking Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Eminönü, Karaköy and Kabataş. The F1 funicular climbs from Kabataş to Taksim, and the 19th-century Tünel railway runs from Karaköy up to the bottom of İstiklal Avenue.

Taxis are metered at 71.94 TL plus 47.92 TL per kilometre, with a 230 TL minimum. Book through BiTaksi or Uber, which dispatches licensed cabs in Istanbul, so you have a record of the route and fare. Walking works within districts, but the hills are steep and the pavements uneven.

Where to stay

On a short first trip, stay in Sultanahmet. You can walk to the big sights before the tour groups arrive, and the streets go quiet after dinner. The trade-off is touristy restaurants and touts on the main squares.

Sirkeci and Eminönü, a few minutes downhill, are cheaper and closer to the ferries, the tram and Marmaray. They are loud and crowded by day and flat in the evening.

Karaköy and Galata suit couples and anyone who likes design hotels, coffee bars and a walk across the Galata Bridge to the old city. Expect steep lanes and stairs everywhere.

Cihangir and the lanes off İstiklal Avenue in Beyoğlu are the choice for nightlife and apartment stays. Pick a street away from the bars if you want to sleep.

Kadıköy and Moda put you among the city's best food streets and a mostly local crowd, with a ferry commute to the sights. Luxury hotels line the Bosphorus at Beşiktaş and Ortaköy.

Avoid the wholesale districts of Laleli and Aksaray, which have cheap rooms but little else for visitors, and listings that say "Istanbul" but sit out near the airports. Check the map before you book.

What to do

Start early at Hagia Sophia. Foreign visitors enter by a separate gate opposite the Sultan Ahmed III Fountain, pay €25 and follow a ramp to the upper gallery, from where you look down into the prayer hall and see the Byzantine mosaics up close. The visitor route closes from 12:00 to 14:00 on Fridays, and women need a headscarf, sold at the booth for €1. Across the square, the Blue Mosque is free but closes to sightseers during prayers.

Topkapı Palace needs three hours. The 2,750 TL combined ticket covers the courtyards, the Treasury, the Harem and the Byzantine church of Hagia Irene. The palace is closed on Tuesdays and the ticket office shuts at 17:00. Underground nearby, the sixth-century Basilica Cistern lights its forest of columns and two Medusa-head bases. Foreigners paid between 1,950 and 2,400 TL for a day ticket in reports from 2026, with dearer evening sessions.

Then climb to the Süleymaniye Mosque, Mimar Sinan's 1550s masterpiece, for a quieter courtyard and a free terrace view over the Golden Horn. Walk down through the workshop lanes to the Spice Bazaar, or across to the Grand Bazaar, which has traded since the 1460s and closes on Sundays.

Give one day to the water. Şehir Hatları's long Bosphorus tour leaves Eminönü at 10:35, sails to Anadolu Kavağı near the Black Sea and gives you about two and a half hours ashore to climb to Yoros Castle and eat fish before the return. Foreigners pay 640 TL return. Another day, Dolmabahçe Palace (closed Mondays, 2,000 TL) shows how the sultans lived after they left Topkapı in 1856.

Further out, the Chora Mosque (€20) holds 14th-century mosaics and frescoes that rank among the finest Byzantine art anywhere. Pair it with a wander through the former Greek and Jewish quarters of Fener and Balat. Galata Tower (€30) has the classic view and a long queue around sunset. For a hammam, Çemberlitaş Hamamı, a Sinan building opened in 1584, charges 4,050 TL for entry with a scrub and foam wash.

For a day trip, take a ferry from Kabataş to the Princes' Islands for 151.23 TL each way. Private cars are banned on the islands, and Büyükada's wooden mansions and pine hills are best seen by bike or on foot. Avoid summer weekends, when the boats are packed.

Eat and drink

Mornings start with a simit from a street cart, or with a full Turkish breakfast of cheeses, olives, eggs, honey and kaymak, the local clotted cream. Lunch is the hour of the lokanta, where you point at stews, stuffed vegetables and pilafs kept warm in steam trays. Çiya Sofrası in Kadıköy, founded by chef Musa Dağdeviren, serves regional Anatolian dishes you will struggle to find elsewhere.

In the old city, Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta has served plain grilled beef köfte on Divanyolu since 1920; order them with piyaz, a white-bean salad. Pandeli, founded in 1901 and above the Spice Bazaar's entrance since the 1950s, does hünkar beğendi, lamb on smoky aubergine purée. Near the Eminönü piers, stands sell balık ekmek, grilled fish in bread with onion and lettuce.

Evenings belong to the meyhane. A meal means cold meze first, then fish or grilled meat, with aniseed rakı diluted with water and ice. The lanes of Asmalımescit in Beyoğlu and Kadıköy's market quarter are full of them. For sweets, Karaköy Güllüoğlu sells baklava by weight, and in winter Vefa Bozacısı, open since 1876, serves boza, a thick fermented millet drink topped with cinnamon and roasted chickpeas.

Tea is offered constantly, and accepting a glass in a shop puts you under no obligation to buy. Tip 5–10% in cash at sit-down restaurants. Shops stop selling alcohol at 22:00, though licensed bars and restaurants keep serving. During Ramadan, eat and drink discreetly by day in conservative neighbourhoods.

Practicalities

Money and cards. Cards work almost everywhere, including transit top-up machines. Carry lira in cash for tea houses, tips, street food and small lokantas, and use bank ATMs.

Data. Turkcell's Tourist Welcome Pack costs 1,800 TL for 20 GB, 200 minutes and 100 texts, and the other networks sell similar packs. A foreign phone can use a Turkish SIM for up to 120 days without registration.

Water and power. Tap water is treated, but most residents drink bottled or filtered water, and you should too. Sockets are types C and F at 230 V, 50 Hz.

Safety specifics. Pickpocketing and street robbery are common in the main tourist areas, so keep phones out of back pockets on crowded trams and in the bazaars. Carry your passport: photo ID is a legal requirement and police run checks in busy areas. Stay away from demonstrations. Istanbul sits in an earthquake zone, and a magnitude 6.2 quake in the Sea of Marmara in April 2025 was felt strongly across the city.

Laws and etiquette. In mosques, take off your shoes, cover shoulders and knees, and women cover their hair; don't photograph people praying. Insulting Atatürk, the flag, the state or "religious feelings" is a criminal offence, including on social media. Some common medicines, among them codeine and pseudoephedrine cold remedies, can lead to arrest, so carry prescriptions.

LGBTQ+ travellers. Same-sex activity between adults is legal, but relationships are not widely accepted outside parts of the big cities and have no legal recognition. Authorities have banned or broken up Pride events since 2015 and have carried out operations against LGBTQ+ groups. Australia's Smartraveller advises everyone to avoid public displays of affection.

Accessibility. The old city is hilly and cobbled, with few dropped kerbs. Hagia Sophia's visitor ramps and stairs are not suitable for wheelchair users, who are directed to the Turkish-citizen entrance with their ticket. Havaist runs accessible midibuses from the airport if you ask at its counter at least an hour ahead.

Phrases. Merhaba (hello). Lütfen (please). Teşekkür ederim (thank you). Ne kadar? (how much?). Hesap, lütfen (the bill, please).

What nobody tells you

Istanbul is no longer a cheap city for sightseeing. Ferries and kebabs cost little, but the headline sights charge foreigners several times what residents pay, often in euros. Budget for that or choose fewer, better visits.

As a working mosque, Hagia Sophia shows tourists the interior from the upper gallery on a one-way route, and the prayer hall below is for worshippers. Go at opening, and skip it on Friday around midday.

Queues are partly about security. Passes and skip-the-line tickets skip the ticket line only; everyone joins the bag scan, so peak-hour waits at Topkapı and the cistern are hard to avoid.

The hills are real. The climb from Karaköy to İstiklal Avenue is steep enough that the Tünel railway was built for it in the 1870s; use it, and the funicular from Kabataş to Taksim.

The lira moves. Prices here were checked on 12 October 2026, and lira prices will probably have risen by the time you travel, even if the dollar cost has not. At fish restaurants without menus, ask the price before you order.

Taxis remain the weak link. Some drivers refuse short trips or the meter around Sultanahmet and Taksim at night, so use an app and note the plate.