Istanbul 4-day Itinerary
Turkey
Where to go and what to see in Istanbul to get the most from your trip – a 4-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Dana Facaros.
Bucket list experience:
With its 53m-high dome and trademark slender minarets, this is Istanbul’s grandest mosque and a Byzantine beauty. Modelled on the Hagia Sophia and designed by the greatest Ottoman architect, Mimar Sinan, it was built in 1558 for the most powerful of Ottoman sultans, Suleyman I, also known as ‘The Magnificent’, and houses the mausoleums of both the sultan and Mimar Sinan.
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Destination Guide >Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience
Turkey
Where to go and what to see in Istanbul to get the most from your trip – a 4-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Dana Facaros.
It’s a short walk from the Grand Bazaar/University area (nearest tram stop: Beyazit): get there by way of the evocative Prof Siddik Sami Onar Caddesi, lined with historic teahouses.
Dress respectfully (long trousers and shirt with sleeves for men; knee-length skirt, sleeves and a headscarf for women) and be prepared to leave your shoes at the entrance.
The mosque is open all year round, seven days a week, except during prayers (half an hour after the call to prayer). Also avoid the main services on Friday mornings and early afternoons, unless you’re a Muslim.
Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity
Istanbul
€25 | Rating 4.86 / 5 [23 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Istanbul
€27 | Rating 4.70 / 5 [24 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Istanbul, Marmara Region, Turkey[1.2 miles]
A cool, art-filled boutique hotel near the heart of modern Istanbul’s most fashionable shopping and nightlife district.
Official star rating:
Istanbul, Marmara Region, Turkey[1.2 miles]
Close to Istanbul’s top sights, this friendly hotel with a spa and rooftop restaurant is a dream for first-time visitors. And good value too.
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Istanbul, Marmara Region, Turkey[1.3 miles]
Convenient for the major sights and plugged into Turkish culture, this charming, historic hotel is ideal for families and first-timers.
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Istanbul, Marmara Region, Turkey[1.4 miles]
This stylish, friendly and affordable boutique hotel is in sights-packed Sultanahmet, perfect for first-time visitors.
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Marmara Region, Turkey
Exotic, inexhaustible and dynamic – East meets West head-on in this mesmerising city metropolis, famed for its extraordinarily rich history, superb food and shopping, and mind-blowingly magnificent, over-sized mosques.
Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Istanbul, Marmara Region, Turkey[0.5 miles]
One of the greatest urban boat journeys, a glide down the Bosphorus strait passes Ottoman palaces, forts and picturesque villages.
Best for ages: 4+ | £10 | 1 hour to full day
Istanbul, Marmara Region, Turkey[0.5 miles]
Istanbul’s second largest market is a sensory wonderland, full to bursting with fragrant spices and sweets.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free
Istanbul, Marmara Region, Turkey[0.7 miles]
The oldest, biggest market in the world that glitters like an Aladdin’s cave. Over 5,000 shops on 66 covered streets.
Best for ages: 8+ | Free
Istanbul, Marmara Region, Turkey[1 miles]
Hypnotic and haunting, the traditional sema ceremony of the whirling dervishes dates back to the 13th century.
Best for ages: 8+ | £10 | 75 minutes
Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..
Istanbul, Marmara Region, Turkey[0.9 miles]
Super authentic spot near the Grand Bazaar where you can smoke nargile (a water pipe or hookah) and drink tea in the courtyard of a mosque from 1709.
Best for ages: 18+ | £5
Istanbul , Marmara Region, Turkey[1.5 miles]
One of the world’s finest collections of Islamic-influenced glassware, rugs, ceramics, metal work and ethnographic items.
Best for ages: 18+ | £4
Istanbul , Marmara Region, Turkey[1.7 miles]
A modern art museum housing the finest collection of modern and contemporary art in the country. The Modern’s temporary exhibits by Turkish and international artists – often organized in collaboration with MoMA (New York) and the Centre Pompidou (Paris) – are particularly exceptional.
Best for ages: 18+ | £4
Istanbul , Marmara Region , Turkey[1.8 miles]
Lovely, lively 5th and 6th-century AD mosaics depicting nature, animals and people from the palace of the first Byzantine Emperors.
Best for ages: 18+ | £2