The 10 Best Things to Do and See in Istanbul, Türkiye

I’ve lived in this city for decades and I’ve yet to run out of things to do in Istanbul. I often feel as if I’ve only scratched the surface of this palimpsest. I’m always on the lookout for new things to see and the latest attractions. And as the founder of Momcierge, a travel concierge for families, I love seeing the city from the perspective of my kids. Here, I’m delighted to share with you my current top 10. Ask me again in a few months and I might well provide a completely different list, as Istanbul is an ever-shifting destination, with new delights constantly on the rise. 

1. EAT YOUR WEIGHT IN TURKISH TREATS

I always say that one of the main reasons why I’ll never leave Istanbul is the food. Turkish cuisine is, in my opinion, the most varied and delicious in the world. Start with a traditional serpme kahvaltı, a uniquely Turkish breakfast featuring a multitude of dishes from ruddy tomatoes and glistening black olives to spicy sucuk sausages. I like Journey cafe or Kahve6 in my neighbourhood, Cihangir. Türkiye is deservedly famous for its carnivore-friendly kebap dishes, but its seafood is also top-notch, with seasonal fresh fish often served simply grilled with a scattering of rocket on the side. As you wander the winding, ancient alleys, pick up a simit (a sesame seed Turkish bagel), a great pick-me-up for under a dollar. And make sure to accompany all your repasts with a glass of ruby red Turkish tea, or a pungent cup of Turkish coffee.

Feeling inspired? Check the latest offers and events at Çırağan Palace Kempinski

2. EXPERIENCE THE CALL TO PRAYER

Istanbul’s skyline is punctuated by the swelling domes and soaring minarets of countless mosques, all of which announce the call to prayer five times a day via the lilting tones of the ezan. While this haunting call can be heard in many Muslim cities, here, it can often be heard in syncopation with the chiming of church bells, creating a unique harmony. In my opinion, the most magnificent mosque is Aya Sofya, known in English as Hagia Sophia. Built as a Byzantine church and converted into a mosque by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, this edifice has a storied history that could only be set in this city. Make sure to visit the mosaics on the upper level, well worth the extra entrance fee. Near Çırağan Palace Kempinski, the Ortaköy Mosque is a gorgeous jewel on the Bosphorus, and a feminine foil to the grandeur of Aya Sofya.

3. SEE THE CITY FROM THE BOSPHORUS

I love taking the municipal ring ferry that zig-zags up and down the Bosphorus. You can see the old city and the yalıs (seaside mansions) of the Bosphorus. If you're lucky, you might even see some porpoises or dolphins. When the ferry stops at Kanlıca, make sure to buy some yoghurt sprinkled with powdered sugar from the itinerant salesman who comes briefly on board. You can also sip tea and eat sandwiches (which you can share with the seagulls that always fly behind the boats, waiting for a snack). Get out at the last stop on the Asian shore, Anadolu Kavağı, and have some meze and fish at one of the many eateries in this charming fishing village littered with scavenging cats. Then hop back on board the boat, and return to Eminönü. From there, head to Karakoy for dinner at Galataport.

4. IMMERSE YOURSELF IN TURKISH ART AND CULTURE

My husband is an actor and I’m a writer, so the arts play an important part in our lives. Luckily Istanbul is an amazing centre for performance and creativity. Orhan Pamuk, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006, lives around the corner from us in Beyoğlu, the most bohemian neighbourhood of the city – dotted with cinemas, museums and theatres. Its heart is Taksim Square, home to the Atatürk Cultural Center or AKM, which reopened in 2021 with a 2,040-seat Opera Hall, whose round exterior is covered in bright red tiles. This is the best space to watch performances by Türkiye’s national opera, symphony and theatre. A stroll down pedestrian İstiklal Avenue, the city’s main artery, leads to the Galata Mevlevi House Museum, where you can take in a very different yet uniquely Turkish performance: the Sema, or ritual of the whirling dervishes. 

5. EXPLORE THE MANY MUSEUMS

My top piece of advice for first-time visitors to Istanbul is to pay for the extra ticket to see the Harem when visiting Topkapı Palace. The word ‘harem’ simply meant ‘private’ in Ottoman times, and these areas were the private quarters of the sultans. I find the somewhat less opulent and ostentatious setting to be much more evocative than the ornate public spaces or selamlık that were built to impress. In the harem, the sultans and their queens and concubines let down their hair, and so it retains a personal, domestic essence on a human scale. You don’t have to squint very hard to imagine the odalisques wandering the halls. 

Across the waters of Golden Horn, and only four stops away on the shoreline tram, the Istanbul Modern in Galataport offers a great contrast, designed by Renzo Piano and opened in 2023.

6. SHOP LIKE A LOCAL

The world’s first shopping mall opened over five centuries ago in 1461 in Istanbul. And it’s still in exactly the same place. Inside, not much has really changed. Known as Kapalı Çarşı (‘Covered Bazaar’) in Turkish, it is nevertheless deserving of its English moniker, ‘grand’. With 64 streets and 3,600 shops, this is a city within a city. My favourite part is the İç Bedesten filled with antiques and jewellery, but you can also find carpets, ceramics, and souvenirs. The Grand Bazaar’s little sister, the Mısır or Egyptian Bazaar, is much easier to navigate, and is a fragrant repository of the world’s spices. Top tip: head to Pandeli above the market for an unforgettable lunch.

7. TRY THE ORIGINAL SPA TREATMENT

My absolute favourite Turkish tradition is going to a hammam, or Turkish bath. As in Japanese society, public, communal bathing is still an intrinsic part of Turkish culture, and plays a central role in weddings. Today, many of the ancient hammams have been restored and rebuilt. Down the hill from my neighbourhood, the Kılıç Ali Paşa Hamam is one of my favourites. Built in 1580 by the famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, it has an impressive 14-metre wide dome and reopened in 2012 after a seven-year restoration. It welcomes women during the morning and afternoon, and men in the afternoon and evening. Renew with a kese, a refreshing and revitalising scrub, followed by an invigorating massage.

8. TAKE TIME FOR TEA (OR COFFEE!)

Türkiye is deservedly renowned for its delicious cuisine, but its beverages are not as well known beyond its borders. The national drink is rakı, known as ‘lion’s milk’ due to its potency and the fact that this clear spirit turns milky-white when mixed with water – an example of the beautifully named ‘louche effect’, where the anise oil dissolves in alcohol but becomes insoluble in water, creating a cloudy emulsion. Its non-alcoholic counterpart is ayran, a mixture of yoghurt and water. When it comes to caffeine, Turkish coffee is prepared either sweet, semi-sweet or black, and is a great digestive. Tea is a comparatively more recent import, having only become a cultural phenomenon after the fall of the Empire (and the resulting loss of coffee-producing lands). Drunk in tulip-shaped glasses, it nevertheless swiftly gained ground from coffee. In the winter, try seasonal Boza, a cold, porridge-like beverage made from fermented millet or hot sahlep made from wild orchid root flour and milk, both served with a dusting of cinnamon.

9. HAVE FUN WITH THE KIDS

As the mom of two young sons, I am well-attuned to all the planes, trains and automobiles in the city. The best place to immerse your kids (and yourself) in the world of locomotion is the Rahmi M. Koç Museum, set on 27,000 square metres (290,625 square feet) on the docks by the Golden Horn. It’s chock full of maritime and industrial objects, from vintage cars (many from the personal collection of its industrialist founder) to imperial rail coaches and trams and even a submarine. Kids can climb aboard a (stationary) plane, or take a short ride on a train and peek inside the cockpit of a B-24.

10. GO OFF THE BEATEN PATH

It’s something of a cliche to describe Istanbul as the ‘only city on two continents’, but there is a real thrill to be experienced crossing the Bosporus bridge and seeing the sign ‘Welcome to Asia’. The city’s Asian side is rarely at the top of visitors’ lists, but it has many treats – starting with a phenomenal view of the historic peninsula. Head to the neighbourhood of Kadıköy to see how the majority of Istanbulites live – the vast majority reside on this shore and commute to Europe. A highlight is Çiya Sofrası, where you can try traditional Anatolian cuisine. I also love to take a municipal ferry to Büyükada, the bucolic, pine-forested largest of the Princes’ Islands, an archipelago off the Istanbul coast that remains car- and almost entirely tourist-free.

In an increasingly polarised world, I love the fact that Istanbul is a city where contrasts are not opposites, but rather embellishments to each other. This is a city defined by diversity, where past and present, East and West, tradition and innovation exist in gracious harmony.

If you enjoyed this, why not learn more about things to eat in Istanbul in this piece by Tim Johnson?