Blue mosque nearby square view, Istanbul, Turkey 20260903 114658

Istanbul officially has an enormous range of destinations—from the Historic Peninsula and bazaars to Galata, the Golden Horn, Bosphorus, Asian side, Princes’ Islands, museums and forests—so 28 days gives you time to see both the famous sights and the less-touristy areas. 🇹🇷 My suggested 28-day Istanbul plan Days 1–7 — Historic Istanbul Day Tour Main sights 1 Sultanahmet Classic Hagia Sophia → Blue Mosque → Hippodrome → German Fountain → Arasta Bazaar 2 Topkapı Day Topkapı Palace → Imperial Treasury → Harem → Gülhane Park 3 Underground Istanbul Basilica Cistern → Theodosius Cistern → Binbirdirek Cistern → Sultanahmet evening 4 Byzantine Istanbul Istanbul Archaeological Museums → Great Palace Mosaic Museum → Little Hagia Sophia 5 Grand Bazaar Grand Bazaar → Beyazıt Square → Sahaflar Book Bazaar → Süleymaniye Mosque 6 Egyptian Bazaar & Golden Horn Spice/Egyptian Bazaar → Rüstem Pasha Mosque → Eminönü → Galata Bridge → fish market 7 Walls & Chora Byzantine Walls → Golden Gate → Kariye/Chora Mosque → Balat → Fener Basilica Cistern is particularly convenient from your hotel, and Istanbul Archaeological Museums can easily occupy several hours. Day 7 is one of my favorites for you: it combines Byzantine history with the colorful Fener/Balat neighborhoods. ________________________________________ Days 8–14 — Ottoman Istanbul + Bosphorus Day 8 — Süleymaniye + Fatih Süleymaniye Mosque → Suleymaniye terraces → Fatih Mosque → Fatih market → Valens Aqueduct → local Turkish dinner Day 9 — Dolmabahçe + Beşiktaş Dolmabahçe Palace 4.7•Museum•Closed Website•Directions•(0212) 236 90 00 Spend the morning inside the palace. Then: Dolmabahçe Clock Tower Bosphorus waterfront Beşiktaş Square Beşiktaş market Yıldız Park GoTürkiye actually recommends a one-day Beşiktaş palace route combining Dolmabahçe, Ihlamur Pavilion and Yıldız Palace. Day 10 — Yıldız + Ortaköy Yıldız Palace → Yıldız Park → Çırağan waterfront → Ortaköy Mosque → Ortaköy Square → Bosphorus sunset Day 11 — Asian Istanbul #1 Take the ferry from Eminönü/Karaköy to Üsküdar. See: Üsküdar waterfront Mihrimah Sultan Mosque Şemsi Paşa Mosque Maiden's Tower viewpoint Kuzguncuk Çengelköy Return by ferry around sunset. Day 12 — Asian Istanbul #2 Kadıköy + Moda Kadıköy Market → fish market → food streets → Bahariye Street → Moda → Moda waterfront → sunset This gives you a completely different atmosphere from Sultanahmet. Day 13 — Beylerbeyi + Çamlıca Beylerbeyi Palace 4.7•Historical place museum•Closed Website•Directions•(0216) 321 93 20 Morning: Beylerbeyi Palace Then: Çengelköy → Çamlıca Hill → Asian-side panoramic view → Üsküdar. Day 14 — Bosphorus ferry day Take a long public Bosphorus ferry ride rather than an expensive tourist cruise. See: Dolmabahçe Ortaköy Rumeli Fortress Bebek Arnavutköy Emirgan Asian waterfront Beylerbeyi Küçüksu Anadolu Hisarı The Bosphorus is especially worthwhile because it lets you experience Europe and Asia from the water; the official tourism guide highlights the palaces, fortresses, mansions and waterfront neighborhoods along it. ________________________________________ Days 15–21 — Galata, Beyoğlu & Golden Horn Day 15 — Galata Galata Tower → Galata neighborhood → Galip Dede Street → Galata Mevlevihanesi → İstiklal Avenue Galata Mevlevihanesi Museum is particularly interesting if you want to understand the Mevlevi/Sufi tradition. Day 16 — Istiklal + Taksim Taksim Square → İstiklal Caddesi → St. Anthony Church → Çiçek Pasajı → Nevizade → Pera Stay into the evening. Day 17 — Karaköy + Galataport Karaköy → Bankalar Caddesi → Kamondo Stairs → Galata waterfront → Galataport → Istanbul Museum of Modern Art Day 18 — Pera & European Istanbul Pera Museum → Tepebaşı → İstiklal side streets → Cihangir → antique shops in Çukurcuma → sunset in Karaköy The official Istanbul tourism guide specifically recommends Çukurcuma for antique shopping. Day 19 — Golden Horn Eminönü → Golden Horn ferry → Haliç → Eyüp Sultan → Pierre Loti Hill → cable car down Excellent day for photography. Day 20 — Miniatürk + Rahmi M. Koç Museum Miniatürk → Golden Horn → Rahmi M. Koç Museum → Hasköy waterfront This is a very different Istanbul experience from the imperial monuments. Day 21 — Modern Istanbul + parks Maçka Park → Nişantaşı → Teşvikiye → Beşiktaş → Bosphorus waterfront → Ortaköy at night ________________________________________ Days 22–28 — Day trips & special experiences Day 22 — Büyükada Take the ferry to Büyükada, the largest of the Princes' Islands. 8 Walk/explore: Büyükada town historic mansions Aya Yorgi island viewpoints waterfront seafood lunch The Princes' Islands are especially good for a full-day escape; Büyükada, Heybeliada, Burgazada and Kınalıada are regularly served by ferries. Day 23 — Heybeliada + Burgazada Instead of returning to the same island, visit: Heybeliada → Burgazada