Istanbul is such an incredible city and I loved visiting this year. The people there were all so friendly, it’s super easy to get around and I loved learning about the history and culture.

Maiden's Tower

star4.7(26,452)

From €30.00

See Tickets

1 - Visit the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia – both of these mosques are so beautiful and are completely different. They are also conveniently next to each other, so this makes it really easy to visit them both in one day, or if you stay close like we did you can do one early in the morning on one day and then the next day visit the other.

Top tip! Make sure you visit as early as you can to avoid the crowds and make sure you also visit the park between them both during the Call To Prayer, it was such a special experience to hear both of the mosques at the same time while this close.

2 - Head up to Balat – Balat is a beautiful area in Istanbul, known for its colourful houses and cobbled streets. We spent an afternoon wandering around taking photos, stopping in one of the cafes for a drink and saying hello to the cats! It’s 45 minutes on the tram and it’s really easy to get there from Sultanahmet which is the main district most travellers visit on their first trip to Istanbul.

3- Enjoy a sunset boat trip on the Bosphorus – getting out on the Bosphorus really puts the size of Istanbul into perspective – it is a large city and you won’t have time to do everything. Seeing Istanbul from the Bosphorus is so relaxing and also gives you that iconic view of the city skyline.

4- Go over to the Asian side! – There is something really cool about being able to hop over to another continent! We chose to go to Kadıköy which is a laid-back neighbourhood by the coast. Home to hip cafes, brilliant restaurants, a large produce market and boutiques, it was the perfect, relaxed last day there. We dedicated a whole day to visit because we had plenty of time in Istanbul, but you could visit for half a day if you were short on time. We just strolled around and got lost on purpose, found some brilliant shops and a delicious Italian restaurant called Il Sud.