33 of the best · Istanbul, Türkiye

The Best Things to See in Istanbul

Byzantine domes, Ottoman mosques and palaces, and a strait between two continents: the essential Istanbul.

Our 33 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026

Browse by type

Insiders' picks

Three of our favourites from this list, vetted by people who know and love Istanbul.

Fifteen centuries under one dome

Hagia Sophia

Sultanahmet·Mosque (former cathedral)·€€€

Justinian’s great church of 537, an Ottoman imperial mosque from 1453, a museum from 1934 and a mosque again since 2020: the building that defines Istanbul.

Sultan Ahmet, Ayasofya Meydanı No:1, FatihExplore View on map
The sultans’ palace

Topkapı Palace

Sultanahmet·Palace museum·€€€

The palace of the Ottoman sultans for nearly four centuries: courtyards, the Harem, the Treasury and views over the Bosphorus. Closed on Tuesdays.

Cankurtaran, Babıhümayun Caddesi, FatihExplore View on map
Sinan’s masterpiece in Istanbul

Süleymaniye Mosque

Süleymaniye·Mosque

Sinan’s great mosque for Süleyman the Magnificent, completed in 1557 on the third hill, with views over the Golden Horn.

Süleymaniye, Prof. Sıddık Sami Onar Caddesi, FatihExplore View on map

The full list: Sights, A–Z

Show 28 of 33 places on a map

The back story 5

Istanbul: the back story, from Byzantium to the Republic.

The back story

Byzantium: the back story

Sultanahmet·In depth: history

Before it was Constantinople or Istanbul, it was Byzantium: a Greek colony on a hilltop between two seas, guarding the busiest strait of the ancient world.

Explore View on map
The back story

Constantinople: the back story

Sultanahmet·In depth: history

For more than eleven centuries Constantinople was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, the greatest city of the Christian world and the guardian of Greek and Roman learning.

Explore View on map
The back story

Istanbul and the Republic: the back story

Taksim·In depth: history

In 1923 the capital moved to Ankara, but Istanbul remained the country’s great city: its port, its marketplace and its cultural heart, today a metropolis of more than 15 million people.

Explore View on map
History & heritage

Istanbul: history and heritage

Sultanahmet·In depth: history and heritage

Greek Byzantium, Roman and Byzantine Constantinople, the Ottoman capital and the modern metropolis on two continents: how Istanbul became the city of empires.

Explore View on map
The back story

The Ottoman capital: the back story

Eminönü·In depth: history

For nearly five centuries Istanbul was the capital of the Ottoman Empire: a city of sultans, mosques and bazaars, of Sinan’s domes and the palaces of the Bosphorus.

Explore View on map

The icons 4

The unmissable sights.

The view over the whole city

Galata Tower

Galata·Tower & viewpoint·€€€

The Genoese tower of 1348 above Karaköy, with a 360-degree balcony over the old city, the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus.

Bereketzade, Galata Kulesi, BeyoğluExplore View on map
Fifteen centuries under one dome

Hagia Sophia

Sultanahmet·Mosque (former cathedral)·€€€

Justinian’s great church of 537, an Ottoman imperial mosque from 1453, a museum from 1934 and a mosque again since 2020: the building that defines Istanbul.

Sultan Ahmet, Ayasofya Meydanı No:1, FatihExplore View on map
Six minarets and 20,000 tiles

Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)

Sultanahmet·Mosque

The great mosque of Sultan Ahmed I, built 1609–1616, with six minarets and an interior of blue İznik tiles.

Sultan Ahmet, Atmeydanı Caddesi, FatihExplore View on map
The sultans’ palace

Topkapı Palace

Sultanahmet·Palace museum·€€€

The palace of the Ottoman sultans for nearly four centuries: courtyards, the Harem, the Treasury and views over the Bosphorus. Closed on Tuesdays.

Cankurtaran, Babıhümayun Caddesi, FatihExplore View on map

Byzantine Constantinople 8

Churches, cisterns and walls.

A forest of columns underground

Basilica Cistern

Sultanahmet·Byzantine cistern·€€€

Justinian’s 6th-century underground reservoir, with 336 columns, Medusa heads and soft lighting.

Alemdar, Yerebatan Caddesi No:1/3, FatihExplore View on map
The finest Byzantine mosaics

Chora (Kariye Mosque)

Edirnekapı·Mosque (former church)·€€

A former Byzantine monastery church near the land walls, with early 14th-century mosaics and frescoes; a mosque since 2024.

Derviş Ali, Kariye Camii Sokağı, FatihExplore View on map
Constantine’s porphyry column

Column of Constantine (Çemberlitaş)

Çemberlitaş·Roman column

The porphyry column Constantine raised in 330 in his forum, bound with iron hoops, on Divan Yolu.

Divan Yolu Caddesi, Çemberlitaş, FatihExplore View on map
A church never turned into a mosque

Hagia Irene

Sultanahmet·Byzantine church·€€

The 6th-century Church of Holy Peace in the first courtyard of Topkapı, one of the few Byzantine churches never converted into a mosque.

Cankurtaran, Topkapı Sarayı, FatihExplore View on map
Justinian’s jewel

Little Hagia Sophia

Kadırga·Mosque (former church)

The 6th-century Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, now the Küçük Ayasofya Mosque, near the sea walls.

Küçük Ayasofya Caddesi, FatihExplore View on map
Where the chariots raced

The Hippodrome (Sultanahmet Square)

Sultanahmet·Historic square

The long square in front of the Blue Mosque that was once the Byzantine Hippodrome, with an Egyptian obelisk and the Serpent Column.

Sultanahmet Meydanı, FatihExplore View on map
The walls that held for a thousand years

Theodosian Walls

Edirnekapı·City walls

The 5th-century land walls of Constantinople, running nearly 6 km from the Sea of Marmara to the Golden Horn.

Edirnekapı, FatihExplore View on map
A Roman aqueduct over the traffic

Valens Aqueduct

Fatih·Roman aqueduct

The great 4th-century aqueduct that carried water into the city, striding over Atatürk Boulevard.

Atatürk Bulvarı, FatihExplore View on map

Ottoman Istanbul 4

Mosques and palaces.

The sultans’ 19th-century palace

Dolmabahçe Palace

Beşiktaş·Palace museum·€€€

The vast waterfront palace completed in 1856, with a crystal staircase and a 4.5-tonne chandelier. Closed on Mondays.

Vişnezade, Dolmabahçe Caddesi, BeşiktaşExplore View on map
The landmark of Eminönü

New Mosque (Yeni Cami)

Eminönü·Mosque

The great mosque at the end of the Galata Bridge, completed in 1665, beside the Spice Bazaar.

Rüstem Paşa, Yeni Cami Caddesi, Eminönü, FatihExplore View on map
The most beautiful tiles in Istanbul

Rüstem Pasha Mosque

Eminönü·Mosque

A small mosque by Sinan above the shops of Eminönü, its interior covered in the finest İznik tiles.

Hasırcılar Caddesi No:62, Eminönü, FatihExplore View on map
Sinan’s masterpiece in Istanbul

Süleymaniye Mosque

Süleymaniye·Mosque

Sinan’s great mosque for Süleyman the Magnificent, completed in 1557 on the third hill, with views over the Golden Horn.

Süleymaniye, Prof. Sıddık Sami Onar Caddesi, FatihExplore View on map

On the Bosphorus 4

Palaces, fortresses and towers.

The summer palace on the Asian shore

Beylerbeyi Palace

Beylerbeyi·Palace museum·€€

The sultans’ summer palace of the 1860s on the Asian shore, under the Bosphorus Bridge.

Beylerbeyi, Abdullahağa Caddesi, ÜsküdarExplore View on map
A tower in the Bosphorus

Maiden’s Tower

Salacak·Tower on an islet·€€€

The little tower on an islet off Üsküdar, restored and reopened as a museum in 2023.

Salacak, ÜsküdarExplore View on map
A jewel under the bridge

Ortaköy Mosque

Ortaköy·Mosque

The graceful 1850s mosque on the water at Ortaköy, under the Bosphorus Bridge.

Ortaköy, Mecidiye Köprüsü Sokak, BeşiktaşExplore View on map
The fortress of 1452

Rumelihisarı

Rumelihisarı·Fortress museum·€€

The fortress Mehmed II built in 1452 at the narrowest point of the Bosphorus, before the conquest.

Rumeli Hisarı, Yahya Kemal Caddesi, SarıyerExplore View on map

Faith 4

Places of pilgrimage and worship.

A church made of iron

Bulgarian St Stephen Church

Balat·Church

The cast-iron Bulgarian Orthodox church of 1898 on the Golden Horn shore at Balat, restored and reopened in 2018.

Mürsel Paşa Caddesi, Balat, FatihExplore View on map
On the highest hill

Çamlıca Mosque

Üsküdar·Mosque

The great mosque on Çamlıca Hill on the Asian side, opened in 2019, the largest in Turkey.

Ferah, Çamlıca, ÜsküdarExplore View on map
Istanbul’s holiest mosque

Eyüp Sultan Mosque

Eyüp·Mosque

The mosque and tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion of the Prophet, at the head of the Golden Horn.

Eyüp Merkez, EyüpsultanExplore View on map
Sinan on the Asian shore

Mihrimah Sultan Mosque (Üsküdar)

Üsküdar·Mosque

Sinan’s mosque of 1548 for Princess Mihrimah, facing the ferry pier in Üsküdar.

Mimar Sinan, ÜsküdarExplore View on map

The modern city 4

Avenues, squares and quarters.

Colourful lanes on the Golden Horn

Balat & Fener

Balat·Historic quarter

The old quarters on the Golden Horn: painted houses, churches, synagogues, antiques and cafés.

Balat, FatihExplore View on map
Fishermen, ferries and the Golden Horn

Galata Bridge

Eminönü·Bridge

The bridge across the Golden Horn between Eminönü and Karaköy, lined with fishermen above and fish restaurants below.

Galata Köprüsü, EminönüExplore View on map
The city’s great promenade

İstiklal Avenue

Beyoğlu·Avenue

The 1.4 km pedestrian avenue from Taksim to Tünel, with its red heritage tram, arcades, churches and side streets.

İstiklal Caddesi, BeyoğluExplore View on map
The hub of modern Istanbul

Taksim Square

Taksim·Square

The square at the top of İstiklal, with the Monument of the Republic, the Atatürk Cultural Center and the metro.

Taksim Meydanı, BeyoğluExplore View on map

Mosques: dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered, a headscarf for women), remove your shoes and avoid the five daily prayer times, especially Friday midday.