Istanbul Ili Things to Do

 
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  •   Grand Bazaar
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  •   Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)
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  • Hagia Sophia
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  • Istanbul and the Golden Horn from the tower
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Most Viewed Things to Do in Istanbul Ili

1.

Topkapi Palace   Istanbul

Topkapi Palace, Istanbul

 326 Reviews   The huge palace was built just after conquering of Constantinople in 1453. It was the main residence of Ottoman sultans till 19th century, when they moved to other palaces. Palace is a full range of... 

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2.

Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)   Istanbul

Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya), Istanbul

 340 Reviews   Hagia Sofia or “Church of Holy Wisdom” in Greek is a place, where was a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica for nearly 1000 years. The current form church was designed and built in 532 by the Greek... 

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3.

Grand Bazaar   Istanbul

Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

 124 Reviews   Grand market, or, differently, Grand Bazaar could be named as one of oldest and biggest markets in the World. It was planned and constructed in middle of 15th century, when Constantinople was... 

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4.

Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet )   Istanbul

Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet ), Istanbul

 296 Reviews   Blue mosque, as I imagine, is one of main landmarks of huge Istanbul, also its minarets could be visible in panoramas that present Turkey, Istanbul, Sultanahmet historical suburb. Actually I was... 

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5.

Bosphorus River   Istanbul

Bosphorus River, Istanbul

 130 Reviews  Recommend this ferry trip for anyone visiting Istanbul. The Government run ferry (Turkish Maratime Lines)departs Eminonu 2 or 3 times daily for the return trip along the Bosphorus. The 3 hour ferry... 

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6.

Dolmabahce Palace   Istanbul

Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul

 120 Reviews   The palace was built in 1856 to suit needs of Ottoman sultans, so after constructing it sultan moved here leaving old Topkapi palace in Sultanahmet area. The palace in as a symbol of 19th century... 

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7.

Palace Cistern (Yerebatan Saray)   Istanbul

Palace Cistern (Yerebatan Saray), Istanbul

 102 Reviews  Included on our coach tour was entry to the Cistern, a vast underground water storage. However due to the long lines of tourists waiting for entry our guide decided to move on and miss this... 

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8.

galata tower   Istanbul

galata tower, Istanbul

 105 Reviews  The previous day we sighted the Galata Tower high on the hill overlooking Istanbul, the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. We thought we would visit the next day and we did. Taking the light rail (tram)... 

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9.

Taksim Square   Istanbul

Taksim Square, Istanbul

 37 Reviews   Independence monument symbolizes former Turkish president Kemal Ataturk, his companions, also the depictions of Turkish independence war and Turkish soldiers with flags. Momunent was built in 1928... 

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10.

Byzantine Hippodrome   Istanbul

Byzantine Hippodrome, Istanbul

 100 Reviews   Theodosius obelisk stands in former Hippodrome area from 390. Interesting fact enough, that obelisk was bought from Egypt; it is originally around 3500 years old. Anyway, Emperor changed the carving... 

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11.

Egyptian (Spice) Market   Istanbul

Egyptian (Spice) Market, Istanbul

 53 Reviews   Spice market, differently, Egyptian market, is the most exotic visited markets in Istanbul, filled with a smell of spice and different food (sweets, vegetables, so on). It was built in 1664 in quite... 

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12.

Princes' Islands   Istanbul

Princes' Islands, Istanbul

 31 Reviews  the ship the takes your from istanbul down town to the island is a reall amusement with great views, it costed around 3 turkish lira per person and it have a deck for open view. first thing on the... 

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13.

Istiklal Caddesi   Istanbul

Istiklal Caddesi, Istanbul

 56 Reviews  This is Turkey’s version of Park Avenue, Strøget, and Calle Florida. Running almost 3 km in length from Taksim Square to the Tünel Square, the avenue is lined with buildings from the late Ottoman... 

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14.

hammams   Istanbul

hammams, Istanbul

 33 Reviews  Cagaloglu Hamami Sultan Mahmut I had this hamam built in 1714 (an area of 2834 sq.mt ) and it has separate sections for men and women.It is open everyday.hours for men are 07:00 - 22:00 and for women... 

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15.

bosphorus bridge   Istanbul

bosphorus bridge, Istanbul

 40 Reviews  The fact that the Bosphorus Bridge links two continents - Asia and Europe, makes it quite unique. It is quite a great feeling driving over the bridge and leaving the one continent only to enter the... 

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16.

Asian side   Istanbul

Asian side, Istanbul

 31 Reviews  I did check and found that holding a US passport I can't get the stamp in Istanbul , Turkey - airport. For USA I need to get a visa before I buy a ticket. Delta has a nice sale on Christmas day from... 

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17.

Süleymaniye Mosque   Istanbul

Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul

 90 Reviews   Suleiman mosque was finally constructed by famous Turkish architect Sinan in 1557. As some other mosques, the design idea was taken from famous Hagia Sophia. In 1660 it was reconstructed after big... 

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18.

Archeology Museum   Istanbul

Archeology Museum, Istanbul

 57 Reviews   Istanbul archeology museum is one of the most interesting my visited museums, as here much of famous ancient things are housed. Museum consists of three parts – Archeology museum, the museum of... 

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19.

sultan ahmed area   Istanbul

sultan ahmed area, Istanbul

 41 Reviews  Sultanahmet is the historical part of Istanbul so we had the opportunity to see many landmarks of the city like Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Palace Cistern, The Hipodrome Square, The Turkish And Islamic... 

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20.

galata bridge   Istanbul

galata bridge, Istanbul

 39 Reviews  We walked the bridge several times as it crosses the Golden Horn linking Eminonu to Karakoy. Such a busy bridge with so many activities. We liked watching the fishermen standing on the walkway on the... 

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21.

Beyoglu   Istanbul

Beyoglu, Istanbul

 33 Reviews  The old district of Pera gave place to the modern Beyoglu, with the inevitable Istiklal Caddesi, dominating the area. However, a few signs of the classical quarter do remain, showing the Ottoman... 

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22.

miniaturk   Istanbul

miniaturk, Istanbul

 13 Reviews  Miniaturk is the world's biggest miniature city of the world. You can find the miniatures of more than 100 historical or modern buildings in Turkey and abroad. It is very entertaining to spend time in... 

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23.

Chora church museum (Kariye)   Istanbul

Chora church museum (Kariye), Istanbul

 51 Reviews  This was the church center of a Byzantine monastic complex dating back to the time of Constantine though the present building dates to the 12th century and the main decorations are from the 14th... 

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24.

anadolu kavagi   Istanbul

anadolu kavagi, Istanbul

 20 Reviews   Yoros castle is known already from Byzantine times, when it was strategic point when entering Bosporus from Black sea. In 1305 it was retaken by Ottomans, and castle was fortified. Later, from 1414... 

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25.

maiden tower   Istanbul

maiden tower, Istanbul

 25 Reviews   Possibly the first tower here was built in 340 BC. In Ottoman time the stone tower changed the wooden one in 1719. In different times it was used differently: in Greek times it is hard to say about... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Column of Constantine

by June.b

I've been seeing this tall column for a long time everytime I pass by it walking along Divan Yolu Street from Beyazid's Grand Bazaar to Sultanahmet. It's tall with metal braces and well, it's just there until I found out recently about its significance.The Column of Constantinople is a Roman monumental column constructed on the orders of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great in 330 AD, commemorating the declaration of Byzantium - rename later as New Rome - as the new capital city of the Roman Empire. Originally 50 meters tall, now it stands 35 meters exactly beside the Cemberlitas tram station and the historical Cemberlitas Hamam. When it was erected it has the statue of Constantine in the figure of Apollo and carrying an orb which has a fragment of the "real cross" of JC.Also, at the foot of the column is a sanctuary containing relics from the crosses of the 2 thieves crucified beside...

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Murat Pasha Mosque

by June.b

Commissioner: Murat PashaArchitect: UnknownYears Built: 1469 - 1471 (mosque gate inscription - I.T. 1473)Near the Aksaray footbridge - I walked from the Pertevniyal Mosque crossed the highway to the Murat Pasha Mosque. You will not give notice to this mosque, you'll surely give it a miss, but what aroused my curiosity about this mosque - although it's not visually attractive - is its history and the fact that it is one of the oldest mosques in the city. It's not an ottoman imperial mosque so it's very unlike most of the huge more tourist-popular mosques scattered around the city which are mostly inspired by the architectural and monstrous size of the Hagia Sophia, you know that right? the ottomans started building huge mosques out of the Hagia Sophia envy (a former orthodox patriarchal basilica). This mosque in comparison is built based on an original plan - copycat it's not! I suddenly...

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Mihrimah Sultan Mosque

by June.b

An ottoman imperial mosque.Commissioner: Mihrimah SultanaArchitect: Mimar SinanYears Built: 1562–1565OK, the Chora Church is far from the usual tourists path, 2 trains (tram+metro) so make the most out of the trip, from Sultanahmet it's about less than half an hour. After visiting Chora Church, I went around the area, esp. around the Walls of Constantinople, and guess what, I've seen a big mosque with the name written right at the entrance/gate.It's the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque. Located just inside the Edirne Kapisi on the Byzantine land walls. The mosque is a prominent landmark in Istanbul.There was a restoration thing going on but it seems like a lot of things around the mosque were already restored as seen from the pictures/posters just before you enter the inside of the mosque. It's has a big prayer hall with neat red carpets, several white marble arches around all interior walls and a...

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Kiliç Ali Pasha & Nusretiye Mosque in Tophane

by June.b

An ottoman imperial mosque.Commissioner: Mahmut IIArchitect: Krikor BalyanYears Built: 1823–1826We took the tram from Sultanahmet that goes to Kabatas, but we got off at Tophane. We were actually looking for a synagogue in the area but we ended up on a hill overlooking the Nusretiye and Kilic Ali Pasha mosque and Topkapi Palace on the further distance.The hill looks like a small neighborhood park, no people except for some kids at the far end near the houses. Get off at Tophane tram station and cross the road from there passing by Mimar Sinan Cultural Center and walk up and turn right on the first street at the back of the cultural center near the Italian Hastanesi, walk up until you see a small parking lot and a small stairs, go up the stairs and there it is.The Nusretiye Mosque retains a Baroque style although influenced by Islamic elements. The mosque's name means Victory, in...

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Eyup Sultan Mosque

by June.b

An ottoman imperial mosque.Commissioner: Sultan Mehmet IIYear Built: 1458October 2009, back in Istanbul, haven't seen Eyup district for the Pierre Loti so I took the tram from Sultanahmet down to Eminonu, walked all through the the other side of the bridge (under, not crossing) and end up near the floating fish sandwich boat, ask a policeman for the bus to Eyup and it was exactly in front of the Rolex sign - bus 99A.Took the bus - cost TL1.50 - all the way to Eyup, got down near some alfresco restaurants and walk a little and found the fountain in front of the Eyup mosque. Not as impressive as the ones around Sultanahmet but the complex is big and inside the mosque ground is the turbesi (tomb) where the remains of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (Eyup Sultan) - the standard bearer of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. His tomb is greatly venerated by Muslims, attracting many pilgrims. Some of the...

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Sultan Ahmed Mosque or the Blue Mosque

by June.b

An ottoman imperial mosque.Commissioner: Sultan Ahmet IArchitect: Sedefhar Mehmet Aga Years Built: 1609–1616There are two entrances that I know of - the one facing the Hagia Sophia and the other facing the Obelisk at the Hippodrome side. Around the mosque itself are prominent edifices. So a visit to the mosque means a visit to its surroundings which includes the hippodrome which is now a lovely park and the Obelisques beside it.Bring your camera along inside the mosque, taking shots are allowed, but observe silence as there are people praying inside the mosque. Entrance is free.... if your heart desires to share a meager amount, donate it while getting out of the mosque.Go to the side of the mosque where you'll find some benches and beyond that there's a great view of the whole mosque for nice shots.Built by the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I between 1609 - 1616 facing Hagia Sophia, in order to...

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Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque

by June.b

Next stop on my mosque series tour is the Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque, known also as Aksaray Valide Mosque. Like the Blue Mosque, Suleymaniya, Laleli, and other, this one too is an ottoman imperial mosque.Commisioner: Pertevniyal, wife of Sultan Mahmud IIArchitect : Montani (Italian Architect)Year Built: 1869–1871Designed by an Italian architect (Montani, who later made a booked called Method of Ottoman Architecture) built for the wife of Sultan Mahmud II - Sultana Pertevniyal - mother of Sultan Abdülaziz. Built in 1869 to 1871. I remember seeing this mosque on restoration couple of years back and I would say it's beautifully restored. The interior has this ottoman grandeur with modern feel to it, new light gray carpet, soft and clean that I want to sit there or lie down for infinity.The grand entrance (grandeur) is on the Ordu street side with stairs leading up to the entrance of...

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Laleli Mosque

by June.b

Whenever you're done with all the highlights of Istanbul -- explore the mosques, churches, synagogues of Istanbul. After several trips to the city, I have to keep rediscovering things.I started my mosque series tour starting with Laleli Mosque - an ottoman imperial mosque.Commisioner: Mustafa IIIArchitect : Mehmet Tahir AgaYear Built: 1760–1783Located at Laleli, Fatih district, Laleli Mosque is the third tram stops from Sultanahmet, so easy to find, in fact you can take a long walk. Mostly skipped by tourists but worth a look when you're in the area.Designed in the baroque style by Ottoman imperial architect Mehmet Tahir Aga. Destroyed by a fire in 1783 shortly after its completion and was immediately rebuilt. A fire in 1911 destroyed the madrasah, and subsequent road construction work destroyed many other the auxiliary structures to the mosque. It's on a terrace with several shops...

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Church of Holy Savior in Chora

by June.b

Considered to be one of the best example of a byzantine church, the Chora Church or Kariye Muzesi boasts one of the best and well preserved mosaics in its interiors. These mosaics depicts the life of Christ from childhood to adulthood to crucifixion and beyond, so watch carefully. It's impressive so take a day out of the usual tourist path and go to there. People say it's out of the way or transport is complicated, but those were in theory, in reality it's easy. Been to Istanbul several times and I always miss this palce so one day I decided to check the location on google map, and I figured there must be a way to go there by tram -- not bus.I was staying near Beyazid tram station (2nd stop from Sultanahmet, so if you're in Sultanahmet, it's the same tram) so I took the tram the one going to Zeytinburnu, get off at the 8th station called Topkapi (10th from Sultanahmet), then from...

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Istanbul Archeology Museum

by June.b

Consisting of three museums, the Istanbul Archeology Museum is located before the Topkapi Palace and on the upper side of the beautiful Gulhane Park. It is one of the must-see sight in Istanbul. It could consume half of your day or even a whole day to see this huge museum housing more than a million artefacts representing various world civilizations. If that doesn't sound interesting enough, I don't know what.Read Wikipedia for more details.There's a small coffee shop in front of the main entrance, expensive hot bev and croissants, but nice atmosphere, like sipping your coffee amidst the ruins.The three museums inside the huge complex are -- Archaeological Museum which is in the main building, the Museum of the Ancient Orient, and the Museum of Islamic Art in the Tiled Kiosk.Istanbul Archaeology Museums were established as Muze-i Humayun (Empire Museum) by the famous artist and museum...

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Hi, I am researching on a short trip to Istanbul and have many questions. Hope to have some responses to help me plan ahead.... 

Mikebb profile photo

A: We visited Istanbul & Turkey Sept/ Oct 2010, weather was good, not hot. Turkey and Istanbul can get very hot so I recommend you Google up Istanbul Tourism - weather. This... 

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