Experiences
Architecture & cultural walks
Istanbul is a city of layers, and the clearest way to see them is on foot. A morning on the Historic Peninsula can move from sixth-century Byzantium to the classical Ottoman mosques of Mimar Sinan; an afternoon across the Golden Horn trades domes for nineteenth-century facades and modern museums.
Sinan's city
Start at the Süleymaniye, then walk down to the tiled Rüstem Paşa Mosque near the Spice Bazaar. Read more in Discovering Istanbul through architecture.
Bankalar Caddesi
Karaköy's old banking street and the curving Kamondo Stairs, with Salt Galata as a place to pause. See A design lover's guide to Karaköy.
Food & local gastronomy
Turkish food culture is generous and seasonal, and much of its best expression is informal: a long weekend breakfast, a plate of meze by the water, a glass of tea in the middle of the afternoon.
A slow breakfast
Make one morning a proper kahvaltı. Our guide to the art of Turkish breakfast explains what arrives at the table.
Market mornings
Walk through the Spice Bazaar in Eminönü early, before the crowds, and continue into the surrounding streets where wholesalers still trade.
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Waterfront experiences
In Istanbul, water is never far away. The public ferries are the city's great bargain: a crossing between Europe and Asia costs the same as a metro ride and comes with the best views in town.
The long Bosphorus ferry
The scheduled Bosphorus line runs from Eminönü up the strait towards the Black Sea, stopping at waterside villages along the way.
A Kadıköy crossing
Take the ferry from Karaköy or Eminönü to Kadıköy at sunset and walk up to the Moda shoreline.
Boutique shopping & design
Istanbul's shopping is at its best away from the malls: in workshops, small studios and the antique streets of Çukurcuma, where dealers sell everything from Ottoman textiles to mid-century lamps.
Çukurcuma's antique streets
Browse the dealers between Cihangir and Galata, and stop at Orhan Pamuk's Museum of Innocence on the way.
Handmade ceramics
Look for workshops that make their own pieces rather than resellers. Ask where a piece was made; good makers are happy to tell you.
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Distinctive local discoveries
Some of the most memorable hours in a city are unplanned: a steep street of painted houses, a neighbourhood bakery, a tea garden where nobody is in a hurry.
Fener and Balat
Walk the steep streets above the Golden Horn, where the Ecumenical Patriarchate, old synagogues and painted townhouses share a few blocks.
Simit and the gulls
Buy a simit before boarding a ferry. The gulls that follow the boats know exactly what the paper bag means.
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