This guide of what to see in Istanbul in one day It will help you prepare the best route for your first or only day in the city, optimizing the maximum time.
Although we are aware that 24 hours is very little time to visit a city with so many experiences and places to visit that Istanbul offers, we believe that if you have an optimized itinerary you can have a first vision of the city despite having very little time, since either by having a scale or by other circumstances.
In this city, difficult to label as it is a combination of cultures from the East and the West, you will enjoy the great atmosphere that is formed in bazaars, you will see some of the most impressive mosques in the world and you will contemplate a spectacular sunset on a Bosphorus cruise, between Many other things.
Based on the 4 days we spent in the city, in which we wrote this guide to travel to Turkey, we have made this route to get to know the best of Istanbul in one day. We start!
How to get from Istanbul airport to hotel or downtown
Istanbul has two international airports the New Istanbul Airport located 35 kilometers from the city and the Sabiha Gökçen 50 kilometers.
The best means of transport to make the transfer from the two airports to the center or to your hotel are:
- Meter: at the beginning of 2020 the M11 subway line will start operating at the New Airport that will connect to the center.
- Bus: from the New Airport you have lines 19 and 20 that will leave you in the center (Taksim and Sultanahmet) in about 80 minutes for 3 euros. Havabüs will take you from Sabiha Gökçen airport to Taksim Square in 90 minutes for 2.5 euros.
- Private transport: It is the most comfortable option when you wait for a driver in the terminal with a sign with your name and take you directly to your hotel in an hour. You can book this service here.
- Cab: The price of a yellow taxi to the center from the New Airport is 30 euros and from Sabiha Gökçen 25 euros.
For more information about the transfer you can consult this post on how to go from the Istanbul airport to the center.
Recommended hotel
Our recommended hotel to make a route through Istanbul in one day It is the Adamar Hotel with fantastic views of the city from its terrace or The Million Stone Hotel, both located a few meters from the Blue Mosque, the Basilica of Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace. In addition to its perfect location and good connection to the two airports in the city, both hotels offer good breakfasts, 24-hour reception, new facilities, friendly staff and one of the best quality / price ratios in the city.
Tips for traveling to Istanbul
Following this list of recommendations can help you have a good first contact with the city:
- To avoid a bad experience with taxis it is advisable to take the official yellow vehicles that have the sign Taksi, indicate the destination to the driver well and follow the route with a mobile GPS like the Maps.me application. It is not too much to control the taximeter, be very attentive to the change that returns you and if you can, you better ask for the taxi at the hotel or restaurant before taking it on the street.
- The security in Istanbul is quite high, similar to the big European cities although in the tourist areas and the subway you have to be careful with the pickpockets.
- If you are a group it can be very interesting to book this private city tour with a guide in Spanish to know its history and not miss anything important or this free tour of Istanbul. Free!
- If in addition to seeing Istanbul you have extra days to make a route through the country, we recommend you complete this list of places to visit in Turkey essential
- Friday is a day of prayer and there are restrictions to access the interior of the mosques.
- To use all the means of public transport in the city you have to buy the Istanbulkart rechargeable card.
- In case of any misunderstanding or possible scam with a vendor or taxi driver, mentioning that you are going to call the police is usually resolved, even if you don't worry, it is not something that usually happens.
- Use the N26 card to pay and the BNEXT card to get money from the ATMs, you will have the current exchange and will not be charged commission. You have much more information in the post The best cards to travel without commissions.
- Take the best possible travel insurance to solve any medical setbacks in the city's quality hospitals. We always travel insured with Mondo And he has always been the best travel companion.
You can look for more recommendations in this post of tips to travel to Istanbul essential.
What to see in Istanbul in one day
The route of what to see in Istanbul in one day It starts early in the morning with a visit to Topkapi Palace, center of the former Ottoman Empire. To this huge complex overlooking the Bosphorus, we recommend arriving before 9 so as not to have to make long queues for entry and enjoy the interior of the palace where there are numerous rooms among which the Treasury stands out, with valuable pieces such as the Diamond of the Spoon and the Topkapi Dagger. Another of the most famous rooms is the Harem, where the Sultan and his family lived, in the company of more than 500 women.
Topkapi Palace
When you leave the palace you can walk in a few minutes to the Basilica of Santa Sofia, one of the most impressive in the world and another of the best places to see in Istanbul. This building, built in 360 as a Byzantine Orthodox cathedral, was also a Catholic cathedral during the time of the Crusaders and mosque from 1453, after the Conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire. Today it is a museum that impresses with its huge dome considered an architectural landmark and its interior full of beautiful mosaics.
Hagia Sophia
After the visit, you can continue on Istanbul in one day going down to the Basilica Cistern, which was built to supply water to the Ottoman palaces in case of siege and where you can walk inside among its 336 columns of 9 meters high until you find at the base of one of them, a famous Medusa's head.
Basilica Cistern
Next to the most famous cistern of the city is one of the oldest places in Istanbul, the Hippodrome of Constantinople of the year 203. In this square you will find an Egyptian obelisk of more than 3500 years, the Constantine Column of 32 meters of height and the Serpentine Column of 479 AD, which was raised to commemorate the victory against the Persians.
At this point and before continuing with the visits, we recommend eating a delicious kebbab or hummus in the recommended Why Not restaurant or in the Saltanat Fish & Kebab House.
In the afternoon the Istanbul route in one day He arrives at another of the jewels and symbols of Istanbul, the Blue Mosque. To enter this mosque and others in the city you have to comply with a series of rules such as entering barefoot, covering your shoulders if you have them uncovered, not entering with shorts and women covering their hair with a handkerchief. This mosque, built between 1609 and 1616 by Sultan Ahmed I, stands out for its 6 minarets and the more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles that decorate its interior.
Blue Mosque
The next stop is the bustling Grand Bazaar which is 15 minutes walk from the Blue Mosque. This covered market is located among the oldest and largest in the world with more than 4000 stores distributed in 58 streets. For us it is a must of the city, where you can also buy the most typical souvenirs such as the Turkish eye or carpets at a good price, as long as you know how to haggle.
An interesting option to learn about the history of this market and other places in the city is to book this guided city tour or this tour that includes the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and a Bosphorus Cruise, both with a guide in Spanish.
Grand bazaar
The Istanbul in one day continues to reach the second most famous and oldest covered market in the city, the Spice Bazaar or Egyptian Bazaar where it is worth entering even if only to smell the thousands of species that are sold in their stalls along with typical Turkish sweets and nuts .
This great bazaar is very close to the mythical Galata Bridge, which separates the European zone in two, with its almost 500 meters in length and where you can see numerous fishermen, cafes and restaurants located at the bottom and enjoy the views of the mosques .
Once you have passed the bridge, you can walk or take the Tünel funicular to reach the Galata Tower, one of the oldest towers in the world and the best viewpoint in Istanbul.
Istanbul from the Galata Tower
After enjoying panoramic views of the entire city skyline in which the huge Süleymaniye mosque stands out, you can approach the Kabatas pier, located near the Dolmabahçe Palace, from where this Bosphorus cruise departs at sunset with a guide in Spanish or this night cruise with dinner and show, which will put the icing on your trip.
For dinner we recommend you to get close to the surroundings of the Galata Tower to try the homemade Turkish food of the Galata Kitchen or in the beautiful F&B Culture.
If you have more time you can follow this Istanbul guide in two days.
Map of the route through Istanbul in one day
Do you want to organize a trip to Istanbul?
Get it here:
The best offers of Flights to Istanbul here
The best hotels at the best prices in Istanbul here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
Book the best tours and excursions in Istanbul in Spanish here
Book your transfer Airport⇆Istanbul here
Istanbul guide in two days
Rent your car in Turkey at the best price here
The best offers of Flights to Istanbul here
The best hotels at the best prices in Istanbul here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
Book the best tours and excursions in Istanbul in Spanish here
Book your transfer Airport⇆Istanbul here
Istanbul guide in two days
Rent your car in Turkey at the best price here
