Get the app
3-day itinerary · Türkiye
A realistic first-timer plan that keeps each day in one part of the city: Sultanahmet, the bazaars and Galata, then the palaces and shores of the Bosphorus. Every stop comes with walking distances and the visiting rules that matter in 2026.
Updated September 2026 · practical rules checked against official sources
The plan at a glance
Istanbul's great sights sit on both sides of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus, so each day stays on one shore. Day one is Sultanahmet, from Hagia Sophia to Topkapı Palace; day two runs through the Grand Bazaar and Süleymaniye to Galata and İstiklal; day three follows the Bosphorus by palace, mosque and ferry to the Asian side. Check the closing days before you fix the order.
Day 1
Start early with Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque before the midday prayer, walk the old Hippodrome down to the Basilica Cistern, then spend the afternoon in Topkapı Palace and Gülhane Park.
Morning
Built as a cathedral under Emperor Justinian and completed in 537, it was the largest church in the world for nearly a thousand years, became a mosque in 1453 and is a working mosque again today. Visitors follow a separate route through the upper galleries, with their Byzantine mosaics and views across the great dome.
Completed in 1617 for Sultan Ahmed I, the mosque takes its popular name from the thousands of blue İznik tiles inside. Six minarets rise around its cascade of domes, and entry is free. Visitors cover their shoulders and knees, women cover their hair, and shoes come off at the door.
The long square in front of the Blue Mosque follows the track of Constantinople's chariot-racing stadium. Three monuments still mark its central spine: an Egyptian obelisk brought from Karnak, the bronze Serpent Column from Delphi and the Walled Obelisk.
This 6th-century underground reservoir, built under Justinian, is held up by 336 columns rising from the water. Walkways lead through the dim forest of columns to the two Medusa heads reused as column bases at the far end.
Midday
Afternoon
For almost four centuries the Ottoman sultans ruled from this palace of courtyards, pavilions and gardens on the tip of the peninsula. Allow time for the Harem, the Imperial Treasury and the terraces that look out over the Bosphorus.
Once part of the outer gardens of Topkapı Palace, Gülhane is one of the oldest public parks in Istanbul, with shaded avenues of plane trees that lead down toward Sarayburnu and the water.
Evening
Day 2
Lose yourself in the Grand Bazaar, climb to the Süleymaniye Mosque, drop down through the Spice Bazaar to the Golden Horn, then cross the Galata Bridge and walk up to Galata Tower and İstiklal Avenue.
Morning
One of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, grown since the 15th century into a maze of vaulted streets with thousands of shops selling carpets, lamps, jewellery and textiles. Browse first; bargaining is expected in many shops.
The architect Mimar Sinan built this mosque for Süleyman the Magnificent in the 1550s on one of the city's seven hills. Its gardens hold the tombs of the sultan and his wife Hürrem, and the terrace behind the mosque looks over the Golden Horn.
Built in the 17th century as part of the New Mosque complex, the L-shaped Egyptian Bazaar is piled with spices, dried fruit, Turkish delight and teas. Its side streets, toward the Golden Horn, are where locals shop for cheese, coffee and olives.
Midday
Afternoon
The bridge across the Golden Horn links the old city to Karaköy, with anglers lining its upper deck and fish restaurants tucked underneath. Walking over it gives one of the best views back to the mosques on the historic peninsula.
The Genoese built this stone tower in the 14th century as part of the walls of their Galata colony. Today it is a museum with a narrow balcony that circles the top, looking over the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the old city.
Beyoğlu's main street runs for about 1.4 km from Tünel up to Taksim Square, lined with 19th-century facades, churches, arcades, bookshops and cafés.
Evening
Opened in the 1870s as the Cité de Péra, this glass-roofed arcade on İstiklal takes its name from the flower sellers who once worked here. It is now lined with meyhanes, the traditional taverns of meze and rakı.
Day 3
Tour Dolmabahçe Palace in the morning, walk the shore to Ortaköy for lunch, then take the ferry to the Asian side for the Maiden's Tower at sunset and dinner in Kadıköy.
Morning
Completed in 1856, this European-style palace on the Bosphorus shore replaced Topkapı as the sultans' main residence. Its ceremonial hall is crowned by an enormous crystal chandelier, and Atatürk, founder of the Republic, died here in 1938.
Midday
This small 19th-century Baroque mosque stands right on the water's edge, framed by the first Bosphorus bridge behind it. The square around it is lined with cafés and stalls.
Afternoon
The little tower on its islet off Üsküdar has served as a watchtower, a lighthouse and a quarantine station, and it is wrapped in legends. Watch the sun set behind the old city from the shore at Salacak, where boats cross to the tower itself.
Evening
The busy heart of the Asian side is known for its market streets, second-hand bookshops, bars and food, and feels far more local than the old city across the water.
Before you go
Questions
Three days cover the old city, the bazaars and Galata, and a day on the Bosphorus. A fourth day adds the Chora (Kariye) Mosque and the lanes of Balat, or a trip to the Princes' Islands.
Topkapı Palace closes on Tuesdays, Dolmabahçe Palace on Mondays and the Grand Bazaar on Sundays, so check the day of the week before you fix the order of your days.
No. Mosques close to visitors during the five daily prayers, and the Blue Mosque stays closed to tourists on Friday mornings. Plan mosque visits for the morning or mid-afternoon.
Sultanahmet keeps day one on foot. Karaköy and Galata sit between the old city and Beyoğlu, close to the trams and the ferry piers for day three.
Between sights it adds up to roughly 2 to 3.5 km a day in a straight line, with a ferry and a short taxi or bus ride on day three. Istanbul is hilly, so allow more time than the distances suggest.
More time or less
Tripwoa for Android
Tell Tripwoa your dates, pace and interests. It builds realistic days like these around you, then keeps the route, the bookings and the memories in one place.
Places and coordinates: Wikidata and Tripwoa's open-data place catalog (Overture Maps Foundation, © OpenStreetMap contributors). Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each image. Practical rules: the official sources linked in each note, checked in September 2026.
How this plan was made: Tripwoa's planner drafted the day order from real coordinates and typical visit times. Each stop was then reviewed, reordered where needed and rewritten with AI assistance. Walking distances are straight-line estimates, so allow a little extra time on real streets.