Visiting Istanbul: what to see, with tips from Milan Bez Mapy

In my view, Istanbul is a city where Europe really does meet Asia, and the old meets the new. Don’t miss Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace, Galata Tower and the Grand Bazaar. The highlight for me was a boat trip on the Bosphorus, and I’d book it in advance, ideally with dinner.

Quick factsby Milan Bez Mapy

Where I stayed

Of the two places I tried, the one that worked was Golden Street Hotel in the historic centre, with breakfast

Airport to the centre

Havaist buses from outside the arrivals hall, or a taxi; the journey takes about an hour

Getting around

Traffic is a disaster, so use the metro; for short distances walk or take an Uber

Blue Mosque

Shoes off at the entrance; men in trousers at least below the knee, women with shoulders and hair covered

Watch out for

Shopping on İstiklal Avenue, where prices are inflated; ride the retro tram along it instead

Visiting Istanbul and what to see: tips from Milan Bez Mapy. Istanbul is where East meets West and Asia meets Europe: two continents and one enormous city with three times as many people as Slovakia.

Anyone who paid attention in geography lessons knows which city I mean. Apart from its excellent food, Istanbul can also claim the title of Turkey’s largest city. Come and get lost with me on a tour of Istanbul. See the old and the new side by side, and fall for the city the way I did. It started out as a Greek settlement called Byzantion. In the fourth century Constantine the Great rebuilt it, and so it became Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. The Slavs were around even then, and they called it Tsargrad.

By the way, I’d already squeezed in one trip to Turkey this year. I spent a few days in Dalaman, flying there direct from Bratislava. To Istanbul I flew from Košice with LOT, changing in Warsaw, the Polish capital. The trip was part of a collaboration with Košice Airport during its ‘Z Košíc do sveta’ (From Košice to the World) campaign. The campaign aims to show Slovaks that you can get anywhere in the world comfortably from Košice too. Istanbul is already my third destination this month: a few days ago I got back from Liverpool and Amsterdam.

Tip from Milan I’d recommend booking your accommodation as early as you can, because rooms in a good location at a fair price go first. Here you’ll find accommodation offers in the area valid today.

Visiting Istanbul: practical tips

Istanbul simply has the perfect location, which is why everyone loved it so much. It was a superb strategic point on the sea route, and it owes its important place in history partly to that. Today it is the country’s most important transport hub and its economic, cultural, financial and industrial centre.

Where to stay in Istanbul and how to get around

Istanbul is a huge city, but I recommend staying on the European side, in the centre. I tried two places, and the one that worked was in the historic centre: Golden Street Hotel, with breakfast. Why the centre? Traffic in the city is a slow-moving disaster.

You’ll find Bosphorus cruises and guided tours of Istanbul here:

The metro is your best bet: it’s fast and reliable. For short distances it’s worth walking or taking an Uber. The ticket machines sell three-journey tickets, and some also sell single tickets or a rechargeable card.

How to get from Istanbul Airport to the city centre

Havaist buses run from Istanbul Airport (IST) to the centre, leaving from outside the arrivals hall, or you can take a taxi. If there are a few of you, a taxi won’t break the bank. Uber works here too, but prices change quickly because of inflation in Turkey, so check them in the app. The journey into the centre takes about an hour.

Do you need a passport or a visa for Turkey?

To travel to Turkey you need a passport valid for at least 150 days from the date of entry. A Slovak ID card isn’t enough. You don’t need a visa for a tourist trip of up to 90 days. Many Slovaks don’t know about the passport rule and get turned away at the airport, because most countries only require three months’ validity. Not Turkey. Only citizens of some countries, such as Germany, France, Italy or Spain, can enter Turkey without a passport, so always check the rules for your own nationality.

Mürver rooftop bar in Istanbul and Turkish tea

Before we get to the list of things to see in Istanbul, save this tip: Mürver, a rooftop bar and restaurant. Order a traditional Turkish tea there. The bar and restaurant sit on the roof of the Novotel, with a lovely view over the bay full of boats. Turkish tea comes in small tulip-shaped glasses. The glasses used to be bigger, but the Turkish tea crisis of the 1970s shrank them.

Demand for tea was so high back then that the country ran short of glass. So they made the glasses smaller, which meant they could make more of them. I like a simple solution.

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What to see in Istanbul: the sights worth visiting

1. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapı Palace
2. İstiklal Avenue
3. Galata Tower
4. Taksim Square
5. The Grand Bazaar
6. The Bosphorus

Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapı Palace with its harem

Hagia Sophia, the Church of the Holy Wisdom, is one of the best-known religious buildings anywhere. Until the 16th century it was the largest Christian church. Later it became a mosque, in the 20th century a museum, and since 2020 it has been a mosque again. Since January 2024, foreign visitors have paid €25 to get in. I learnt that its dome was the largest in the world until St Peter’s Basilica was built in the Vatican. St Peter’s is pretty massive too, by the way. Inside, Hagia Sophia had a certain air of mystery about it. Along with other sights in Istanbul, it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

About three minutes’ walk from Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarayı) lies hidden underground. Yes, it’s a cistern, but what makes it special? It’s the largest of all the cisterns beneath Istanbul. Once you see the photos from down there, I think you’ll understand why it belongs on your list.

Another famous and much-visited sight is the Blue Mosque, or the Mosque of Sultan Ahmed I. It is named after the colour that dominates its interior. You have to take your shoes off at the entrance, and they’re quite strict about covering up. So, gentlemen: trousers at least below the knee and no sleeveless tops. Ladies: if you wear a dress, make it a long one, and cover your shoulders and hair. The Blue Mosque is decorated with 20,000 ceramic tiles, which go together perfectly from a distance, but up close they’re even more beautiful. Blue Mosque, I’m smitten.

On the opposite side of Hagia Sophia from the Blue Mosque stands the vast Topkapı Palace, famous as the official residence of the sultans. There’s a proper harem too, although these days it’s just the building. Apparently, at one point, there were as many as 1,200 women in this harem. They didn’t have a bad life: they were educated and played musical instruments. Only after working their way through various stages of education could they keep the sultan himself company. The important thing was to give him a son. Anyone who watched the Turkish soap Magnificent Century knows all about that. If you watched others too, good for you.

You’ll probably end up here, because who wouldn’t want to see a real harem (shame the residents have long since moved out)? If you do, carry on to the fourth courtyard too, which has a view of modern Istanbul and the Bosphorus.

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Taksim Square in Istanbul

Taksim Square is considered the centre of modern Istanbul. A new mosque stands here, built on the site of an old well. Plans for it go back to the 1950s, but construction only began in 2017, and it went up fairly quickly: it opened in 2021. Taksim Square was an important junction even in the past, because water channels ran through here.

İstiklal Avenue: where the city comes alive

For me, the perfect experience was a ride on the retro tram, much like the ones in Lisbon or Milan. The tram runs along İstiklal Avenue, which is absolutely buzzing. It’s the city’s main artery, lined with cafés and restaurants, with live music everywhere. It’s not really the place to go shopping, though, as prices are a bit inflated.

The street is said to be as busy as Fifth Avenue in New York or Oxford Street in London. Come and judge for yourself. The tram takes you all the way to Tünel Square, which is a few minutes’ walk from Galata Tower.

Galata Tower and the best view of Istanbul

The most beautiful tower in Istanbul? Galata Tower. The best view of Istanbul? From Galata Tower. It stands in the district of the same name, on the European side. It was once a defensive watchtower and the tallest building in the city (at just under 70 m), but those days are long gone.

When you get to the top, a perfect view of Istanbul spreads out in front of you. You can see the Golden Horn, which separates the historic centre from the rest of the city. It’s a great photo stop, both from the top and from below. I could spend hours up here, just admiring the beauty of Turkey as far as the eye can see.

Legend has it that the world’s first intercontinental flight took off from Galata Tower. In Istanbul, Asia is only six kilometres from Galata Tower as the crow flies. Supposedly some guy flew across in a flying machine he’d built himself, launching himself from this very tower.

Grand Bazaar and a Bosphorus cruise

Shopping at the Grand Bazaar

A visit to the Grand Bazaar is as Turkish as it gets. Chaos mixes with spices, colours, a rush of energy and Turkish carpets. If you really want to buy something, you have to haggle: the Turks are traders, after all. This is where merchants from Asia met European customers and sold them exotic goods that you couldn’t get anywhere else.

By the way, this is exactly how I imagine the real Orient: you can feel it in the air at every step. After shopping for souvenirs I fancied a shisha, so I treated myself.

A boat trip on the Bosphorus

Istanbul is buzzing by day, and in the evening too, when the city comes to life and the streets fill up. But the evening is at its best from a boat, when the whole city is lit up and you sail under Istanbul’s bridges. It’s a completely different view of this huge city, and it gave me goosebumps again and again. It’s worth booking the cruise in advance and, if you can, having dinner on board too.

If you’ve been to Istanbul, you can tick Asia off your list. If you haven’t been yet, it’s time to put that right and go and have a proper Turkish coffee.

Milan