Istanbul Travel Forum

I am in Istanbul in july for 3 full days.Please suggest a suitable schedule so that i cover all the major tourist attractions in the city.How should i plan these 3 days? Thanks in advance.

hey there ,
do you prefer touring on your own or with a travel agency ? 3 days seem fair enough to see highlights of istanbul and perhaps good fun with some other people.If your into something special and full information pls. do contact ummuhan from seasong tours, which is one one of the best companies in Istanbul.

ummuhan@seasong.com

enjoy Turkey

I ll be travelling on my own

I have a video on youtube which shows the things we saw in about 3 days (search istanbul and kbr61263)

I would go to the bazzars and mosques (sultanahmet and sulemaniye), topkapi, and the cisterns, take a boat trip across the bosphorus.. eat and wander. try and make a deal or too in the bazaar (if budget is small, you can buy spices in the egyptian bazaar)
I also suggestyou ask this question at trip advisor, which has a huge number of people advising on istanbul in particular

Wow so much you can do depending on what are you interested in. Tons of historical monuments, museums and tons shopping not enough time.

Ok try:

1st day : Start at Karakoy walk to Eminonu(You will be crossing the Golden horn on foot and be able to observe the ferries and take great pictures.) Catch a street car(tramvay) from sirkeci to Sultanahmet.In Sultanahmet visit Hagia Sophia, Blue mosque in the morning and Topkapi place in the afternoon. This is more then enough you will be dead tired by then :)

2nd day : Catch a Ferry from Eminonu to Anadolukavagi and back. This is a full day trip. There is a special ferry for tourists(you should have checked the schedule the day before while you were walking by Eminonu. Anadolu kavagi is a nice small fishermans village an the north end of Bosphorus.

3rd day : You should spare for shopping!!! Or relaxing. You should see Covered bazaar. It is past Sultanahmet on your right. Take the same streetcar and get of 2 stops after Sultanahmet ask for Kapali carsi it is on your right the enterence is in a side street you may not see it if you don't pay attention.
Don't forget to bargain!!!!

Or 3rd day you can go to Taksim and walk down Beyoglu or take the street car runs on Beyoglu(Istiklal street) and take the Tunel (cable car) down to Karakoy. You can also do that when you are starting your 1st day if your hotel is around Taksim.

Enjoy!!!
Itir

the above is a good itinerary, but ADD to day 3 sulemaniye mosque, which is at the far end of the bazaar from where the tram stops. In my opinion this is the most beautiful building in the world?

I recommend to you finish tourist attraction in 1 day.2 days loose your self in Istanbul.

Visit My "things to do tips" and "off th beaten path" tips and choose your way for 3 days.

for major attractions give half day to TOPKAPI PALACE (dividen 3 section HAREM-TREASURY-PALACE .HAGIA SOPHIA is very attractivetourist point too and Last Major point is BLUE MOSQUE.

If you finish all these just walk in Grand bazaar for its athmosphere not shop
and visit the underground cistern.

For next 2 days check my tips.

Cheers

Ozan

Great suggestions thus far. My additions:

1. Kariye Muzesi in Edirnekapi to view their great mosaics and frescoes. From there walk down through the neighborhoods to the Golden Horn and catch the sea ferry at Balat back to Eminonu.

2. Rustem Pasa Mosque near the Spice Market/Eminonu. Much smaller than the Blue Mosque or Sulemaniye but magnificent nonetheless.

3. Sulemaniye Mosque would be a must-see normally but it was just recently closed for a 2-year renovation. So do be sure to see Rustem Pasa which was designed by the great architect, Mimar Sinan, as was Sulemaniye.

4. The Grand Bazaar and Spice Market are closed on Sundays. Topkapi on Tuesdays.

Have a great time!

I didnt know sulemaniye was closed.. there is also another sinan mosque near the Üsküdar ferry stop. I have a book (in english) of the buildings of sinan in Istanbul, which is excellent.
Of course now i will have to plana visit to see the sulemaniye again when it re-opens .

http://www.sinanasaygi.com/en/index.asp you can find all SINAN monuments in Turkey