Istanbul (historically known as Constantinople before the Ottoman conquest) is the city that was established on the banks on Bosporus strait between Black sea and Sea of Marmara. It is on the meeting point of Europe & Asia. It is a beautiful city that offers a wide array of delicacies and an endless list of markets to shop from. Be it the grandeur of the Blue mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the suleymaniye mosque; or the endless shops in and around the Grand Bazaar, Spice Market or the Istiklal Caddesi; or the trained turkish ice cream sellers/performers or the turkish baths, Istanbul has something for everyone and if you compare it to other european cities, it is also quite cheap.

Here are few things that might be useful. The currency used here is Turkish Lira; also, a lot of places accept Euro. There are two airports that are for normal public use- Istanbul International Airport & Sabiha Gokcen Airport. There is a very good connectivity between Istanbul & both these airports. The Istanbul Airport is located on European side and the Sabiha Airport is on Asian side. There are local buses (cheaper) & havabus (a bit expensive than local bus), metro and of course taxis (most expensive) connecting Istanbul airport with the main city. It is a bit longer to reach istanbul city from Sabiha airport. But the best would be to take E11 or E9 bus to Kadikoy & from there take a ferry across to Eminonu and that is on the european side(where all places to visit are. For commute, best is to buy Istanbul travelkart (card) and get that topped up as the ticket prices if using this card are cheaper than buying tickets for individual travels. The card works on metro, local buses, havabus & even ferries. Places to see in Istanbul are: Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Sultanahmet Square, Basilica cistern, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul Archeological museum, Gulhane Park, Suleymaniye Mosque, Fatih Mosque, Aqueduct, Kariye Museum(Chora Church), Grand Bazar, Spice Bazar (Misir Carsisi), Rustem Pasha Mosque, Galata Bridge, Galata Tower, İstiklal caddesi, Taksim square, Dolmabahce Palace, Ortakoy etc. The best area for accomodation is in the Sultanahmet area. The hotels here are comparatively cheap & you can get a lot of very good hotels near the Sultanahmet square itself and that to at a very good price. Let me write down a 3 day itinerary here.

Itinerary: You can start your first day with visiting the Blue mosque, it is free and is very grand. Women require to cover their head, shoulders and legs should be covered till the calf at least. For men, no shorts are allowed. Although you get head coverings in blue mosque, but you might not get the same at other mosques so its better if you carry a stroll with you and it better to go with jeans/ leggings for this. The blue mosque is on one end of the Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia is on the other end. You can sit in the middle of the park between these two buildings and enjoy the most iconic buildings on your either side. The Hippodrome has three famous columns itself- The egyptian obelisk, serpentine column and the walled obelisk. There is museum of Turkish & Islamic arts on one side of the hippodrome itself, there is a small fee for entry. Then there is Hagia Sophia which would have a long line on a weekend. The entry fee as of 2019 is 72 liras. This used to be a church but after ottoman conquest, was converted to a mosque and now is a museum. It is beautiful and huge. Then from there you can go to Basilica Cistern which is just across the road/tram line. The fees for this is 20 Lira and it is an underground cistern that used to provide water 2000 years ago. It is a bit dark but certainly a bit different thing than your normal places to see. From here, you can go to Topkapi palace. It is absolutely huge. The ticket for this is also 72 liras. There is a separate section in the palace for the Sultan’s harams and they are a bit less crowded. Once you are done with the palace, you can take the path going to Istanbul Archaeological Museum. The entry fees for this is 36 Liras. From there you can go to the Gulhane park and spend some time in there to relax from all the walking that you have done. Then from there you should go back towards the grand bazar and just get lost in the huge covered market that has everything that you could think of buying in Turkey- from Turkish delights, teas, carpets, first copies of clothes, shoes, accessories etc of big brands like Balenciaga, Gucci, Louis Vuitton etc. One tip is that everything is of twice or thrice the price that you can get just outside the bazaar. Just enjoy the place and get mesmerized by the size of this place. At night, go to a rooftop place to have dinner that has views of blue mosque or the Hagia Sophia or both. Its not as expensive and is really worth trying.

On Second day, start with a walk towards the Hamam with lies in the middle of the Blue mosque and Hagia Sophia. It has turkish baths starting with 50 Euro & goes upto 250 euros and its a separate bathing area for men and women. It is a worth trying thing in istanbul. Then once done with that you can visit the smaller Arasta Bazaar, just next to the hamam. Then travel towards the Ahmet Tevfik Pasa Tomb. This is the final resting place of a number of Sultans of Turkey and their relatives. From here, you can go towards Laleli Mosque and on the way you will come across a number of places to see. Then take the path towards the Istanbul University. Then you can go towards the Suleymaniye Mosque. The mosque is huge and the view of the bosphorus strait was like part of a beautiful dream. From here, you can walk towards the Aqueducts, this is a 2000 year old system for transporting water. Its a cool to visit. Then from there travel to Kariye Museum/Chora church. Form here, you can either walk back or take the Bus and then tram to the Suguk Cesme Street. Here, you will find a number of places to have dinner.

On third day, start with a walk to Misir Carsi or the Spice market. Enjoy the aroma in the market itself. It is a beautiful market laden with shops having spices, teas, turkish delights etc. Shopkeepers will try to lure you into their shops. Go inside, try a few things and come out. Its a good experience. Don’t buy from here as it is multiple time the price you’ll pay for the same items outside. From here walk to Eminonu. Take any Bosphorus tour. It is approx 90 minutes long and would cost you about 25 liras and I’ll recommend it. You will see the Maiden’s Island on this tour as well. The tour will end at the same place where it started. Just next to the Galata Bridge. Cross the Galata Bridge to the other side of the strait. You’ll notice that the price of items would start coming down a lot on this side. Walk or rather hike upwards towards Galata Tower. There is a small entry fee of 25 lira and the view from top is quite amazing. Once done with that, walk towards beyoglu– its a hip neighbourhood and definitely worth a visit. From here take the istiklal caddesi – which is a long street that has shops and restaurants on both sides. Don’t forget to just zigzag into the streets along the istiklal caddesi, which has a lot of hidden gems like the sea food markets. Walk slowly towards the Taksim square. Enjoy the atmosphere here. After some time go down towards the Dolmabahce Palace. Here. after the visit to the palace, you can have lunch at the restaurant right next to the Bosphorus strait. Amazing place to have lunch at. Then from there you can walk towards Ortakoy. There is a mosque and the neighbouring area is also worth visiting. Then come back to Taksim square and from there decide whether to spend the remaining time there itself of to cross the galata bridge & spend the evening in the sultanahmet area.