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Activities in Istanbul

  • A la Turca

    Shop
    The rapidly gentrifying side streets between Cihangir and İstiklâl Caddesi are lined with shops selling antiques, furniture, and weird-but-wonderfu... More

  • Abdulla

    Shop
    Responding to complaints from villagers throughout Turkey about large-scale textile production, Metin Tosun opened Abdulla in the center of the Gra... More

  • Anjelique

    Nightclub
    A sultry waterside club set against the glowing Baroque Ortaköy Mosque. More

  • Archaeological Museum

    Museum-Gallery
    The world-class museum's garden alone begs a look. Inside, there are outstanding ancient sarcophagi, Byzantine sculpture, and Roman busts.   More

  • Asmalı Mescit

    Neighborhood
    Lining the narrow, labyrinthine streets behind the Çiçek passage off İstiklâl Caddesi are hundreds of bars, taverns (called meyhane), and outdoor c... More

  • Atasay

    Shop
    Jewelry has a distinctive Turkish sensibility at this duty-free shop. The designers employ historical Anatolian jewelry-making techniques and motif... More

  • Aviation Museum

    Museum-Gallery
    If you have a few hours to kill and feel adventurous, take a five-minute taxi ride to military-aviation paradise: the Istanbul Aviation Museum in t... More

  • Babylon, Istanbul

    Performance Venue
    The live-music venue that sparked the area’s renaissance. The live acts range from Cuban rap to Turkish folk music—but the club will definitely be ... More

  • Barok Jewellery

    Shop
    This family-owned Turkish chain sells lovely and unusual pieces that reflect Turkey’s cultural heritage. The designers use precious and semipreciou... More

  • Basilica Cistern

    Sacred Site
    What Lies Beneath: Eighty-two feet below Istanbul is a 450-foot-long, 213-foot-wide former royal reservoir. This Byzantine engineering feat has 336... More

  • Beymen

    Shop
    Not only does Istanbul’s chicest set live in the Nisantisi neighborhood in Istanbul, they shop there too. Located one block from the entrance of Ma... More

  • Beyoglu

    Neighborhood
    Colonized for centuries by non-muslim minorities and foreign traders, the district of Beyoglu (pronounced be-yoh-LU and formerly known as Pera), ac... More

  • Cagaloglu Hamami

    Spa
    An essential part of any visit to Istanbul is a scrub-down at a hamam (Turkish bath). The top destination for tourists is the 300-year-old Cagalogl... More

  • Can Diamond & Jewel

    Shop
    The labyrinthian Grand Bazaar in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet neighborhood can be disorienting for shoppers, especially tourists hunting authentic goods ... More

  • Chalcedony

    Shop
    Quartz comes in many colors and some of the world’s bluest is mined in the Eskisehir region of Anatolia. Deriving its name from Chalcedon, a distri... More

  • Church of the Holy Savior of Chora

    Sacred Site
    Hard to find—Edirnekapı is not used to tourists, and the signage is terrible—but worth the effort, this pumpkin-domed church-turned-museum is one o... More

  • Delights

    Shop
    If you want to bring baklava back home, don’t buy it in the city—you’ll get syrup all over your luggage. Buy it here. Delights is supplied by one o... More

  • Dervis

    Shop
    Just west of the Grand Bazaar’s central chamber (ic bedestan), this literal hole-in-the-wall shop specializes in silk, mohair, cotton, wool, and fu... More

  • Eyüp Sultan Mosque

    Sacred Site
    Beyond the ancient city walls on the south bank of the Golden Horn, this stately mosque—one of Istanbul’s most sacred Muslim sites—is flanked by ma... More

  • Fitness Center

    Sports Venue
    This is the only gym at the airport. Unfortunately, it isn’t convenient for international layover passengers: you have to go through Passport Contr... More

  • Gönül Paksoy

    Shop
    At her combination museum-shop, owner Gönül Paksoy turns everyday objects into pieces of art and creates hand-dyed silk coats with vintage beads. ... More

  • Grand Bazaar

    Shop
    This massive, dazzling, and cacophonous covered market is the ur-bazaar of the Orient; if you’ve envisioned what it will be like, prepare to have y... More

  • Great Palace Mosaic Museum

    Museum-Gallery
    Istanbul's major state-run museums charge hefty admissions, but the Great Palace Mosaic Museum, just behind the Blue Mosque adjacent to the Arasta ... More

  • Haci Bekir

    Shop
    Try the Turkish Delight in flavors like mint and pistachio at this exotic candy shop. More

  • Hagia Sophia

    Sacred Site
    The greatest surviving example of Byzantine architecture and one of the eight wonders of the world, Hagia Sophia reigned as the greatest church in ... More
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