Hagia Sophia at sunrise before the crowds, ferry crossings between Europe and Asia, baklava in the Grand Bazaar, and rooftop mezes above the Bosphorus.
Istanbul (7 nights)
7 nights total
Balanced budget · Steady pace · Explorer travel style · $65/day
The curious explorer
Seven nights is actually the right amount for Istanbul, because the city takes a couple of days just to stop feeling overwhelming before it starts feeling extraordinary. The photographers who get the best light on the Bosphorus are the ones who figure out early that Karaköy at golden hour, shot from the Galata Bridge looking toward Eminönü, beats every rooftop bar setup in Beyoğlu. Most visitors spend too much time in Sultanahmet and not enough in Balat, where the painted houses and Greek Orthodox churches require nothing more than wandering slowly on a weekday morning before the tour groups arrive. The food mistake almost everyone makes is eating near the Spice Bazaar instead of walking ten minutes into Fatih or crossing to Kadıköy on the ferry, where a fish sandwich from a boat vendor or a plate of kokoreç from a street grill will cost a fraction of the price and taste twice as good. The Grand Bazaar is worth doing once, ideally on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning, but treating it as a shopping destination rather than an atmospheric maze to walk through and exit quickly is how people end up exhausted and overpaying for things they did not want. Keep a transit card loaded and use the tram and ferries constantly, because the hills between neighborhoods are steep and the distances are deceptive on any map.
Tags: Culture & History, Food Scene, Photography Spots