Book your trip to Istanbul
Partner links - pre-filled with the dates in this page’s link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How this works.
Why visit Istanbul
The only city on two continents: Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque face each other across Sultanahmet, the Grand Bazaar sprawls behind them, and the Bosphorus ferry splits the day between Europe and Asia. Street food runs from simit rings at dawn to fish sandwiches under the Galata Bridge. It is the Ottoman capital’s mosques, hamams and bazaars - plus a nightlife scene that rivals any European city.
Plan Istanbul with AI
Tell us your dates, budget and what you like - get a day-by-day Istanbul plan.
Build my planWorth booking before you go
Independent picks. We earn a small commission if you buy through these - at no extra cost to you. How this works.
Stay online in Turkey
Travel eSIM plans from Airalo - install before you fly, land connected, no roaming fees.
Getting to Istanbul
- London Istanbul from €55 · 3h 50m Flights
- Zagreb Istanbul from €69 · 2h 04m Compare modes
- Split Istanbul from €98 · 1h 55m Compare modes
- Dubrovnik Istanbul from €122 · 1h 43m Compare modes
Fares are the cheapest recently cached offers, not live quotes.
Book the essentials for Istanbul
Affiliate linksCar rental in Istanbul
Compare local agencies and international suppliers.
Plan your Istanbul trip
Every link below uses the dates and travelers set in the bar above.
Istanbul travel guides
Best time to visit Istanbul
Most pleasant months: May–Oct (averaging 17–26°C). Coldest month January (6°C), warmest August (26°C).
Monthly mean air temperature for Istanbul, Republic of Türkiye, NASA POWER climatology (T2M), fetched 2026-09-22. Daytime highs run several degrees higher; rainfall is not in this table, so check the live forecast before you book.
Weather decides when a city shines - and when it empties out. We pull 30-year climate averages for Istanbul to show which months are warm, dry and worth booking.
Check live weather for IstanbulGetting there and around Istanbul
Flight searches for Istanbul use the airport code IST. Each link below opens a search already filled in for Istanbul; add your dates and origin in the trip bar at the top and they carry through.
Bus corridors we track to and from Istanbul
- Sofia Istanbul 9h 00m · 550 km · starts at €18
- Bucharest Istanbul 11h 00m · 640 km · starts at €20
- Thessaloniki Istanbul 8h 00m · 550 km · starts at €25
- Istanbul Ankara 5h 30m · 450 km · starts at $12
Editorial starting fares and journey times, not live quotes. See the bus fare index.
3 days in Istanbul: what to eat & see
Read the full Istanbul guideDay 1: Sultanahmet and the old city
Start at the top of the historical peninsula, where three empires left their landmarks within a five-minute walk of each other. Hagia Sophia is now a working mosque, so visits happen outside the five daily prayer times; foreign tourists enter the upper gallery through a dedicated entrance for a fee, and the first hour after opening is the calmest. Across the park, the Blue Mosque is free to visit - modest dress is required, women should bring a headscarf, and you will be asked to step aside whenever prayer is called. Descend into the Basilica Cistern, the vast 6th-century underground water repository where rows of marble columns rise from dark water (the Medusa heads are worth the queue), th…
Day 2: Galata, Beyoğlu and the Bosphorus
Ride the Tünel up from Karaköy or climb the steep lanes of Galata, where the medieval Genoese tower watches over the rooftops. Climbing the Galata Tower buys you a 360-degree panorama of both continents; ticketed, so go early or near sunset. From the tower, drift up through the antique shops of Çukurcuma to İstiklal Caddesi, the broad pedestrian boulevard that runs to Taksim Square - detour into the side streets of Cihangir for cafés and bookshops, and ride the red nostalgic tram a stop or two if your feet protest. Reserve the afternoon for the Bosphorus. The classic budget move is a Şehir Hatları ferry: the longer Bosphorus cruise sails past Ottoman palaces, fortresses and waterfront mansio…
Day 3: Balat, the Süleymaniye and a farewell view
Spend your final morning in Balat and Fener, the old Greek and Jewish quarters up the Golden Horn, where rows of ochre, blue and pink wooden houses climb steep streets and vintage cafés fill the gaps between them. The Ecumenical Greek Patriarchate sits in Fener, and the area's synagogues and churches tell the story of Istanbul's many communities. It is the city at its most photogenic and least polished - bring comfortable shoes. Work your way back toward the centre for the Süleymaniye Mosque, the Ottoman architect Sinan's masterpiece, whose terrace looks out over the Golden Horn. If you have energy left, choose between two farewell excursions: a ferry to the car-free island of Büyükada in th…
This itinerary came from our 3 Days in Istanbul guide - it lists the museum tickets and tables worth booking before you fly.
Eat your way through Istanbul
Browse all Türkiye foodThese are the dishes to hunt down in Istanbul - not just the country's greatest hits. Tap a dish to see where it's made best, then compare a stay in the same neighbourhood with your dates.
Turkey ·
Adana 
Turkey ·
Bursa, northwest Turkey 
More destinations
Paris
London
Barcelona
Rome
Amsterdam
Dubai
Bangkok
Tokyo
New York
Bali
Lisbon
Prague
Berlin
Vienna
Athens
Budapest
Dubrovnik
Copenhagen
Stockholm
Dublin
Mexico City
Toronto
Cairo
Cape Town
Sydney
Seoul
Singapore
Hanoi
Bratislava
Bucharest
Kraków
Ljubljana
Marrakech
Oslo
Riga
Sarajevo
Tallinn
Tirana
Brussels
Hotels, flights, the packing list and money tips for Istanbul Türkiye - straight to your inbox. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.