Istanbul in 3 days: palaces, bazaars and a ferry to Asia

Three days in Istanbul follow the water: the old city peninsula on day one, the walk from the bazaars across the Golden Horn to Galata on day two, the Bosphorus shore and the Asian side on day three. The Istanbul travel guide has the background on the city, and the Türkiye guide shows how Cappadocia and the coast fit after it.

Two closing days fix the order. Topkapı Palace is shut on Tuesdays and Dolmabahçe Palace on Mondays, so the palace days cannot fall there. Each of those days also starts at the ticket office at 9:00, because both palaces stop selling at 17:00 and Topkapı takes most of a morning.

Tram T1 is the spine of the plan. It runs from Kabataş, near Dolmabahçe, through Karaköy, Eminönü and Sultanahmet to the Grand Bazaar, so every day starts at one of its stops. The plan works from a base in Sultanahmet, Karaköy or Beyoğlu; where to stay in Istanbul compares them. Prices are the ones each operator published on 13 October 2026.

Start at Topkapı when the ticket offices open at 9:00. The palace was the seat of the Ottoman sultans for nearly four centuries, and it is laid out as a chain of courtyards on the headland above the Bosphorus. Foreign visitors buy the combined ticket, which covers the palace, the Harem and Hagia Irene, a Byzantine church inside the palace walls. Walk through to the fourth courtyard first, where the pavilions and terraces look over the water, then work back to the Harem.

The days, hours and prices are on the Directorate of National Palaces page for Topkapı Palace.

The Istanbul Archaeological Museums stand just below the palace, on the slope down to Gülhane. They are open every day from 09:00 to 18:30, with the ticket office closing at 17:30, and they make a good second stop if antiquities interest you more than another mosque. Otherwise eat lunch and walk to the square.

Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque face each other across Sultanahmet Square, and both are working mosques. The UK government's travel advice asks visitors to dress modestly at any mosque; the Istanbul guide gives the working version, covered shoulders and knees and a headscarf for women, and visits fit between the daily prayers. Dress codes at temples, mosques and churches shows one outfit that passes everywhere.

That museum is described on the ministry's museum page. It is an add-on for visitors who want the building's story as a church, a mosque and a museum told in one place, and its late closing makes it the last stop of the day. Before it, go down into the Basilica Cistern, the underground Byzantine reservoir at the corner of the square, which is underground and out of the sun on a hot afternoon.

Take tram T1 to Beyazıt-Kapalıçarşı, the stop named after the Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı means covered market). Go in by the nearest gate and wander: the bazaar is a covered maze of shops, with no ticket and no set route. Decide before you enter what, if anything, you want to buy, and note the name of your gate so you can find the tram again.

From the bazaar's northern side, walk to the Süleymaniye Mosque on the ridge above the Golden Horn. It is another working mosque, so the same dress and the same timing between prayers apply. The streets downhill from here lead to Eminönü and the Spice Bazaar, a smaller covered market of spices, dried fruit and sweets beside the ferry piers.

Cross the Galata Bridge on foot to Karaköy and climb to the Galata Tower. The streets up are steep; tram T1 covers the bridge if you want to save your legs for the hill.

The hours are on the ministry's page for the Galata Tower Museum. The tower is a museum of the city's history with a viewing level at the top, and the last daytime tickets are sold a quarter of an hour before closing, so arrive by 17:30 if you want the daytime visit and the late light.

From the tower, the streets continue uphill to Şişhane and İstiklal Avenue, the pedestrian street that runs to Taksim Square. Dinner is easy anywhere along it. Go home by metro M2 from Şişhane or Taksim, or take the F1 funicular from Taksim down to Kabataş for the tram.

Ride tram T1 to Kabataş, its last stop, or take the F1 funicular down from Taksim, and walk along the shore to Dolmabahçe. The sultans moved here from Topkapı in the 1850s, and the contrast is the reason to see both: one long European-style building on the Bosphorus, furnished with crystal, carpets and porcelain, where Topkapı is a set of courtyards. The ticket for foreign visitors covers the Selamlık (the state rooms), the Harem and the Painting Museum.

See the Directorate of National Palaces page for Dolmabahçe Palace.

Take the tram back from Kabataş to Karaköy and board a ferry to Kadıköy. The crossing shows you the city from the water, with the old city skyline behind you and Asia ahead. In Kadıköy, the market streets start a few minutes inland from the pier: eat lunch standing at a counter or sitting in one of the cafe streets behind it.

In the afternoon, ride the T3 tram or walk to Moda, the residential neighborhood on the headland south of the market, for tea by the water. Ferries return from Kadıköy to both Karaköy and Eminönü. Read the time of the last sailing on the board at the pier when you arrive, and plan dinner on the side where you sleep.

Day one cannot be a Tuesday and day three cannot be a Monday. For a Friday-to-Sunday trip, run the days as written. For Saturday to Monday, see Topkapı on Saturday, Dolmabahçe and Kadıköy on Sunday and the bazaars on Monday. For Monday to Wednesday, start with Topkapı on Monday, walk the bazaars on Tuesday and see Dolmabahçe on Wednesday.

Give day two a weekday or a Saturday when you can, since it is built around working markets. The religious holidays also move the plan. Both palaces close on the first day of the Ramadan holiday, and Dolmabahçe also closes on the first day of the Feast of Sacrifice and on New Year's Day; on the other holiday dates both are open.

The palace tickets are sold at the ticket offices from 9:00, so nothing here has to be bought before you land. What rewards planning is the price. A foreign adult pays 4,750 TL for the two palaces: 2,750 TL at Topkapı and 2,000 TL at Dolmabahçe. The Hagia Sophia History and Experience Museum adds 25 euros if you want it. That total leaves out any sight whose price is not listed here, the Basilica Cistern and the Galata Tower among them.

Students save the most. The palaces sell a discounted ticket to students aged 7 to 25, and foreign students aged 12 to 25 who show an International Student Identity Card pay twice that discounted price: 500 TL for the Topkapı combined ticket and 300 TL for Dolmabahçe. Children up to 6 enter both palaces free. Are city passes worth it? explains how to test a sightseeing pass against prices like these before you buy one.

Transport is the small part. Each tram, metro or funicular ride costs 46.20 TL with the Istanbulkart, against 65 TL for a one-ride electronic ticket, and the plan uses about two rides on day one, three on day two and three plus the ferries on day three. Metro Istanbul's fares page lists the multi-ride tickets.

Rain is easiest on day two, since the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar are both under a roof; skip the bridge walk and take the tram to Karaköy. Day one copes too: after the palace courtyards, the Archaeological Museums, the cistern and the Hagia Sophia museum are all indoors. The ferry day is the one to move. If the forecast is wet for day three, swap it with day two, as long as the swap does not put Dolmabahçe on a Monday.

In July and August, which the Istanbul guide marks as hot and crowded, keep the 9:00 palace starts, spend the early afternoon in the cistern or a museum, and save the Galata Tower for its night session after 18:30. Winter is cold and damp but quiet, and the same indoor stops carry the plan.

Ramadan changes the rhythm of the city. The UK government's travel advice expects the next one to begin between early February and early March 2027 and to last 29 or 30 days. It asks visitors to check the opening hours of shops and restaurants during the month and warns that eating, drinking or smoking in public in the daytime may cause offence.

With children, cut day two to the Spice Bazaar, the bridge and the tower, and note the tower's rule that under-18s enter with a parent. The palaces are free up to age 6, and the ferry and the T3 tram on day three need no persuasion.

Day two is the hard one for anyone who avoids slopes: it descends from the Süleymaniye Mosque to the waterfront and climbs again to the tower. Replace the walk with tram T1 from Beyazıt-Kapalıçarşı to Karaköy, and reach İstiklal Avenue by metro M2 to Şişhane or Taksim. With only two days, keep day one, then join the Grand Bazaar to the Galata Tower and leave Dolmabahçe and Kadıköy for another visit.

A spare half day belongs to the Bosphorus. The strait runs north from the old city past palaces, fortresses and waterside villages toward the Black Sea, and you can see it from a public ferry or on a guided cruise. The ferry is the independent choice; a cruise adds commentary and a fixed timetable.

A full extra day can go to Bursa, the first Ottoman capital, or to Edirne for the Selimiye Mosque. With more days, fly on to the valleys of central Türkiye: Cappadocia in 2 days picks up from there.

Before you fly, read the Türkiye e-visa guide to see whether your passport needs one. The UK advice says access to some eSIM services is restricted in Türkiye, so check with your provider and compare eSIM, local SIM or roaming. It also says street robbery and pickpocketing are common in Istanbul's main tourist areas, which is a reason to choose travel insurance that covers theft.