What to see in Istanbul. 1 Day.

Well, we have chosen the place where to stay in Istanbul and ready to visit and see all interesting places. So, lets start! )

We should start our trip early morning if you are going to visit as much places as you can. Most of the historical places close at 6 p.m.

At the first day of our trip in Istanbul will be better to visit the most famous and interesting places. So, lets go to the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul to visit - Sultanahmet square with Aya Sophia and Sultanahmet mosques and the Topkapi palace with Harem, on the way we will visit few other objects.

Here is our plan for a trip in Istanbul for a one or two days. Advice you to divide this trip on two days, because visiting some objects as Aya Sophia mosque or Topkapi palace with harem will take time. And sometimes you will need to be ready to waste time, staying in a line of people, because these places are very popular and a lot of tourists from all around the world come to Istanbul to see them.


Lets choose as our start point as the Galata Bridge. To that place will be easy to get from every place you decided to stay in Istanbul.

1) If you stayed in Kalamis.

Please, go to Kadikoy ship station by foot, or take a buss to go there. Choose a ship to Eminonu. The ship will take you straight to the place where we will start out trip in Istanbul.

2) If you stayed in Kadikoy.

Just go to the ship station and choose a ship to Eminonu.

3) If you stayed in Taxim area.

Go to the funicular and go down to the Kabatash (one station). After you go out from the funicular you will see the tramway rails. Find a station and get in to the tramway T1. And go to the Karakoy station. On the Karakoy station get out of the tramway and walk by foot along the Galata bridge to the other side.

4) If you stayed in Galata area. 

Just go down to Galata bridge by foot and across it.

5) If you stayed in the Sultanahmet area.

You can go to Aya Sophia mosque and pass first part of the trip. I will explain to you how to get that places next day, when you will need to go to that direction.

So, we have to be in the point 1 (Galata Bridge) on the map.

The Galata Bridge

On the Galata Bridge you can see a lot of fishermans. Most of that people are fishing for hobby. They come to the Galata Bridge early morning and enjoy the sunrise.

In the middle of the Galata Bridge will be the railway for the speedy tramway. 

Near the Galata Bridge you can easily find a place with a ships with a people who sell tours on Bosphorus.

Usually, trip on Bosphorus takes few hours.
During the trip you will see and listen stories about a lot of objects that are placed along two sides of the Bosphorus. To make your trip more comfortable, I advice you to take a jacket to the ship and, maybe, to cover your head, not to be frozen during the walk on the sea.Wind is really strong and cold.
On the boat you can order a hot Turkish tea and simit.

Under the Galata Bridge a lot of restaurants, where you can try very tasty dishes with fish.
After you will turn back from the Bosphorus tour, you can go to visit The New Mosque. 

The New Mosque

Crossing the Galata Brigde you will appear on the square with a New Mosque (Yeni Cami in turkish). 

The New Mosque (Valide Sultan mosque) is located in the historical part of Istanbul, near the wharf Eminonu, close to the entrance to the Egyptian bazaar. Construction of the mosque began in 1597 and was completed only in a half century, in in 1663, during the reign of Sultan Turhan.

The New Mosque is a whole complex of buildings that include: hospitals, hamam, school, market, tombs and chambers for the sultan, fountains and a library.

Near one of the entrances to the New Mosque you can see flocks of pigeons that are flying over the entrance, or sitting on the steps and the facade of the mosque.

The Egyptian Bazaar

On the left side of The New Mosque is the entrance to the Egyptian Bazaar. 

On the Egyptian Bazaar you can find a lot of interesting and useful goods like spices, tea, coffee, souvenirs, plates, lamps, jeweleries,  natural soap, shawls, sweet-stuff, aromatic oils etc.

 Jeweleries on the Egyptian Bazaar. 

 Natural soup on the Egyptian Bazaar.

 Spices on the Egyptian Bazaar.

To buy the best Turkish coffee Kahverengi Mehmet Efendi you can from their official shop near the Egyptian Bazaar. Here you can buy the most fresh coffee. Just go straight along the Egyptian Bazaar and turn right. You will see their shop with a name on it "Kahverengi Mehmet Efendi".

After Egyptian Bazaar, if you are a bit tired and want relax trying very delicious Turkish traditional sweet dishes, lets go to the Hafiz Mustafa Cafe. You can see how to get there on the map upper. Just go left along the New Mosque 100 meters and you will see the cafe.  Its an old cafe with very tasty muhallebi (a milk pudding),

After some sweet time in a cafe, lets continue our trip in Istanbul. Now we will go straight to the Sultanahmet area. Its possible to go there by foot. But, we will use tramway to save time and energy. To get to the tramway station, you should go on the right straight on the street after getting out of the Hafiz Mustafa Cafe to Sirkici tramway station. You will need to get T1 Tramway to get to the Sultanahmet station. 

To use the tramway you will need IstanbulKart or you can buy a token in a POS terminal near the station.

Getting out from the tramway you will appear in the Sultanahmet area - historical center of Istanbul. 

Go back 100 meters along the railway to the Aya Sophia Mosque. 

The Aya Sophia Mosque

To enter the territory you have to buy a ticket.

 After you can go inside.

Before climbing to the second flour, try to find a crying column on the left of the entrance of Aya Sophia Mosque. Putting your finger inside the hole in a column, wishing a dream and turning a finger on a cycle you can make your dream come true.

After playing with a column we can climb up using the corridor.

I really hope that you have wearied comfortable shoes. )

Few years ago a team of scuba divers, organized and headed by Goksel Gulensoy discovered a space and tunnels under the Aya Sophia and found old graves and a tunnel that connected Aya Sophia with  the Topkapi Palace.

After visiting Aya Sophia Mosque you can take a rest, sitting in a park between Aya Sophia Mosque and The Blue Mosque or Sultanahmet Mosque.

The Blue Mosque or Sultanahmet Mosque

The Sultanahmet mosque you can find infront of the Aya Sophia mosque.

To compare with the Aya Sophia Mosque, the Sultanahmet Mosque is not a museum but a real mosque where muslims go to pray. Therefore, before enter the Sultanahmet Mosque women have to cover their head with a shawl. And both, women and men have to take off their shoes and enter the mosque barefoot. 

In front of the Sultanahmet mosque is a Hippodrome square with the German Fontaine and two obelisks.  

The German Fontaine was delivered to Turkey piece by piece and was assembled in one peace in 1900.

The Walled Obelisk in Istanbul.

The Obelisk of Thutmose III had been cut into three pieces before it has delivered from the Egypt to Constantinople.

If you are interested in art and willing to see ancient mosaic, you can turn back to the Sultanahmet mosque and near it you will find the Museum of Mosaic.

 After visiting the Mosaic museum lets walk 200 meters far to see an ancient cistern in Istanbul - Yerebatan Sarnici. Its very interesting and mystery place.

Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnici)

The Basilica Cistern or Yerebatan Sarnici was created in a VI century. 

A water was delivering from the Belgrade Forest, 19 km far from the city, throw the Valence Aqueduct. The ruins of the wall of the Valance Aqueduct you can still see in Istanbul. 

To enter the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnici) you will need to buy a ticket, near the entrance.

Inside the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnici) you can see an architectural model of the Cistern and whole constructions of water transportation in past.

After you can walk inside the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnici). The level of water is much more lower then it was in past, so you can walk by bridges and see all around.

Moving to the Northern part of the Basilica Cistern you will find two interesting objects - the heads of Medusa. The origin of them is unknown.

Next objects as Gulhane park, Topkapi palace, Harem, Archaeological museum, that we was planned to visit today, I advice you to visit if you still have time, but you can leave them for the next day of your trip in Istanbul.

So, our next objects are Topkapi palace and Harem. Lets go there. We will need to turn back to the Aya Sophia Mosque, where we will find an entrance to the Topkapi Area on the back side of the Mosque.

The Topkapi Palace

Please, mention that buying tickets to Topkapi and Harem, you will need to buy two separated tickets.
One to the Topkapi Palace and another one to the Harem.

 On the way to Topkapi Palace you will find architectural models of it to see the whole constructions,

The Topkapi Palace have few entrances with different exhibitions. You can see there an ancient carpets, clothes, jeweleries and weapons that was belonged to sultans of the Ottoman Empire.

In some places its allowed to make photos, but in some of them its forbidden.

Area near the Topkapi Palace is very green and beautiful with amazing view from the top of the mountain where Topkapi Palace is placed.

In the same are with the Topkapi Palace you can find a Harem.

The Harem

Our next stop will be in the Archaeological Museum of Istanbul. The place that must be visited. Very interesting and full of historical artifacts: ancient graves, peaces of walls and other objects.

Near the Topkapi Palace and the Archaeological Museum you will easily fin a Gulhane park. The park was a part of the Topkapi Palace and was used by sultan`s family for walks. 

In the park you can sit in a Setustu Cay Bahceleri cafe on the top of the mountain with amazing view on the Bosphorus, drinking Turkish tea after wonderful day in Istanbul.

  To go back you just have to go down on Gulhane park and after exit go right along the railway to the tramway station Gulhane.

Here you should get in to the Tramway T1 and go to the Eminomu station. Getting out from the tramway you will appear near the Galata bridge, where we was starting out trip.

  

The second day of the trip in Istanbul read in What to see in Istanbul. 2 Day post.