Istanbul Travel Guide

Istanbul is:

15 million inhabitants, sights from 2,500 years of history, the 2nd most visited city trip destination in Europe, ...

For a trip to Istanbul, there are still a few details:

That's why I wrote my Istanbul guide.

In the Istanbul Travel Guide you find:

My guide will help you prepare for your trip and during your stay in Istanbul.
If you are looking for additional information, I recommend the book "Instructions for Istanbul" by Kai Strittmatter ...

... and the Lonely Planet Guide for Istanbul.

1. The most important tips for your travel planning

The most read blog posts on traveling in Istanbul:

So you find cheap flights to Istanbul
21 most beautiful sights
10 Interesting Places in Istanbul: (off the beaten track)
So you change cheap Euro in Turkish Lira
So you find a cheap hotel in Turkey
Save time and money with the Tourist Pass
My tips for taxi driving in Istanbul

2. Your accommodation in Istanbul: hotel room, hostel or AirBnB?

Fatih is the old city of Istanbul. It is the area where the old Constantinople stands.

The district is divided into several quarters:

Among them are Sultanahmet and Eminönü. You are particularly interesting for a city trip.

In the city districts are the most famous sights of Istanbul: the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, ...

That's why I recommend a hotel room in Sultanahmet or Eminönü.

The reason is the short distances and the overnight prices. They are not much higher than in the rest of Istanbul.

An alternative to the old town is Galata (Beyoglu) or Besiktas. The neighborhoods are also centrally located ...

... and they house interesting sights. Such as the Dolmabahce Palace, the Bosphorus Bridge, the Galata Tower, ...

The search for accommodation

Hotels in Istanbul: You will find Istanbul hotels in all price ranges.

Descent with bad guest reviews are just as much as palaces:

The most exclusive hotel is, for example, an old Sultan's Palace (Ciragan Palace) on the Bosphorus - do not ask how much an overnight stay costs.

I recommend TripAdvisor to get a good overview of the hotels. This is easiest with the map and the matching hotel reviews.

I wrote my own blog post about finding a cheap hotel.

In it, you can read detailed tips for hotel search in Turkey and Istanbul.

Hostel: There are a lot of hostels in the south of Sultanahmet.

They are in good condition, many have been rebuilt. Nevertheless, look for the reviews.

The easiest way to find hostels is via Booking.com. The most popular search engines for hostels, unfortunately, do not list all hostels in Istanbul.

One night in a shared room costs between 8 and 15 € including breakfast.

AirBnB: Istanbul is a great place to book an AirBnB apartment.

In Sultanahmet, Galata and Beyoglu there are many good offers.

In addition, hotels and hostels try to rent their rooms through AirBnB.

You should just take a look at the offers on the AirBnB page.

An apartment for two people costs 15 to 20 € per night in Sultanahmet. In Beyoglu and Besiktas the prices are similar.

Cheaper is the Asian side, because of the few tourists.

3. The flights, airports and the airport transfer to your hotel

Flights and airport:

There are two airports in Istanbul:

Istanbul Ataturk Airport is on the European side:

Istanbul Ataturk is Turkey's largest airport
is the home base of Turkish Airlines,
has the most international connections and ...
... is easiest to reach by public transport.
The airport Sabhia Gokcen on the Asian side of the Bosphorus.

Sabhia Gokcen is served by low cost airlines and Turkish airlines. These are for example: SunExpress, Pegasus and Onur Air.
Sabiha Gokcen is badly connected to the public transport network of Istanbul. This is due to the lack of subway or tram station at the airport.
It is only connected by bus lines to the city center.
For flights to Sabhia Gokcen are around 20 to 30 euros cheaper than to Istanbul Ataturk.
A third airport is currently being built in the north of Istanbul. He is probably ready by 2019 until 2020.

In summary, my recommendation: fly for a city trip always to Ataturk airport. The flight is 20 euros more expensive - you save time and money on the transfer.
Info: How to Find a Cheap Flight to Istanbul!

Airport transfer:

Istanbul Ataturk Airport: The M1 subway will take you to Sultanahmet within 45 minutes - for the equivalent of € 1.50. You have to change to the T1 tram once.

I do not recommend the private transfer companies at the airport! The reason is their completely overpriced prices:

An online booking of the transfer by 60 €? At the price, a taxi driver will take you all over Istanbul and back to the airport.

Shared buses cost from the airport to the city center 15 to 20 euros. From Istanbul to the airport they cost 5 to 10 euros.

You are not faster than the combination of Metro M1 Metro and the T1 tram. This is due to heavy traffic in Istanbul.

In the evening, a bus ride to the city center can take 90 to 120 minutes.

A taxi ride to Sultanahmet costs from Istanbul Ataturk 40 to 50 Lira (~ 15 Euro). Always use the official yellow taxis and do not let yourself be persuaded of prices without taximeters!

Sabiha Gokcen Airport: The transfer will take 70 to 90 minutes. There is a bus to Hayradpasa Station on the Asian side or Taksim Square on the European side.

Car hire: No! NO! Istanbul is one of the worst places in the world for a rental car.

With a car you are traveling slowly in Istanbul. Plus, you're stuck in a traffic jam all the time - and the chance for sheet metal damage is astronomical!

If you still want to book a rental car, you will find some tips in this post. They are designed for Antalya, but are generally valid for the whole of Turkey.

4. A list of top sights and excursions in Istanbul

Istanbul has been the capital of the Roman Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire.

Accordingly, many magnificent buildings have been built in the different periods of power Istanbul.

These include world-famous buildings such as the Hagia Sophia or the Blue Mosque.

A) The most important tips for sightseeing

You can only pay in Turkish Lira at the state museums. That's why you need to exchange money before visiting the Hagia Sophia and other top attractions.
The Istanbul Museum Pass can be bought at the entrance to state museums. It costs 85 Turkish Lira and pays off from a visit to more than three attractions or museums.
The Tourist Pass includes entrance to Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and many other activities.

B) List of activities and excursion destinations

Hagia Sophia: The landmark and top attractions in Istanbul - the 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia Cathedral. The Ottomans have made it a mosque for 500 years, today it is a museum.
Blue Mosque: The mosque built in the Islamic Baroque period is a masterpiece of Ottoman architecture. Admission to the mosque is free of charge outside of the prayer times
Topkapi Palace: For 600 years has been a home for the Ottoman sultans, their families and their court
Dolmabahce Palace: is the new sultan's palace built on the banks of the Bosphorus in northern Istanbul
Galata Tower: Is a 1,500-year-old lookout tower on the northern side of the Golden Horn. It is one of the most beautiful and well-known viewpoints in Istanbul's old town
Golden Horn: The Golden Horn is a bay of the Bosphorus. It separates the historic district of Sultanahmet from Galata and Beyoglu
Galata Bridge: Bridge connecting Sultanahmet from Galta via the Golden Horn. Known for ferry berths, street food, restaurants and fishermen on the bridge
Süleymaniye Mosque: Another of the great mosques in Istanbul. It forms the center of the UNESCO World Heritage Süleymaniye in Istanbul
Bosphorus Bridge: The first Bosphorus Bridge was built in 1973. It is the first bridge connecting two continents
Princes' Islands: Nine islands located 20 kilometers southeast of the Bosphorus. They are one of the most popular destinations in the city. On the beaches of the islands can be bathed in summer
Rumelian Fortress: It is a fortress on the western Bosphorus shore. Together with the Anadolu fortress on the eastern side, it has blocked the Bosporus in the north of Istanbul. They were built for the purpose of the siege of Constantinople.

C) Day trips

Troja (day trip): Take a fast ferry across the Marmara Sea to the ruins of Troja near Canakkale.
Bursa: Bursa is was the first capital of the Ottoman Empire. Excursions to the metropolis take you to the tombs of the first sultans, with a cable car to the 2,542m high mountain Uludag, the Green Mosque and the restaurant where the Iskender kebab was invented.
Gallipoli peninsula (day trip): The memorial site of the great battlefield of World War I at the entrance to the Dardanelles strait
Istanbul Food Tour: There are usually more than 10 tastings in different restaurants. Try a selection of Ottoman and Turkish food and street food from Istanbul.
More detailed tips on Istanbul attractions can be found in:

"The 21 most beautiful sights in Istanbul" and ...

... "10 interesting places in Istanbul: (off the beaten track)" and ...

... in "The 7 most beautiful beaches in Istanbul".

5. Nightlife: Where does life take place in the evening and day?

There are basically three different areas in Istanbul:

Sultanahmet: The old town is full of tourists in the evening. The restaurants focus on the square between the Blue Mosque and the walls of Topkapi Palace.
Beyoglu and Karaköy: The party district is between Istiklal Cadessi and Taksim Square. Most of the city's bars, clubs and lounges can be found there. The locals go out in the evening even in the area. Well-known clubs are: Indigo Club, Riddim Club)
On the Bosphorus shore: In the north of the Bosphorus Bridge is the Reina Club. It is described in guidebooks as Turkey's most exclusive club. Nearby are many other clubs with dance floors and bars on the Bosphorus shore (Sortie, Anjelique, SuAda, ...).
Important: In party districts with tourists everywhere sellers of the clubs are on the way. They do not distribute free admission tickets as in Germany!

Instead, they want to go to the club they pay for with you.

Do not go!
You certainly pay a completely overpriced price!
Add to that the drinks of your new companion or companion - you pay!
In the end, this results in an absurd price - which you will pay by yourself!
The target of such tourist scams are single men or groups of men looking for a party. This is comparable to strip restaurants on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg-St.Pauli.
Be careful and do not go to places that suggest your newly found "friends".

6. The public transport system and the Istanbulkart: How to get cheap from A to B

The public transport system is well developed throughout the city. It consists of the metro, S-Bahn, trams, buses, the Dolmus and ferries.

For the journey by public transport you need a token, ...

... buy a ticket for several trips or the Istanbulkart.

The Istanbulkart can be used for all public transport except the Dolmus and the taxis.

It is rechargeable and gives you on average a 50% discount on the normal fare.

The card costs 10 Turkish Lira (including 4 Lira credits). That makes her an indispensable companion for a city trip to Istanbul.

A public transport card is also included in the Tourist Pass. You can have them sent to you by post with the Tourist Pass before your arrival

7. Climate table, the current weather and the best travel times

The climate of Istanbul is dominated by the Marmara Sea in the south and the Black Sea in the north of the Bosporus.

Monthly temperature sea Rainy days
January 6 to 9 ° 9 ° 15-18
February 5 to 9 ° 11 ° 14-16
March 5 to 12 ° 11 ° 12-14
April 9 to 17 ° 14 ° 11-12
May 14 to 22 ° 19 ° 9-10
June 18 to 26 ° 21 ° 4-6
July 21 to 29 ° 22 ° 3-4
August 21 to 27 ° 24 ° 2-5
September 18 to 25 ° 23 ° 7-9
October 14 to 21 ° 22 ° 10-12
November 9 to 14 ° 17 ° 11-14
December 5 to 10 ° 14 ° 17-19
Climate in Istanbul


High season (April to September): Istanbul offers the most pleasant travel weather between May and October.

The daytime temperatures are consistently over 20 °. In midsummer is expected to be 30 °. The Black Sea climate, in contrast to the Turkish south coast for some rainy days a month.

That's why the average precipitation is 5 to 10 days per month. The sea is warm enough between June and September to swim on the beaches of the Princes' Islands.

Low season (October to March): Autumn and winter in Istanbul are characterized by more than 15 rainy days per month.

Temperatures usually fall only in December and January so far that snow can fall. Normally, however, the daytime temperatures remain above 10 ° C even during the winter months.