Things to Do in Istanbul: Places and Attractions

Hagia Sophia, officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, is a mosque and a major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. It was formerly a church (360–1453) and a museum (1935–2020). The last of three church buildings to be successively erected on the site by the Eastern Roman Empire, it was completed in AD 537, becoming the world's largest interior space and among the first to employ a fully pendentive dome. It is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture". From its dedication in 360 until 1453, Hagia Sophia served as the cathedral of Constantinople in the Byzantine liturgical tradition, except for the period 1204–1261 when the Latin Crusaders installed their own hierarchy. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, it served as a mosque, having its minarets added soon after. The site became a museum in 1935, and was redesignated as a mosque in 2020.

The Topkapı Palace or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the Fatih district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabahçe Palace in 1853, it served as the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire, and was the main residence of its sultans. Construction, ordered by the Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, began in 1459, six years after the conquest of Constantinople.

Historic & Cultural

The Çemberlitaş Hamam is a historical hammam that was built beside Divan Yolu, a processional road dating back to the Byzantine Era that once led to Rome, in the Çemberlitaş neighbourhood of Istanbul, Turkey. Often attributed to Mimar Sinan, it was constructed in 1584. The hamam is close to the Çemberlitaş stop on the T1 tramline.

City Guides

Historic & Cultural

Miniatürk is a miniature park at the northeastern shore of Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. It was opened on 2 May 2003. It is one of the world's largest miniature parks, with a 15,000 m2 model area and total area of 60,000 square metres.

Historic & Cultural

Museums

Nature & Adventure

The Serpent Column, also known as the Serpentine Column, Plataean Tripod or Delphi Tripod, is an ancient bronze column at the Hippodrome of Constantinople in what is now Istanbul, Turkey. It is part of an ancient Greek sacrificial tripod, originally in Delphi and relocated to Constantinople by Constantine the Great in 324. It was built to commemorate the Greeks who fought and defeated the Persian Empire at the Battle of Plataea.

The Istanbul Military Museum is a museum of military history located in Şişli, Istanbul. The museum is focused on Turkic history, and exhibits a large collection of Turkish military equipment from the 13th century to the modern day. The museum was founded in its modern form in 1959 by the Turkish Armed Forces, which continue to operate it.

The Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum is a private fine arts museum in Istanbul, Turkey, dedicated to calligraphic art, religious and state documents, as well as paintings of the Ottoman era. The museum was founded by Sakıp Sabancı, and was opened in June 2002. Aside from permanent exhibitions, the museum also hosts national and foreign temporary exhibitions and, hosts cultural events on the weekends.

Historic & Cultural

The Hatice Turhan Sultan Tomb, located in Fatih, Istanbul, was built in 1663 by architect Mustafa Ağa as part of the New Mosque Complex. The tomb houses the graves of Hatice Turhan Valide Sultan, five Ottoman sultans including Mehmed IV, Mustafa II, Ahmed III, Mahmud I, and Osman III, as well as princes and sultanas, totaling 44 individuals. The tomb is 177 meters from the Eminönü tram stop, 574 meters from the Grand Bazaar, and 130 meters from the Spice Bazaar.

Historic & Cultural

Silivrikapı is a historic area located within the Theodosian Walls in Istanbul's Fatih district. It takes its name from the historic Silivri Gate, also known as the Selymbria Gate of Constantinople. This gate played a significant role in 1261 when the Byzantine army recaptured the city from the Latins. Notable structures nearby include the Hadım İbrahim Pasha Mosque, designed by Mimar Sinan and completed in 1551, and the Saliha Sultan Fountain, built in 1725.

Istanbul Sapphire is a mixed-use development in Kâğıthane, featuring luxury residences and a shopping mall. Completed in 2010, it was once the tallest building in Istanbul and Turkey. The building stands at 261 meters with 54 above-ground floors. Visitors can enjoy 360-degree panoramic views of the city from its observation deck on the 54th floor. The closest public transport stop to Istanbul Sapphire is the 4. Levent metro station (162 m).

Nature & Adventure

Historic & Cultural

The Milion was a marker from which all distances across the Roman Empire were measured. Erected by Septimius Severus in the 3rd century AD in the city of Byzantium, it became the zero-mile marker for the empire upon the re-founding of the city as Constantinople in 330 AD. Thereafter, it would serve as the starting-place for the measurement of distances for all the roads leading to the cities of the Eastern Roman Empire.

City Guides

Garipçe Castle is an Ottoman-era castle on the ridges of Garipçe in Istanbul. It was built during the reign of Sultan Mustafa III in the years 1757-1774.

Museums