Checklistables

Top 10 things to do in Istanbul Checklist

things to do in Istanbul

• 1. Visit the working Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Cami) – make sure you have the correct dress code

• 2. Marvel at the Hagia Sophia, built in 537AD and a cathedral until 1453 when it was converted into a mosque 

• 3. Visit the underground Basilica Cistern (Sultanahmet Cami) which was built in 532AD 

• 4. Check out the Byzantine Hippodrome where 3 old monuments are still standing: Egyptian obelisk, Column of Constantine Porphyrogentus, The ancient Serpentine Column dating back to 479BC

• 5. The  Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum in the Hippodrome area opposite the Blue Mosque

• 6. Topkapi Palace (Sultanahmet Cami) – an amazing museum, part of Istanbul’s Old City’s designated UNESCO World Heritage Site

• 7. Vist the marble Alexander Sarcophagus from 4BC at Istanbul’s Archaeological Museum next to the Topkapi Palace 

• 8. Cruise Along the Bosphorus Strait, the strait of water that connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea – where east meets west 

• 9. Visit the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar and bargain your way to a great deal

• 10. Watch the Whirling Dervishes spin the night away