Istanbul

Istanbul packs most of its headline sights into one walkable district, which makes it deceptively easy to plan — until you discover that Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque are working mosques with prayer-time closures, and that the Topkapi harem is a separate ticket.

This page compares live ticket prices and availability for Istanbul attractions across our booking partners.

When to visit Istanbul

April, May, September and October are the best months. Mild, dry, and comfortable for the long walking days the city demands.

June to August is hot and crowded, regularly above 30°C, with the Sultanahmet sights at their busiest.

November to March is cool and wet, sometimes with snow. Prices drop substantially and the mosques and museums are quiet. The Bosphorus in winter fog is its own experience.

Ramadan shifts each year and affects mosque access and restaurant hours. The evening atmosphere in Sultanahmet during Ramadan is remarkable, but daytime visits need more planning.

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia functions as a mosque, which changes the rules for visitors.

The upper gallery requires a paid ticket for foreign visitors. The ground floor prayer area remains free but is reserved for worship.

Closed to tourists during the five daily prayers, and for longer around Friday midday prayers. Times shift with the seasons, so check on the day rather than assuming.

Dress code applies: shoulders and knees covered for everyone, head covering for women. Scarves are available at the entrance.

Shoes come off before entering the carpeted area. Bring socks.

Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace

The Blue Mosque — Sultanahmet Mosque — is free to enter and also closed to visitors during prayers. It faces Hagia Sophia across a park, and doing both in one morning is normal.

Topkapi Palace is ticketed, and the Harem is a separate additional ticket bought at a different entrance inside the complex. Visitors regularly miss the harem because they don’t realise it isn’t included — it’s the most interesting part of the palace.

The palace is closed on Tuesdays.

Allow three hours for Topkapi with the harem.

Bosphorus cruises

The strait separating Europe from Asia is best seen from the water and there are two very different ways to do it.

Public ferries run scheduled routes for the price of a normal transport fare. Cheap, used by locals, no commentary, and genuinely good.

Tourist cruises run shorter loops with commentary, and longer full-Bosphorus versions. Sunset departures are the most popular and book up.

Dinner cruises exist and vary enormously in quality. Read recent reviews carefully.

Booking ahead vs walking up

The Basilica Cistern reopened after restoration with timed entry and limited capacity, and now sells out more often than it used to.

Getting around

Trams cover the tourist corridor well — the T1 line runs through Sultanahmet, over the Galata Bridge and into Beyoğlu.

An Istanbulkart works on trams, buses, metro and the public ferries. Buy one at any station; it pays for itself quickly.

Sultanahmet’s main sights are within ten minutes’ walk of each other. Beyoğlu and Taksim are across the Golden Horn and need transport.

Traffic is heavy and taxis in the old city are often slower than the tram.

A first-timer’s three days

Day one — Sultanahmet. Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in the morning between prayer times, Basilica Cistern, then Topkapi in the afternoon.

Day two — bazaars and the water. Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar in the morning, Bosphorus cruise in the afternoon, sunset from Galata Bridge.

Day three — the modern side. Galata Tower, Istiklal Street, then the Asian side by ferry to Kadıköy for the food.