The best things to do in Istanbul, ranked honestly

Unmissable

Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, a Bosphorus cruise

Most underrated

Süleymaniye Mosque and the Chora mosaics

Best free thing

The Hippodrome, and sunset at Salacak

Best for children

The Basilica Cistern and a ferry ride

Skip if rushed

Taksim and İstiklal Caddesi

Minimum stay

Three days; four is much better

The absolutely unmissable

1. Hagia Sophia. Fifteen centuries, one dome, two religions. If you do one thing in Istanbul, do this.

2. The Blue Mosque. Twenty thousand İznik tiles and six minarets, two minutes from Hagia Sophia. Free.

3. A Bosphorus cruise. The city only makes sense from the water. Go further north than the tourist loop.

4. Topkapı Palace. Four hundred years of sultans, the Harem and the Treasury. Allow three hours. Closed Tuesdays.

5. The Basilica Cistern. Short, cool, strange and unlike anything else in the city.

The ones locals would add

6. Süleymaniye Mosque. Bigger and calmer than the Blue Mosque, with the best free view in the old city. Most visitors never walk the ten minutes uphill.

7. The Chora Church mosaics. The finest Byzantine mosaics anywhere, and almost empty compared with Sultanahmet. Check current opening arrangements before going.

8. Balat and Fener. Coloured houses, antique shops and real neighbourhood life along the Golden Horn.

9. Sunset at Salacak. Cross to Üsküdar on the Asian side and watch the light go down behind the Maiden's Tower with the old city behind it. Free, and the best twenty minutes in Istanbul.

10. A proper Turkish breakfast. Not a hotel buffet — a real serpme kahvaltı, spread across a table for two hours on a weekend morning.

Markets, food and street life

11. The Grand Bazaar — four thousand shops, closed Sundays. 12. The Spice Bazaar and, more importantly, the working market streets behind it. 13. Turkish coffee ground at a shop that has been doing it since 1871. 14. Fish sandwiches at Eminönü, eaten standing by the water. 15. Tea in a çay garden with a backgammon board — the single most Istanbul thing you can do.

Views, water and neighbourhoods

16. Galata Tower for the panorama, though the queue can be brutal — a nearby rooftop is often better. 17. Ortaköy for the mosque-and-bridge view and a kumpir. 18. Dolmabahçe Palace, or at least its marble façade from the water. 19. A hamam — a real Turkish bath is a genuine experience, not a spa treatment. 20. The Princes' Islands in summer, for a car-free afternoon under pine trees.

Honestly overrated

Taksim Square and İstiklal Caddesi. İstiklal is a busy pedestrian shopping street with international chains. It is fine, and it is not what you flew here for. If your trip is short, spend that time on the water instead.

The very cheap Bosphorus "cruises" sold on the waterfront that turn back at the second bridge — you see the least interesting third of the strait.

Dinner shows with belly dancing. They exist for tourists, and everyone in the room knows it. If you want music, ask us about a Mevlevi ceremony or a meyhane with live fasıl instead.

Fitting it all in

With one day you can do items 1, 2, 5 and one of 4 or 11. With two days you add the Bosphorus and the palaces. With three you reach Balat, the Asian side and the things locals would actually recommend.

On a private tailor-made Istanbul tour you simply tell us which of these appeal and we build the day around them — no fixed menu, and we will tell you honestly if you are trying to fit too much in.

Best things to do — frequently asked questions