Top 10 things to do in Istanbul Checklist

I love Istanbul. I maybe bias as I spent a number of years living there. It’s so rich in culture and steeped in culture that there is so much to see and do. If you’re planning a city break, here are the top 10 things to do in Istanbul and if you don’t get through the list, you’ve always got the perfect excuse as to why you must go back!

• Visit the working Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Cami) – make sure you have the correct dress code
• Marvel at the Hagia Sophia, built in 537AD and a cathedral until 1453 when it was converted into a mosque
• Visit the underground Basilica Cistern (Sultanahmet Cami) which was built in 532AD
• 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
• the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum in the Hippodrome area opposite the Blue Mosque
• Topkapi Palace (Sultanahmet Cami) – an amazing museum, part of Istanbul’s Old City’s designated UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Vist the marble Alexander Sarcophagus from 4BC at Istanbul’s Archaeological Museum next to the Topkapi Palace
• Cruise Along the Bosphorus Strait, the strait of water that connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea – where east meets west
• Visit the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar and bargain your way to a great deal
• Watch the Whirling Dervishes spin the night away