Tourist Trap? For sure! The Grand Bazaar is a maze you'll get lost!…read more Oldest market, and for me the biggest I have ever been to. It has several entrances and exits, thousands of merchants (no exaggeration) and you'll find everything in here from souvenirs, teas, Turkish delight, spices, fake branded clothes and so on. Higher prices than anywhere else. Beautiful decor, prepare to face the crowds and the maze. You'll be trapped and get lost, so bring your patience along. But when in Istanbul, you have to visit!

The Grand Bazaar has been around since the 1400s and is one of the oldest and largest covered…read moremarkets in the world. It is worth a look just for the experience. There are several gates to enter and it is easy to get lost if you are not paying attention. You will find all kinds of stores here: clothing, jewelry, shoes, souvenirs, teas, spices, carpets and more. In terms of actual shopping though, you can find cheaper prices outside. Because their rent is higher and because they know they can ripoff many tourists, the prices here are inflated even after bartering.

Absolutely breath taking. I went in and said my prayers…read more It's a beauty and I love the people go there with respect regardless of background & religion. It is free to the public but does close sporadically throughout the day for prayers and cleaning.

This place is gorgeous!…read more Splendid architecture. So much history... It's also one of the most visited places in all of Istanbul; with a combination of locals and tourists alike. This place gets packed! We were told to be aware of pick pockets and best to take a plastic bag, for our shoes...so we don't have to worry about misplacing them. Sultan Ahmet Camii (Blue Mosque) is one of the top attractions in Istanbul; like most Mosques in the city, there is no entry fee. One does need to follow the rules; Women are required must wear a head scarf and be conservatively dressed. They do provide you scarves if you don't have one. There is a prayer area if you are a Muslim as well...I'm not sure how all that works as I am not Muslim. "Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque) Also known as the Sultan Ahmet Camii (or Sultan Ahmed Mosque), this breathtaking building is one of the most majestic Ottoman mosques in all of Turkey. The Blue Mosque was built between 1609 and 1616 by the architect Mehmet Ağa, under the instruction of Sultan Ahmed I. Blue Mosque History Designed as an imperial show of strength to complement the imposing Hagia Sophia Mosque, which faces it across Sultanahmet Square, it is a symbol of architectural brilliance. Unlike the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque is supported by four "elephant foot" pillars, and its central dome (23.5m in diameter and 43m high) is flanked by four semi-domes, giving it a nearly square shape. It is dubbed the Blue Mosque because of over 20,000 handmade ceramic Iznik tiles that decorate the interior, featuring intricate designs of tulips, roses, carnations, and lilies, all beautifully lit by 260 windows." - https://istanbultourstudio.com/things-to-do/blue-mosque Most definitely worth the visit. Practical info for your visit to the Blue Mosque - https://www.bluemosquetickets.com/entrances/ You're welcome!

Beyazit Sahaflar Bazaar is the booksellers part of the larger Bazaar, and a very good place to find…read morea book by literature Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk. Most of the books are in Turkish, but there are all sorts of languages available. The architecture is interesting a combination of Byzantine and Ottoman, it's right next to the Istanbul University. Not a popular tourist site, it's even less crowded weekdays and in the off season. You can meet nice cats here.

This was by far my favorite activity I did while I was in Istanbul. I went for the full Ab-i Hayat…read morepackage, but they were doing a special of 10% off appts before 1:00 pm so it ended up being $315 dollars. My partner in the process was Selda and she was AMAZING!!! Honestly she made the entire experience. She was respectful but funny and really helped me feel confident and lose my nervousness since it was my first time and I had no idea what to expect. They also gave me a full bar of their soap plus a Turkish towel in a cute bag. After the "wet" portion of the experience, before the oil massage upstairs, I sat in a nice little relaxing area and was brought some sherbet tea, water, and Turkish delight while I rested. Services i got: - Traditional full body scrubbing in the warmest quarter. - Organic Lavender Extract and Sea Salt Refreshing hand and foot peeling. - full body clay mask. - Relaxing bubble wash ritual on the warm marble stone. - Hair wash ritual with redbud scented shampoo. - Aromatherapy Massage with redbud scented oil in the private massage room. - Fresh and dried fruits to finish off the experience. Overall the entire experience took about 2.5 hours and left me feeling so refreshed.

BEST EXPERIENCE EVER! This is seriously a MUST in Istanbul. You will not be disappointed…read more I did a decent amount of research on the best hammam to try in Istanbul, and there's a reason this is so beloved. LOCATION This is prime location near Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque, and this hammam building itself has a TON of history. It's stunning! OFFERINGS They do massages as well, but the main thing here is the hammam experience. If you don't know, it's a communal style body washing experience that typically means washing on hot marble stone with running water sinks, being soap-foam massaged and scrubbed by an attendant, and bathhouse style ambiance. PRICE They have tiered pricing options from 110-330 euros, and we opted for something in the middle that included the hammam experience being scrubbed and bubble soap foam massaged by the attendant, a face mask and hair wash, and treats post-experience. EXPERIENCE This was pure luxury! You start in the stunning lounge area and get changed into the robe in the changing rooms that have a traditional look. The space is large and even with a few others during the same time and an attendant, it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable at all. It started with being washed and washing myself, then a face mask, then a face mask and hair wash + scrub with a sandpaper-like glove by the attendant in a more private section. Then, I came out to the main area on the central marble slab for the soap foam massage which was amazing - I've never felt more exfoliated and clean! I ended with a face mask sheet and treats including sherbet drink, tea and Turkish delight in the main room. I got to take home the soap and scrubber glove complimentary as well. A treat from start to finish!

This is an Orthodox Church that convert to mosque. This may be happen during Ottoman era in 1453…read more This history site is classified as museum and it is classified as Ayasofya Cami. You need a ticket to visit for non Muslim visitors. You can buy the combo ticket with Hagia Sophia museum or building visit along. Price is not cheap. The interior can spot some mosaic tile with orthodox figures. The ticket only allows second floor visit. The wall is kind of cover up with huge platt. You won't see the wall painting. However you can see how big is the dome. Visit take you one hours.

Absolutely stunning! Hagia Sofia, I was not familiar with your game. It was so interesting to see…read morehow much Christian influence and history is here, which I had no idea about. Our ticketing and entrance process was smooth, though busy - expect lines if you don't go right away in the morning or near closing. Wear clothes that cover your shoulders, chest and knees - and a scarf for covering your head for ladies. They do have some there if you need one. The space is huge! Down on the main floor is just for practicing Muslims to pray, so the space accessible to guests in the higher area. They did have a few spots where you can get audio info, but it was pretty limited info and more of a description of what you're seeing. The ticket covered admission to the museum (not attached, another building) that was VERY helpful and informative! We did that second but wished we'd done it first. Such a stunning space with a ton of history. An absolute must in Istanbul!

Personal Favorites: Hookah​ Style: Turkish…read moreAmbiance: It is a half-open​ half close historical place Service: Pretty awesome​ A lot of people sit very close to each other smoke hookah, drink tea and chill. There is not much place in the world that you can find this kind of place. Nobody judges you the way you look or speak or dress. You can find a lot of different​ type of people in this place. Traditional Turkish Coffee, tea, ​and hookah those are all you need to chill. If you want a souvenir​ that you can find a gift shop​ as well. The restroom​m​ is a little problem but you will survive. If you are visiting Istanbul this is a perfect spot to rest between Cemberli Tas and Blue Mosque. This place definitely​ something you need to experience it.

Besides being a historical spot it is a popular hookah spot. It is a authentic place and the prices…read moreare really good. Food? No. But soft drinks are served. The waiters can be annoying as they walk around all the time asking whether you would like something and the place can be a little overcrowded but overall it is worth visiting and enjoying a hookah/shisha/water pipe with some Turkish Tea/Coffee or Gazoz (Turkish Sprite). Best hookah in Istanbul? Definitely not. As a daily hookah smoker I would give them a 5/10.

Basilica Cistern is so stunning! I had NO idea what to expect, but had heard this was a must-see in…read moreIstanbul. LOCATION It has a prime location right in the square near Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque. It's underground so you won't see much above ground/a huge building, but you'll see the line forming. PRICE Tickets are NOT cheap at around 30 euro, but for us, it was a highlight so was worth it. The line was quite scary, but it moved rather quickly! You can also buy skip the line tickets if you've got a busy day. HISTORY This is a large underground water resovoir with huge vaulted ceilings and hundreds of Roman-style columns. It still holds a bit of water inside, and learning about the history with the plaques onsite and the audioguide was seriously impressive! INSIDE It's just magnificent walking on the platforms through the space, admiring the sheer magnitude of the columns. They've done a great job of uplighting, and the lighting changes every few minutes to give different perspectives and ambiance. They also have some cool art installations here that add to the space! This is a photo op heaven, and we never felt crowded inside as there was plenty of walkway and you cover a lot of ground inside. A must do in IST!

Yelp Review 2025 #227:…read more The line here gets really wild! It wraps around the building and to neighboring businesses. The good thing is I got a skip-the-like ticket so, I zipped right in. From outside, it looks like a basic building but once you enter and take the stairs to go down to the cistern, it's like a different world and a different time. Cisterns like this were constructed hundreds of years ago to collect rainwater which can be used for cooking/ drinking or flushing the toilet. This one was built in 6th century. It has about 300+ marble columns. Keep an eye out for the more ornate columns and the 2 upside down Medusa heads. It's quite cool but slightly muggy down in the cistern. Be prepared to wait for clear shots as it is crowded and everyone wants to take pictures (some take hundreds of selfies). They did a good job with the lighting creating a dramatic effect. It costs under $25 for a tourist ticket and it's much cheaper for locals. I was able to finish my visit in 30 minutes. It's worth a visit.

You can't miss this passageway! There is a nice stained glass design above the entrance on…read moreIstaklal Street. Cool little arcade full of restaurants (a few shops too). I heard from a tour guide that Russian Emigres got permission to sell flowers in this arcade a hundred years ago or so. The word Çiçek means flower in Turkish. The restaurants are traditional meyhane, which is a Persian word which means something like 'wine house'. In short, there are pubs there. I found this on a tour with the fantastic guide by the name if Katerina. Check out the Culinary Backstreets Tour of Istanbul.

Our local tour guide (Safiye) took us down for a stroll on İstiklal Avenue, which is a well known…read moreshopping street in Istanbul. That included taking us inside St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church. In a City full of stunning mosques and sprinkling of Eastern Orthodox, visiting this Roman Catholic establishment kind of turned the tourist saying of "Oh Joy, another Church!" on its head. We found the interior to be very impressive and comforting. This is the largest church in Istanbul and has Italian pedigree, both in its founding and in its clergy today. Depending on the day of the week, one could attend Mass in either Turkish, English, or Italian. Pope John XXIII preached here for 10 years while he was the Vatican's ambassador to Turkey before being chosen as pope. He is known as "the Turkish Pope" because of his fluency in Turkish and his oft-expressed love for Turkey and Istanbul. Gayle and I were able to admire a statue of him installed within the church's courtyard. I also detected a bit of Byzantine/Eastern Orthodox influence within a few of the "Icons" inside the church. One was how the 3 fingers are put together to signify the Trinity, with the back 2 fingers following. And if we stuck around longer, my guess is that we might have seen people crossing themselves in either the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox mode.

Went here for Christmas Eve service - absolutely beautiful!! Decorated to the nines both inside…read moreand out. If you're around Taksim Square on Christmas Eve, stop by for a visit at least. If you want to stay for mass on Christmas Eve, come early. 45 minutes before the service and it was standing room only. Very diverse crowd!

I didn't have a Hammam scheduled but it was available and really close to the hotel, it's cultural,…read moreit was a long day of...you know what? I don't need an excuse to have a spa day on a nice vacation. It wasn't on my 'to-do' list so I didn't do a lot of research. I was expecting a more communal style affair-my only point of reference was a Korean style sauna since I got walked into a communal area where people were just chilling out. After being walked upstairs and into a changing room. The next room was a large steam room, but not oppressively humid, probably because it was surprisingly high ceilinged and laid down on a marble bench, another surprise, it was way more comfortable than it sounds. I lost all sense of time. The hammam was like a cross between a scrub, a wash and a massage. I never saw why Turkish towels were 'a thing,' but after this I was surprised at how absorbent and supple it was. After getting all the travel stress out of my system THAT was when I was given a robe and then taken up front to that cavernous common area with a nice cup of hibiscus tea.

I highly recommend this hamam. I was able to book a reservation using WhatsApp while in Istanbul…read moreand communicating directly with the hamam. This is a nice touch since I'm using my US cell phone. The hamam itself is immaculate. I booked a session for me and my 2 daughters. We were given 2 changing rooms. Each room has a dyson hair dryer and q-tips etc. to use after your Turkish bath. Each room locks automatically and you are given a bracelet which unlocks the door. Very convenient and secure. The hamam experience is comparable to other experiences I've had - very good! I do like that for the bubble/massage portion, you are laying down on the marble. I've been to another hamam where they do this part while you're sitting. Here, my girl did a great job to get the knots out of my back. The experience is so relaxing and calming. You can take your time and chill in the relaxation room after your Turkish bath. With this hamam being co-ed/couples, you can bring your own 2 piece bikini which is convenient and comfortable. I've been to non-coed hamams where you eventually end up taking your bikini top off, but not here. It's really no biggie but just wanted to mention the differences. This is a great hamam for first timers or seasoned hamam goers. This is a great part of the Ottoman/Turkish culture to experience.