Istanbul is one of the most visited cities in the world.
Some travelers decide to stay in the city for at least 4 days to explore it
but some others only have 24 hours or even less as they arrive in Istanbul on long
layovers from other countries but want to take advantage of those hours to visit some sites.
If this is your case and you would like to make the most of the hours you will be in Istanbul,
then in this video, we show you what are the most visited places in just a few hours, you
can adapt these options accordingly, but before we continue with the video we would love to invite
you to check out our 58-page digital booklet where we share the most useful information to
prepare your upcoming trip such as itineraries in Istanbul from 24-HR up to 7 days and one in Cappadocia
for 3 days, hotel recommendations for all budgets in both cities, restaurants, shopping malls,
best rooftops, terraces, nightclubs, and much more. So if you want to purchase yours, you can click on
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We recommend you starting the day exploring this impressive palace
which was the center of the Ottoman empire and residence of the sultan and his family from 1478
to 1856. Here you can also enjoy its beautiful architecture and mosaics plus several exhibits
of the empire's treasures, armor and weapons, among many other interesting sections.
You can also visit the harem, the area where the sultan and his family lived.
We suggest visiting the place as soon as it opens, that way you can enjoy it
to the fullest without so many people or the tourists that arrive between 11am to 12pm
to visit the palace you will need at least 2 hours and another hour for the harem.
The harem is completely optional. The palace is open from 9am to 6pm and is closed on Tuesday.
After the palace now it is time to visit one of the most emblematic monuments of the city
and this is Hagia Sophia, built between 532 and 537 by the Byzantine empire. This is a
place that has seen many transitions throughout the centuries. It was originally built as a
church, then became a mosque, later on, a museum, and as of July of 2020, once again became a mosque.
Now it can be visited without a fee. Just as in any other mosque in the country,
is free to enter, just please make sure to follow the dress code before
entering. The visit to this place takes approximately 30 to 40 minutes maximum.
Located next to the Blue Mosque and just a few meters away from Hagia Sophia,
you can see the place where once the famous Hippodrome of Constantinople was located.
Here we can still see 3 of its original monuments that were part of its complex such
as the obelisks of Theodosius and Constantine and a fragment of the serpent column, there isn't
a fee to visit it since it is a public area and it takes at most 20 minutes to see it all.
After the Hippodrome you can visit one of the largest and oldest covered bazaars
in the world, the Grand Bazaar, in Turkish Kapali Carsi. You can take a quick walk here, take plenty
of photos, and why not, maybe you can also buy some souvenirs, it's totally free to enter and you can
explore the bazaar for 30 minutes. Remember that the place is quite big, it has almost 4 thousand shops
so you will not be able to cover it all but at least, you will have a general idea.
Since the Blue Mosque in 2022 is still under restoration and most of its interior it's covered,
we wanted to include another beautiful mosque located just a few minutes away from the Grand
Bazaar, Suleymaniye Mosque. This one was built under the orders of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent
between 1550 and 1557. This mosque is a gem and is one of my favorites in the city,
also, the views from its gardens are stunning, also here you can visit the tombs of Sultan Suleiman
the Magnificent and his wife Hurrem Sultan. The mosque takes about an hour to be visited.
After the mosque, now you can walk down towards the Spice Bazaar
which is quite famous for its spices and other souvenirs, you can also find local
shops surrounding the bazaar where you can find all kinds of souvenirs for much better prices,
you can stay as long as you want, it all depends on what would you like to buy and see.
This is one of the most famous areas in Istanbul and here we can find
a street full of shops, restaurants, and cafes.
You can just walk to feel its environment and have a general idea of the place.
After walking along Istiklal street, you'll reach the Galata tower which is also one of the most
famous monuments of Istanbul. Just keep in mind that in high season the line to go up the tower is
quite long and can take up to one hour to enter. In case that you don't have enough time and there's
a long line, just go to the nearby streets to take some nice pictures with the tower as a background.
If you have enough time after finishing exploring the area around the tower, now you can take a
Bosphorus tour from Eminonu port, those tours take approximately one hour and a half in total.
If you decide not to take a Bosphorus tour, then you can just take a public ferry from Karakoy port
to Kadikoy port on the Asian side, this way you will also have the opportunity of exploring
a more local neighborhood on the Asian side. Here you will find a lively environment,
restaurants, shops, markets, pubs, and it's a great place for any sort of street food.
With this itinerary you'll be able to see the most important places in Istanbul
and have a general idea of the city, we know that Istanbul deserves a minimum
of 5 days but in 24 hours or less you can still see at least the most
famous places. If you liked and enjoyed the video, please give it a thumbs up
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for supporting us in creating more videos like this for our channel. See you next time, bye!