For a tourist visiting Istanbul, it is crucial to understand the city and its attractions, especially for the first time.
Turkey is a large and developed country in Europe with so many attractions. As a result, the country receives so many visitors every year. In fact, Turkey’s capital city, Istanbul, is the most visited city. The city of Istanbul has a total of 39 districts with all of them providing various destinations to check out.
For a tourist visiting Istanbul, it is crucial to understand the city and its attractions, especially if it is the first time. That way, it becomes easy to know which places to visit and what to do. Here is a list of 10 attractions in Istanbul that are perfect for new tourists.
10 Hagia Sophia Mosque
Built around CE 536 by Byzantine Emperor Justinian, and used as a church, it is a magnificent architectural structure any tourist will enjoy visiting. Hagia Sophia Mosque features one of the most intriguing ancient architecture one will find in Istanbul. The Byzantine Emperor Justinian had invested heavily in the building of the structure as a sign of power for his empire. It was later converted into a mosque after Constantinople’s defeat by the Ottomans.
9 Dolmabahce Palace
The Dolmabahce palace offers the best architecture of the mid-19th century. As a result, it is a perfect place for tourists to visit and relive the time. The history of this palace dates back to the Ottoman empire. The palace has been carefully taken care of and now provides a great environment as there are gardens and so many architectures and art pieces to see there. The tickets cost $27.96 per person.
8 Blue Mosque
Istanbul is full of many religion-related tourist attractions that are worth visiting. The Blue Mosque is another place a new tourist in the city must visit. It is a mosque that was built in the 17th century with lots of investments and innovation being put into it. Visitors are also allowed to enter provided they remove shoes and women cover their hair. A visitor to the mosque gets a chance to witness 200,000 ceramic tiles installed among other things. The mosque was built by Sultan Ahmet from 1609 to 1616.
7 Topkapi Palace
The Topkapi Palace is definitely worth exploring. It is a palace that was built around the 15th century. This is one of the places where Ottoman Empire sultans lived and did their operations from. So many things are interesting about the Topkapi including its courtyards, towers, battlemented walls, Islamic art, and even its incredible architecture. It is a good place to visit and explore its many rooms and learn how various rooms served different purposes for the sultans.
6 Bosphorus Strait
Istanbul is very much close to amazing waters and tourists will enjoy this kind of exploration. By taking a ship, one will have a chance to explore the inland waters and the vibrant ocean as a whole. This is a journey that offers visitors a variety of things they can do and see. It is a route that is good for one to do water activities, see various islands along the way, see different communities and structures near the ocean, and experience sundown.
5 Grand Bazaar
A visit to the Grand Bazaar is the most amazing and touristy opportunity for one to shop in Istanbul. For someone in the city for tourist purposes, there is no better place to shop than the grand bazaar which offers more than 5,000 shops. It is the largest indoor market worldwide. The bazaar has various products to buy from carpets to jewelry, spices, hand-painted ceramics, spices, and much more. One will also find antique furniture, precious gems, old coins, and inlaid weapons. The bazaar receives up to 500,000 visitors daily.
4 Basilica Cistern
Basilica Cistern is a very interesting destination with a gigantic palace-designed underground hall. The place has 336 columns for support and up to 12 rows. There is also a water supply that was used by Byzantine emperors. This is a project that was carried out by Constantine the Great. The project was later completed in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian. The atmosphere in the underground region is so amazing and charming, hence worth visiting.
3 Tour The Hippodrome
The history of the Hippodrome goes back to CE 203 when it was started by Septimius Severus and the construction continued all the way to CE 330 when Constantine the Great completed it. The Hippodrome was used as a center for events such as chariot races and games for Byzantine in ancient time. Today, one will enjoy visiting the area and seeing the monuments left. Although not much is left of what was there, it is an impressive place to visit.
2 Gulhane Park
It is one of those parks that have the highest number of historical structures which leaves a lot for visitors to learn and see. It is also a museum with many pieces to see and more than 140 replicas of the inventions made between the 8th and 16th centuries. This includes areas such as chemistry, geography, and astronomy.
1 Istanbul Archeological Museum
Archaeology has been an interesting area for humans and there is no better place to find it than the Istanbul Archeological Museum. It is the country’s most important museum as it shows so much information, artifacts, and collections of items that truly show the level of extent in terms of archeological discoveries.
