ISTANBUL • CITY GUIDE • 72 HOURS
Your first 72 hours
in Istanbul
Istanbul is too big to finish in a weekend. That is the point. Build your first trip around the water and let the city unfold from there.
Day 1 — Europe
Start on the historic peninsula. Explore the old city in the morning, then drift downhill toward Eminönü. Leave time for tea, a snack and a view of the Golden Horn.
Day 2 — Cross the Bosphorus
Make the crossing the centrepiece. Take a public ferry, sit outside and watch the skyline change. Spend the afternoon in Kadıköy and walk toward Moda for sunset.
Twoconts tip
Do not treat the ferry as transport you have to get through. Treat it as one of the things you came to Istanbul to experience.
Do not treat the ferry as transport you have to get through. Treat it as one of the things you came to Istanbul to experience.
Day 3 — Follow your appetite
Build the day around neighbourhood food. Start at a bakery, stop for Turkish coffee, share meze at lunch and keep the evening open for a long dinner.
The route
- Historic peninsula → Eminönü
- Ferry → Kadıköy
- Kadıköy → Moda
- Return across the Bosphorus after dark