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DiscoverLike a Local
Discover IstanbulLike a Local
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Istanbul this autumn

Things to Do in Istanbul: What Should You Do Today?

Published Updated

Golden light, palamut season and a city back from its summer.

Start with
Just landed→ Airport to cityTonight→ Meyhane nightOn the water→ Bosphorus cruisesShop like a local→ MahmutpaşaFirst time→ Travel guide
Maiden’s Tower beside the Bosphorus at sunset Bosphorus sunset cruise: best times & routes →Rolled Turkish delight with nuts and dried fruit Turkish delight: where locals buy it →Shoppers on a sloping market street lined with textiles and clothing Mahmutpaşa Bazaar: the local market street →

Popular this autumn

Maiden’s Tower beside the Bosphorus at sunsetBosphorusBosphorus sunset cruise: best times & routesShoppers on a sloping market street lined with textiles and clothingShoppingMahmutpaşa Bazaar: the local market streetDinner table set for a small group on a private yacht at duskPrivatePrivate dinner cruise on your own yachtTravellers with luggage inside Istanbul Airport terminalArrivalIstanbul Airport to the city

Choose where to start

Every card leads to a live guide
Travel guide

Just landed? Start here.

/travel-guide/ →
Travellers with luggage inside Istanbul Airport terminal1 · ArriveIstanbul Airport to the cityAn airport bus in Istanbul1 · ArriveSabiha Gökçen to the cityIstanbulkart held beside a public transport card reader2 · Get aroundIstanbulkart: buy & top upAn M2 metro train at a platform with Yenikapi on its destination display2 · Get aroundMetro: maps & routes
Like a Local

Eat and shop like an Istanbulite

Guides built with confectioners, fishmongers and meyhane regulars.
Rolled Turkish delight with nuts and dried fruitLokumWhere locals buy Turkish delightBaklava and assorted pastries displayed in metal traysBaklavaWhere locals actually buy itRed simit cart filled with sesame bread rings on an Istanbul streetSokakStreet food, stall by stallGrilled fish, meze plates and rakı set on a restaurant tableMeyhaneHow locals do rakı night

A day in Istanbul, hour by hour

  1. Dawn Landing early? The metro is quiet
  2. Morning Lokum and coffee in Eminönü
  3. Afternoon Up the Mahmutpaşa slope
  4. Sunset Golden hour on the Bosphorus
  5. Night Meyhane: meze, fish and rakı

When to come

/best-time-to-visit/ →
Ahmet H. Yildirim passenger ferry on the Bosphorus with Galata Tower behind itTravel guide · FerriesIstanbul ferry guide: routes & timetablesRed nostalgic tram and simit cart on İstiklal Avenue during snowfall at nightSeasonal guide · Dec – FebIstanbul in winter: what to do, eat & wear
A yacht below the Bosphorus Bridge
Bosphorus & Boats Crisp evenings on the water: dinner cruises with the city lit up.Compare here, book with Istanbul On Boat. Istanbul On Boat is our sister brand. Bookings are made on Istanbul On Boat.
Compare every cruise →Istanbul On Boat ↗

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