Must-see attractions in Istanbul

With serene lakes and nearly 2000 different kinds of trees and plants from all over the world, this 730-acre oasis of green in the north of the city is a…

Only in İstanbul would a 400-year-old mosque be called 'new'. Constructed between 1597 and 1665 and closed at the time of research as it undergoes a long…

The semahane (whirling-dervish hall) at the centre of this tekke (dervish lodge) was erected in 1491 and renovated in 1608 and 2009. It's part of a…

The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is the symbolic headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Church, and one of the most significant sites in the…

Rising majestically over the traffic on busy Atatürk Bulvarı, this limestone aqueduct is one of the city's most distinctive landmarks. Commissioned by…

Housed in an imaret (soup kitchen) added to the Aya Sofya complex in the 18th century, this museum is entered through a spectacular baroque gate and gives…

Located opposite the grandiose entrance to the 1868 Galatasaray Lycée, one of the city's most prestigious educational institutions, this much-loved…

On a sunny weekend afternoon, you’ll find this slender green oasis in central İstanbul full of picnicking families, canoodling couples and slackline…

Not long after the Conquest, Mehmet the Conqueror visited this 13th-century church to discuss theological questions with the Patriarch of the Orthodox…

With works displayed under glass on top of worn wooden desks or lecterns, and exhibition titles written on blackboards, the historical atmosphere of the…

The Fatih was the first great imperial mosque built in İstanbul following the Conquest. Mehmet the Conqueror chose to locate it on the hilltop site of the…

Contemporary Turkish and international artists are featured in the shows at this gallery space, opened in late 2016 in one of the historic buildings in…

Facing one of the major gateways into the Grand Bazaar, this large mosque complex was built in Ottoman baroque style between 1748 and 1755. Construction…

Now a bohemian arts, music and entertainment hub, this section of the old Bomonti beer factory hosts workshops, exhibitions, live performances, screenings…

Perched above a picturesque line of poplar trees in a spot that has been occupied by a Greek monastery since Byzantine times, this 1896 complex of…

Established over a century ago to celebrate and commemorate Turkish naval history, this museum's architecturally noteworthy copper-clad exhibition hall…

Running between the Topkapı Palace walls and Aya Sofya, this picturesque cobbled street is named after the Soğuk Çeşme (Cold Fountain) at its southern end…

Designed by Mimar Sinan and constructed around 1572, this türbe was part of a külliye (mosque complex) commissioned by Ottoman statesman Sokullu Mehmet…

Housed in an eccentric-looking turreted building known locally as the Perili Köşk (Haunted Mansion), this cultural centre tucked under the western…

Set in a gorgeous garden where masses of tulips and other flowers bloom in spring, this palatial art nouveau villa was built in 1906 as the summer…