Istanbul
Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, a megacity, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical center.
With a population of over 15 million, it is home to 18% of the population of Turkey. Istanbul is among the largest cities in Europe and in the world by population. It is a city on two continents; about two-thirds of its population live in Europe and the rest in Asia. Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus – one of the world's busiest waterways – in northwestern Turkey, between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Its area of 5,461 square kilometers (2,109 mi2) is coterminous with Istanbul Province.
Getting to Istanbul
See Turkey#Get in for visa requirements. From 2020, most EU, UK, CIS and South American visitors do not need a visa. Those from many other countries including Australia, Canada and US can get an e-visa online, valid for 90 days.
- 01Istanbul Airport
Istanbul's chief airport, and the main port of entry into Turkey, is 30 km northwest of the city in Arnavutköy, on the Europe-side Black Sea coast.
- 02Sabiha Gökçen International Airport
Istanbul's Asia-side airport is 30 km east of city centre.
- 03Haydarpaşa in Asia has no trains
Both stations are worth a quick visit as monuments to a bygone age of rail travel.
Worth seeing
The Turkish government offers a museum pass for Istanbul's many sights and museums, and key spots on Sultanahmet, for €105 as of April 2025. The pass can be bought at the entrance of many museums or online. Check out what is included, and buy it if it makes sense for you. Numerous sights can still be seen for free and the biggest joy is probably just walking around and sucking in the atmosphere.
Things to do
Hamam – Sultanahmet has many historical hamams. Some are very extravagant and cater mainly to tourists. Waterpipe – Most of the places where you can smoke a nargile are in Yeniçeriler Caddesi, near the Kapalı Çarşı (Grand Bazaar).
Where to eat
For a full-on culinary experience, one should look for esnaf lokantası restaurants. They are essentially old-school canteens with a variety of traditional selections from soups to main courses to desserts. Balık-Ekmek.
Getting around Istanbul the local way
- Get inThe line is not well-connected to the rest of the metro network, but you can continue to the European side by ferry or transfer to the Marmaray train at Ayrılık Çeşmesi.
- Get inHavabüs – It runs from the airport to Taksim in the city centre (50 km, 60-90 min), Yenisahra an Asia-side transport hub (50 min) and Kadıköy the ferry quay for Eminönü in Sultanahmet Old City (60 min).
- Get inFrom Harem, regular car ferries (which take walk-on passengers) cross the Bosphorus to Sirkeci (just east of Eminönü) on the European side (every 30 minutes M-Sa 05:30-23:00 Su 07:00-22:00).
- Get inThere are also regular passenger ferries from Kadıköy and Üsküdar south and north of Harem to Beşiktaş and Kabataş on the European side.
- Get inWhile some of these hubs are relatively close to various stations of M5, none are directly on that metro line, so better catch the servis minibuses into various central areas, including Harem, Kadıköy and Üsküdar.
- Get inThere are Black Sea ferries several times a week to Chornomorske, the main port for Odesa in Ukraine, taking 27 hours.
- Get inThe ferry terminal is at Haydarpaşa, by the old railway station.
- Get inThese ferries used to sail to other Black Sea ports but they no longer do.
From Wikivoyage: Istanbul, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Maurice Flesier (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.
