Best 1 Day Istanbul itinerary

#citydaytours

While en route to North America, I had a 22 hour layover in Istanbul. I considered several options in terms of tours and picked an itinerary perfect for the layover. Involving places that are most popular and in close distance of each other. This can allow you to have a great first experience of Istanbul without going out of the way.

Keep in mind that this is the largest city if you compare turkey with european cities. And a very touristy one. So there is bound to be some things that I missed out on. But that was done keeping in mind that i didn't want to exhaust myself.

I started off with a stunning Turkish breakfast in the sultanahmet district. I take my coffee strong, so i asked for strong Turkish tea. And that was terribly strong. No more Turkish tea for me. But you can always tell them to add more water or less water according to your preference. Here are the 5 places i visited before going back to my hotel.

1) Sultanahemet Square
Plenty of historical stops scattered around and shops, cafe's, food carts etc. This is where I had my breakfast.

2) Hagia Sophia
Walk to the grand mosque. Somewhat touristy and crowded as an experience. But you want to see the most popular attractions in Istanbul.

3) Blue mosque
In the same vicinity, blue mosque is yet another popular stop. I prefer this one over hagia sophia.

4) Basilica cistern
There are several underground cisterns in Istanbul. This is a 6th century old and largest of them.

5) Grand Bazaar
Lastly, to truly exhaust you and make you hate cigarettes and the smell of it. Also give you a reason to conside putting your clothes in laundry the same day. (Too much smoke) but the largest and oldest market is colorful and test of your patience. How lovely for an activity to help you crash?

This ensured I was back to the hotel by early evening and i enjoyed the hotel spa, called it a night early to prepare for the flight next morning.

#istanbul #1daytrip #layover #myhiddengems #summerdestinations #100waysoftravel