Checklist for Istanbul: 5 places you should definitely see with your own eyes

Istanbul may seem like a completely unusual city for Türkiye. Especially if before this you have only been to tourist resorts in the country. Remember from your geography classes that there are two continents, Europe and Asia, and the Bosphorus Strait separates them. So the city is absolutely unique in this regard in terms of its location. Europe is connected to Asia, the East is connected to the West.

Istanbul has both historical Muslim and modern European areas. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t see them all in one trip when you first arrive. But if you are one of those tourists who want to complete their program as quickly as possible, use the author’s life hack and choose a boat tour on the Bosphorus. From there you can see all the sights (even those that are hard to reach on your own).

Since boat trips in Istanbul are quite popular, there will definitely be no problems with the recommendations of local guides. By the way, all ships are different: from small boats to entire tourist ferries. For example, for boat trips in Istanbul, “Courage-Journey” offers a whole Russian-speaking yacht with Courage, which during the trip also shows you the places seen from the water. So it turns out to combine business with pleasure and even implement a content plan for social networks.

In this article, we will talk about the five main tourist attractions that can be seen from the water in Istanbul.

Hagia Sophia (Hagia Sophia)

The outline of the cathedral has already become a symbol of Istanbul. Since its existence, it has managed to attract visitors both to the Orthodox church and to the museum.
Hagia Sophia, Sultan II. It was a Christian temple until the mid-15th century, when Mehmed’s troops took Constantinople. After the conquest of the city by Muslims, the cathedral was converted into a mosque. The cross on the dome was replaced with an Islamic crescent, and two minarets were added to the structure. Therefore, today the entire architecture and interior decoration of the cathedral is a combination of the traditions of two great religions.

Sultan Ahmet Mosque

The main mosque of the Ottoman Empire, with its stepped domes, it closely resembles its Orthodox “neighbor” Hagia Sophia. The mosque got its name from the blue tiles that cover the walls and floor of the temple. The proximity to Hagia Sophia was not chosen by chance, because Islamic rulers wanted to emphasize their superiority over Orthodoxy.

Topkapi palace

Topkapi is the main palace of Istanbul. And a note to all fans of the “Magnificent Century”; the series was filmed right here. The name of the palace translates as “top gate”. The complex was completed several times due to numerous fires and destructions. And each time the features of modern architecture were added. Today, there is an open-air museum here, telling about the heyday of the Ottoman Empire.

Dolmabahçe Palace

The most beautiful residence of the last sultans of the Ottoman Empire is located right on the shores of the Bosphorus. While walking along the Bosphorus, you can see all 12 gates of the palace complex and the changing of the guard every hour at the main entrance. And all this, by the way, without long queues and overly expensive entrance tickets.

Maiden’s Tower

The most famous local legend is about the Maiden’s Tower, which is located right in the middle of the Bosphorus. They say that one of the emperors was afraid of a curse that said his daughter would not live to adulthood. He decided to imprison his daughter in a tower and gave her a basket of fruit on the day she came of age, when the curse was supposed to be lifted. But at the bottom of the basket was hiding a poisonous snake that bit the princess. In general, the tower was almost always used for something: for example, it served as an isolation hospital during the cholera epidemic in the early 19th century, and after the epidemic ended it was used as a lighthouse for almost a hundred years. Now the Maiden’s Tower is just a tourist attraction.