Quiet Istanbul
Escape the crowds — peaceful gardens, contemplative mosques, hidden courtyards and serene waterfront spots.
Stops (8)
Ishkhani
um road (9km), turn right and follow the brown 'İşhan Kilisesi' signposts for 21km. İşhan upper village is spectacularly situated, 7km up a steep, n
Museum of Turkish & Islamic Arts
Housed in the former palace of İbrahim Paşa on the Hippodrome — Süleyman's powerful grand vizier — this museum holds the world's finest collection of antique Turkish carpets alongside illuminated manu
Museum of Innocence
Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk built this museum to accompany his novel of the same name — and it's unlike any museum you've visited. Each vitrine represents a chapter of the book, filled with the everyda
Naval Museum
The highlight here is the imperial caiques — long, sleek rowing boats gilded from bow to stern, once used to ferry sultans along the Bosphorus at speed. With 13 banks of oars and over 30 metres of car
The Han Balkava
Hamamı E6 4 Sleeping 11 Galateia Residence C5 12 Has Han Galata C7 13 Marmara Pera B4 14 Richmond Hotel C5 15 TomTom Suites D4 16 Vault Karaköy C7 17
1001 Columns Cistern
The second-largest Byzantine cistern in Istanbul after Yerebatan — 224 columns supporting a vaulted ceiling in a vast underground space. Less famous and less touristed than its neighbour, which is exa
Beyazit Square
ight and exit the bazaar from the Beyazıt Kapısı (Beyazıt Gate, Gate 7). Turn right again and walk past the market stalls to the first passage on the
Buyukada (Princes' Islands)
The largest of the Princes' Islands, where no cars are allowed and horse-drawn carriages (fayton) clatter along pine-scented lanes past ornate Victorian-era wooden mansions. Take the ferry from Kabata