Three Days In Istanbul

Since 2015, tourism in Turkey has been roiled by a failed military coup, devastating terrorist attacks, grim travel advisories from the U.S. State Department (see also: Is It Safe to Visit Istanbul Right Now?), and a two-year state of emergency that was only lifted in mid-July. Despite those deterrents, travelers are slowly returning. Phase I of the ambitious Istanbul New Airport soft-opened in late October; when it’s completed in 2020, it’ll be the largest transit hub in the world, serving 200 million passengers a year, accommodating 250 different airlines, and costing a pretty $12 billion USD. Flagship carrier Turkish Airlines, meanwhile, is ramping up its business class offerings while continuing to slash fares for economy travelers. An enticing stopover program, with vouchers for four- and five-star hotels, makes it easier than ever to spend a few nights in Istanbul en route to myriad destinations throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. This is good news for travelers intrigued by Turkey’s deep history, rich multiculturalism, unparalleled shopping, and mouthwatering food. Here’s how to make the most of an extended layover in the country’s most dynamic and addictive city.

Checking In

The grand Pooh-Bah of the Istanbul hotel scene is the opulent Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul. From the moment you pass under its ornately carved arches and see the autographed photos of celebrities, prime ministers, and sheiks who’ve stayed here over the years, you know you’re in for the royal treatment. The hotel has 313 rooms, including 11 sumptuous palace suites, plus an opulent pool overlooking the Bosphorus Strait. Breakfasts are fit for a king, outdone in decadence only by the pasha-worthy spa treatments available in the hotel’s beautiful marbled hammam. (You haven’t truly experienced Turkey until you’ve stripped down to your birthday suit and paid a stranger to lather you up in luxurious olive-oil soap, and then scour away your dead skin with a textured mitt. It hurts so good.)

For a more laid-back experience, book yourself one of 18 rooms at Witt Istanbul Suites, a boutique hotel in the trendy Cihangir neighborhood of Beyoǧlu. Contemporary rooms are done up with sleek leather sofas, wall-to-wall mirrored tile, and gleaming kitchenettes carved from Marmara marble. It’s the little touches here that really count: the helpful concierge desk, the fresh-baked fig cookies left under bell jars by housekeeping, bathrooms kitted out with Molton Brown toiletries, and Juliette balconies offering sweeping views of Galata Tower and the Golden Horn.

Day 1: Historic Istanbul, With Hip Boutiques and a Jazz Closer

Start early with a hearty breakfast at Van Kahvaltı Evi in Cihangir. A traditional Turkish spread includes a selection of salty white cheeses, hard-boiled eggs, muhammara (an addictive red pepper-and-walnut spread), bal-kaymak (delicious clotted cream with honey), and a basket of warm bread that the waiters will keep refilling despite your protests. Consider it fuel for the sightseeing to come.

First stop: Topkapı Palace, a.k.a. the Seraglio, a 15th-century Ottoman palace and municipal complex that served as the heart of the empire for 380 years. Royal gardens, peeling frescoes, and tiled mosaics are breathtaking in their beauty, but the zenith of any visit is a wander through the sultan’s harem, once home to hundreds of concubines and their eunuch guards. If you’re intrigued by castle drama—The Real Housewives of Constantinople, joked one friend—then rent an English-language audio guide at the entrance. (To save yourself additional time and money, buy an Istanbul Museum Pass before your visit. The five-day tourist card charges a flat rate—125 lira or about $30—for access to a dozen of the city’s most popular cultural institutions, including Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.)

Next, head down to Sultanahmet Square for an up-close look at traces of the Byzantine-era Hippodrome of Constantinople; the majestic Hagia Sophia, a Greek-Orthodox church built by Emperor Justinian circa 537 AD, converted into a mosque by Sultan Mehmet II in 1453, and declared a museum in 1934 by the republic of Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk; and the 402-year-old Blue Mosque, which earned its nickname thanks to the dreamy Iznik tiles that cover its walls. The latter reopened to tourists in May, following a two-month renovation, but it remains closed to non-Islamic worshippers during each of the five daily calls to prayer. For the best experience, avoid visiting on Fridays or within a half hour after the ezan is chanted from the minarets.

For a more in-depth look at Istanbul’s key attractions, consider hiring an English-language guide from Condé Nast Traveler travel specialist Sea Song. The luxury tour company was founded 17 years ago by American transplant Karen Fedorko Sefer; full-time guides like Istanbul native Anka Benli cobble together seamless itineraries offering behind-the-scenes access and invaluable commentary. Benli can point out unique features the average tourist would miss—like the tortured faces of devils swirled into the green marble at Hagia Sophia. Sea Song can also arrange a languorous yacht cruise on the Bosphorus, stopping for a traditional grilled seafood lunch and tumblers of bracing rakı at the wood-paneled Ismet Baba Restaurant in Kuzguncuk. (Order the turbot if it’s season, or else the sea bass in lemon sauce with bonito and fava paste.)

Come late afternoon, carve out some time to explore two adjacent neighborhoods: Karaköy and Galata. The former is a historic harbor district dotted with small galleries, cute coffeehouses, gritty street art, and hip boutiques. Hit up Bey Karaköy for Everlane-style minimalist menswear and cool-girl concept shop Mae Zae for handmade ceramics and funky wood and leather jewelry.

The next neighborhood over is Galata, a Genoese colony back in the Byzantine and Ottoman eras. Twisting cobblestone streets give this quarter a charming European air, but avoid the overpriced restaurants clustered around the famed Galata Tower. Instead, head to Salt Galata, an Ottoman bank turned multi-use space: Under one architecturally pleasing roof you’ll find a tightly edited bookstore (Robinson Crusoe 389), communal café, and research library stuffed with books about art, graphic design, and Turkish culture. The shopping continues along design-forward Serdar-ı Ekrem street; look for kilim throw pillows and olive-wood serving trays at housewares shop Çiçek Işleri, and shearling-trimmed denim jackets and rose-tinted sunglasses at Baston Vintage.

With even an ounce of energy remaining, close out the night with a bucket of lemony, rice-stuffed mussels from the wildly popular Midyelerin Efendisi in Beşiktaş and a drink at the atmospheric Nardis Jazz Club in Cihangir. The latter books a mix of local and international acts, like a quintet led by Ankara-born jazz vocalist and Fulbright scholar Ece Göksu.

Day 2: An Underrated Mosque, a Grand Bazaar, and an Unusual Museum

While not as ornate as the Blue Mosque, Süleymaniye Mosque is just as impressive—and noticeably less touristy. It’s the second-largest imperial mosque in the city, built atop the third hill of Old Istanbul in the 16th century, by the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan at the behest of Suleiman the Magnificent. On a clear day, the views from the courtyard are unbeatable. Don’t miss the cemetery, either, where the carvings atop each tombstone indicate that person’s station in life (a fez headdress was reserved for government officials, a turban for someone of the religious order, an anchor for a seaman, and so on). For a late breakfast or early lunch, meander over to Mimar Sinan, one of several nearby restaurants specializing in kuru fasülye, white beans stewed in olive oil and tomato sauce and served with rice pilaf. It’s Turkey’s unofficial national dish, and especially popular with lira-pinching students.

Now on to the world-famous Grand Bazaar, one of the oldest and largest covered markets on earth. Twenty-two gates usher you into a labyrinth of 4,500 stores; you’ll definitely get lost, and that’s okay—it’s how you stumble upon happy mistakes like hammered-copper serving trays, hand-tooled leather bags, and glittering zultanite rings. Or you can go in with a game plan, knocking out a list of covetable souvenirs from established shops like Dervis (good for pastel-striped peştemals), Soy Türkiye (for professional-grade copper cookware), Iznik Art (for çini, a traditional Turkish pottery in bold turquoise and red tulip motifs), and Yazzma (ikat central). If it’s a hand-knotted silk rug you’re after, venture out of the bazaar and over to Orient Handmade Carpets, a spectacular showroom run by a fifth-generation Anatolian family. Here, more than 14,000 carpets are spread across 27 rooms. Be prepared to invest, as this level of quality does not come cheap.

One more market to go, and that’s Mısır Çarşısı, a.k.a. the Egyptian Bazaar or Spice Market. It’s a wonderful place to photograph centuries-old architecture, rows of Turkish delight vendors, and pyramids of fragrant spices. Pick up potent vials of amber and rose oil at 72-year-old perfumery Istanbuli; and don’t forget to buy a bag of freshly ground Turkish coffee from Kurukahveci Mehmetv Efendi, one of the oldest coffee shops in Istanbul.

If you’re not totally wiped out, it’s worth a spin through the antiques district of Çukurcuma in Beyoǧlu. Here you’ll find quality dealers like A La Turca, although one of the most curious stores is The Works Objects of Desire (tagline: “For the slightly deranged collector seeking identifiable memories”). The cluttered bric-a-brac shop provides artifacts for the conceptual vignettes displayed in the nearby Museum of Innocence, based on the namesake novel by Nobel Prize–winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk (who also happened to live in the house before it was converted into a museum). Fans of the book, as well as of Joseph Cornell–esque assemblages, will appreciate both the store and the museum. Don’t be surprised if you walk away with a 70-year-old dental mold or vintage police badge from the former.

Final stop: Dinner at Çukurcuma Köftecisi, a mom-and-pop meatball shop with just six tables and enough tempting cold meze dishes that you may forget to leave room for the köfte.

Day 3: The Food Crawl to End All Food Crawls

If you do just one walking tour in Istanbul, design it around your stomach. The food walks organized by Culinary Backstreets cover so much more than eating, though that’s clearly the highlight. The company offers eight food-centric tours, diving deep on everything from kebabs to rakı. Born on the Bosphorus is one of the best, traversing three waterside neighborhoods: liberal, sectarian Beşiktaş; conservative Üsküdar on the Asian side of the river; and historically multicultural Kuzguncuk, once settled by Jews, then Greek-Orthodox and Armenian Christians, and now Muslims. You’ll sample menemen (lightly set eggs scrambled with salty feta, tomato, chilis, and a bucket of olive oil) at Çakmak Kahvaltı Salonu; tavuk göğsü (savory milk pudding made with chicken skin) at Murat Muhallebicisi; pickled everything at Üsküdarlı Ünal Turşuları, and a real grandma’s made-from-scratch manti (tiny dumplings served in a pool of chili butter) at the family-run Hatice Anne Ev Yemekleri.

There are opportunities to buy chestnut honey, fresh figs as big as a toddler’s fist, and boxes of rainbow-colored Turkish delight. You’ll eat yourself silly, but you’ll also tour churches and mosques, swing through a seafood market where the stands are manned by bearded fishermen in galoshes, visit a cat-mobbed cemetery where whirling dervishes are buried, and meet Istanbul’s last great umbrella repairman (he’s a hoot!). The tour lasts anywhere from six to nine hours, depending on your group’s endurance level, and covers well over a dozen eateries. (If he’s available, ask for Benoit to be your guide; you won’t be disappointed.) The day out is a feast for the eyes and stomach, and you’ll be positively stuffed by nightfall. It’s the most satisfying way to end an all-too-short adventure in one of the world’s most fascinating and diverse cities.