My friend and I (both male ages 19) have only 3 days to spend in Istanbul. We were hoping for a possible itinerary that would allow us to scratch the surface of the city. We realize its not enough time but its already been booked and it what we have to work with. Were both into history and historical sites. We want to hit all the major attractions but we were looking for some more advice. e.g. Agia Sophia, Blue Mosque, the Sultans Palace
Istanbul Attractions
Recent Activity
View all Europe activity »
- 1 Cell Phone for Italy travel
- 2 London on a sunny day
- 3
A bit of Scotland, wing mirror casualty, 7 days in London, and a Fodors GTG
- 4 A chacun son goût
- 5 Italy-Locarno or Stresa
- 6 Lake Thun/ Lake Brienz in October
- 7 Am I in an unsafe Parisian neighborhood?
- 8 Train from Civitavecchia port to Rome
- 9 Train from Dresden to Nueburg DO in July
- 10 Daytrip from Waterford to Kilkenny
- 11 1st, 6th or 7th in Paris
- 12 Savona - San Remo - where to spend the night?
- 13 portugal
- 14 12 days, 3 couples, one week in London Sept 2013
- 15 I Need To Vent!
- 16 6.5 hour layover in Lisbon, Portugal
- 17
TR Provence, Israel, Switzerland, Italy..April 16 a day of AA infamy
- 18 Zurich to Montreux to Paris round trip - drive or train??
- 19 Venice experts--the apartment in Castello or the one in Canareggio
- 20 2 weeks in Copenhagen-Helsinki-Stockholm
- 21 Brive - drop off point for Avis
- 22 Has anyone rented an apartment in Venice for 2-4 weeks?
- 23 Seville Cordoba and Grananda
- 24 Good Base for Costa Brava Spain
- 25 Help with itenerary
We like the Rick Steves book on Istanbul. You might want to check it out.
Exactly what type of advice are you looking for? Agree with Michael that the Rick Steves book is a good one. This will cover costs, how to get anywhere, etc. Istanbul has a very good tram system that makes it extremely easy to get around the city. Read up a bit then come back with your questions. You didn't say when you're going.
Click on my name to see my trip report on Istanbul. It outlines all the sites we saw in a 5 day first-time visit to Istanbul.
I would suggest starting with Sultanahmet and adjacent areas(Blue Mosque, Agia Sofia, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, Rustem Pasha mosque) and then move beyond that only to the extent you have time. Istanbul is vast and you can eat up a lot of time in transit.