This is our first time to Istanbul. We arrive Thursday June 11. Is 2 days enough to see main sights and markets?
Also, are there certain days better than others for markets and which are the best ones?

NO! You need at least 4 days.

Must sees: Topkapi Palace WITH THE HAREM TOUR. Skipping the Harem is a major Thingorjus faux pas; Hagia Sophia; Blue Mosque; Chora mosaics; Spice market; Grand Bazaar; Dolmabahce Palace; a boat ride on the Bosphorus; Istiklal Caddesi.

If you are in Sultanahmet, you should have dinner at Rami which overlooks the Blue Mosque.

Thin

What Thin said.

I know that some folks get only a day or two in Istanbul as part of a cruise, but that is way to brief. I spent a week and still did not get to see/do everything I wanted.

For many people 2 days would be enough to get an overview. See the Topkapi palace, Hagai Sofia, the Sultanamet moque (blue mosque) and the bazaar on day one.

What I would do the next day would be the Dolmabace palace, the Galata Tower and the Istiklal caddesi (old pedestrian street).

That can be done in 2 days but they would be quite full days. If you are not as big a fan of history you might want to skip some of those and add more shopping (like the spice market).

That still leaves the Suleymaniye mosque, the ancient walls, sipping tea at the Pierre Loti cafe and one of my favorites which is the St Savior in Chora chapel.

I have more info on these places at: http://AmateurTraveler.com/tag/istanbul-travel-guide/

Chris Christensen
Amateur Traveler podcast

Thanks everyone,. You are a great help

Get the Rick Steves Istanbul guidebook which gives excellent tours of the major sites.

We spent 9 days in Istanbul last April and still could go back to see more. You can spent two days in the Sultanehmet area alone but not get to see the rest of Istanbul. It is huge. I'd recommend at least 4 days in Istabul.

Nicest people...great food...amazing music.

I loooooveed Istanbul and got a lot done in 4 days, but did not stop for 4 days. I wish I had a few more days.

Just remember, like Rome was not built in a day, neither was Istanbul and you can not see it in a day.

Two days??? No way! I went for five and didn't get to do all that I had wanted to do. And I was staying at the Hotel Empress Zoe, in the heart of Sultanahmet and a 5-minute walk from the Topkapi Palace , Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and good shopping. Happy Travels!

If you have only two days, this will be a basic introduction for you, if you can allocate more than better and I would also say 4 days would be better. A week in Istanbul can be easly spend too.

Enjoy your vacation in Turkey,

Murat

Hagia Sophia is closed on Monday. The parades at the Military Museum are at 3:00 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

We found ourselves depending on the Istanbul map published by International Travel Maps, purchased on Amazon, because it shows streets, sights and public transportation on the same matrix.

Of course longer is better, but I had two days there and I did the following according to my notes.

<b>Day 1</b>

Topkapi Palace (checklist: harem (by guided tour), Treasury)

Archaeological Museum (checklist: Alexander Sarcophagus)

Kariye Museum (Chora)

Suleymaniye Mosque

Ayasofya

Arasta Bazaar

Day 1 was my arrival day. By the time I did all this, it was only 6:30 pm.

I went to Beyoglu and checked out Istiklal Caddesi. Then I went back to Cagaloglu Hamami at 9 pm. Had dinner at Balikci Sabahattin at 10:30 pm.

<b>Day 2</b>

Grand Bazaar

Spice Bazaar

Yerebatan Cistern

Carpets at DOSIM (no purchase, near Blue Mosque)

Blue Mosque

After I did all this, it was 2 pm and I switched hotels and went to Beyoglu. Then I went to Tesvikiye/Nisantasi for shopping.

I left on Day 3 (no sightseeing). No boat ride for me. No Dolmabahce Palace either.

I think to appreciate Istanbul you have to stay for at least 5 days. We did and we thought it was still rushed; we could have stayed another day just to visit one of the islands nearby. Pls. take note that Grand &amp; Spice Bazaars are closed on Sundays. I would think any day other than Saturday (when locals do their own shopping; very congested) would be good esp. early in the morning. I prefer the Spice Bazaar (bought trinkets,herbs, tea, and Turkish delight). I also bought boxes of double pistacchio baklava from Cesme (near the train stop in Sultanhamet. Actually, I purchased most of my souvenirs (good quality and I thought reasonable price) in Selcuk/Sirence (silver jewelries, olive oil soaps and scarves) and Pamukkale (ball house decor and nargile).