Five essential Istanbul experiences

By Jenna Scatena

January 6, 2023

Essential experiences in Istanbul, from the culinary to the curious.

East meets west in Istanbul – a city unlike any other. There are new experiences and sights around every corner, from historic mosques and Ottoman palaces to cool concept stores. Whether you’re in the city for work or pleasure, here are five experiences you shouldn’t miss out on.

Eat the world

As the last stop on the Silk Road, Istanbul has long had a richly varied food scene, calling on different cultures and a heady array of spices. Its best restaurants are rooted in its past but look to the future – like the Michelin-starred Neolokal. Its restlessly innovative menus riff on local produce and traditions; a truffle-laced borek, perhaps, or burnt sheep’s yoghurt sorbet. For lunch, head to Karaköy Lokantasi for hünkar beğendi (Sultan’s delight), slow-cooked lamb with smoky aubergine.

Sample Turkish wines at Solera Winery, paired with local cheese plates, or head for Foxy Nişantaşı for hard-to-find wines and moreish small plates. For cocktails, hit Olea & The Bar at Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus, Istanbul.

Time travel in Sultanahmet

In its more than 4,000-year history, Istanbul has had many incarnations – notably as the ancient Greek city of Byzantium, and as the Roman capital of Constantinople.

Get to the heart of history in Sultanahmet, the beautifully-preserved Old City, where relics from both empires sit side by side. It’s home to the hippodrome and Grand Bazaar, along with Istanbul’s most famous trio: the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace. In need of a quick pick-me-up? The quarter’s dotted with sweet shops, stocked with Turkish delight, nut-studded halva and honeyed baklava.

Hit new heights

At the far end of the Golden Horn lies Pierre Loti hill, a verdant park in the Eyüp neighbourhood, named after a famous French novelist. Catch the cable car up to its tea garden, amid the cypress trees, for soul-stirring views of the Golden Horn.

In Beyoğlu, Galata Tower is another time-honoured lookout point – a centuries-old Genoese watchtower, with a charismatic conical roof. In Istanbul, restaurant rooftops serve as an oasis from the street-level bustle, and have some of the city’s best views. One of the standouts is 360 Istanbul, a sleek, glass-walled bar on a Beyoğlu rooftop, where the sunsets are as heady as the cocktails.

Join the artistic crowd

First, get a handle on the city’s tumultuous history at the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, whose treasures run from the fourth-century Tomb of Iskender to exquisite Izmir tiles, via fragments from the gates of Babylon.

For art-lovers, the Pera Museum is another essential stop. Set in the grandly neoclassical surrounds of the former Hôtel Bristol, it’s a fabulous introduction to 19th-century Orientalist painting. If contemporary art’s more your scene, spend a morning exploring Arter, a strikingly modern cultural hub with a genre-hopping programme, spanning avant-garde exhibitions, concerts and screenings.

Meet Balat’s bright young things

As the historic centre of the city’s Jewish, Greek and Armenian communities, Balat has always been a cultural crossroads. Now, it’s one of Istanbul’s coolest neighbourhoods, famed for its historic brick and stone houses, painted in rainbow hues.

Once you’ve finished taking pictures (every street’s more photogenic than the last), take in its charismatic mix of old and new, from Ottoman mosques and ornate synagogues to vintage shops and scrawled street art. In need of refreshment? Pick from its laidback pavement cafés, or head to Gelato Vita Mia for a sublime lemon and saffron sorbet.

About the Author

Jenna Scatena

Jenna is an award-winning travel writer, based in Istanbul and San Francisco, who has contributed to Condé Nast Traveller, the BBC and Lonely Planet.