Things to Do in Istanbul

Hagia Sophia at opening

Walk in and the 1,500-year-old dome stops you cold. Something this big? Shouldn't be possible without steel. The marble floor is worn smooth in grooves where millions of feet have stood gawking, and the gold mosaics catch the morning light in a way photos never quite capture. Worth noting: since its reconversion to a mosque, non-Muslim visitors enter via the upper gallery, which gives you a better dome view anyway.

A proper Turkish bath at Çemberlitaş Hamamı

Sinan designed this hammam in 1584, and the central göbektaşı (heated marble slab) is still the same one. You lie there sweating for twenty minutes before a tellak scrubs you down with a kese mitt that removes what feels like three layers of skin, then foams you up with olive-oil soap. You walk out feeling like a new person. Slightly dazed. Smelling faintly of laurel.

A Bosphorus ferry ride to Kadıköy

Locals swear by this. They're right. Skip the overpriced 'Bosphorus cruise' boats and take the regular commuter ferry from Eminönü or Karaköy instead. You glide past the wooden yalı mansions of the wealthy, the Ottoman palaces, and the looming twin towers of Rumeli Hisarı, all for the price of a metro ticket. The seagulls scream overhead. The tea seller comes around with his clinking glasses, and Istanbul reveals itself as a maritime city, the only way it ever makes sense.

Eating your way through Kadıköy market

The Tuesday market sprawls through residential streets in the Osmanağa neighborhood. But the permanent Kadıköy Çarşısı runs daily. This is where you'll find the city's best fishmongers, pickle shops with neon-bright jars of stuffed peppers, and the legendary Çiya Sofrası restaurant where chef Musa Dağdeviren resurrects forgotten Anatolian dishes. The smell never lets up. Grilling lamb. Dried herbs.

Walking the Theodosian Walls from Yedikule to Edirnekapı

Few visitors make it out here. Strange, since these 5th-century walls held off invading armies for a thousand years and they're still mostly standing. You can scramble up onto the ramparts in spots. The route takes you through Balat and Fener, the old Greek and Jewish quarters. Laundry strings between pastel-painted Ottoman houses. Stray cats outnumber tourists ten to one.

Sultanahmet, the postcard old city. Walking distance to the major monuments but touristy and quiet after dark.

Karaköy and Galata. Hip neighborhoods around the Galata Tower with boutique hotels, third-wave coffee, and easy tram access.

Beyoğlu and Cihangir. The bohemian district off İstiklal Caddesi where writers and artists do live, with great nightlife and meyhanes.

Beşiktaş. Locals' neighborhood with markets, sports bars, and ferry access to the Asian side. No tourist crush.

Kadıköy. Asian-side base with the city's best food market, indie scene, and a Mediterranean pace. 20 minutes by ferry from everything.

Balat. Photogenic, residential, and increasingly gentrified. Good for a few nights of slow exploration. But limited transit options.