Updated July 2026
Few cities can match Istanbul when it comes to history. Straddling two continents, it has been the capital of three great empires—the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman—and for more than 2,000 years it has been one of the world’s most important crossroads for trade, religion and culture. It is one of my absolute favourite cities in the 61 countries I’ve visited as of 2026.
I’ve visited Istanbul several times and still keep finding reasons to return. Whether you’re interested in UNESCO World Heritage Sites, archaeology, architecture, museums or simply soaking up the atmosphere over a cup of Turkish tea, Istanbul is one of the world’s great cities for cultural travellers.
Planning a weekend in Istanbul can feel overwhelming. This is, after all, a city that has served as the capital of three empires and is packed with world-famous monuments, museums, markets and neighbourhoods.
To help you make the most of a short stay, I’ve put together a cultural weekend guide covering the city’s top sights, where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and where to shop. Whether your interests lie in UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Byzantine churches, Ottoman palaces or simply wandering streets where Europe meets Asia, this itinerary focuses on the experiences that make Istanbul one of the world’s greatest cultural cities.
If you only have a short stop for day or two, this is where I’d start.
2 TOP CULTURAL SIGHTS IN ISTANBUL
TRANSPORTATION
Getting from the airport to Istanbul center is the first thing that sets a budget trip apart form a luxury.
Get a taxi. Make sure it’s a registered one and not a fake one dropping you somewhere. Get small notes beforehand, so you can give exact change or it will be “no change sorry”. Even though you make sure a meter is ticking, then you follow the route on your phone to make sure the driver doesn’t drive a huge detour.
On our first visit, we just took an Uber – a black transporter with leather seats, charger for your iPhone and toned windows. It was 11€. On the way back to the airport, we had the hotel call a taxi and there was no problems. So maybe the rumours are only justified when arriving.
The metro and the tram are still cheap, but you’ll stand all the way. There are automatic ticket machines taking notes, and the system is pretty easy to use.
HOTEL IN ISTANBUL
Okay, this is not a cheap hotel. Compared to how inexpensive hotels and hostels in Istanbul are, we payed a fortune. In all for 3 nights for 2 people 535€ (2019 price) – including breakfast and entrance to the spa. And compared to what you usually pay for a standard hotel in London or New York – this is extremely reasonable. And it’s the best hotel, I’ve ever stayed at (and not my first 5-star hotel). Being upgraded for free didn’t make it any worse.
But you can easily find a 4-star hotel at half the price we payed. But then you miss out on this view… On my second visit I stayed at 4-star hotel since prices are now higher. But it was not worth it.
FOOD & DRINK
For drinks you have to try apple tea (super sweet), ayran (surprisingly good salted yogurt drink), raki (after dinner with fruit) and the local wine (the expensive red ones are the best).
77€! That’s the price for a 4-course dinner in the best restaurant in town in 2019. Mikla is #40 on the list World 50 best restaurants. At that price you could eat here every night compared to other big European cities. But as a cultural traveller the trick is to find restaurants serving local produced and traditional dishes. Hence: local wine, lambs heart and manti. The view from the restaurant at the top of a hotel is spectacular, so get a seating around sunset.
Great food is luxury, and it doesn’t have to be in fancy restaurants or expensive. A more down to earth place is Arada Cafe. But it’s busy in weekends. Go upstairs for the best tables.
The street food however, you can’t spend a lot of money on. In Istanbul you have to eat some köfte and durum as well – the durum wasn’t big, but it was cheap. We had the best köfte in Sultanahmet Köftecisi near Hagia Sofia serving you since 1920. And the absolut best döner in Dönerci Sahin Usta. Expect to wit in line and have Turkish people asking you how you know of this place. One guy had driven 100 km just for that durum. And it was that good.
Turkish delights is half-price, but I eat more than twice as much as at home, so there’s really no saving here…
SHOPPING
If not for anything else, head for Istanbul for the shopping. Gold, leather, spices and textiles for half the price.
Most of the high quality leather bags you buy at home are made in Turkey anyway, so cut out the middle man. I bought a really nice shopper with matching cross-body for 200€ when I first visited in 2019. By 2023, it was so damaged I bought a new rucksack in camel leather for around the same price. Probably paid to much…
Hamam towels whisper luxury. These were made of organic cotton and sold in Jennifer’s Hamam in the Arasta bazaar near the Blue Mosque. I recently bought some in Egypt as well, but this time I expanded the collection with a bathrobe. It’s soo nice. It makes my thin-cottoned kimono from Zimbabwe seem ridiculous (1. world problems…) You can probably find them cheaper somewhere else, but these are made on old looms. You know luxury – the cultural way. They are about half price compared to Denmark.
Especially gold is a good buy. We bought two gold signet rings engraved with our initials from the shop Sara (my name) in the Grand Bazaar. It took 20 min. to resize and engrave the rings, and it was at least half price from home. And we had apple tea while waiting.
Unfortunately, the price has also risen dramatically when I visited this year. More people were selling gold than buying. I bought a long gold necklace for a 100€. Not that cheap.
The Grand Bazaar is shopping Ottooman style and is actually one of the largest in the world since the 1700’s. There’s even a decent toilet, and since we didn’t have small change a Turkish woman payed for us. Again proving how nice the Turkish people are when you visit. When we finally gathered all our change, we tried to repay her, but she was almost insulted. Then we tried to give the change to the woman managing the toilet, but she refused as well. Extraordinary country.
You can also find contemporary designers like the Istanbul-based mindful clothing from A Hidden Bee, and the area between Sishane and Tophane stations near Karaköy has some fine small boutiques.
WELLNESS
When I look back on the trip – lying on the big grey warm marble slab with my sister in our wet towels with ugly leather slippers, while 8 Turkish women chattered away as they were scrubbing 8 other women – it’s just make me smile. Nothing is more life empowering. So obviously, I also went here on my 2. visit to Istanbul.
Luxury and wellness often go together. No matter if you are travelling with a full pocket or on a shoestring, you have to go to the hamam in Istanbul. For real budget, try a local one, but remember to bring your own slippers, hamam towel (which you of course just bought) and soap. Notice, the hamams are divided into men and women. If you’re a couple, you’ll have to find a more touristy one at a hotel.
Again: don’t go for the first. Seek out one of the old hamams. The one near Hagia Sofia is old, but also extremely expensive. My favourite is the recently restored Kilic Ali Pasa that was built in 16th century and named after a general and was meant for the navy boys. It was sooo good. Clean, friendly staff and so relaxed.
But if you travel with your sister like me and can spare 55€ on an unforgettable experience, let someone else handle everything and avoid carrying a wet towel. And most important: some strong Turkish lady will scrub you, massage you and soap you in. For my 2. visit, the prices were the same. SOOO worth it! I can’t wait for my 3. visit.
- Arrive and get some warm hand towels and a cold drink
- Change into hamam towel and slippers
- Have someone pour warm water over you
- Lay for 20 min on a warm massage bench
- Scrubbing and soaping and rinsing and massaging
- Dry off and relax with some mint tea
You can also order extra massage, but this is more than enough to make you feel like your in heaven. I think you can actually see how relaxed we were afterwards…
Istanbul isn’t the bargain it was when I first visited. Prices have risen significantly over the past few years, and it’s no longer one of Europe’s cheapest city breaks. That said, compared with many Western European capitals, you can still enjoy a surprisingly luxurious stay for far less than you’d expect. You may not get a five-star weekend for the price of a budget trip to the Nordic countries anymore, but your money still goes much further here than in cities like Paris, London or Copenhagen.
But Istanbul is one of those rare cities that never feels finished. No matter how many times I visit, there is always another neighbourhood to explore, another museum to wander through or another rooftop view over the Bosphorus waiting for sunset.
Of course, you could spend weeks here, but even with just a few days you’ll hopefully agree with me and see why the city has fascinated emperors, merchants and travellers for centuries. Its layers of Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman history make it one of the richest cultural destinations anywhere in the world. Well anyway of the 61 countries I’ve been to.
Istanbul of course made it almost to the top of my Best & Worst Destinations from 2019 If you’re into Turkey head for the coast and Take a day trip from the beach to the ancient city of Perge.
Have I missed one of your Istanbul favourites? I’d love to hear your recommendations for my next visit. After all, Istanbul seems to reward those who keep coming back.
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