Second Time in...Istanbul

Istanbul has a hypnotic quality that has drawn travellers back for over a millennium – congratulations, you’re far from the first to be enticed back. The blockbuster sites of Sultanahmet are where most tourists congregate and with good reason. Wandering Hagia Sophia, being dazzled by the Blue Mosque, and – unsuccessfully – haggling your way through the Grand Bazaar are travellers’ rites of passage.

A return visit to Istanbul offers an opportunity, to peel back another layer of Istanbul - one that's less about guidebook staples and more about local rhythms and unexpected delights.

Here's how to spend two days in Istanbul when you're ready to go beyond the usual.

You’ve already done:  Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, ascended the Galata Tower, descended into the Byzantine Cistern, done a Bosphorous Cruise – hopefully one without the tourist trap ‘dinner and a show’, explored the nightlife around Taksim Square.

At A Glance

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Where To Stay

I have stayed in all three of these over the years, most recently in Ikiz Konak in Kadakoy – take your pick on the area you’re most intrigued by

Story Hotel Pera – Just round the corner from Taksim Square, this quiet boutique hotel has spotless rooms and offers airport pick up and – intriguingly – portable WiFi for when you’re out and about.  Rooms from £80 / €95 / $110 per night.

Agora Guesthouse – Offers that rare combination of being bang in the centre of Sultanahmet without being horrifically noisy 24 hours a day.  The breakfast and insider tips from the staff are among the best in the city.  Rooms from £60 / €72 / $85 per night.

Ikiz Konak Boutique Hotel – Close to the buzzing heart of Kadikoy’s nightlife and café scene but with clean, quiet and attractively furnished rooms.  The breakfast in the small garden is the perfect way to start a day of exploration.   Rooms from £70/ €85 / $95 per night.

What To Do

History and Culture of Turkish Cuisine – Hands down, one of the best food tours I’ve ever done. Circumnavigating the Beyoglu district with fresh produce aplenty and some superb food hiding in plain sight.  Lunch and dinner tours available

Gedikpasa Turkish Bath – You will never feel cleaner or more relaxed after being pummeled into submission at this authentic hamman not far from the Grand Bazaar.  The marble architecture alone is worth the admission.

Day 1

Morning: Emirgan Park & Rumeli Hisarı

On this return visit, start your day in Emirgan Park (free entry), one of the largest green spaces in the city (a 20 minute Uber ride from Sultanahmet).  Come spring, it explodes into brilliant colour with millions of tulips during the annual Istanbul Tulip Festival, but it’s peaceful year-round with Ottoman-era pavilions, ponds, and Bosphorus views.  It’s a lovely place for a coffee and pastry to start the day, a world away from the hectic pace in most of the city.

From there, descend to street level and stroll along the Bosphorus south for about 30 minutes to reach Rumeli Hisarı (Yahya Kemal Cd. No:42, Sarıyer, entry 60TL).  This 15th-century fortress was built in a record-breaking four months to help Sultan Mehmed II conquer Constantinople. You can climb the towers for delightful views over the narrowest part of the Bosphorus with minarets speckling the skyline in all directions. Grab a casual lunch nearby 

Afternoon: Bosphorus Ferry & Balat

From here, catch a ferry (from Istinye or Bebek stops) and cruise south along the Bosphorus, watching the palaces, mosques and mansions drift by.  This is by far Istanbul's most scenic public transport, and a bargain at only 15 TL (~€0.50).

Ferries get very busy at weekends to be sure to pay attention as to where you’re disembarking – you’re looking for Eminönü – and not three stops early as I did on my last visit!  

Choose your own adventure tangents aside, when you disembark, grab an Uber to Balat, Istanbul’s old Jewish and Greek quarter.  Visit Fener Greek Orthodox College, admire the Ahrida Synagogue (exterior only), and browse antique shops and second-hand bookstores.  The coloured houses on steep streets dot many influencers’ snaps of Istanbul but be warned many people have the same idea on weekends so consider reversing today’s itinerary if you’re traveling in high season.   

Before you start, pop into Forno Balat (Yıldırım Cd. No:55) for a late lunch pide (Turkish pizza) and freshly baked goods in a neighbourhood bakery-turned-café.  The people-watching here is as delectable as your lunch.

Evening: Dinner & Drinks in Kadıköy

After freshening back up at your hotel, cross to the Asian side by ferry and arrive in Kadıköy, a lively neighbourhood brimming with evening life to suit all tastes and budgets

Start with dinner at Çiya Sofrası (Güneşli Bahçe Sk. No:43), where the menu reads like a culinary map of Turkey, everything from Gaziantep-style lamb stew to vegetarian mezzes accompanied with the irrestible Turkish bread.

After dinner, head to Arkaoda (Kadife Sk. No:18) for live music and rakı-fuelled conversation, or try Buddha Bar (Barış Manço Cd. No:50) for strong cocktails in a mellow, mood-lit setting.

I recently stayed in the Ikiz Konak Boutique Hotel close by and would highly recommend it as a base. The area is buzzy at all hours (the coffee shops nearby are to die for) but this small hotel represents the cliche oasis of calm, which you'll be glad to retreat to.

Day 2

Morning: Istanbul Food Tour

Today’s focus is unashamedly edible in nature. Food tours are two-a-lira in Istanbul but the this one is like a ‘who’s who’ of Turkish cuisine and you can’t avoid leaving without feeling stuffed and all the happier for it.  It includes crowd pleasers such as the best doner kebab in the city to the oldest baklava joint, whose original patron was the Ottoman sultan. You'll also sample thick-as-tar Turkish coffee and lokum (Turkish delight) in a side street off the grand bazaar which you could pass a thousand times and miss. If you manage to finish the coffee, you're doing better than me!

The best parts of the tour were the less obvious attractions like a delicious beef and bean stew at an unmarked workman’s café and perfectly flaky börek.  Each stop is handpicked, local, and refreshingly free of tourist gloss.  Suffice to say you won’t need lunch afterwards.

The tour ends close to the back of the grand bazaar and this is your cue to explore the surroundings.

Not the tourist corridor selling leatherware, lights and jewellry but the enticing and exclusively local spice market at Egyptian Bazaar.  Here, amid earthy sacks of pul biber and strings of dried eggplant, vendors still measure out cinnamon and cumin by hand. It’s atmospheric and extremely affordable.  I emerged with a Turkish teapot and enough spices to keep a family business operational for a couple of years.

Mid-Afternoon: Theodosius Cistern (Şerefiye Sarnıcı)

Avoid the temptation to descend into a food coma and take the short walk from the Spice Bazaar is the Theodosius Cistern (Entry: 190 TL), also known as Şerefiye Sarnıcı (Piyer Loti Cd. No:25, Fatih).

Built in the 5th century under Emperor Theodosius II, this underground reservoir is smaller and quieter than its famous cousin in Sultanahmet, but beautifully restored with funky sound-and-light projections that bring its ancient stone columns to life. It's a little psychadelic but the juxtaposition between the ancient architecture and the modern light system is something to behold.

On a sticky Istanbul afternoon there's nowhere better to be than this cool, atmospheric, and usually blissfully uncrowded space.  Summer sees it host evening concerts – sadly this hasn’t coincided with my visits but I imagine the acoustics are sensational.

Before dinner, treat yourself to a proper scrub and massage at Gedikpasa Turkish Bath,  approximately 10-15 minutes from the cistern. I've always been a bit wary of hammans, not really knowing the rituals involved (and fear of being pummeled into a pulp) but here you're talked through each step and you have never felt so clean in your life. And that's before one of the best massages I've ever enjoyed!

Evening: Dinner with a View

Seeing as you're the shiniest you'll ever be post-massage, it's time to indulge.

Book well in advance - at Mikla (The Marmara Pera, Meşrutiyet Cd. No:15, Beyoğlu).  With a rooftop terrace and a Michelin star, Mikla is one of Istanbul’s best dining experiences, offering contemporary Anatolian cuisine with a side of skyline.  You’ll likely still be stuffed after lunch so opt for a late booking – your stomach will thank you and the skyline is just as enticing by night.

For a nightcap, head down the hill to Alex’s Place (Beyoğlu), a tiny cocktail bar that serves clever concoctions without the fuss.  

If you’re feeling bold, try a rakı sour - and then try standing up - or their excellent take on a Negroni.

If your first trip to Istanbul is about ticking off the icons, your second should be about slowing down and digging deeper. This city rewards curiosity, and once you drift off the main trail, you’ll find a side of Istanbul that’s rich, relaxed, and endlessly fascinating. Think neighbourhoods with soul, food made from memory, and secrets that lie just beneath your feet (sometimes literally).  Best of all? You’ll see a version of Istanbul that many never do.