Istanbul is an amazing mix of Asia, Europe and the Middle East. While Türkiye is definitely more of a budget destination, it’s still easy to spend a lot in a short amount of time. It’s also easy to get overwhelmed as there’s so much to see and do in the city. We were also only able to visit for three days in February and spent our time doing easy, free and very cheap things in the city. Because of this, we’ve put this list together of what to do in Istanbul on a budget in three days to help you save money and time when visiting this beautiful city!

In this post:

1. Sultanahmet
   • Mosques
   • Gülhane Park
   • Bazaars
2. Kadıköy
3. Beyoğlu
   • Galata Tower
   • İstiklal Avenue
   • Karaköy

The best way to start in Istanbul is to wander around the Sultanahmet area, see some of the incredible mosques, and explore the vibrant bazaars.

Sultanahmet is a neighbourhood on the European side of Istanbul which is home to the famous Blue and Hagia Sophia mosques. In our opinion, this is the best place to stay when visiting Istanbul. It’s easy to get to, lots of restaurants and tourist attractions nearby and we never felt unsafe there. We stayed in the Ada Hotel and the Happy Suite Boutique Hotel and while both were great, we preferred the Ada Hotel. Both of them were are around Sultanahmet Square which is a lovely place to wander around. You can also head down to the water and walk along it admiring the views across the Bosphorus.

The first mosque, that you literally can’t miss is the Blue Mosque. This mosque is absolutely huge and beautiful, and is the only mosque in Istanbul with six minarets, (the thin towers). It is open from 9am to 6pm every day, is free to enter and provides free headscarves for women. You also have to take your shoes off inside so definitely wear socks the day you visit! Right next to this mosque is a little park with a lovely fountain, and then you’ll find the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque.

This is one of the most famous mosques in Istanbul, completed in 537AD, it is said to be the epitome of Byzantine architecture. It’s open from 9am to 7:30pm every day but unfortunately isn’t the most budget friendly activity at €25 each. There is a ticket booth out the front, however the queue likely gets very long in the summer months. We’d recommend buying skip the line tickets on Get Your Guide that also come with an audio guide. For both mosques, make sure you are dressed modestly, with knees and shoulders covered.

Right next to the Hagia Sophia is the Topkapi Palace Museum. This palace served as the main living headquarters for the Ottoman sultans from the 1460s to 1856. It is now a huge area with four courtyards, a treasury, and some wonderful gardens. However once again this is not a budget friendly activity so we didn’t end up visiting here either. If you do want to visit, it is around €55 per person for a combined ticket for the palace and two other buildings inside. Again you can buy skip the line tickets over on Get Your Guide that also come with guides.

After exploring some of the mosques, head next door to Gülhane park for a bit of quiet. It’s free to go into and is open 24 hours. It’s such a lovely tranquil spot in the middle of the bustling Istanbul streets. There’s lots of paths, tree cover, a fountain and creek, and some historical landmarks to enjoy. There’s also some street cats wandering around that might come and sit with you (this happened to us and it was very wholesome).

Also, just as you enter the park this is the perfect time to try a simit. This is a round bread, crusted with sesame seeds and can be found everywhere in Istanbul. You can get plain ones and also often find them filled with chocolate spread or cream cheese. They’re super cheap and are often sold at the entrance to the park.

Lastly on day one, after relaxing a bit in the park, head back out into the busy city to explore some of the bazaars. Firstly next to the water is the Spice or Egyptian Bazaar. This is a little L shaped building mostly selling fresh tea, dried fruits, nuts, spices and clothing. It’s a lovely place to wander around and wasn’t too busy when we visited in February. It is open 9am to 7pm and is open every day except public and religious holidays.

However the most famous bazaar to visit is the Grand Bazaar. This is one of the oldest covered markets in the world, having been started over 550 years ago. It’s also one of the largest, with over 4000 shops in 61 different streets, employing an astonishing 26,000 people. They sell everything the spice bazaar does, as well as pottery, jewellery, rugs, lamps, soaps, chess sets and souvenirs. It’s busy but super interesting and somewhere you can easily spend several hours wandering around.

On day two, a great thing to do is catch a ferry over to the Asian side of Istanbul. It’s quieter than the European side and has some great shops and restaurants to explore. This is also where we had one of our favourite meals in Türkiye.

To get there from the European side, head down to the Eminönü ferry port. It’s right by the Spice Bazaar, and is walkable from the Sultanahmet area. There’s also lots of tram stops nearby. From here, you’ll want to find a ferry heading to Kadıköy, which goes every 20 minutes. It’s a nice calm ride that takes around 25 minutes and costs ₺38 or only $1.70 AUD each way. Using the public transport is such a good way to see Istanbul on a budget!

Once in Kadıköy, you can walk along the water to see the views, but you’ll want to head into the main area. We found this by walking towards the yellow section on Google Maps which indicates the popular area. However if you don’t have Google Maps, just head inland. Here, there’s lots of cool shops selling clothes, jewellery, ceramics, sweets, and fun trinkets. There’s also some great food and we got some amazing chicken curry with pilav from a restaurant called Sotapi.

It really is a super cool area to wander around for a couple of hours. Plus with the cheap ferry ride there and back, it’s a great day out exploring another part of Istanbul on a budget.

Our favourite thing we did in Istanbul was to visit part of the Beyoğlu region near the water. It is so different from both Sultanahmet and the Asian sides of the city. There are some parts that feel super European, while the shops still Turkish products. It’s a really cool place to look around while still enjoying Istanbul on a budget.

This part of the city is north of Golden Horn, the estuary that separates the European side into two sections. It can be quickly accessed from Sultanahmet by tram. It’s also easy to get to by walking over the Galata Bridge, just next to the Eminönü ferry port.

Once on the other side, head first to the famous Galata Tower. Completed in 1348, this is a medieval tower originally built as a watchtower. It is now a museum with an amazing 360 degree view down to Istanbul. However it is quite expensive at 30€ each. If you choose not to go up it, it’s still absolutely worth visiting as it’s an iconic thing to see in Istanbul. The famous view up the street can be found at “Büyük Hendek Cd” on Google Maps.

After admiring the beautiful tower, head up to İstiklal Avenue (İstiklal Cd. on Google Maps). This is a 1.4km pedestrian and tram only street with lots of shops and restaurants along it. There’s lots of chain stores as well as libraries, theatres, clubs, pubs, restaurants, cafes and independent shops. If you’re after Turkish treats, there are heaps of stores along the street selling every flavour of Turkish delight. Our personal favourite kind of Turkish delights are the lokum rolls, pictured below. The street really feels like somewhere in Northern Europe and it’s super strange after the chaos of the rest of Istanbul. However it really is a great place to wander around and is definitely worth a visit!

On the way back to Sultanahmet, stop by Karaköy. This is a really nice area that includes a harbourside walk called the “Galataport Promenade”. There’s heaps of restaurants and shops here as well as a lovely view along the Bosphorus. You’ll also find the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art and the Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture. It’s a lovely place to finish off your visit to the wonderful Beyoğlu region of Istanbul.

So that’s three days in the beautiful city of Istanbul! There is so much to see and do but it’s also so easy to see Istanbul on a budget. The Sultanahmet area is the best place to stay, near the famous mosques, a great park, the bazaars and lots of shops and restaurants. A visit to the Asian side is also a must, with so many great shops to look at and a great pilav place. And lastly the Beyoğlu region was our favourite, with the amazing Galata tower and İstiklal Avenue. Everything we did was either cheap or free and we really felt like we got a great introduction to the wonderful city of Istanbul.

To see what we got up to during our three days in Istanbul, watch our vlog:

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