Hagia Sophia and Istanbul’s Historic Basilicas
A guide to Hagia Sophia and Istanbul’s other historic basilicas: ages, opening rules, dress code, nearest tram stops and how to see them in one day.
A guide to Hagia Sophia and Istanbul’s other historic basilicas: ages, opening rules, dress code, nearest tram stops and how to see them in one day.
Underground cisterns in Istanbul you can actually visit today: Basilica Cistern and Şerefiye, with hours, tickets and getting there explained simply here.
Basilica Cistern tickets explained: how to book online, what the entry fee covers, opening hours, and getting there from Sultanahmet tram stop.
A practical guide to Istanbul hammams: which historic baths to choose, what a session costs, what to wear, and how to get there by tram.
A practical guide to whirling dervish ceremonies in Istanbul: venues, showtimes, what to wear, and how far ahead to book, updated September 2026.
How to visit the Şerefiye Cistern in Istanbul: opening hours, the evening dervish show, getting there by tram, and what the visit actually involves.
A practical guide to visiting the Theodosius Cistern in Istanbul: opening hours, the evening dervish show, tickets and how it compares to its larger neighbour.
Boat trips in Istanbul explained: Bosphorus cruises, Golden Horn tours, sunset dinners, public ferries and private charters, with September 2026 prices.
Camlica Hill views take in both continents and the Bosphorus at once. Here’s how to get there, what it costs, and when to go.
A guide to Istanbul’s lesser-known cisterns — Şerefiye Sarnıcı and the Cistern of Theodosius — with hours, shows and how to get there.
Museum entry in Istanbul has become expensive, particularly for foreign visitors, who pay separate and considerably higher rates at most state and municipal sites. What has not changed is that a great deal of the best of the city costs nothing at all. Every mosque is free. So are both bazaars, the parks, the bridges […]
Almost every monument in Istanbul closes in the late afternoon, which leaves visitors standing in Sultanahmet at six in the evening with nothing to do. The city itself does not stop. It just moves, onto the water, up the hills and into neighbourhoods most day itineraries never reach. Here are twelve things worth doing after […]