Istanbul Layover: Make The Most of a Flight Connection

 

Updated in October 2021

Do you have an Istanbul layover and want to find out what to do?

Istanbul is one of those cities with so much to offer, that you would need a few days to see the most important sights. With a history dating back to 660 BC, nowadays flocks of tourists visit the city to enjoy its world-class museums, historical sites, rich cuisine and wide range of hotels.

I have been to the city more than 20 times, and also had a few layovers. Here I will show you the perfect Istanbul layover itinerary and will use one of my own trips as an example. If you have any concerns about safety in Istanbul, check out this post.

Istanbul Layover: What To Do On a Long Istanbul Flight Connection

On a trip from Tbilisi, in Georgia, to Kyrgyzstan, I had a 10-hour connection in Istanbul. The city is laid out in such a way that in a few hours I visited the main tourist attractions, making the best of my Istanbul flight connection.

My flight landed at 7:15am and by 9am, I was already in the main area of tourist interest. I took the shuttle bus from Istanbul airport to Sultanahmet, which terminates at Beyazit, near the famous Grand Bazaar. The journey takes around 1 hour. Once I got off the bus, I went to the University of Istanbul square. It is a very pleasant place to wind down, watch people, and pose for a few photos by the imposing university entrance. After about 10 minutes, I walked to the nearby bazaar.

This ginormous maze is still one of the largest bazaars in the world. Here you can find practically anything you need (and also what you don’t need), from souvenirs, decoration objects, to fake designer clothes – although some shop owners will swear by their grandmother’s grave everything is original! 🙂 It was very early and the place was already busy.

After some haggling game with a couple of shop owners at the bazaar, I went back to the main street to Sultanahmet Square. Orientation is very easy, I just followed the tram tracks.

Sultanahmet Square is the place for sightseeing in Istanbul. It is home to the magnificent Sultanahmet Mosque, commonly known as the Blue Mosque, due to the blue tiles that adorn its interior. The mosque gets very crowded with tourists, but it’s worth a visit. Just make sure you’re not visiting during prayer times, when tourists are not allowed. Non-Muslims are welcome, and everyone has to take their shoes off. Women must cover their head, and can borrow a scarf at the entrance, and no one wearing shorts or mini-skirts will be allowed in.

The interior is beautifully decorated by more than 20,000 ceramic tiles, some with Arabic scriptures from the Quran, others designed with representations of flowers and fruits.

Just opposite the Blue Mosque, is the equally imposing Haya Sophia. It was built in the 6th century as a church, then converted into a mosque, turned into a museum and converted again into a mosque in 2020. Entrance to Haya Sophia used to be charged, but now that it’s a mosque again, it’s free. Unlike the Blue Mosque, here you can come in during prayer times.

From here, you can walk towards Galata Bridge, following the tram tracks. This way is slightly longer, but it’s the best way to avoid getting lost in the labyrinthine streets. After Sultanahmet, this is in fact one of my favourite areas in the whole of Istanbul.

Here, where the Golden Horn meets the Bosphorus, you can get some great views of Istanbul. In the area, you could visit the New Mosque and the Spice Bazaar, but if you’ve been inside the Grand Bazaar and the Blue Mosque, I recommend you skip these two. Once I got to the small junction by the bridge, a drizzle that lasted about ten minutes washed my face. I could hear the sound of ferries, street sellers shouting, trying to sell their goods, cars and trams from coming from everywhere and seagulls flying.

Trying to escape the rain, I went to one of the boat restaurants for a quick snack, before crossing the bridge on foot. This is a good place to have a quick bite to eat and to practise one of my favourite exercises: people watching. Fishermen, hundreds of them, of all ages and sizes, take over the bridge catching small fish and selling them right there.

After slowly crossing Galata Bridge, I got to the other side and I climbed the hilly streets that lead to the 67-metre high Galata Tower, another of Istanbul’s postcards. After taking a few pictures, I walked up Galip Dede Caddesi (street).

This street can get you confused as to whether you are in Istanbul or in Italy, because of the architecture. It is full of interesting shops, many of them selling musical instruments, old vinyl and artsy t-shirts. While at the Grand Bazaar you must have good haggling skills, here prices are labelled and you often get better value. It is, in fact, another of my favourite spots in the city.

As you walk up Galip Dede Street, you can stop at one of the trendy cafes, before getting to Istiklal Caddesi. This pedestrian street is just a continuation of the previous one, but much more modern. It is the city’s main shopping artery, home department stores, traditional Turkish delis, countless cafes and designer shops.

This is another place to sit down at a cafe or have a quick lunch enjoying the sunshine and watching the crowds of shoppers, workers, tourists and the historic tram passing by.

After that, you can walking up the street all the way to the end. You will arrive at Taksim Square, the heart of modern Istanbul, the city’s main transportation hub, the final point of my walk.

From here, you can walk towards the airport bus stop (located here). Havaist buses to Istanbul Airport and Havabus, which goes to Sabiha Gokcen airport depart from here.

If your flight arrives at Sabiha airport, you can just follow this route in the reverse order, so you can enjoy your Istanbul layover.

Istanbul Layover: Conclusion

To follow the whole of this itinerary, you have to make sure your Istanbul flight connection is at least 8 hours long.

You must arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to your next flight. From 4pm to 7pm, traffic gets very busy and the journey to either airport can take up to 2 hours.

Following this itinerary, you will be able to enjoy some of the city’s main sights and make the best use of your Istanbul layover. If you have a long flight afterwards, it will help you sleep on the plane. 🙂

What about you, have you ever been to Istanbul? What are your favourite sights?