Istanbul isnโt a city you visit โ itโs a city you feel. With over 2,000 years of layered history, vibrant street life, and rich culinary traditions, it deserves more than a rushed walk through Sultanahmet. If youโve got one full week in Istanbul, this itinerary will take you deep โ through empires, across continents, into bustling markets and hammams, and back out into sunset-lit ferry rides and rooftop feasts.
This is your 7-day cultural immersion plan: a perfect blend of history, food, religion, art, local life, and rest.
๐ Day 1 โ The Imperial Core (Sultanahmet)
Start your journey with Istanbulโs most iconic sights in the Old City:
- ํ๊ธฐ์ ์ํผ์ (Mosque & Museum)
- ๋ธ๋ฃจ ๋ชจ์คํฌ (early morning or late afternoon)
- ๋ฐ์ค๋ฆฌ์นด ์์คํด
- ํ ํ์นดํผ ๊ถ์ (including the Harem section)
- ๊ทํ๋ค ๊ณต์ for a relaxing stroll afterward
์ ์ฌ: Try traditional Turkish meatballs at Sultanahmet Kรถftecisi
์ ๋
: Rooftop dinner with views of Hagia Sophia
๐ [Book skip-the-line tickets for Hagia Sophia + Topkapi here]
๐ Day 2 โ Religion, Architecture & Local Vibes
Explore Istanbulโs religious heart and peaceful backstreets:
- ์ด๋ ์ด๋ง๋์ ๋ชจ์คํฌ (Sinanโs masterpiece)
- Rustem Pasha Mosque (stunning Iznik tiles)
- ๊ทธ๋๋ ๋ฐ์๋ฅด โ focus on carpets, antiques, and gold
- Zeyrek & FenerโBalat walking route for local color, street art, and churches
์คํ: Stop at Sรผleymaniye Cafรฉ for tea with a view
Dinner: Meze and raki at Asmalฤฑ Cavit
๐ [Join a walking tour of hidden Ottoman mosques + backstreets]
๐ Day 3 โ Bosphorus Beauty & Palatial Splendor
Today is all about opulence and water views:
- ๋ณด์คํฌ๋ฌ์ค ํฌ๋ฃจ์ฆ (morning ride โ short or full-day)
- ๋๋ง๋ฐํ์ฒด ๊ถ์ (European-inspired Ottoman grandeur)
- Stroll through ๋ฒ ์ํ์ค or visit Yฤฑldฤฑz Park
์ ์ฌ: ์์ ๋จน๋ค ์นด๋ผ์ฝ์ด ๊ตด๋ฃจ์ค๊ธ๋ฃจ for top-tier baklava
์คํ: ๋ฐฉ๋ฌธํ๋ค ๊ฐ๋ผํ ํ์ for 360ยฐ views
Walk down ์ด์คํฐํด๋ ๊ฑฐ๋ฆฌ to Taksim Square
Dinner: Rooftop at ๋ฏธํด๋ผ ๋๋ ๋ค์ค๋ก์นผ
๐ [Book a Bosphorus cruise + Dolmabahรงe combo tour]
๐ Day 4 โ Slow Morning + Hammam + Art
Take it easy today with a mix of relaxation and contemporary culture:
- Morning Hammam Session: Choose Kฤฑlฤฑรง Ali Paลa ๋๋ Hurrem Sultan Hamam
- Istanbul Modern ๋๋ SALT ๊ฐ๋ผํ for modern art and design
- Walk through Karakรถyโs cafรฉs and concept stores
- Optional ferry ride to ํ๋ฆฐ์ค ์์ผ๋๋ for a quiet afternoon bike ride and seafood lunch
Dinner: Back in town, try a casual meal in ์นํญ๊ธฐ๋ฅด ๋๋ Moda
๐ [Book a luxury hammam session or full spa experience]
๐ [Add a gallery day pass or ferry ticket package]
๐ Day 5 โ Cross to Asia: Kadฤฑkรถy, Moda & รskรผdar
Take the ferry to the Asian side and explore local life:
- Kadฤฑkรถy Market: Browse olives, cheeses, and spices
- Moda: Art cafรฉs, seaside stroll, street art, secondhand bookstores
- Try street food: lahmacun, midye dolma, simit, kokoreรง
Afternoon in รskรผdar:
- ๋ฐฉ๋ฌธํ๋ค ๋ฏธํ๋ฆฌ๋ง ์ ํ ๋ชจ์คํฌ
- Enjoy the Salacak shoreline view of ๋ฉ์ด๋ ํ์
- Option: Taxi up to รamlฤฑca Mosque and Hill
Dinner: Sunset return ferry + dinner in Karakรถy or Galata
๐ [Join a guided ferry + food tour of the Asian Side]
๐ Day 6 โ Markets, Food & Cooking Class
Dive into Istanbulโs culinary soul today:
- Visit the Spice Bazaar early (avoid crowds)
- Shop for Turkish delight, saffron, teas, and oils
- Stop by Egyptian Bazaar Street for dried fruits and baklava
์คํ: Join a Turkish cooking class โ learn to make dolma, meze, and more
์ ๋
: Dinner is part of your class โ or eat light and finish with kunefe ๋๋ Turkish coffee at a traditional lokanta
๐ [Book a cooking class with a local chef โ includes ingredients + recipes]
๐ Day 7 โ Faith, Legacy & Free Time
Use your last day to reflect, wander, and do what you missed:
- ๋ฐฉ๋ฌธํ๋ค Chora Church / Kariye Mosque (mosaics)
- Walk along the ancient Theodosian Walls
- Browse Arasta Bazaar ๋๋ ๋์จํ์ for final shopping
- Stop by a quiet mosque or hidden han
์ ํ ๊ณผ๋ชฉ: If you’re spiritual, take a moment to visit Eyรผp Mosque and ride the cable car to Pierre Loti Cafรฉ for one last panoramic view
Dinner: Choose your favorite neighborhood one last time
๐ [End your week with a spiritual heritage tour or final rooftop dinner booking]
๐๏ธ Suggested Add-Ons & Bookings
- โ [Istanbul Museum Pass (Hagia Sophia, Topkapi, Dolmabahรงe, Galata)]
- โ [3-day ferry + tram card (Istanbulkart)]
- โ [Cooking class with market visit]
- โ [Luxury hammam or spa day]
- โ [Private Bosphorus sunset cruise]
๐งณ Final Thoughts
A week in Istanbul gives you just enough time to fall in love โ with its food, skyline, history, and people. By balancing big sights with hidden gems, fast-paced tours with lazy ferry rides, youโll experience Istanbul the way locals do: not just as a place, but as a living rhythm.
โจ Ready to plan your dream Istanbul week?
Combine this itinerary with skip-the-line tickets, ferry cards, and unforgettable local experiences.
๐ [Click here to build your 7-day Istanbul pass + tour bundle