Istanbul in a Day with Walks of Turkey

With less than 2 days to spend in Istanbul, I felt overwhelmed with what to put on my itinerary. There’s so much to see and do in the city and I wanted to see it all!

I joined Walks of Turkey for their Istanbul in a Day tour, which was just that- the ENTIRE city in a day! We covered about 13 miles and I left feeling like I saw more in a day than I would have in an entire week on my own.

Blue Mosque

One of the most famous and iconic destinations for tourists in Istanbul is commonly referred to as the Blue Mosque. It was built in 1616 and there are over 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles!

Grand Bazaar

One of my favorite stops on my “Istanbul in a Day” Tour, was the Grand Bazaar. It is one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world – built in 1461, stretching 61 streets and consisting of over 3,000 shops!

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia has been standing for more than 1400 years. It served as an Orthodox Cathedral until 1453 until Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II (who conquered Istanbul) converted it into a mosque.

During the conversion, the Sultan covered the religious symbols rather than removing them, so today visitors can witness a unique monument that straddles time and religion.

Turkish Coffee Stop

A trip to Istanbul wouldn’t be complete a pit stop for a cup of Turkish coffee. Turkish coffee is the rocket fuel of caffeinated concoctions. It’s a bit thicker in consistency than espresso and has a distinct flavor of cardamom. The grounds left after drinking Turkish coffee can also be used for fortune-telling!

I had an absolutely amazing time on my Walks of Turkey tour and encourage anyone visiting Istanbul to book a tour!