The historic Istanbul Peninsula region is very important for tourism and history enthusiasts. The first places that come to mind in the vicinity of Sultanahmet, Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia Museum, Sultan Ahmet Mosque and Square, Yerebatan Cistern, Cemberlitas and Grand Bazaar…
Places To See Around Sultanahmet
1 – Sultanahmet Square
To go to Sultanahmet Square and the Basilica Cistern, you can go to Eminonu by ferry from Kadikoy in the vicinity of Anatolia, from there you can get to the Sultanahmet stop by taking the tram going towards Bagcilar.
After examining the German Fountain in Sultanahmet Square, the Egyptian Obelisk, the Knitted Obelisk and the Serpentine Column, you can visit a large water cistern called the famous Yerebatan Palace, dating from the Byzantine period, where you can take pictures with Ottoman and janissary costumes. Pictures are guaranteed to have fun while being taken.
2 – Historical Sultan Ahmet Grilled Meatball Restaurant
After visiting the Yerebatan Cistern, it is fascinating to examine the six minarets of the famous Blue Mosque externally and internally. If you are hungry, Sultanahmet meatball restaurant is waiting for you with its original state. Departing from Sultanahmet without having eaten the meatballs and the haricot bean salad of this place, the trip will be incomplete. There are many meatball restaurants in Sultanahmet that are similar to each other. If you want to eat original, you have to eat in Sultanahmet Meatball Restaurant Selim Usta.
After eating, you can sit by the pool in the Sultanahmet Archaeological Park and enjoy the view of Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. You can go to Cankurtaran within a 10 minute walk, visit the coffee house of the deceased character actor Erol Tas that equipped with film frames from the past years.
3 – Hagia Sofia Museum
The Hagia Sophia Museum, which is one of the most important monuments of the world’s architectural history standing up to date, should definitely be visited when you come to Sultanahmet. The building was built in the year 500 by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian as the largest church of the East Roman Empire.
Over time, it underwent various constructions and restorations. It was used as a mosque during Ottoman times and is being used as a museum during the Republican era. The visit lasts about an hour. Entrance fee is 40 TL. The museum card is valid.
4 – Topkapi Palace and Gulhane Park
The next stop after Hagia Sophia is Topkapi Palace, which is considered as the historical symbol of Istanbul. The six-hundred-year-old Empire was ruled from the Topkapi Palace for four hundred years, and the palace population in those years was around four thousand, although it changed from time to time. The palace tour can be in groups or individual.
The groups are managed and informed by tour guides. Orientation signs on the walls can help you, as you will benefit from providing documents such as plans, maps, brochures, etc., for individual visits. The trip depends on you. You can spend your day here all day. Topkapi palace entrance fee is 40 TL. The museum card is valid. After visiting Topkapi Palace, you can sit and rest in flowered banks of Gulhane Park, which was used as the outdoor garden full of roses of Topkapi Palace during the Ottoman period and at the same time has Nazim Hikmet’s walnut tree.
5 – Panorama 1453 History Museum
After arriving at the Topkapi Stop by the Kabatas-Bagcilar subway, you should visit Panorama 1453 History Museum, which opened in 2009, approximately 150-200 meters away. A spectacular visual conquest of 1453 History Museum is waiting for you, with ball voices, mehter music, and Ottoman horses used as effects.
In a large room, you are watching the conquest of Istanbul in the Istanbul city walls, which are miles away. This show, which is similar to the one in Holland, is even more spectacular as it is prepared with a newer technology. The normal cruising time is about 45 minutes. The entrance fee is 7.5 TL. The museum card is not valid.
6 – Beyazit Square, Used-Book Bazaar, Grand Bazaar and Egyptian Bazaar
By using the Kabatas-Bagcilar metros, you can easily reach Beyazit Square when you get off at Beyazit station. After seeing Beyazit Square and the famous Istanbul University entrance, If you like books, you can visit the nearby famous used-book bazaar. Whoever you ask will lead you. This area is also the southwestern entrance of the famous Grand Bazaar.
From there you enter the Grand Bazaar and you tour here and explore the history Istanbul. You can reach Eminonu after you have done your shopping from the spice shop and seller of dried nuts and fruits in the Egyptian Bazaar.
7 – Grilled Fish Sandwich and Galata Bridge in Eminonu
Eminonu, one of the most important commercial centers of Istanbul, is still visited by a certain audience for electronic goods, watches, household goods and clothing shopping. You can either go to these shops or get fish bread from the fancy boats on the beach. After you have eaten your grilled fish sandwich looking at the Galata Tower, you can watch fishermen as you cross the Galata Bridge or drink something in the cafes under the bridge.
For a more enjoyable meal experience, you can eat kebabs in Hamdi Restaurant, one of Istanbul’s most established kebabs, by looking the unique view from the Galata Tower to the Bosphorus Bridge.
