Istanbul 5-Day Itinerary with a Day Trip to the Islands or Bursa

Five days in Istanbul is enough for the whole city plus one day trip: three days for the Old City, the bazaars and the Bosphorus, one day out to the Princes' Islands or Bursa, and a final day for Galata, Dolmabahçe or the Asian side. Putting the day trip in the middle, on day four, is deliberate. By then you know the city, you have seen the main sights, and a day on a ferry or in the mountains breaks up four busy days of walking. The plan below runs day by day, with the weekly closures built in and a comparison of the two best day trips. For five days with a hotel, guides and a Bosphorus cruise already arranged, see our Istanbul tour package for 5 days.

Five days at a glance

Days 1 and 2: the Old City in two parts

With five days, the Old City is split over two days, which is the single biggest improvement over a short trip.

Day 1. Start at Hagia Sophia at opening time (€25 for foreign visitors, upper-gallery route). Walk across to the Blue Mosque, which is free, then along the Hippodrome. After lunch, the Basilica Cistern takes about 45 minutes. End the afternoon with tea in Sultanahmet Park between the two great buildings.

Day 2. Give the morning to Topkapı Palace, with one combined ticket (2,750 TL) for the palace, the Harem and Hagia Irene. It is closed on Tuesdays. In the afternoon, walk downhill to the Istanbul Archaeology Museums (€15), home to the Alexander Sarcophagus and the Tiled Kiosk, and then into Gülhane Park. In the evening, a whirling dervish Sema ceremony lasts about an hour.

Day 3: Bazaars, Süleymaniye and the Bosphorus

Start at the Grand Bazaar (closed on Sundays) before the main lanes fill. Ninety minutes is enough to look and buy a few things; longer if you are choosing a carpet.

Walk up to the Süleymaniye Mosque, then down through the market streets to the Spice Bazaar and the tiles of the Rüstem Pasha Mosque. Eat a fish sandwich by the water at Eminönü.

In the afternoon, take to the Bosphorus. A shared lunch or sightseeing cruise gives you commentary and an easy return; a private yacht lets you choose the route and stay out for sunset. Either way, you pass Dolmabahçe, Ortaköy and Rumeli Fortress from the water.

Day 4: the day trip, Princes' Islands or Bursa

This is the day that makes a 5-day trip different. Both options below are full days and both return to Istanbul in the evening.

Princes' Islands. The Princes' Islands are car-free. Horse carriages were removed in 2020, and small electric buses now run fixed routes on Büyükada. Most visitors walk the streets of old wooden houses, rent a bicycle, and eat fish at the harbour. In summer the boats are crowded at weekends, so go on a weekday if you can.

Bursa. Bursa was the first capital of the Ottoman state, and its early mosques and tombs are part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing together with the village of Cumalıkızık. A typical day covers the Green Mosque and Green Tomb, the Grand Mosque and the old silk market, then the 8.8-kilometre gondola up Uludağ, where there is snow in winter. Lunch is the local İskender kebab, which originated in Bursa.

If neither appeals, Sapanca Lake and Maşukiye make a green, outdoorsy alternative, and the Black Sea beach at Şile suits a hot summer day. Our Istanbul day trips page has the full list.

Day 5: Galata, Dolmabahçe or the Asian side

The last day depends on your flight time and your interests.

• Galata and Beyoğlu. Climb the Galata Tower (€30) early, walk down to Karaköy for coffee and baklava, or up to Istiklal Avenue.
• Dolmabahçe Palace. The 19th-century Dolmabahçe Palace (2,000 TL) is closed on Mondays and takes about two hours.
• Kadıköy and Moda. The ferry to Kadıköy takes about 20 minutes from Eminönü or Karaköy. Walk the food market streets and finish with sunset on the Moda shore.

With an evening flight, keep the morning in Galata and leave the Old City for Istanbul Airport about three hours before departure. With a late flight, do Galata in the morning and Kadıköy in the afternoon.

Planning notes for five days

Fix the closures first. Topkapı is closed on Tuesdays, Dolmabahçe on Mondays and the Grand Bazaar on Sundays. Friday midday has the longest prayer pause at the mosques. If your day 2 falls on a Tuesday, swap days 2 and 3.

Choose the day trip by season. The Princes' Islands are at their best from late spring to early autumn. Bursa and Uludağ work all year and are the better choice in winter, when the mountain has snow.

Museum Pass or single tickets. The Museum Pass Istanbul costs €105 for five days but does not include Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern or Dolmabahçe. Count your sites before buying.

One hotel, not two. Stay in Sultanahmet or Karaköy for all five nights. Both are on the T1 tram line, and day-trip pickups start from central hotels. Our page on tours with hotel pickup explains how day tours collect you.

Tours that cover this

• Istanbul Tour Package: 5 Days with Hotel, Guides and Bosphorus Cruise, from $1,285 per person. The full five days arranged.
• Istanbul Old City Private Tour: Hagia Sophia, Topkapı and Grand Bazaar, from $200 per person. Days one and two with a licensed guide.
• Princes' Islands Day Tour from Istanbul: Ferry, Büyükada and Lunch, from $90 per person.
• Bursa and Uludağ Tour from Istanbul: Ferry, Cable Car and Lunch, from $90 per person.

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