What to Do in Istanbul on Sunday: Open Sights, Markets and Day Plans

Sunday is a full sightseeing day in Istanbul: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace, Dolmabahçe Palace, the Basilica Cistern, Galata Tower, the Spice Bazaar and the ferries are all open, and the main thing that closes is the Grand Bazaar. Banks and most government offices close too, but shops, restaurants and museums stay open, and the city fills with local families heading for the Bosphorus shore, long breakfasts and the Sunday markets. The only real planning task is to move shopping from the Grand Bazaar to somewhere that opens on Sundays. A guided Sunday works well with our Dolmabahçe Palace private tour, from $150 per person, because Dolmabahçe is open on Sundays and closed on Mondays.

Below: what is open and closed, two Sunday day plans, the markets that only run on Sundays, church services, and the practical details for getting around.

Open and closed on Sunday

Two notes. First, if a religious holiday falls on a Sunday, palaces and museums may open later on the first day, and the Grand Bazaar stays shut for the whole holiday. In 2027, Eid al-Adha begins on Sunday 16 May. Second, Sunday is a popular day out for Istanbul residents, so the palaces and the Princes' Islands are busier than on a weekday, especially in summer.

A Sunday plan for the Old City and Eminönü

This plan swaps the Grand Bazaar for the Spice Bazaar and Eminönü, which are livelier on a Sunday than many visitors expect.

1. 08:30 Hagia Sophia. Sunday mornings start quiet and fill by 10:00, so go early. The foreign visitor gallery ticket is €25.
2. 09:45 The Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome. Free, with a dress code: shoulders and knees covered, and a scarf for women.
3. 10:45 The Basilica Cistern. About 40 minutes underground.
4. 12:00 Lunch in Sultanahmet or on the way down to Sirkeci.
5. 13:15 Topkapı Palace with the Harem, about 2.5 to 3 hours. Or, if you saw it on an earlier day, the Istanbul Archaeology Museums next door.
6. 16:00 The Spice Bazaar and Rüstem Pasha Mosque in Eminönü, with its tiled interior a few steps from the bazaar.
7. 17:30 A ferry from Eminönü to Kadıköy or Üsküdar for sunset over the Old City skyline.

For more ideas in the area, see our guide to things to do in Sultanahmet.

A Sunday plan for the Bosphorus and the Asian side

This is the plan for a sunny Sunday or a second visit, and it follows what many Istanbul families do themselves.

• Morning: a long breakfast. Sunday breakfast is an Istanbul institution, with many small plates, fresh bread and endless tea. Beşiktaş, Ortaköy, Bebek and Kadıköy have whole streets of breakfast cafés.
• Late morning: Dolmabahçe Palace. Open on Sundays, and the visit takes about two hours with a guide. Book a guided slot, because weekend queues are longer.
• Afternoon: the Bosphorus. A public ferry or a cruise from Eminönü or Beşiktaş. On a private boat you avoid the Sunday crowds on the public ferries.
• Evening: Kadıköy and Moda. Most food shops in Kadıköy's market streets stay open, and the Moda seafront fills with people at sunset. See Kadıköy and Moda and our guide to things to do on the Bosphorus.

Sunday markets and shopping

The Grand Bazaar closes, but Istanbul has plenty of places to shop on a Sunday:

• The Spice Bazaar. Spices, Turkish delight, dried fruit, tea and nuts, in an L-shaped covered market at Eminönü. The streets behind it, towards the Tahtakale area, are full of shops selling coffee, kitchenware and dried goods.
• The Arasta Bazaar. A single row of shops beside the Blue Mosque, selling carpets, ceramics and textiles with less pressure than the Grand Bazaar.
• The Feriköy Antiques Market. Every Sunday in Feriköy, near Bomonti in the Şişli district, dealers set up stalls of antiques, old cameras, vinyl records, Ottoman and early Republic objects and furniture. Go in the morning for the best choice.
• İstiklal Avenue and Galata. The shops on İstiklal Avenue open on Sundays, and the design shops around Galata and Karaköy mostly do too.
• Shopping malls. Open seven days a week.

If the Grand Bazaar is a priority, put it on a weekday. Our Grand Bazaar tour page explains the best times to go.

Sunday church services and visits

Istanbul has active churches of several denominations, and Sunday morning is when most hold their main services. Visitors are welcome to attend a service quietly, but sightseeing visits are limited during services.

• Catholic: the Church of St Anthony of Padua on İstiklal Avenue holds Sunday Masses.
• Greek Orthodox: the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Fener celebrates the Sunday Divine Liturgy in the Church of St George.
• Armenian, Bulgarian and other Orthodox churches in Kumkapı, Balat and Beyoğlu also hold Sunday services.

If you want to see the churches as a visitor rather than for a service, a weekday visit or a Sunday afternoon is better. Our Christian heritage tour of Istanbul and the Istanbul churches tour, from $180 per person, cover the main ones.

Getting around on a Sunday

Public transport runs on Sundays, but some patterns differ from weekdays:

• Ferries: weekend and holiday timetables start later in the morning, so check the first sailing if you plan an early crossing.
• Traffic: Sunday mornings are the quietest time of the week on the roads. Sunday evenings are busy, as residents return from the Black Sea coast, Sapanca and the islands.
• Princes' Islands: summer Sunday ferries are crowded in both directions. Go on a weekday if you can, or start early.
• Pharmacies: most close, but each district has a duty pharmacy (nöbetçi eczane), listed in the window of every closed pharmacy.
• Money: banks are closed, but ATMs work and exchange offices in the tourist areas usually open.

For a Sunday with a car and driver, our Istanbul private driver tour costs from $299 per group for 8 hours.

Sunday ideas for different travellers

• Families with children: the Basilica Cistern, a Bosphorus ferry, the Princes' Islands or Miniaturk, all open on Sundays.
• Couples: breakfast in Bebek or Kadıköy, a private Bosphorus boat in the afternoon and dinner in Karaköy. See our sunset Bosphorus yacht cruise.
• Food lovers: Kadıköy's market streets and Eminönü's food shops are open, which makes Sunday a good day for a private Istanbul food tour.
• Rainy Sundays: Topkapı's indoor rooms, the Archaeology Museums, Istanbul Modern and the Pera Museum.
• Photographers: Balat's coloured houses in the morning light, before the weekend visitors arrive. Our guide to things to do in Balat has the route.

For a wider list, see our full guide to things to do in Istanbul. Our sister site Get Istanbul Tours also lists private city tours that run on Sundays.

Tours that cover this

• Dolmabahçe Palace Private Tour: Guide, Ticket and Optional Topkapı, 6 to 8 hours, from $150 per person. Dolmabahçe is open on Sundays.
• Istanbul Full-Day Tour with Bosphorus Cruise: Balat, Galata and Lunch, from $57 per person. Neighbourhoods and the water, no Grand Bazaar needed.
• Princes' Islands Day Tour from Istanbul: Ferry, Büyükada and Lunch, 8 hours, from $90 per person. Best outside the summer weekend crowds.
• Istanbul Street Food Tour: Local Neighbourhoods, Baklava and Coffee, 6 hours, from $90 per person.

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