What is the Istanbul self-guided walking tour?
The Istanbul self-guided walking tour is a walk you make on your own, with audio narration on your phone where a guide would otherwise be. Reckon with about 3 hours: 76 minutes of that is walking, the route measures 5.8 km, and at 10 stops you stand still and listen. There is no departure time and nothing waits for a group to gather.
In the old Hippodrome the narration begins with the granite obelisk cut for Thutmose III at Karnak some 3,500 years ago and raised here in 390, its marble base still showing the emperor above the chariot races. At Hagia Sophia you hear how Justinian's builders closed that span between 532 and 537. Further on come the 336 columns holding up the Basilica Cistern, two of them resting on carved Medusa heads, and the legend of Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi gliding from the Galata Tower across to Üsküdar.
- Durationabout 3 hours
- Walkingabout 76 min · 5.8 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
What you do along the way
Listen
Every stop brings the history of the place, its legends and the detail you would otherwise walk past. The same words are on the screen if you would sooner read them.
Keep walking
Between stops Google Maps points the way: 5.8 km in all, 76 minutes of it on foot, the bridge crossing included.
Break for tea
Stop for tea and a simit, or give an hour to a museum, then take the walk up again later or on another day.
Eat and browse
Tips for places to eat and shop near the route come with the stops. The first stop and the order are yours to change in the app.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of people. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Walk when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who the walk is for
A first time in Istanbul
One walk puts Byzantine and Ottoman Istanbul in order and tells you what you are looking at on either bank.
Anyone who avoids groups
Nobody to follow and no roll call: you stay as long as a view holds you and move on when you decide to.
A day in the old city
3 hours takes you from Sultanahmet over the Golden Horn, so the evening is free for the fish restaurants or a rooftop.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Groups of up to 5 work best; larger groups split up, one ticket per person.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The walk stop by stop: the Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, Eminönü, Galata
10 stops · about 76 min walking · start: Obelisk of Theodosius · finish: Galata Tower
The walk opens beside the Obelisk of Theodosius in the old Hippodrome, with the Blue Mosque a few steps off and Hagia Sophia across the square. It then reaches the gate of Topkapı Palace and the Basilica Cistern, turns into the old commercial streets for the Vilayet Mosque and the tomb of Abdülhamid I, and comes down to the New Mosque at Eminönü, the Spice Bazaar beside it. The Galata Bridge carries you over the water to the Galata Tower, where the walk ends. Everything is narrated outdoors, so no stop asks for a ticket, and the first stop or the order can be changed in the app.
Open the route map ↗
1Obelisk of TheodosiusStart
This granite obelisk was made for Pharaoh Thutmose III at Karnak in Egypt about 3,500 years ago. Emperor Theodosius I had it set up in the Hippodrome of Constantinople in 390. The marble base shows the emperor and his court watching the chariot races.
Read the full story →
2Blue Mosque
Sultan Ahmed I had this mosque built between 1609 and 1616 by the architect Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa. Its nickname comes from the blue İznik tiles inside, and it is known for its six minarets. It is still an active mosque, facing Hagia Sophia across the square.
3Hagia Sophia
Emperor Justinian I had Hagia Sophia built between 532 and 537 to designs by Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus. After the Ottoman conquest in 1453 it became a mosque and minarets were added. It served as a museum from 1934 and has been a mosque again since 2020.
4Topkapı Palace
Mehmed II began this palace after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, and it was the main residence of the sultans for about four centuries. It became a museum in 1924. Outside its Imperial Gate stands the richly decorated Fountain of Ahmed III from the 18th century.
5Basilica Cistern
This vast underground reservoir was built in the 6th century under Emperor Justinian I and supplied water to the Great Palace of Constantinople. Its roof rests on 336 marble columns, two of which stand on carved Medusa heads. The Ottomans called it Yerebatan Sarayı, the Sunken Palace.
6Vilayet Mosque
This small mosque takes its name from the vilayet, the Ottoman word for a province, whose governor's seat at the Sublime Porte lies close by. After the imperial mosques on the route, it shows the modest scale of an everyday neighbourhood mosque in the old commercial district.
7Tomb of Abdülhamid I
Sultan Abdülhamid I, who reigned from 1774 to 1789, is buried in this domed tomb in Bahçekapı. It was part of a charitable complex he founded, and nearby Hamidiye Street is named after him. Look for the curving Ottoman baroque details of its façade.
Read the full story →
8New Mosque (Yeni Cami)
Safiye Sultan, mother of Sultan Mehmed III, began the New Mosque in 1597, but it was only completed in 1665 under Turhan Hatice Sultan. It dominates the Eminönü waterfront on the Golden Horn. The Spice Bazaar next door was built as part of the same complex.
9Galata Bridge
The Galata Bridge crosses the Golden Horn between Eminönü and Karaköy, and bridges have stood here since the 19th century. The current bridge opened in 1994. Anglers line its upper deck, while restaurants fill the level below.
10Galata TowerFinish
The Genoese built this stone tower in 1348 as part of the fortifications of their colony of Galata. Its conical roof is one of the best-known shapes on the Istanbul skyline. According to legend, Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi flew from the tower across the Bosphorus to Üsküdar on artificial wings in the 17th century.
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