The millionaire city Istanbul, located simultaneously in Europe and Asia, is one of the most popular metropolitans in the world. But over the past two years, inflation and the fall in the course of Lira have greatly dispersed prices in Turkey, so the trip is no longer as much as before. Especially the increase in prices affected input tickets to most museums and attractions, the average check in restaurants, renting apartments and rooms in hotels.
If you are not ready to lay out a tidy sum of the cultural program, take a closer look at places with free visit. There, too, one can feel both the European and eastern atmosphere of the largest city on the Bosphorus, plunge into history, enjoy architecture, nature and art. We already had a selection about the budget Istanbul, and now we have collected one more. Catch locations where you do not need to pay for entrance or ticket price no more than a cup of tea.
By the way, we want to remind you that we have a common one, where the main attractions of the city are listed.
How to get
On an airplane from Moscow, fly to the new Istanbul airport 5 hours. A ticket without luggage costs from 14,000 rubles* in one direction. It is cheaper to get from Sochi, on the way only 2 hours, the cost of a ticket is from 9,300 rubles* without baggage.
Where to stop
- In the three -star hotel Atlantis Royal Hotel (rating 9.1 out of 10), located near the Blue Mosque – from 6,000 rubles* per night.
- In the four -star hotel The Halich Hotel Istanbul Karako (rating 8.9 out of 10) in the Galata Tower area – from 9,900 rubles* per night.
- In the four -star hotel Azra Sultan Hotel & SPA (rating 9.5 out of 10), a 10 -minute walk from Gulkhan Park – from 13,000 rubles* per night.
Where to go and what to do
Choir monastery
The Byzantine temple in the Istanbul district of Fatikh with perfectly preserved frescoes opened in the spring of 2023 after a large -scale restoration. If you do not want to pay 25 euros for inspection of Christian frescoes in Ayia-Sofia, then the Choir monastery is a great free alternative (Since August 2024, the entrance ticket costs 20 euros). The internal walls of the temple, decorated with mosaics and painted from floor to ceiling, make an indelible impression. Recently, the monastery has become a mosque, so there are certain requirements for the appearance of visitors: shoulders, head and knees should be closed. Around the choir, a green garden with well -groomed lawns, high lush palm trees and places for relaxation are broken. By the way, you will get to the temple from the nearest tram stop along the colorful narrow and hilly streets on which you can see typical low Istanbul houses.
Gulkhan Park
Even in the tourist center of the metropolis, you can find a cozy corner of greenery – Gulkhan Park. It is located in the heart of the ancient Sultananmet district next to Ayia-Sofia and the Topkapi palace. It’s nice to walk in the shadow of trees in the park, look at the flowering alleys and admire the marble Gothic column, built approximately in the III – IV century. In 2023, Gülhane Sanat tanks opened in the park after restoration, which can be visited for free – unlike other similar structures in the center of Istanbul. The Roman tank is an underground structure built in the era of the Byzantine empire for storing water reserves. Now here you can look at the restored columns and take a walk in the cool at a depth of 7 meters underground, and in the future exhibitions will be held in the tank.
Egyptian bazaar
The second largest market in Istanbul is located in the old part of the city in the Eminynyn area. Its construction lasted almost 70 years for the XVI – XVII centuries, and the first goods that were traded here were imported spices and spices supplied from India through Egypt. In the historical building, the attention of tourists is attracted by entrance groups with arches and colonnades and an ancient leading ceiling of domed shape. Now inside the covered bazaar are mainly grocery shopping shops with tea, coffee, spices, nuts, dried fruits, jam and, of course, Turkish sweets. Before buying, you can taste the famous Rahate Lukum, Paklava, Shcherbet, Halva or Pastil Geyserier.
Hill Boyyuk Chamlydzha
On a hill with a height of more than 250 meters, the largest mosque in Turkey rises – Chamlydzha. It was built in 2019 and looks very large from the outside, the appearance and interiors of the building repeat both the Ottoman and modern oriental architecture. Near the mosque there are budget cafes, recreation areas, playgrounds, a picnic, a spacious green park and exhibition spaces. Hill Chamlydzha is one of the highest places in the Asian part of Istanbul, from where you can admire the view of the city and the Bosphorus Strait. For such types, many tourists go to the observation deck of the radio and television tower Kuchuk-Chamlydzha, located on the same hill, but the entrance there is paid. From the European part of the city, you can get to the hill of Boyyuk Chamlydzha with two transfers: first on a ferry to Uskudar, and then by bus No. 15s to the final stop.
Feshane art center
The cost of visiting museums in Istanbul is changing several times a year, and now the price of tickets for tourists for exhibitions will start from 200-300 lire (~ 520–780 rubles*). But here you can find a free alternative, for example, to look at the Feshane art center, which presents the world's largest collection of Turkish contemporary art. The space from the city hall was opened in the summer of 2023 near the historical region of the Fatih, and you can visit it for free. The works of more than 300 local artists and sculptors are located in the building of the former plant. In addition to the exhibition space in the art center there is a stylish coworking zone, a library and a cozy cafe.
Yyldyz Park
The park is located in the European part of Istanbul in a 15-20 minutes walk from the berth of Beshiktash and more resembles a huge forest in the middle of the metropolis. During a walk, you will see tall trees with lush crowns, lakes, rivers and waterfalls. All this is decorated in a single landscape style and complemented by alpine slides, pedestrian bridges, fountains, artificial ponds and cozy picnic zones. In the park you can also take a walk along the system of suspended roads, look at the architectural attractions – the Maltese pavilion, Shale Yyldyz, the porcelain manufactory and the Pavilion Chadyr – and admire the view of the Bosphorus from the observation deck. In one of the pavilions in the French style there is a social cafe Beltur, where you can have a bite of a sandwich or a toast and drink coffee, paying about 125 lire (~ 340 rubles*).
Blue mosque
The mosques in Istanbul are a separate type of art, but the main thing is that you can visit most of them for free. And also the shrines work even on weekends and on holidays, when many Istanbul museums are closed. First of all, go to look at the main blue mosque in Turkey located in the historical area of Sultananmet. From 2017 to 2023, a large -scale restoration was going on here, so now is the time to enjoy the beauty of blue tiles on the walls and blue painting of domes. The mosque is open daily from 8:30 to 18:30, twice a day is closed for tourists for the duration of prayers. If you suddenly got here during the prayer, wait for the opening of the mosque in a cozy courtyard with recreation areas.
True
The main pedestrian street of Istanbulus is located in the north of the European part of the city and stretches 1.5 kilometers almost from the Galata Tower to Taxim Square. Here, at almost any time of the day, it is crowded, so on the truth you can definitely feel the crazy rhythm of the Turkish metropolis. Here you can not only take a walk, but also ride on the red retroram T2 for 20 lire (~ 52 rubles*). During a trip along the street, look at the numerous entrance groups of hotels, restaurants, coffee houses, souvenir and antique shops. If you go on foot, pay attention to the main architectural monuments of the truth: the Greek Church of the Holy Trinity, the Flower Passage, the Roman Catholic Church of St. Maria Draperis and the Negothetical Temple of Anthony of Paduan. Already along the street you will see ceremonial historical mansions in which the Consulate Generals of European Consulates are located.
Fener and Balat
You can feel the Turkish flavor in two neighboring historical microdistricts with narrow streets – Fener and Balat. They are located in the European part of the metropolis off the coast of the Golden Horn Bay and are connected by Vodin Street with souvenir shops and many cafes. In the past, the Evle-Jews lived in the Balata, and the Greeks in Fener, so here you can see the architecture unusual for Istanbul. For example, stone houses from two or three floors, the walls of which are painted in a variety of bright colors, an impressive building of the Greek school, which received the nickname “Red Castle”, and Orthodox churches right on the banks of the Golden Horn.
Cable roads
On the European side of Istanbul, urban cableways of television factory work, which are used as urban transport. The first line of the cable car passes over the democracy fleet in the vicinity of the central square Taxim. From the cab during the trip you can see the Bosphorus, the development of Istanbul and the stadium of the local football club “Besiktash”. And on the second funicular, you can climb from the coast of the Bay of the Golden Horn to the top of the hill Pierre Loti. You will find an observation deck on it, where cool frames come to make with a view of the golden horn. The cableways, although short, but quite budget – travel on the Istanbulkart transport card costs 20 lire (~ 54 rubles*).
Bosphorus boards
Instead of an expensive tourist walk on the Bosphorus Strait, you can sit on public transport – city ferries. From them you will see the same exciting views of Istanbul from the water. The passage on public ferries is paid on the Istanbulkart transport card and costs 33.3 lira (~ 90 rubles*). On average, a ferry trip takes 1.5–2 hours, there are toilets and a bar on board, where you can eat inexpensively with a symbol brush and drink tea. To swim along the picturesque route, go from the ferry terminals Eminönü, Karaköy, Kabataş and Beşiktaş in the European part of the city or from Kadıköy and üsküdar on the Asian side of Istanbul.
Where to eat in the center of Istanbul
- In the Van Kahvaltı EVI cafe, located in the middle of the Galata Tower to Taxim Square. Breakfast costs from 130-150 lire (~ 350-400 rubles*).
- In the Ortaklar Kebap Restaurant cafe-restaurant next to the Sultananmet Square. A large portion of kebab with vegetables and rice will cost 250 lire (~ 660 rubles*).
- In the Hocapaşa Pidecisi cafe near the Galata bridge and Gulkhan Park. A hearty portion of PIDE costs from 250 lire (~ 660 rubles).
- In the dining room of Balkan Lokantası in the area of Pedestrodnaya Street. Lunch or dinner of three dishes will cost 300-350 lire (~ 800–930 rubles*).
- The Italian cafes-restaurant of 49 çukurcuma in the area of the upper station of the Beioglu cable car. A large pizza on average costs 400 lire (~ 1060 rubles*), breakfast – from 150 to 240 lire (~ 400-630 rubles*).
And if you respect the traditional Turkish breakfast, be sure to look into our article with a list of places in Istanbul, where you can find the best options.
*Photo on the cover © Travel Turkey/Shutterstock
