Istanbul Hop-On Hop-Off Bus 1 or 2-Day Pass with Audio Commentary

Sultanahmet Square and the historic peninsula

The route begins in Sultanahmet, the heart of old Istanbul, where the first bus leaves at 10:00 from the square between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Nearly everything people search for in the old city is within a ten-minute walk of this stop: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome with its obelisks, the Basilica Cistern, Topkapı Palace and the Grand Bazaar. Our Istanbul team suggests hopping off here first, early, when the monuments are quietest, and returning to the bus in the early afternoon.

Remember that the hop-on hop-off ticket covers the bus only; Hagia Sophia, Topkapı and the cistern sell their own entry tickets, and both mosques are free but close to visitors during the five daily prayers. Dress modestly for the mosques and carry a scarf. The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays and public holidays, so plan your shopping stop for another day.

Eminönü and the Egyptian Spice Bazaar

From Sultanahmet the bus rolls down to Eminönü, the busy waterfront where ferries leave for the Asian side and the Bosphorus. The stop sits beside the Egyptian Spice Bazaar, the covered market built in the seventeenth century as part of the New Mosque complex, where stalls still sell saffron, dried fruit, Turkish delight, cheeses, olives and spices by the kilo. It is open daily, though quieter on Sunday mornings, and a half-hour wander is enough to fill a bag with gifts.

Outside the bazaar, the square in front of the New Mosque is one of the liveliest spots in the city, with pigeon sellers, simit carts and the famous fish-sandwich boats moored by the Galata Bridge. Walk across the bridge for views of the Golden Horn and the Galata Tower, then catch the next bus at Eminönü or continue on foot to the Karaköy stop on the other side.

Karaköy, Galataport and Dolmabahçe Palace

Across the Golden Horn, the bus passes Karaköy and Galataport, the redeveloped cruise harbour with a long promenade, cafés and the modern art museum facing the water. A few minutes further along the shore road is the Dolmabahçe Palace stop. Dolmabahçe was the main residence of the last Ottoman sultans from 1856, a vast European-style palace with a famous crystal staircase and a ceremonial hall under a chandelier of enormous size; it is closed on Mondays and sells timed tickets at the gate or online.

Allow at least two hours if you hop off here, as the queue and the guided route through the selamlık and harem take time. The palace mosque and clock tower beside the stop are free to admire from outside, and the shore road continues to the Naval Museum in Beşiktaş, which displays the gilded imperial caiques once rowed along the Bosphorus.

Beşiktaş, the Bosphorus bridge and Beylerbeyi Palace

After the Naval Museum and the Beşiktaş Bazaar, a lively district of fish restaurants and tea gardens around the ferry pier, the bus climbs to the Bosphorus bridge and crosses to Asia. The upper deck gives the best view of the strait, with Ortaköy Mosque below on the European shore and the long line of wooden waterfront mansions on both sides. On the Asian side the bus stops at Beylerbeyi Palace, the nineteenth-century Ottoman summer residence set in gardens right on the water.

Beylerbeyi is smaller than Dolmabahçe and much less crowded, which makes it a pleasant hop-off for an hour; it is closed on Mondays and has its own entry ticket. From here the route returns over the bridge towards Taksim, so if you prefer to stay longer on the Asian side you can also take a ferry back from Üsküdar to Eminönü or Beşiktaş.

Taksim Square and Şişhane near Galata Tower

Back on the European side, the bus reaches Taksim Square, the modern centre of Istanbul with the Republic Monument, the new mosque on the square and the start of İstiklal Street. İstiklal is a pedestrian avenue of about 1.4 kilometres with a nostalgic tram, arcades, patisseries and side streets full of cafés; walking its length to Tünel takes around half an hour without stops. The last stop of the loop is Şişhane, at the lower end of İstiklal and a short downhill walk from Galata Tower.

Galata Tower, the medieval Genoese watchtower, has a panoramic terrace reached by lift and stairs with a separate ticket; queues are shortest soon after opening. From Şişhane you can take the metro, walk down to Karaköy or ride the bus back to Sultanahmet to complete the circuit. With the 2-day pass many visitors spend the first day on the old city and the second on the Bosphorus shore and Taksim.