As I sat in the back of the van, crawling through traffic from the airport into Istanbul for the…read morevery first time, I looked out the window and noticed banner after banner advertising an exhibit of my favourite artist, Joan Miró. After a bit of Googling I discovered that the exhibit had just opened and was at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum. Forget the museum - the grounds alone are absolutely stunning. Lush, green, a calm oasis just off of a busy main road in one of the busiest cities in the world. Gorgeous plants, interesting artwork and water features line the paved walkway uphill towards the museum, itself a stunning historical mansion. There is also a beautiful terrace looking out over the Bosphorus. I could spend hours just relaxing on the grounds. The inside is clean, quite and impeccable. The Miró exhibit was very well done and laid out over two floors. Staff and security were prevalent but not intrusive at all. The permanent collection includes Turkish art from the Ottoman era to the 50s. The gift shop, the cherry on top of any museum for me, was small but had quality items and I even got a free poster of the Miró exhibit. I thought it would be a nice idea to have lunch at the cafe on the top floor but the prices were a little too rich for my blood. Entrance cost is 20TL for adults and 15TL for kids, free on Wednesdays. The museum is closed on Mondays.

Sakıp Sabancı Museum's Calligraphy and the Arts of the Book Collection is my favorite. It consists…read moreof illuminated Korans, prayer books, calligraphic albums and panels with Koranic verses, hadith and aphorisms, and illuminated documents bearing the imperial cipher. The Sakıp Sabancı Painting Collection is impressive as well. It is composed of select examples of early Turkish painting as well as the works of foreign artists who worked in Istanbul during the later years of the Ottoman Empire. Apart from permanent collections, the museum constantly houses exhibitions and hosts educational activities. Don't skip the gift shop. It has wonderful stuff.

This museum is located behind Topkapi Palace so if you are going there, you might as well come…read morehere. It wasn't nearly as crowded as the other museums and features artifacts from nearly all periods and civilizations in history. The history of coinage, archaeological artifacts, and Greek statutes, this museum is a must see. I would suggest going early in the morning to beat any crowds.

I would also consider this a must-see in Istanbul, it's quite a collection of artifacts across the…read morelong history of what is now Turkiye and what was the Ottoman Empire. The descriptions are in Turkish and English, you really don't need a guide, so ignore them around the entrance. I can tell from the YELP reviews over time and from the new appearance of many of the rooms that there's been quite a bit of improvement over time. This started out as a sarcophagi museum but expanded, the collection still seems to be expanding. It was nice to visit here after having seen Ephesus, Bergama, and Sagalassos; and I would very much like to return to Turkey to visit some of the many other Greek and Roman sites. There are two other must-see museums in Istanbul, Topkapi Palace and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art. Topkapi is much more expensive than the other two, we only realized too late to get the museum pass that will really save you money if you're going to visit these and other museums. Allow at least 3-4 hours here, and bring some cat treats to make friends with the felines in front.

If you spend time in Istanbul you end up back in the ancient past. Once you've seen too many…read moreOttoman era mosques and Roman era ruins, it's time to see a very unique collection of modern and contemporary art in a most artistic 21st century building, itself a work of art. Impressive sculptures in front, awesome view of the Bosphorus from the terrace and one of the more affordable admission prices in town. Fear no Art.

Located in the cruise ship port, this is a super modern museum with lots to see…read more I enjoyed the photography exhibition best. The upper and lower terraces have amazing views and worth every penny. Two floors of viewing. Sculpture. Painting. Mixed media. Photography. Textiles. The works on display and well done although by the time we finished my head hurt. Not too expensive and well positioned to get those cruise dollars.

If you take the Bosporus cruise, you will see the Rumeli Hisarı Fortress on the European side…read more Don't miss visiting this fortress because there are great views and there is so much history in this place! In 1453, after a thousand years, the Byzantine Empire came to an end with the Fall of Constantinople. For the next 500 years the Ottoman Empire ruled the area. Rumeli Hisarı means 'Fortress in the land of the Romans.' It was built in 1452 by the order of the Ottoman sultan Mehmed II. You can take Bus 25E (Kabataş--Sarıyer) to reach the fortress. Get out at the Rumeli Hisarı stop.

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in June, we got to Rumeli Hisari fortress. It was kind of an…read moreordeal, because the bus that normally heads there leaves from the still-blocked Taksim Square route, so we hopped in an expensive taxi, leaving me cranky. This is off the beaten path for sure, and that probably explains why so few people were visiting this COMPLETELY AMAZING FORTRESS. I understand there's a lot to see in Istanbul, but if you want an attraction that will leave you feeling like you've actually experienced a part of history, this is where you should go. Here are some great things about Rumeli Hisari. - It's at the narrowest point of the strait separating Europe and Asia, which means that it's situated in a beautiful part of Istanbul that most people don't go to. I liked the walk to and from the grounds better than the view at the Galata Tower. - It's 5 TL to get in. That's about US $2.50. To climb all over a 700-year-old fortress. - You get to climb all over it. No, seriously, you get to climb. ALL. over it. When you see the turrets and guard towers of the fortress, you will already be blown away by how cool-looking they are. Now imagine your surprise mixed with happiness and terror when you realize that there are a bunch of incredibly horrifying narrow stone steps with no guardrail or alterations of any kind, and you can take them all the way up to the turrets and towers at 3-4 different points in the grounds. I am not particularly scared of heights, but I'm still scared of general dying, so I made my boyfriend hold my hand on the way up the part that went near a deep hole I can only assume was a death pit. The view from the top is phenomenal and was worth my consternation. - You will not see anything else like it in Istanbul. I know it's not near your hotel in Sultanahmet. But go anyway, because you will thank yourself for being an adventurous soul who gets to see amazing historical things. A couple cautions, that didn't affect my review but might affect your experience: - Don't bring your children. The steps are really terrifying. - A downside of the hands-off approach is that while there's a short guide in English to the fortress, I would have loved more information about what different parts of the fortress were used for. Plaques and guiding signs are largely absent.

This is a must-see in Istanbul!…read more LOCATION It's in a different area than the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia so it takes a bit of a tram ride, but it's worth it. TIMING We were not prepared for the sheer size of this palace. Holy COW. We came midday with a few other things to do in the area, and could have left much more time to go slower but still very much enjoyed spending ~2 hours here. This palace is soooo huge, and they have different areas throughout the buildings with exhibitions and displays. See as many as you can! I recommend starting on the right side and working back and around from there. ATTRACTIONS Most of the attraction is the sheer magnificence of the interior decor and design in the palace: chandeliers, stunning rooms and spaces, and lots of art. NO PICS?!? The biggest bummer and reason for docking a star: NO PHOTOS?! You're telling me you're gonna show me the most magnificent castle and I can't take a pic?! That was a huge bummer. You can be sneaky but they do have guards everywhere. What's the harm in a little no-flash memory of the space? AMENITIES They have a cafe and a restaurant onsite, as well as restrooms and some gardens with benches to relax. You'll need it from walking around the massive palace!

A top sight in Istanbul. I liked the walk through that you do through the main building. There…read moreare no photos allowed but it's a huge palace like something you would see in Europe. Outside there are some beautiful views of the coast and city and lovely gardens to walk through. I bought my tickets that day it wasn't too long in the morning. Like any other place, you have to go through security and another line for tickets and then another to enter. It was my favorite place to visit. In the spring the tulips were nice.

This endearing little art museum has a small entrance fee that is worth it to see the famous…read more"Tortoise Trainer" by Osman Hamdi Bey. You'll see copies of it all over Turkey, but this is where the original hangs. It's a unique and peculiar collection of art, some contemporary, some modern, a little classic, and an exhibit of weights and measures. Nice gift shop. Their coffee shop is also worth a visit on its own. Not far from the Pera Palace Hotel, so you can combine a visit to this museum with High Tea in Agatha Christie's old haunt.

Pera muzeum is located behind Odakule. It's a little art museum, the thing I liked the most about…read morethis place is they bring so many different exhibitions from all the fields of art like modern, classic , traditional etc. Also they have tiny little cafe in entrance.

Underneath Istanbul are many ancient cisterns to help store water thousands of years ago. This one…read moreis an alternative to the Basilica Cistern and cheaper to get in. Go inside and purchase tickets. It's around $25, but much cheaper for locals. (As it should be.) Walk down the stairs to the dark space where a light show plays for around 10 minutes. It's a unique experience but worth it only once in my opinion. It is wild to think this cistern was lost for years before rediscovered.

It's okay, unless you're easily impressed with light shows (which honestly could be better here)…read more The cistern is very small and there's not much to do for more than 15 mins. For the money, go to the Basilica Cistern aka Yerebatan Sarnici.

Absolutely stunning! Hagia Sofia, I was not familiar with your game. It was so interesting to see…read morehow much Christian influence and history is here, which I had no idea about. Our ticketing and entrance process was smooth, though busy - expect lines if you don't go right away in the morning or near closing. Wear clothes that cover your shoulders, chest and knees - and a scarf for covering your head for ladies. They do have some there if you need one. The space is huge! Down on the main floor is just for practicing Muslims to pray, so the space accessible to guests in the higher area. They did have a few spots where you can get audio info, but it was pretty limited info and more of a description of what you're seeing. The ticket covered admission to the museum (not attached, another building) that was VERY helpful and informative! We did that second but wished we'd done it first. Such a stunning space with a ton of history. An absolute must in Istanbul!

Ok, the story is a bit surprising since it was a catholic church during the Roman Empire and now…read moreconverted into a mosque and museum. I was a bit put out off from the high ticket price of $25 per person to go inside. Yes, we paid our fee and did a prearranged guided tour but did not feel like it was not a fair deal. The inside had scaffolding due to the interior renovation that is in the works. I've been to churches all over the world and only the Vatican is worth that kind of ticket price, In my opinion. There are a few remaining frescoes that you can see be seen but overall it was underrated and more of a cash grab to fund reconstruction.