Well, you are thinking right. All you need is to pack your bag, book a flight on Turkish Airlines for a comfortable flight and come to Istanbul to start your own experience.

Here are some of the best places to see in Istanbul:

1- Hagia Sophia:

Hagia Sophia is one of the most known places and land-marks of Istanbul, and it is one of the most important and famous Byzantine structures. It holds historical significance as a feature of the Roman Empire and stands as a monument to architectural achievement. It was built as a church in the beginnings and called the church of the holy wisdom. Hagia Sophia was built at Istanbul in the 6th century, later in 1453 the church was converted to a mosque during Ottoman era, finally in 1934 Ataturk the founder of modern Turkey converted the mosque into a museum.

With a huge 32 meters dome the Hagia Sophia stands steady in the heart of Istanbul next to SultanAhmet mosque. The great architecture of it will take your breath away. The marble used for floor was manufactured in Eastern Turkey and Syria, the amazing decoration was changed many times through the ages but still a magnificent piece of art.
It doesn’t matter how much time you spend inside, you will never get bored.


2- Show Cruise And Bosphorus Tours:

Almost everyone visited istanbul actually tried its cruises, you can buy a ticket for a Bosphorus tour of 45 – 50 minutes tour all over Bosphorus to see the ancient monuments, castles, palaces, and modern facilities.

If you are more of a party person, you can buy a ticket on a show cruise where to see the traditional dance shows and eat traditional food. A lot of people join this show do not miss it.

3- Miniaturk Museum:

Located in Eyup Sultan district right beside, it is an open museum that contains historical and most famous places, monuments, and buildings in all Turkey. It has a gift store also if you want to buy yourself a souvenir to remember istanbul. You probably won’t need it because you will never forget the time you spent in Istanbul but, still it will be a nice gift.

4- Restaurants And Street Food:

Well, beside the beautiful historical places Turkey is famous for its Ottoman cuisine, and Istanbul city gather all kinds of Turkish food. You can gift both of your mouth and stomach a delicious meal in of Istanbul’s Restaurants , Street Food and you don’t need to open a map for a good restaurant in Istanbul, they are already everywhere. Kebab, seafood, salads, bakeries and more kinds of food. Even if your not in the mood to sit in a restaurant and pay much, you can buy yourself a tasty fish sandwich from a vendor or simit in the morning to eat while walking. Don’t worry about the food. In fact, you should be worried about your weight because you will never stop eating.

5- Shopping Malls And Markets:

Here is the thing, istanbul has 120 shopping mall and market. It means whatever you want or need or would like to buy is available in Istanbul, clothes, shoes, antiques, carpets, and literally anything you want. Whether in shopping malls or open markets, cheap or expensive, internationally famous brands or local brands. Not just that, if you got bored you can sit in a cafe and drink Turkish coffee or spend some time in games floor.
One of the good shopping malls you can visit is Cevahir Mall, or Zorlu Center and if you want to visit and open street market you can visit Laleli Street.

6- Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi):

The Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest and largest markets in the world, located in the heart of Istanbul’s old city and connects between Nurusmaniye mosque and Beyazit square.
It contains more than 300 shops, and it is mainly famous for gold and jewelry shops. Of course it has different shops and products and restaurants. You can try Meat Doner there, it is really delicious.

For more details on the Grand bazaar check here!

More places to see and more activities to do the list will never end, all you need to do is to get one week off work and fly to Istanbul.