About Istanbul
In this guide, I will discuss how to travel around Istanbul in a sustainable way. However, first, I am going to tell you about Istanbul. Istanbul is the city where two continents meet, the city where rooftops sit upon every building, mosques stand above all else, and there are more street cats than people. This unique city is also full of history, culture, religion and some of the nicest people I have ever met!
Istanbul is separated into different areas separated by waterways. The Asian and European sides of Istanbul are separated by the Bosphorus River while Istanbul’s Europeans sides are separated by the Golden Horn waterway. Despite this, Istanbul is easy to navigate and explore. This vibrant city is well worth the visit and not just because Baklava is found on every street!
Istanbul does experience an influx of visitors from all over the world. When visiting a place that is heavily traveled to, it is important to find more sustainable ways to travel here. In this guide, I discuss what to do in Istanbul, what makes it sustainable, sustainable accommodation options, sustainable food options, sustainable transportation options, other things that make Istanbul sustainable, and lastly, this guide rates how sustainable I think Istanbul is based off of all of these categories!
10 Must Do’s in Istanbul
Istanbul is a huge city full of so much to do. I spent 5 days exploring Istanbul which felt like a good amount of time even though the city is huge and there is so much to do. There are so many iconic and historic buildings to see in Istanbul that are worth the visit, and below are my top 10 must do’s when visiting Istanbul.
1. Blue Mosque
This beautiful Mosque was spectacular. It is situated across the Sultanahmet Square from the Hagia Sophia. Since it is an active mosque, the mosque closes during prayer hours. Most days the mosque is open from 8:30 am until 6:45 pm. However, on Friday, which is a holy day for Muslims, the times vary, so be sure to double check the times beforehand when visiting on a Friday. It is not necessary to get a tour for the Blue Mosque and you probably need around 15-20 minutes inside to walk around and take photos.
2. Hagia Sophia
The Hagia Sophia is a must visit mosque with a deep religious history. The best time to visit the mosque is at 10 am to avoid crowds. The Welcome Card [more on this later in the blog] allows you to skip the entry line, however, you still have to wait in the security line. At 10 am, the security line is usually pretty short. During other hours of the day, the line can take up to an hour. Doing a tour in the Hagia Sophia is recommended so you can learn about the history of the mosque. Always remember to be respectful when visiting holy places and follow the appropriate dress codes.
3. Basilica Cistern
The cistern is a really cool place to experience. The Welcome Card also includes a tour to the cistern, so it is worth the visit! The earlier time, also 10 am is the best time to go on a tour of the cistern in order to beat the crowds and avoid any lines. The tour with the Welcome Card takes about 30 minutes, and that is more than enough time to visit the cistern.
4. Topkapi Palace
The Topkapi Palace is another must visit and the Welcome Card also includes a tour of it. This palace is amazing and is one of my favorite places in Istanbul. Make sure to explore the gardens and the interior rooms as well as the museums. The Welcome Card tour takes about an hour and then you are welcome to explore on your own. The 10 am time is also the best time to visit here to beat the heat and crowds.
5. Galata / Beyoğlu Area
This area is across the Golden Horn from the ‘old town’ area where the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are located. I love this area and highly recommend visiting it. The famous Galata Tower is over here which looks over the city, however, the line can be very long so you can skip it and go to a near by rooftop to get the views instead. There are a lot of great restaurants and cute shops including vintage shops in this area.
6. Kadikoy / Moda Area on the Asian Side
The neighborhoods of Kadikoy and Moda are on the Asian Side of Istanbul. This area is not the easiest to get to from the European side since it takes a couple different modes of transportation. One way to get to this side of Istanbul is by ferry, however, you can also take the metro. You will need to take a couple of metros and maybe even a tram ride depending where in the city are you are starting from. The Welcome Card does include 10 transportation rides which makes accessing the Asian side easier. Even though it takes a while to get to, it is worth the trip. This area is a super cute trendy, younger, and hip area of the city that also has a lot of cute coffee shops, restaurants, and stores.
7. The Spice Bazaar
The Grand Bazaar is the more famous of the two because it is one of the oldest and largest markets in the world, however, besides the expanse of it, I am not super fond of going there. However, the Spice Bazaar is worth a visit if you are deciding between the two. Here you can get lots of Turkish Delight, Baklava, spices, teas, Turkish gifts, and so much more!
8. Princes Islands
The Princes Islands are a nice escape from the city. These islands can be reached by ferry [the Welcome Card includes a discount] and there are a few different islands you can get to. Buyukada is the largest of the islands and even means “Big Island” in Turkish. Once on the island, you can rent bikes and explore the island that way or by foot. Besides bikes, emergency and construction vehicles, small motroized vehicles, the islands are car free. There are family friendly beaches along the island, lots of restaurants, and shops.
9. Go to a Hammam
A Hammam is another name for a Turkish Bath or a steam bath. There are a lot of different types of Hammams you can do around the city including traditional and non traditional ones. The more traditional baths are separated by gender, however, there are non traditional baths around Istanbul that offer couple Hammams. This is a great escape from the city and is an amazing spa experience!
10. Do a Walking Food Tour
A food tour is a great way to explore and learn about a city or a place! Immersing yourself into another culture is important while traveling, and a food tour can help with that. This is also a great way to learn what types of food are local to the place you are visiting. I recommend the company Withlocals [linked], a company that prides themselves on their sustainable efforts, to find a food tour in Istanbul that suits your wants. I did “The 10 Tastings of Istanbul” and it was amazing! The tour was private with just my group and our local tour guide, and she took us to many different types of restaurants and places to eat. This tour is also accommodating to different dietary restrictions.
How to Make These Activities More Sustainable
“Sustainable Things to do in Istanbul” a common phrase I typed into Google multiple times before my trip looking for some sort of guide. The results? Not many. There might not be that many ‘sustainable’ things to do, however, there are things you can do to make the activities and places you visit more sustainable.
Some examples, when visiting a city choose to stay in a central area that is easy to walk from or near public transportation. In regards to exploring a city, opt for public transportation or walking places instead of taking a taxi, car service, or renting a car. Choose to eat at local restaurants that sources their food locally and restaurants with lots of plant based options. You also support the local economy when supporting local businesses versus when you eat at chain or big businesses. When doing research for your trip, look into sustainable tour companies and find sustainable companies to book through.
When you travel, make sure to be respectful, keep a place clean, immerse yourself in their culture, support their community, and think about how you will impact the place you are traveling to. Make sure the impact you make is a positive one that positively impacts the place and the people living in that place.
So, even though Istanbul may not have a lot of things to do that are ‘sustainable’, you can still make choices that will make your activities there more sustainable.
Are There Sustainable Accommodations in Istanbul?
When planning my trip to Istanbul, one of my first google search was “sustainable hotels Istanbul”. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much luck finding hotels that claim to be sustainable (I usually will look into Airbnb’s as well, however, Airbnbs are not huge in Istanbul and not the safest option here).
When picking a hotel, look for somewhere close by a public transportation system or that is easy to explore from. Look for a locally owned hotel, hostel, or guesthouse as well to stay in when traveling.
Bigger hotels might claim to be sustainable, however, these larger corporation hotels use greenwashing a lot to seem more sustainable than they actually are. Look at a hotels website and try to find what they do that is sustainable and if the hotel has any certification that shows their sustainability efforts.
Staying by the Sultanahmet Square is a good area in Istanbul to stay due to its easy access to other parts of the city by tram or foot. This area might be ‘touristy’ for some people, but it is central, there are a lot of local shops, hotels, and restaurants.
How to Eat Sustainably in Istanbul
Turkish food isn’t just delicious, but it is also relatively easy to eat a plant based diet here, which makes eating sustainable easier. Eating local, in season, plant forward foods are considered more sustainable and when traveling, it is better to support local restaurants when possible. Supporting local restaurants over chains means that you are also supporting the local community. When possible, find restaurants that are sustainable and source their food locally. This is not always easy to find, but just do your best!
Some plant based Turkish foods in Istanbul include Simits, which are similar to a sesame bagel and can be found all over the city, Muhammara dip, which is a roasted red pepper dip, Baklava and Turkish Delight, which are both delicious desserts, vegetable kebabs, stuffed vine leaves, Acili Ezme, which is similar to salsa, and of course a lot of pickled foods! You can also find hummus at a lot of restaurants in the more touristy areas of the city and falafel in some areas as well.
Can you Travel Around Istanbul Sustainably?
The quick answer, yes! Istanbul is super easy to travel around and there are trams going around the city easily connecting each area so there is no need to use a taxi or car service when traveling around the city. You can get around Istanbul by tram, metro, ferry, or by foot.
As mentioned above in the blog, the Welcome Card [linked] for Istanbul, which I highly recommend getting if visiting Istanbul for the first time, includes 10 rides on any form of public transportation. There are many different Welcome Card options, and the Premium Card which is valid for 7 days and is 91 euro per person. Is the one that includes the 10 rides. The Premium Card also includes skip the line tickets and tours to the Basilica Cistern, the Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia, and includes a Bosphorus Cruise. You also get 20% off other tours or transportation, which includes the ferry to and from Princes Island for 8 euros. Additionally, you can easily refill your transportation card to add more rides at every tram station which helps getting around the city in a more sustainable way.
Lastly, Istanbul is a super walkable city making it easy to walk to and from many different areas and places in the city. Istanbul also is a relatively safe city to walk around, but always remember to be smart when walking around a new city especially if you are alone! Walking around places is a great way to explore and learn about new places. Walking is also a sustainable form of transportation!
However, there is not a lot of biking around Istanbul but if you travel to a city that is bike-able than that is a great way to explore a city in a sustainable way.
Other Things That Make Istanbul Sustainable or Unsustainable
As I mentioned above, Istanbul is not the most sustainable city, however, there are some things about traveling around Istanbul that are sustainable. Some unsustainable things about Istanbul is the lack of recycling in the city. There are not a lot of systems set up throughout the city and in public spaces to help make recycling easier. However, the Topkapi Palace did have recycling.
Another non sustainable thing about Istanbul is that it is suggested to not drink the tap water when visiting the city, so you will have to buy bottled water. I talk more about how to make this more sustainable in my blog: 5 Sustainable Traveling Tips
Some sustainable things about Istanbul are were that there are a decent amount of parks or plazas with plants, lawn, and even green walls! The Gulhane Park in the city, which is a nice little escape that felt separate from the rest of the busy city, is a ge\reat park by the Topkapi Palace and has lots of tall trees, green walls, and lawn.
Also, some stores in Istanbul give you reusable bags when shopping which is sustainable and helps you cut down on waste when traveling.
Additionally, the hotel room’s electricity only turn on when a key is inserted, so this helps save electricity and allows visitors to not leave lights or the air conditioner on when they are not in the room. This is super sustainable because it helps to save energy.
Lastly, as discussed above, the transportation in Istanbul is super abundant throughout the city and easy to use. The public transportation in Istanbul helps to reduce more than 160 tons of Carbon Dioxide daily.
Summary: So, is Istanbul a Sustainable City?
With all of this in consideration, I would give Istanbul a 2/5 for how Sustainable is is. As a place to visit I would give it a 5/5 because it is definitely one of my favorite cities I have been to, but in terms of sustainability, I think it still has some work to do! The public transportation is definitely the most sustainable part about traveling around Istanbul. Again, there are always ways to make any type of traveling more sustainably as noted in above this guide!
