As a photographer, I’m always keeping an eye out for the next best shot. I enjoy finding the lesser-known, not-as-touristy locations where I can channel my creativity and make something out of nothing, or just find a hidden gem in the city that not many people know about yet.
Note: Yes, I’m aware that two days is not NEARLY enough to see all of Istanbul, but something a friend of mine told me once is that it’s better not to see and do everything the first time you visit a new city so that in the future, you have a reason to go back. Plus, I had a wedding to go to in Los Angeles, so I had to cut my visit short.
Istanbul
When I hear about “Istanbul,” some things that come to mind include the Hagia Sophia, Bosphorus Strait, and the Blue Mosque. Heck — I even think about the new Istanbul airport that just opened a few months ago. Not to mention some old memories of me studying for my AP European History exam back in high school.
While those attractions are absolute must-do’s for a first timer in Istanbul (seriously, it’s beautiful), I knew that for my gallery I was looking for something more. I’ve never been a huge fan of taking photos at high-volume tourist attractions. You know, the kind where there are people EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK. I also happened to know that there were restoration efforts going on at the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, and me being the photo perfectionist I am I wasn’t too excited to shoot at these locations.
That being said, I turned to Google and Instagram for some ideas. My searches looked something along the lines of “Istanbul hidden gems” and “secret spots for Istanbul photography.” A couple hours of planning later and I had my list, and less than 48 hours to check everything off while still visiting the main tourist attractions. Here’s roughly what my plan looked like:
Day 1:
Arrive in Istanbul, check in at the Hotel Amira in Sultanahmet around 2:00pm
Visit the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque
Walk to the Grand Bazaar
Find Kubbe Istanbul, a former bar turned “secret rooftop” for photographers
Day 2:
Visit the Süleymaniye Mosque
Make our way to the Balat District and walk around the neighborhood
Head north to Ortaköy and check out the mosque
See Galata Tower at least once
Head to the airport ~2:00am for my flight back to the US
I planned it out this way so I could get a balance of seeing the main attractions (Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar, etc.) but also along my route stop by several alleys and neighborhoods to take some photos for my gallery.
Day One
Since I arrived during mid-afternoon, I knew I was already getting a late start. I still wanted to see as much as I could with the time I had, and luckily my hotel was just a 5-minute walk from the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. I checked in to the hotel, dropped my bag off, and was on my way to begin exploring Istanbul.
As I mentioned before, I knew that the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia were undergoing restoration efforts, so I expected there to be construction in the buildings. Both were extremely crowded, so I didn’t spend too much time there. One thing I would recommend: get the fast-pass at the Hagia Sophia, it’s roughly 15 euro and will save you a lot of time waiting in line to get inside.
I then walked northwest about 25 minutes to visit find the “secret rooftop” I was looking for — Kubbe Istanbul. This former cafe turned rooftop terrace offers one of the best views of Istanbul and is known for taking photography with birds flying around. It wasn’t easy to find. I had to stop by and ask several shop owners if I was going the right way, and Google Maps isn’t necessarily updated as there is another Kubbe shop a few blocks away. When we finally arrived there a local charging 50 Turkish Lira to head up to the rooftop, where we were greeted with this stunning view:
took a #magiccarpetride and picked up a few friends along the way…
- @dan.kphotography
How cool is that?! I won’t reveal the trick to getting the birds in the shot, but let’s just say it involves some raw chicken as an incentive for them to fly near you. If you visit this location, be sure to watch your head to dodge the bird droppings coming your way!
I visited the Grand Bazaar shortly after, with hundreds of small shops selling various goods. My favorite were the lamp shops, although unfortunately in most shops they didn’t allow me to take photos (with the exception of one). I walked through the maze of shops for bit and continued on walking around the city for the rest of the night until it was time to head back and rest for tomorrow’s full day of activities.
Day Two
I started the morning by walking to Süleymaniye Mosque, which is an excellent location for photography as it’s much less crowded and there are no restoration efforts currently taking place. I managed to capture this whilst nobody was around:
Shortly after was the last destination that I had to make sure I visited — Balat District. Balat is a down-to-earth neighborhood of cobbled streets and colorful houses, where you can find hip cafes and cutting-edge galleries. I took a taxi over to this Jewish quarter of Istanbul and explored the narrow alleys to find shots like these:
Cafe naftalin
Balat District, Istanbul
I really enjoyed walking around this neighborhood — it’s a great way to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city and change pace. Balat is primarily known for the colorful buildings (as seen above in the cover photo of this blog post), and if that’s where you’re looking to go you’ll want to navigate to Kiremit Caddesi on your map. There are tons of alleys with colorful buildings and coffee shops to visit, so do take your time here and have a coffee or two.
At this point, I took another taxi north towards Ortaköy mosque which also has some small stands nearby that sell Kumpir (Turkish baked potato), something I was told to try while in Istanbul. I got a chance to sit by the water and walk around the streets here before making my way to Galata Square, a long strip of restaurants and shops that eventually lead to Galata Tower. Afterwards I got some dinner, went back to the hotel, and took a power nap before it was time to head to the airport and say goodbye to Istanbul.
That’s my two-day experience in Istanbul. It’s not enough, but since I didn’t a chance to see everything, I now have a reason to go back!
As a reminder, you can view all my photos from Turkey in my gallery!