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Istanbul Travel Guide

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Best Free Things to Do

by Frommers Travel Guides
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Content provided by Frommers
  • Toasting the lights of the Old City at dusk: It's a magical sight to watch the lights of the Old City come to life. From a rooftop bar (okay, not necessarily free) in Beyoglu, you can watch the monuments light up one by one. If you're on the ground in Sultanahmet, it's impossible not to enjoy the poetry of the seagulls in flight circling under the spotlights of the Blue Mosque.

  • Crossing the Galata Bridge on foot: Fishermen line the railings above, while dinner (or tea, or backgammon) is served below as the majestic and inspiring silhouettes of the Suleymaniye, Rustem Pasa, and Yeni Camii loom in the distance. If you wait until after sunset, you get to see the seagulls circling the minarets.

  • Strolling along the city's defensive walls: Ancient history is juxtaposed against the present-day neighborhoods at Yedikule, Edirnekapi, and Ayvansaray, each reflecting its own interpretation of Turkey's past, present, and future.

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The view of Istanbul from Topkapi Palace Blue mosque from the park The Bosphorus seen from the Black Sea side 5f7bec4ed2de85554a05882d62ddd6e2
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