Merhaba, travellers! I present you this 2-day itinerary guide for Istanbul with places, restaurants/cafes, transportation options and useful tips for your magical trip in Istanbul. FULLY GLUTEN-FREE FRIENDLY.

! NOTE !  The itinerary does include some of the main worth-visit tourist attractions (on the European side). It is more like an exploration option, led mainly by our preferences but, guaranteed, it will definitely present you the city in its warm hospitable magic. Enjoy your magical trip.

İstanbul, Türkiye

Istanbul 2-day Guide
(gluten-free friendly)

Istanbul is a magnificent culture pot which although being fast-paced, always makes you feel at home. Before I present you the places you could visit, I would like to give you a bunch of useful tips and facts on different topics before embarking on an exploration trip so as to make it as convenient as it can be. 

Roaming tariffs in Turkey are quite often expensive for foreigners. Luckily, there are two reasonable options to consider if you want so save money.

1. Buy a local SIM card for tourists.  You could easily go to one of Turkey`s mobile operators (Turkcell, TurkTelekom, Vodafone) and simply ask for a tourist SIM card. Depending on your preference you could choose from different packages offering you Minutes, MBs and SMS. Prices starting from around 30$.

2. Buy an eSIM. In modern world there are always alternatives. The cheapest alternative of a local physical SIM card is the eSIM (basically a digital card). You just need to download the Airalo app, both for Android and iOS, choose one from the prepaid MOBILE DATA ONLY plans and then follow the instructions on how to pay and install it on your phone. Valid for 30 days. Here are some of the prices: 1GB (4.50$), 3GB (4$), 5GB(6$), 10GB(9$), 20GB (13$). Please note that the eSIM is only compatible with particular devices. 

You could check compatibility on the following link: 

Personal tip: If you need mobile data to ensure you won`t get lost, you needn`t worry. The city offers you numerous free Wi-Fi spots where you can load your itinerary on the Moovit app. Do not forget to take a business card from your hotel as well.   

What devices support eSIM? - Airalo Help Center

 Personal favourite app. Simply write where do you want to go and Moovit will offer you a bunch of transport options with informative instructions including what can be used for transportation, schedules, instructions on how to go from your current location to the stop etc.

You can easily book a taxi from point A to point B with shown price.

An app that shows you all the boat schedules from each port with all the stops in an itinerary.

 It is more like a travel-planning app in which you could add ideas to your trip such as must-see places, places you want to visit, view times and distances between places and make it all shared with your travel partner.

Undoubtedly, Istanbul has a perfectly working transportation system. A huge advantage of it is the presence of the Istanbul kart which is a contactless card for payment on public transport and avoiding any kind of queues for tickets. 

You just need to buy one for 70TL (2.20$) and fill money into it. With the card you could access all kinds of public transport - bus, boat, subway, tram, etc. You could share it with up to 5 people. 

Almost every station has a machine from which you could buy one or refill yours but since many of the hotels are located in Laleli district (Fatih) I hereby attach a location in it which will probably be a 5-min walking distance from your hotel at Aksaray tram station 

Google Maps

(Transportation mentioned in this itinerary is with starting point all the hotels located in Laleli. If your accommodation is somewhere else, please do not stick to the transportation instructions offered down and use Moovit)

Take the tram (T1) to the Sultan Ahmet station . 

After breakfast you could enjoy the street down from Buhara 93 which will lead you to the sea or go back and visit the emblematic area between Hagia Sophia and The Blue Mosque. While on the square don`t forget to try the chestnuts sold from local salesmen in that area. Another option is to follow the tram lanes (direction opposite to Laleli) that will take you to the sea (around 15min from Sultan Ahmet square) and enjoy all the cute stalls and stores including Turkish Delights and Baklava shops. When on the sea you could enjoy the view of the Golden Horn with Galata tower in the distance. There are plenty of chestnuts stalls as well if you want to try them.

A perfect gluten-free option for lunch, located in the area of Sultan Ahmet station, is Cafe Amedros. It is suitable both for lunch and dinner with working hours till midnight and colourful warm atmosphere, serving traditional Turkish cuisine and lots of gluten-free options.

When going back to your hotel with the tram get off at Beyazit stop which is located 1-min-walk from Kapalıçarşı (The Grand Bazaar).

Personal tip: Even with negotiating the bazaar is a bit overpriced since it is a tourist attraction. If the price is suitable for you, no matter with or without negotiations, it will be great but keep in mind that local non-touristic shops sell the same goods on cheap price. 

Get ready to spend the rest of the day in Balat - a colorful district with a vivid atmoshere. The easiest way to go to Balat from Laleli is to go to Aksaray Ring Bus Stop and take bus 90B to Balat. 

BONUS WALK. If you watch Turkish series and you are fan of the drama Çukur, district of Balat can offer you the atmosphere where the series was filmed. To get the most of your mini trip you simply need to go Dostlar Kahvesi and on your way there you will pass through all the inscriptions and symbols of the series. 

As the evening evolves and you want to enjoy the view of night Istanbul and have dinner somewhere go to Fener bus stop  and catch the bus - either 33ES or 99A. 

Now, you can enjoy the night view of the Golden Horn with the mysterious mosques and the boats passing. A place for dinner where we found suitable gluten-free options and a nice traditional atmosphere with great service was Star Restaurant  under Galata Köprüsü (Galata Bridge). 

Turkey becomes more and more popular as a fashion destinations and we, as women, crave for fashion stores that sell quality clothes for reasonable prices. The most famous ones in Turkey are Koton and DeFacto so after we got back from our exploration trip we decided to visit the closest to Laleli fashion store which is worth the visit DeFacto.

On our second day we got the tram to Sultan Ahmet and had breakfast at the same Buhara 93. 

We highly advise you to visit Sultanahmet Camii (The Blue Mosque) in the area. 

A perfect start of climbing the streets towards Galata are the so called Rainbow Stairs . 

After lunch in order to visit the Galata Kulesi (Galata tower) and the cozy areas around it you could either go on foot or take the tram from Sultan Ahmet to Karaköy.

 ! BONUS PLACE for Turkish series lovers !  is the cafe from the Turkish drama series Kara Sevda located in the are of Galata - Otantik Cafe.

Must-do in Galata region is drinking Turkish tea wherever you want with the view of the tower. After strolling around and exploring the colourful streets leading to the tower you can combine the visit with Istiklal. Hereby I attach the very start of Istiklal street so it is easy for you to find it.

Just go straight ahead from that starting point and at the end you will reach the end of the street with the Taksim Meydan (Taksim Square)

You could combine Istiklal with a visit in Koton to shop for some modern convenient clothes with state-of-the-art designs. Here`s the closest Koton on Istiklal to the Yeni Çarşı Street.

Here, in Karaköy, is located the enormous Istanbul Contemporary Art Museum. Consider it as worth-visiting with working hours normally (does not work on Monday) 10am-6pm and till 8pm on Fridays.

 It was the end of our trip to Istanbul so we enjoyed exploring the atmosphere in Karaköy. To put on the cheery on the top of the dessert and to officially finalize our trip we enjoyed the magnificent Baklava at Karaköy Güllüoğlu - Nadir Güllü (THEY HAVE GLUTEN FREE BAKLAVA THERE) and got some of their baklava gift boxes to make someone home smile. 

Before enjoying a morning stroll in the park between The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia or on the vivid tram street (following the tram lanes) which will take you to the sea, you could refill your batteries with turkish breakfast and tea at Buhara 93 Restaurant. Perfect gluten-free option there are the tasty homemade fried eggs with extras, accompanied by Turkish tea and bread, served from the restaurant.

You should get off on stop Şehit İbrahim Yılmaz.

 You can visit Balat Renkli Evleri (Coloured Houses of Balat) as well as Renkli Merdivenler (Colourful Umbrellas and Stairs). 

Take a stroll, enjoy the streets and gradually go down the hill to Balat`s two straight streets - Vodina and Yıldırım with many cafes and restaurants and warm chill atmosphere.

 How you could find those streets? Hereby I attach location to Naftalin Kafe which you should definitely visit because of its vintage vivid atmosphere and many cats circling around the tables. Enjoying just a cup of tea at Naftalin is an unforgettable experience.

Istanbul 2-day Guide (gluten-free friendly)

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