Explore Istanbul
Istanbul spans two continents across the Bosphorus, layering Byzantine domes, Ottoman palaces and buzzing bazaars into one intoxicating city. Its old streets and cross-continental traffic are chaotic; Chauffyr threads you from Hagia Sophia to a two-star modern-Anatolian dinner and a Bosphorus sunset in a calm, fixed-price black car.
A city straddling two continents, Byzantine and Ottoman monuments, the Grand Bazaar, and a dazzling Anatolian food culture from kebabs to baklava.
The facts, upfront
The best restaurants in Istanbul
2 MichelinTURK Fatih Tutak
Modern Anatolian · $$$$ · Bomonti
Fatih Tutak's two-star restaurant reimagining Turkey's regional cooking — the country's most celebrated fine-dining table.
1 MichelinNeolokal
Contemporary Anatolian · $$$$ · Karaköy
A one-star restaurant inside SALT Galata championing Anatolian heritage recipes, with sweeping Golden Horn views.
Mikla
New Anatolian · $$$$ · Beyoğlu
A rooftop landmark blending Nordic precision with Anatolian flavour — one of the great city-and-water dining views.
Çiya Sofrası
Anatolian · $$ · Kadıköy
A beloved Kadıköy institution reviving forgotten regional Anatolian dishes — a delicious edible atlas of Turkey.
Balıkçı Sabahattin
Seafood · $$$ · Sultanahmet
A characterful seafood house in a wooden Sultanahmet mansion, serving classic Turkish fish-and-meze feasts since 1927.
Karaköy Güllüoğlu
Baklava · Sweets · $ · Karaköy
The most famous baklava counter in the city, by the Karaköy ferry docks — order it warm with a glass of tea.
What to see in Istanbul
Hagia Sophia
Sultanahmet
The colossal 6th-century Byzantine basilica turned mosque — one of the world's greatest and most storied buildings.
Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed)
Sultanahmet
The early-17th-century imperial mosque famed for its cascade of domes and 20,000 blue İznik tiles.
Topkapı Palace
Sultanahmet
The opulent primary residence of the Ottoman sultans for 400 years, overlooking the Bosphorus and Golden Horn.
Grand Bazaar
Fatih
One of the world's oldest and largest covered markets — 4,000 shops across 60 labyrinthine streets.
The Bosphorus
Bosphorus
The legendary strait dividing Europe and Asia — a cruise past palaces, fortresses and wooden mansions is essential.
Basilica Cistern
Sultanahmet
A vast, dimly-lit 6th-century underground Byzantine water cistern with a forest of columns and mysterious Medusa heads.
One perfect day in Istanbul
9:00 · Morning
Hagia SophiaSultanahmet — The vast dome
11:00 · Late morning
Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed)Sultanahmet — The six minarets
13:00 · Lunch
Çiya SofrasıAnatolian · Kadıköy — Regional kebabs
15:00 · Afternoon
Topkapı PalaceSultanahmet — The Imperial Treasury
18:00 · Golden hour
The BosphorusBosphorus — A strait cruise
20:00 · Dinner
TURK Fatih TutakModern Anatolian · Bomonti — 'From My Mom' reinvented manti
Book this day, one chauffeur
One fixed-price car and driver for every stop — no parking, no waiting, no surge.