Istanbul is the only city in the world to straddle two continents, split by the Bosphorus strait that has carried trade and empires for sixteen centuries. It is the platform's home city — and the most deeply covered, with live traffic and transport data, a tactical city map, neighborhood guides and editorial trip-planning content.
Use Istanbul as the blueprint for how every Turkish city on the platform will eventually work: real geography, live conditions, and content that helps you move like a local.
Known for: Bosphorus · Hagia Sophia · Bazaars · Ferries · Neighborhoods
- Region
- Marmara
- Continents
- Two
- Best seasons
- Spring / Autumn
- Get around
- Ferry, metro, Marmaray
The Bosphorus
Istanbul, live
District density, transport layers and incidents — tap a district for live stats.
What Istanbul is known for
The historic peninsula holds Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapı Palace within a single walkable district. Across the Golden Horn, Galata and Beyoğlu trade monuments for coffee, galleries and nightlife, while the Asian side — Kadıköy, Üsküdar — is where the city actually lives.
- The Bosphorus and its ferries — the city's greatest, cheapest experience.
- The Grand and Spice Bazaars, and the food scene in Kadıköy.
- Photogenic neighborhoods: Balat, Karaköy, Cihangir, Kuzguncuk.
- Live, data-driven transport and traffic intelligence.
Getting around
Cross the water by ferry or Marmaray rather than by car, and use the metro for inland trips. All run on the same İstanbulkart. The live map shows current congestion so you can route around the bridges.
Explore Istanbul, live
Istanbul is the platform’s fully-instrumented city. Dive into the live tools to plan around real conditions:
- Live city map — traffic, transport layers, district intelligence.
- Traffic, live — congestion, bridges and incidents.
- Ferry guide — Bosphorus routes and piers.
- Neighborhoods — explore the city by character.
- Things to do — the essential experiences.
Istanbul in pictures
Frequently asked questions
About Istanbul
2Three days cover the headline sights; four or five lets you add the Princes' Islands and explore neighborhoods at a slower pace.
Ferries and Marmaray across the Bosphorus, the metro inland — all on one İstanbulkart. Avoid driving across the bridges at peak hours.