12 Fantastic Things to Do in Istanbul for under $5 US

Istanbul is an absolutely massive city with an incredibly extensive & regal history.

The city is full of world-class museums, historic Sultan’s palaces, some of the world’s most famous mosques, intriguing ancient markets, interesting & quirky neighborhoods, castles, a plethora of architecture from various centuries and civilizations, important archaeological sites, delicious cuisines and the Bosporus Strait running through it all.

Istanbul is a city that can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be, with accommodation and food choices for all budgets.

However, most of the city’s most important attractions & museums have fairly hefty entrance fees. Luckily, not all of them do. In fact, a few ‘heavy hitter’ attractions are free or very cheap.

Spice Market - Istanbul Besides the handful of major attractions, Istanbul has loads of fantastic things do see & do for free and many other wonderful things that cost less than $5 US.

I already recommended 10 Free Things to See and Do in Istanbul here.

In this post I offer 12 amazing things to see and do for less than $5 US. There are actually so many of these wonderful bargains to be found in Istanbul that I’ve divided them into main categories: inexpensive main attractions, great ferry trips, fun specialty tranportation rides and inexpensive major museums.

Without further ado, here are some fantastic yet inexpensive things to do in Istanbul.

A. Major Istanbul Attractions

As I mentioned above, most of Istanbul’s ‘big hitter’ attractions like Hagia Sofia Mosque Museum, Topkapi Palace and Dolmabace Palace have rather hefty entry fees.

Each one is certainly worth visiting if you have enough money. But budget travelers may have to pick one or two among their most desired attractions or even skip them all together.

Luckily, a few major attractions are either free (like Blue Mosque) or very cheap. Here are two you can visit for under $5 US.
1. Basilica Cistern

cost: 20 lira / $3.50 US

This massive underground historic water ‘holding tank’ is located right beside Sultanahmet Square and many of Istanbul’s biggest attractions. Unlike the others, however, Basilica Cistern only costs 20 lira / about $3.50 US.

Subterranean Basilica Cistern is a really eye-popping experience as it’s made of over 300 thick marble columns spaced out in row after row, many rows deep. Nowadays it’s beautifully illuminated with golden lights and given an even more ethereal ambiance from soft, exotic music.

2. Rumeli Castle Ruins

cost: 25 lira / $4.20 US

Rumeli Castle sits close to the Bosporus shores, just north of Beber on the European side of Istanbul, about halfway up the Bosporus.

Appropriately for a fortress castle, Rumeli Castle sits on a steep hillside with miles of high, thick stone walls, several tall stone towers and soaring panoramic views up and down the Bosporus.

In its time Rumeli Castle was an extremely important defensive spot for protecting the city from enemy attacks from Black Sea in the north.

Today it’s a fantastic castle ruins to wander around inside on its mostly grassy hillsides, to admire the Bosporus views, to peer inside tall open round towers and to learn some intriguing city history.

B. Ferry Trips

Istanbul has an absolutely fantastic public transportation system that includes regular buses, trams, Metro lines (subways), funiculars, cable cars, ferries and a couple historic novelty trams. They are all extremely clean, punctual, frequent, cheap, user friendly and cover the entire Istanbul metropolis.

Amazingly, even public ferries heading to rather remote locations like the Prince Islands, the far end of Golden Horn and the northern reaches of the Bosporus Strait are included in this transportation system and offer super cheap fares.

Visitors who buy the tranportation system’s passenger card, IstanbulKart, get discounted fares of almost 50%. So anyone riding on more than two trips anywhere in the city and/or taking one of the following trips should buy an IstanbulKart to save even more money.

I’d also like to point out that riding up the Bosporus Strait, the Golden Horn and out to Prince Islands are activities I actually consider to be three of the very best things to do in Istanbul. Any visitor to the city will really miss a lot by not taking these journeys.

3. Full-Day Bosporus Trip

cost: 25 lira / $4.20 US

This trip runs once a day, leaving Eminonu Ferry Terminal at 10:30 am and running up the Borporus Strait two hours to its final stop at Anadolu Kavagi, not far south of the Black Sea.

Anadolu Kavagi is a small fishing village with a handful of seaside restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops, unusual wooden houses and dozens of wandering cats & dogs.

The main highlight, though, is Yoros Castle ruins, perched on top of a hill above the town. It’s a steep 15-minute hike up to the castle, where visitors can climb around inside the ruins and enjoy superb views over the Black Sea, Bosporus and parts of Istanbul city in the far distance.

The ferry leaves Anadolu Kavagi at about 3 pm, arriving back in Eminonu about 5 pm.

4. Visit Prince Islands

cost: 20 lira RTN / $3.50 US (with or without IstanbulKart)

Prince Islands consist of nine small hilly, forested islands that lie just off the Marmara Sea shore, on the outskirts of Istanbul. City ferries go to & from the islands several times per day, taking about 1.5 hours to reach the farthest island, named Buyukada.

The ferries leave from Kabatas and Eminonu then on to four of the nine islands. Visiting any island costs the same price, so just get off at whichever one suits your fancy. All of them are inhabited with small, densely-packed towns along the shore but have undeveloped forested hilltops with walking trails.

A trip to Prince Islands is a fantastic way to escape the massive city and wander around in nature, with just the sounds of wind in trees and bird calls.

5. Travel up the Golden Horn to Eyup

cost: 6-7 lira ($1-1.15 US) for single ticket / 3.5 lira ($0.55 US) with IstanbulKart

Golden Horn is a branch of Bosporus Strait near it’s southern end that runs in a northwestern direction and is shaped like a tapering horn. It divides the European districts of Istanbul into two main areas.

Ferries running up Golden Horn are priced the same as a regular bus, tram or subway ride, regardless of how far you go. These ferries run on the hour all day.

Catch the ferry at Karakoy Terminal beside Galata Bridge, then enjoy the fantastic ever-changing scenery up and down the Golden Horn.

Along the way you’ll pass dozens of boats of all types, ride under three bridges, see Galata Tower and various huge mosques soaring above their surrounding buildings, view the city’s hillsides jam-packed with densely-packed buildings, glide past shoreline parks &old warehouse districts & marinas and other interesting sights.

This ferry trip is worthwhile just for the boat ride and the views. But there are also several places worth getting off the ferry to visit along the route. Most noteable are the amazing gilded cast-iron church of St. Stevens in Fener, the cool Rami M. Cok Transportation Museum in Haskoy and the regal former Sultan’s town of Eyup.

Eyup is the last stop on the ferry, so if you visit the adorable town, you’ll get the full Golden Horn ferry ride plus enjoy some amazing discoveries in regal Eyup.

C. Specialty Trams & Funiculars

cost: 6-7 lira ($1-1.15 US) for single ticket / 3.5 lira ($0.55 US) with IstanbulKart

As noted above, all these specialty modes of transportation are part of the regular Istanbul public transportation system. That means the fares are the same as any other bus, tram or subway ride. Quite a great bargain if you ask me!
6. Tunel Funicular

Istanbul is an extremely hilly place. In some areas the roads are extremely steep, and thus the advent of several funiculars in the city to connect major regions situated down along the Bosporus shores with important areas up high.

Tunel Funicular connects Karakoy near Galata Bridge up to the far end of famous pedestrian shopping street, Istiklal Cadessi, which then leads to Taksim Square.

Tunel Funicular is the world’s second oldest underground tram, coming in second only to London’s Underground!

Today Tunel Funicular is a fun historic attraction with historic photos and informational plaques in both stations, as well as the single adorable red car Math original wood interiors. However, it’s also used daily by locals to get up/down the steep hillside.

7. Cable Car at Eyup

If you visit Eyup at the far northern end of Golden Horn, then be sure to catch the cable car that runs up to the top of the ridge.

Rather unusually, the entire super-steep hillside is a massive cemetery. But there are also several open-air cafes & restaurants, a historic hotel and fabulous views over the Golden Horn and the sprawling city.

8. Cable Car over Macka Park

Macka Park is a long, forested valley park adjacent to Taksim Square. It runs down the hillside to Dolmabace Palace and is full of walking trails, sidewalks, green lawns and lovely shady trees.

Because it’s so hilly, there’s a cable car that runs high above the park, from the western Taksim side over to the city’s most upscale shopping district on the east side.

9. Historic Tram along Istiklal Pedestrian Street

Istiklal Caddessi is one of Istanbul’s most famous streets. It runs from the Pera district over to Taksim Square and is lined by historic European-style buildings filled with boutiques, chain clothing stores, restaurants, cafes, Turkish dessert shops and souvenir stores. Luckily, this road is completely flat.

One of the most interesting attractions on Istiklal is the super-cute historic red tram that runs from one end to the other. This tram actually looks much like Tunel Funicular, featuring beautiful wood interiors, but runs along a track in the middle of the pedestrian street and clangs its bell at unaware pedestrians as it slowly glides down the road.

D. Fantastic Museums

Most of Istanbul’s major museums, such as Archaeological Museum, Pera Museum and Museum of Islamic Art, charge pretty high admissions fees.

Luckily there are also dozens of smaller specialty museums with very low entry fees. Following are three of them. All of these are located close to each other in Besiktas near Dolmabace Palace, along the shores of the Bosporus.

Many other fantastic specialty museums with low entry fees or free entry are scattered all over the city.
10. Palace Collection Museums – aka Sayar Koleksiyonlari Muzesi

cost: 30 lira / just under $5 US

This museum displays thousands of luxurious objects that were part of several 19th century Ottoman Sultan’s palaces, mostly from Dolmabace Palace. The 5000 items on display are part of more than 43,000 objects that were used by the royal families in their daily lives.

On display are prince & princesses’ clothes, household objects, paintings, calligraphy sets, toys, art & handicrafts, Sultan’s personal objects and more.
11. Royal Naval Museum – aka Deniz Muzesi Sanat Galirisi

cost: 12 lira / $2 US

Anyone who’s into boats needs to visit this museum! On display are a fleet of gilded Imperial Barges as well as many other historical wooden boats used in Istanbul.

But the museum showcases lots more besides boats. There’s heaps of information about naval history, displays of uniforms, carpets, weapons, boat instruments, metal and paper objects, furniture, manuscripts and many other objects.

In addtion, there’s a large collection of personal belongings of the founder of the Turkish Republic, the revered Ataturk.

12. National Palace Painting Museum

– aka Cumhurbaşkanlığı – Milli Saraylar İdaresi – Resim Müzesi

cost: 30 lira / just under $5 US

This museum occupies the beautifully restored Veliahd Residence, a part of Dolmabace Palace intended for heirs of the Sultan. The building itself is a fantastic part of the visit.

The museum is divided into 11 thematic sections, which display a large collection of paintings that were part of Dolmabace Palace. They include portraits of the three Sultans who lived in Dolmabace, European and Asian paintings, paintings by famous Turkish artists, paintings by the official Palace artists and several other sections.

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