Istanbul Tourist Attractions Map PDF 2021

There are many tourist attractions in Istanbul. Visitors to the city first focus on buildings such as Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. These are easy to find as they are within walking distance of each other. However, in order to find other historical sites, it is necessary to examine the Istanbul tourist attractions map. Because there are many more places to explore in Istanbul.

While doing research on the internet, I realized that there were not enough visual resources about Istanbul. Of course, it is possible to find various maps, but I have not come across a resource where foreign tourists can find all they need to know.

As a tour guide in Istanbul for 15 years, I know what those who want to visit Istanbul need to know. For this reason, I tried to prepare a comprehensive article that will meet all the needs of those planning a vacation in Istanbul.

Istanbul Tourist Attractions Map PDF 2021

Istanbul Tourist Attractions Map post has ten titles. We will explore Istanbul together on the maps I have shared under these headings. We will start from the most popular tourist destinations such as Sultanahmet and Beyoglu, and slowly expand the circle.

First of all, I should point out that these maps do not belong to me. I used maps published by various sources as drafts and processed them. In the article, you will see a selection of maps published by Beyoglu Municipality, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Google Maps and Turkish Airlines.

I processed these maps with Microsoft Paint. The maps may seem primitive as I am not a professional in this field. However, they provide visual support for what I want to tell. Likewise, it will enable readers to gain basic knowledge.

I made PDF files of the Istanbul tourist attraction maps that have enough details to be examined closely. You can find links to PDF versions of each Istanbul tourist map under the relevant headings. You can download these maps for free. Yes, now let’s start our article with the hope that it will be useful.

1. Fatih (Historic Peninsula) and Beyoglu

Most of the historical places in Istanbul are located in Fatih (Old City) and Beyoglu (New City). For this reason, it is necessary to know well where these two districts are located.

Fatih district is better known as the Old City or Historical Peninsula and has a history dating back to 2700 BC. The hill where Topkapi Palace is located in the east of the Historic Peninsula is the place where Istanbul was first founded in ancient times.

There are countless historical monuments to visit in the Historic Peninsula. The most famous of these works stand out as Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace and Grand Bazaar. These historical artifacts, which host millions of visitors a year, form the showcase of Istanbul.

Beyoglu district is also a very old settlement. However, the number of historical monuments is less compared to Fatih district. Beyoglu stands out with mostly walking streets, shopping places and activities.

Tourists who come to Istanbul and stay for 2 or 3 days usually visit these two districts. It only takes a few days to visit the famous mosques and museums in the Historic Peninsula and explore Istiklal Street (Beyoglu) and its surroundings.

Apart from visiting the Historic Peninsula and Beyoglu, the most common activity is taking a boat tour on the Bosphorus. Those who have time go to the Asian Side and visit the Kadıkoy Fish Market. According to millions of tourists, Istanbul consists only of these districts.

The Fatih and Beyoglu map above shows us the location of the two districts and the Golden Horn that separates them. Galata Bridge joins the two districts separated by the Golden Horn, which is a natural waterway.

There is Eminonu on one side of the Galata Bridge and Karakoy on the other. These two districts are places that represent the historical development and cosmopolitan food culture of Istanbul.

2. Map of Istanbul Old City (Sultanahmet)

The best way to travel between Istanbul Old City and Beyoglu districts is to use the tram. You can reach historical monuments in Sultanahmet from many parts of Istanbul thanks to the tram. On the other hand, you can use the tram to get to Dolmabahce Palace, which is the most important work to see after the places in Sultanahmet.

You can see the tram stops marked in green on the tourist map of Istanbul Old City. Historical monuments to see in Sultanahmet and its surroundings are lined up on the road between Beyazit and Eminonu tram stops.

After Eminonu, which is the last stop in the Old City, the tram crosses the Galata Bridge and reaches Beyoglu district. On the next map, you will see that the tram reaches Karakoy after passing the Galata Bridge.

You can view the Sultanahmet Map on the new tab via this link.

3. Map of Beyoglu (Taksim) District

Karakoy is one of the fastest growing districts of Istanbul in recent years. Karakoy, where many boutique hotels, cafes and restaurants have opened in recent years, has become a tourist attraction. Karakoy neighborhood will become even more popular with the opening of Galataport in 2021.

After Karakoy, the tram stops at Tophane district where Kilic Ali Pasha Mosque is located. Findikli, the next stop, is where the Istanbul Modern museum is. Kabatas, the last stop, is the most important stop of the tram in Beyoglu.

You can see that Kabatas is a transfer point on the tourist map of Beyoglu District. When you get off the tram at the last stop, Kabatas, you can easily go to Taksim Square by the F1 funicular connection. Or you can walk to Dolmabahce Palace in just 5 minutes.

Taksim Square is also where Istanbul’s most popular walking street, Istiklal Avenue, begins. While walking on Istiklal Avenue, you will pass through two squares called Galatasaray Square and Tunnel Square. You can also reach Galata Tower by following the same route.

You can view the Beyoglu (aka Taksim) map on the new tab from here.

4. Golden Horn Bridges

We mentioned that Beyoglu and Fatih districts are separated from each other by the Golden Horn. There are 3 main bridges connecting the two districts. One of them is the Historical Galata Bridge. The bridge, over which the tram passes, is used extensively by tourists.

On the other hand, you can reach Ataturk Bridge from Taksim Square through Tarlabasi Boulevard, which extends to the Historical Peninsula. Thanks to this bridge, you can connect to Unkapani and reach Ataturk Boulevard, the heart of Fatih district.

There are historical monuments such as Valens Aqueduct and Sehzade Mosque on Ataturk Boulevard. There are also Zeyrek Mosque (aka Church of Christ Pantokrator) and Suleymaniye Mosque in its close vicinity.

The third bridge on the map, the Metro Bridge, belongs to the M2 Metro line from Haciosman and going to Yenikapi. Thanks to this bridge, those coming from Beyoglu can reach Marmaray.

On the other hand, those who set off from Istanbul Old City can reach places such as Taksim Square, Sisli and Levent by M2 Metro. The best shopping malls of Istanbul are located in these districts.

You can view the Golden Horn Bridges on the new tab via this link.

5. Istanbul Public Transport Map

Istanbul metro has made great progress in recent years. With the integration of Marmaray into the system, travel in the European and Asian sides of Istanbul has become much easier.

In this way, someone who gets on Marmaray from Istanbul Old City can go to Kadikoy in just 8 minutes, and from there you can reach the interior of the Asian Side by transferring to the M4 metro.

One of the biggest problems of tourists who used to stay in the Old City was that it was difficult to reach shopping places of Istanbul. However, now it is very easy to go from Yenikapı to Sisli and Levent via M2 metro. These are the districts of Istanbul with modern shopping venues.

In addition, with the Marmaray and M4 connection, getting to the shopping centers on the Asian Side and Sabiha Gokcen Airport has become very easy.

If you want to learn more about the metro, Marmaray and tram in Istanbul, you can also take a look at the Istanbul Metro Map article. In that article, I explained the Istanbul Public Transport Map in detail.

You can find the PDF version of the map above from this link.

6. Istanbul Ferry Map

Istanbul Ferry Map shows us the locations of the major ferry ports. Istanbul’s nostalgic ferries allow us to travel between the European and Asian sides as well as to take a Bosphorus cruise in Istanbul.

For example, piers 1, 2 and 5 on the map show tour boats making a Bosphorus tour. Pier 1 belongs to the Turyol Bosphrous boats. Pier number 2 belongs to Sehir Hatlari‘s Bosphorus Cruise Ferries. Pier 5 belongs to Dentur Bosphorus boats departing from Kabatas. You can find more explanatory information for the Bosphorus cruise in this article.

Pier 3 symbolizes the ferries departing from Eminonu (Old City) to Uskudar and Kadikoy on the Asian side. There are actually two separate piers here, but I thought a single figure would be enough for both.

Pier 6 symbolizes the ferries departing from Besiktas to Kadikoy and Uskudar. Piers 7 and 8 are located in Uskudar and Kadikoy, two touristic districts of the Asian Side. Ferries depart from both to Besiktas and Eminonu.

You can view the above Istanbul ferry map as PDF via this link.

7. Istanbul Accommodation Map

It is difficult to decide where to stay in Istanbul. Because there are thousands of hotels in Istanbul and it is difficult to decide which area is best to stay. Accommodation places such as Sultanahmet, Beyoglu and Besiktas have both pros and cons.

Istanbul Accommodation Map shows us the locations of the best hotels in Istanbul. If you want to dig deeper about this subject, you can find all the details in the article on the best places to stay in Istanbul.

Istanbul accommodation map also serves us as a map of Istanbul tourist attractions. Because the most important historical monuments of Istanbul are located in these marked districts.

You can view the map above in high resolution here.

8. Map of Istanbul Districts

The maps I have shared so far included mostly tourist attractions. Map of Istanbul Districts allows us to view the city from a wider perspective. Thanks to this map, you can see the other districts where Istanbul residents live from a bird’s eye view.

There is only one thing that needs to be updated on this map. That is, Ataturk Airport is not used anymore. The location of the new Istanbul Airport is not visible on the map. However, we can say that it is close to Kemerburgaz, which can be seen in the far north.

On the other hand, Sabiha Gokcen Airport, located inside the Asian Side, can be clearly seen on this map. There are even Prince Islands that we cannot see on other maps.

You can view a better version of the Istanbul Districts Map from here.

9. Istanbul Sightseeing Map

The touristic places of Istanbul are mainly gathered in five districts. These are Fatih, Beyoglu, Besiktas, Uskudar and Kadikoy districts. This high resolution map prepared by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality introduces all the must-see places in these five districts with illustrations.

As a traveler, I have always liked maps with illustrations. Because the location of historical artifacts becomes clearer in illustration maps. Historic places depicted like artwork on the map become more attractive.

Istanbul Sightseeing Map creates the same effect by highlighting all the iconic buildings of the city. Ferries, Maiden’s Tower, stadiums and historical artifacts are beautifully highlighted. Even the seagulls, one of the symbols of Istanbul, have not been forgotten.

You can find the PDF version of Istanbul Sightseeing Map from here.

10. Istanbul Tourist Attractions Map

Istanbul Tourist Attractions Map also includes illustrations. This map published by Turkish Airlines shows us historical places to visit in Istanbul.

Those who visit the places marked on this map will have an excellent Istanbul experience. Because the map contains all the places that should be visited in Istanbul for the first time.

Of course, those who stay in Istanbul for a long time or those who come for the second time can visit more specific places. As Istanbul has hosted many civilizations, it has a history consisting of many layers.

Istanbul has been the capital of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires in history. You can concentrate on each of these periods separately. For example, the Byzantine history tour in Istanbul is a good example of this.

Most of the museums in Istanbul can be entered with a museum card. The museums marked on the map above actually show museums that can be visited with the museum card. You can also check the Istanbul Museum Pass article for more information on this subject.

You can find the PDF of Istanbul Tourist Attractions Map from this link.

Istanbul Tourist Maps on Youtube

I recently published a video on Istanbul Tourist Attraction Maps on YouTube. Since I am not a videographer, I cannot say that it is technically a perfect video. But I am sure that you will get useful information if you watch it to the end. If you will find this content useful, you may like the video and subscribe to my channel. And finally, I wish you a good trip. Here is the link for that video.

Istanbul Tourist Attractions Map by Serhat Engul