Istanbul for The Time Travellers: a Friday-to-Monday weekend
Two continents, one ferry, and a tea glass in every hand.
History and architecture, read in the right order. Medieval on Saturday, modernism on Sunday, a guide who knows the gossip, and a drink where the plotters drank.
Friday: From the Hippodrome to the cistern
- Basilica Cistern
Justinian's underground water store, a hall of 336 columns standing in shallow water; a late slot has smaller groups than the morning ones.
- Hippodrome of Constantinople
The Egyptian obelisk, the Serpent Column and the German fountain stand on the chariot track where Byzantines rioted over racing; read the plaques as the light fades.
- Hamdi Restaurant
A rooftop kebab house above the spice bazaar, with the New Mosque and the Golden Horn in front of you; start with the pistachio kebab and a mixed meze plate.
Saturday: The sultans' city
- Hagia Sophia
Go as it opens to see Justinian's 537 church before the crowds; look for the Viking runes carved on the gallery balustrade and the Deësis mosaic.
- Topkapı Palace
Four courtyards and the treasury of the Ottoman court for three centuries; give it three hours, and book the Harem as a separate ticket on arrival.
- Sultanahmet Köftecisi
Meatballs grilled the same way since 1920, served with white bean salad on a paper-lined table; the line moves fast and it is the standard Sultanahmet lunch.
- Orient Bar at Pera Palace Hotel
Agatha Christie's hotel bar, built in 1892 for Orient Express passengers; the room is all dark wood and brass, and one cocktail is the price of the history.
Sunday: Last palaces and the modern city
- Dolmabahçe Palace
The Ottoman court's nineteenth-century move to a European palace on the Bosphorus; guided entry only, with a chandelier of four and a half tonnes in the ceremonial hall.
- Karaköy Lokantası
Light Turkish lunch dishes, ordered by pointing at the display: leaf-wrapped sarma, lamb with plums and aubergine; prices are fixed by the plate.
- Istanbul Modern
Renzo Piano's 2022 waterfront box, with the Turkish twentieth century inside it; check the Bosphorus-facing top-floor café before you leave.
Monday: Sinan and the bazaar
- Süleymaniye Mosque
Sinan's masterpiece of 1557, with the great dome and the garden cemetery holding Süleyman and Hürrem; step into the courtyard and look across the Golden Horn.
- Grand Bazaar
Sixty-one covered streets begun in 1461 and still organised by trade; pick one hall, perhaps the Sandal Bedesten, and follow its vaults rather than the shops.
- Asitane
The Ottoman court's recipes from the sixteenth century, set beside the Chora mosque; taste the lamb with apricots, then take a taxi to the airport.