PostOpTrip

Companion guide · Istanbul

Things to do in Istanbul while your partner recovers

You came to look after someone, and you have 5 to 10 days with long quiet stretches. Here is how to split them: short outings you can share, the things your patient has to skip, and a day trip for when they are resting.

Your job on the trip

  • Be there for the clinic appointments and the first night after the procedure.
  • Carry the bags. After most surgery, lifting is off the list for weeks.
  • Keep fluids, medicines from the clinic and the clinic's phone number to hand.
  • Know where the nearest pharmacy is. Pharmacies (eczane) are on almost every street. At night one duty pharmacy (nöbetçi eczane) per neighbourhood stays open, and every closed pharmacy posts the list of duty pharmacies in its window.
  • Emergency number: 112 for ambulance, police and fire.

Short outings to share

Seated, short and close to the clinic districts. Most fit the early recovery days. Check each day's rules in the patient's guide.

  • Bosphorus sightseeing cruise

    Two hours on the water past palaces, mansions and both bridges. Pick a seat in the covered cabin or the shaded side of the deck.

    Seated, shaded or covered, about 2 hours

    See times and prices

  • Public ferry from Eminönü to Kadıköy

    Twenty calm minutes across the Bosphorus to the Asian side for the price of a transit card. Sit inside by the window and drink a tea.

    Seated, shaded or covered, about 1 hour

    Open in Maps

  • Whirling dervish ceremony

    A one-hour seated sema ceremony in a historic hall in Sirkeci. Quiet, indoor and in the evening.

    Seated, indoors, about 1 hour

    Open in Maps

  • Istanbul Modern and the Karaköy waterfront

    Turkish modern art in a cool, airy building on the water, with a café looking at the old city.

    Gentle walking, indoors, about 2 hours

    Open in Maps

  • Pierre Loti cable car and tea garden

    A short cable car up to a shaded hilltop tea garden over the Golden Horn. Sit and watch the boats.

    Seated, shaded or covered, about 1.5 hours

    Open in Maps

  • Istanbul Archaeology Museums

    Three quiet museum buildings next to Topkapı with the Alexander Sarcophagus and plenty of benches. Rarely crowded.

    Gentle walking, indoors, about 2 hours

    Open in Maps

  • Pera Museum

    Orientalist paintings, including The Tortoise Trainer, in a calm museum with a lift. An easy hour in Beyoğlu.

    Gentle walking, indoors, about 1.5 hours

    Open in Maps

Things to do on your own

Your patient has to skip these on most days, so they are ideal while they rest.

  • Bosphorus dinner cruise with show

    An evening of seated dinner, folk dance and city lights from the water. Drinks are optional; you can ask for soft drinks only.

    Seated, indoors, about 3 hours

    See times and prices

  • Basilica Cistern

    The cool, dim underground cistern with the Medusa heads. Walkways get packed at midday; go at opening time.

    Gentle walking, indoors, about 1 hour

    See times and prices

  • Hagia Sophia

    The great dome is worth it, but queues stand in the sun and the inside is crowded. Women cover their hair and everyone removes shoes.

    Gentle walking, some open-air walking, about 1.5 hours

    See times and prices

  • Topkapı Palace

    Courtyards, the Harem and the treasury. Three hours of walking with long open-air stretches between buildings.

    A few hours on foot with breaks, some open-air walking, about 3 hours

    See times and prices

  • Grand Bazaar

    A covered maze of 4,000 shops. Shaded, but shoulder to shoulder at peak times. Go early on a weekday.

    Gentle walking, indoors, about 2 hours

    Open in Maps

  • Guided food tour with ferry ride

    Street food on both continents: kebab, pickles, baklava and more, with a lot of walking in between.

    A few hours on foot with breaks, some open-air walking, about 4 hours

    See times and prices

  • Turkish hammam

    Steam, hot marble and a vigorous scrub. A must for your companion, a no for most patients.

    Gentle walking, indoors, about 1.5 hours

    Open in Maps

  • Dolmabahçe Palace

    Guided rooms of chandeliers and staircases. Mostly indoors, but it is an hour or more on your feet.

    A few hours on foot with breaks, indoors, about 2 hours

    Open in Maps

  • Spice Bazaar

    A smaller covered market of spices, lokum and tea near the Eminönü ferries. Busy, but short to visit.

    Gentle walking, indoors, about 1 hour

    Open in Maps

  • Galata Tower

    The lift does the climb, but the queue stands outside and the viewing balcony is narrow and crowded.

    Gentle walking, some open-air walking, about 1.5 hours

    Open in Maps

  • Balat and Fener streets

    Colourful houses, antique shops and cafés on steep cobbled lanes. Lovely, but hilly and sunny.

    A few hours on foot with breaks, mostly in full sun, about 3 hours

    Open in Maps

  • Eminönü street-snack walk

    Simit, midye dolma (stuffed mussels), roasted chestnuts and balık ekmek along the Golden Horn waterfront.

    Gentle walking, some open-air walking, about 2 hours

    Open in Maps

  • Princes' Islands day trip

    A 90-minute ferry to car-free islands, then walking or e-carts in the sun. A long day out.

    A few hours on foot with breaks, mostly in full sun, about 7 hours

    Open in Maps

  • Nargile café in Tophane

    Tea, backgammon and water pipes. Atmospheric, and full of smoke.

    Seated, shaded or covered, about 1.5 hours

    Open in Maps

  • Turkish cooking class

    Make mezes, a main course and dessert indoors, then eat what you cooked. Most classes can go mild.

    Gentle walking, indoors, about 4 hours

    Open in Maps

  • Black Sea beaches at Kilyos

    An hour north for sand, sun and swimming in summer.

    Gentle walking, mostly in full sun, about 6 hours

    Open in Maps

A day trip, if you have a free day

  • Princes' Islands day trip

    A 90-minute ferry to car-free islands, then walking or e-carts in the sun. A long day out.

    A few hours on foot with breaks, mostly in full sun, about 7 hours

    Open in Maps

Long days away are best on a day when your patient is comfortable and has no appointment.

Where to eat

  • Esnaf lokantası lunch. Tradesmen's canteens serve soups, stews, rice and vegetable dishes from steam trays. Point at what you want. Let soup cool if you have had dental work.
  • Mantı in Kadıköy or Beşiktaş. Tiny dumplings under garlic yogurt and chilli butter. Ask for the butter on the side if you need it mild.
  • Milk puddings at a muhallebici. Sütlaç, kazandibi and tavuk göğsü: soft, cool and very Istanbul.
  • Turkish breakfast in Beşiktaş. A long, seated spread of cheeses, olives, eggs, honey and bread on the Çarşı breakfast street.
  • Meze and fish at a meyhane. Beyoğlu taverns serve dozens of small plates. Rakı is traditional; you can skip it.
  • Kebab and lahmacun. Adana kebab, lahmacun and pide in Fatih or Kadıköy. Spicy and chewy.
  • Balık ekmek at Eminönü. Grilled fish in crusty bread from the boats by the Galata Bridge.
  • Simit from a street cart. The sesame bread ring Istanbul runs on. Crunchy.

Recovery guides for Istanbul

Pharmacy and clinic map: Istanbul

Clinic districts

  • Şişli and Mecidiyeköy. Many hair transplant clinics and private hospitals. Clinics · Pharmacies
  • Beşiktaş and Levent. Hospitals, eye clinics and business hotels. Clinics · Pharmacies
  • Ataşehir. Clinics and hospitals on the Asian side. Clinics · Pharmacies
  • Sultanahmet and Beyoğlu. Where most sights and tourist hotels are. Clinics · Pharmacies

Pharmacies and emergencies

Pharmacies (eczane) are on almost every street. At night one duty pharmacy (nöbetçi eczane) per neighbourhood stays open, and every closed pharmacy posts the list of duty pharmacies in its window.

Emergency: 112 for ambulance, police and fire.

Find the nearest hospital emergency department