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Days · Istanbul

Istanbul in 3 days

Mosques and palaces at opening, tram and ferry in the afternoon, the tower at the end; the last day ends with the bags already in the car.

Days

3

Plan status

draft

Walking

5km

default plan, all days

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Walking weather for the week

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Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Your constraints

Shape the plan

Change the days, pace and interests; the itinerary, stops and routes below are rebuilt from our Istanbul data. The link keeps your choice.

Days
Pace

Relaxed: up to 2 routed stops a day, starting 09:30. Normal: up to 3. Packed: up to 4, from 08:30.

Interests

The original 3-day plan.

Day 1 — Hagia Sophia at opening, cistern, a 12:30 lunch table

EasyLow time risk~1.1 km (0.7 mi) walkno long stairsno taxi

leave byLeave Blue Mosque by 11:30 to keep the 12:30 last seating.

39 min of buffer left; holds while the queue at Hagia Sophia stays under 59 min.

  1. 08:30–08:36Walk to Sultanahmet Square
  2. 08:36–09:41Hagia Sophia
  3. 09:41–09:45Walk across Sultanahmet Park
  4. 09:45–10:35Blue Mosque
  5. 10:35–10:41Walk to the lunch table
  6. 10:41–12:30Buffer / wander near Your reserved lunch (Sultanahmet)
  7. 12:30–13:30Lunch table 12:30 (Sultanahmet)hard

What this plan gives up

  • L2Shorten Hagia Sophia to 45 min (minimum worthwhile visit) — protects: Lunch table 12:30 (Sultanahmet).
  • L2Skip Basilica Cistern (optional) — protects: Lunch table 12:30 (Sultanahmet).

Switches if the ground changes

  • crowd Hagia Sophia → Basilica Cistern (4′, then 8′ p90 to the anchor)
  • heat Hagia Sophia → Café near Sultanahmet Park (AC) (4′, then 8′ p90 to the anchor)
  • crowd Blue Mosque → Café near Sultanahmet Park (AC) (0′, then 8′ p90 to the anchor)
  • crowd Basilica Cistern → Café near Sultanahmet Park (AC) (0′, then 8′ p90 to the anchor)
Why this route?

DFL 3.7 = PFL 1.1 + OFL 2.6 · walk 1.1 km (0.7 mi) · steps ↑0 ↓0

P_late 2.0% (100 Monte Carlo runs) · margin p90 39′ · relax L2 · yield 13.6 · option value 1.43

Deadline: last seating 12:30 → latest arrival 12:20, slack 44′

β vs α: time risk 1% → 2%; margin -40 min; +TRY 0.

trace: generated 18 · rejected p50_after_latest_arrival×1, p_late>0.15×7 · frontier 6 · seed 3902561149 · solver 0.2.0 · confidence high

After: Hotel or an AC café 13:30–16:00; Blue Mosque outside prayer times if energy allows.

Day 2 — Topkapı at opening, tram to the Spice Bazaar

EasyLow time risk~2.7 km (1.7 mi) walkno long stairsno taxi
  1. 08:30–08:44Walk north-east past Hagia Sophia
  2. 08:44–11:29Topkapı Palace
  3. 11:29–11:35Walk down into Gülhane Park to the carts
  4. 11:35–11:50Simit, çay and street snacks
  5. 11:50–12:07Walk downhill via Sirkeci
  6. 12:07–12:52Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı)
  7. 12:52–12:56Walk to the quay by the bridge
  8. 12:56–13:21Fish sandwich at Eminönü

Switches if the ground changes

  • heat Topkapı Palace → Gülhane Park café (shade) (6′)
Why this route?

DFL 3.7 = PFL 2.7 + OFL 1 · walk 2.7 km (1.7 mi) · steps ↑0 ↓0

P_late 0.0% (fast path: safe) · margin p90 n/a · relax L0 · yield 22.3 · option value 0.63

trace: generated 108 · rejected no_edge×2 · frontier 12 · seed 3902561149 · solver 0.2.0 · confidence medium

After: Late afternoon: Galata Bridge and a ferry at dusk; evening meal in Karaköy.

Day 3 — Galata Tower, baklava, car to the airport at 12:30

EasyLow time risk~1.2 km (0.7 mi) walkno long stairsTRY 300 (≈ US$8) taxi

leave byLeave Galata Tower by 11:15 to keep the 12:30 boarding.

35 min of buffer left; holds while the queue at Galata Tower stays under 50 min.

  1. 08:30–08:54Tram T1 to Karaköy, then walk up
  2. 08:54–10:04Galata Tower
  3. 10:04–10:26Car back to the hotel for the bags
  4. 10:26–12:30Buffer / wander near Hotel pickup (bags) → airport
  5. 12:30–13:30Car to the airport at 12:30hard

What this plan gives up

  • L1Taxi TRY 300 (≈ US$8) (Car back to the hotel for the bags) — protects: Car to the airport at 12:30.
  • L2Skip Turkish breakfast, Karaköy (optional) — protects: Car to the airport at 12:30.
  • L2Skip Karaköy Güllüoğlu (optional) — protects: Car to the airport at 12:30.

Switches if the ground changes

  • crowd Galata Tower → Karaköy Güllüoğlu (8′, then 36′ p90 to the anchor)
Why this route?

DFL 3.2 = PFL 1.2 + OFL 2 · walk 1.2 km (0.7 mi) · steps ↑0 ↓0

P_late 4.5% (200 Monte Carlo runs) · margin p90 35′ · relax L2 · yield 6 · option value 0.56

Deadline: boarding 12:30 → latest arrival 12:20, slack 40′

β vs α: time risk 4% → 5%; margin +8 min; -TRY 223.

trace: generated 36 · rejected p50_after_latest_arrival×17, p_late>0.15×7 · frontier 10 · seed 3902561149 · solver 0.2.0 · confidence medium

After: IST: allow 3 hours before an international departure; SAW: allow 3.5 hours (traffic across the Bosphorus).

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