Day 1: Sultanahmet — the historic peninsula
06:30: pre-opening private access to Hagia Sophia with a Byzantine historian (45 minutes alone with the mosaics before public opening). 09:00: breakfast at Mavi Ev terrace overlooking the Blue Mosque. 10:30: Blue Mosque (still working mosque, dress modestly, free, takes 30 minutes). 11:30: Topkapi Palace — go harem first, treasury at lunchtime, terrace coffee with Bosphorus view. 14:00: lunch at Pasazade in Sultanahmet. 16:00: Basilica Cistern (the Medusa heads). 19:30: dinner at Asitane (Ottoman court cuisine, in Edirnekapi).
Day 2: the Bosphorus and the Asian side
09:30: ferry from Eminönü to Üsküdar (the working commuter ferry, £0.50). 10:00: Maiden's Tower visit and breakfast at Çengelköy on the Asian shore. 12:30: lunch at Çiya Sofrasi in Kadıköy (regional Anatolian cooking, the food critics' favourite). 14:30: Kadıköy market (Çarşı): pickles, cheeses, fish. 17:00: ferry back to Karaköy. 19:00: private classic-yacht sunset Bosphorus cruise — 90 minutes from Bebek to Rumeli Hisari and back, with chef-prepared meze on board.
Day 3: Karakoy, Galata, Pera
09:00: breakfast at Van Kahvalti Evi in Cihangir (the proper Turkish breakfast experience). 10:30: Karakoy/Galata food walk — five hours, six stops, the city's best fish sandwich, the original baklava family, an apprentice-master Turkish coffee bar. 16:00: Pera Museum (Orientalist paintings) or Istanbul Modern. 18:30: Kilic Ali Pasa hammam — late-evening private session in the 1580 Sinan-designed bath, restored to museum standard. 21:00: dinner at Mikla on the Marmara Pera roof, sunset and skyline.
Where to stay
For a 3-night trip, we recommend splitting one night Sultanahmet (so you can walk to the Day 1 monuments) and two nights Bosphorus side (Bebek, Ortakoy, or Karakoy) for the residential, restaurant-led half of the trip. Top picks: Four Seasons Sultanahmet (one night), Six Senses Kocatas (Bosphorus, two nights). Boutique alternative: Vault Karakoy.
What to skip
The Grand Bazaar — yes, see it, but 30 minutes is enough; it's largely a souvenir bazaar now. Day-trip boats to the Princes' Islands — overrated unless you have 4 days. Whirling Dervish shows in Sultanahmet — touristic; the real Mevlevi ceremony is in Konya.