Turkey
Marmara
Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul is a very large city of fantastic history, culture and beauty. Called Byzantium in ancient times, the city's name was changed to Constantinople in 324 CE when it was rebuilt by the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine.
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Photo: Karsten Wentink, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Essential Destinations

Top destinations include Historical Peninsula and Istanbul Airport.

Photo: Sinoplu diyojen, Public domain.
The is the oldest part of Istanbul. It's the location of most of its sights, with several ranked as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's on the western, European side of the Bosphorus, with the sea to the south and the inlet of the Golden Horn to the north.

Photo: Kulttuurinavigaattori, CC BY-SA 4.0.
, also known as Istanbul New Airport, is the primary of two passenger airports serving the city of Istanbul, the other being on the Asian side.

Photo: Lkcl it, CC0.
An archipelago of nine islands in the Sea of Marmara just off the of Istanbul, the Princes' Islands are a perfect escape whenever the frantic crowds of Istanbul start to overwhelm you.

Destinations to Discover

Explore places such as Golden Horn and Galata.

Photo: VikiPicture, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The is the district of Istanbul surrounding the banks of the body of water of the same name, which is a bay of the Bosphorus along its western, European coast.

Photo: Ggia, CC BY-SA 3.0.
is just north, across the Golden Horn, from the Old City of Istanbul. Further north is Beyoğlu: İstiklal Avenue is its thoroughfare, and adjoining Taksim Square is considered the heart of the city — if it were sensible to speak of a "downtown" for multicentric Istanbul, that would most likely refer to this area.

Photo: michael clarke stuff, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Kadıköy, located on the Asian side of Istanbul, is a lively district known for its vibrant atmosphere, rich cultural scene, and artistic soul. A favorite among locals and visitors alike, it boasts colorful street art, independent bookstores, and a thriving café culture.

Photo: Kayhan ERTUGRUL, CC BY-SA 3.0.
is one of the two international airports serving Istanbul, 's largest city. It is 35 km southeast of Istanbul center, on the Asian side of the city.

Photo: Edal, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The is the area of Istanbul along the banks of the channel of the same name that connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, and separates Europe from Asia.

Photo: Nevit, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The are a collection of Istanbul neighbourhoods, lying west of the Old City walls and sprawling across the Thracian peninsula.

Photo: Tsy1980, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The or the Anatolian Side is the half of Istanbul that is on the mainland, east of the Bosphorus.

Photo: Elgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Istanbul's is a modern district north of . Its neighbourhoods of Elmadağ, Nişantaşı, Kurtuluş and Şişli were built up in the early 20th century, then more recently appeared the business district between Mecidiyeköy and Levent-Maslak.

Places of Interest

Highlights include Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace.

Mosque
Photo: Myrabella, Public domain.
, officially the Grand Mosque, is a mosque and a major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, . It was formerly a church and a .

Photo: Uspn, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the district of Istanbul in . From the 1460s to the completion of in 1856, it served as the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire, and was the main residence of its sultans.

Photo: A.Savin, FAL.
The , officially the Museum, is a medieval Genoese in the part of the district of Istanbul, . Built as a watchtower at the highest point of the mostly demolished Walls of Galata, the tower is now an exhibition space and museum, and a symbol of Beyoğlu and Istanbul.

Places in the Area

Nearby places include Üsküdar and Şişli.

Town
Photo: Meskalam, CC BY-SA 4.0.
is a municipality and district of . Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452. It is a large and densely populated district on the shore of the Bosphorus.

Town
Photo: VikiPicture, CC BY-SA 4.0.
is a municipality and district of . Its area is 10 km2, and its population is 276,528. Located on the side of the city, it is bordered by to the east, to the north, Eyüp and to the west, and to the south.

Town
Photo: Ggia, CC BY-SA 3.0.
or Eyüp is a municipality and district of . Its area is 228 km2, and its population is 422,913. The district extends from the all the way to the shore of the .

Istanbul

Latitude
41.037° or 41° 2′ 13″ north
Longitude
28.9851° or 28° 59′ 6″ east
Population
15,700,000
Elevation
39 metres (128 feet)
IATA airport code
IST
United Nations Location Code
TR IST
Open location code
8GHC2XPP+Q2
Open­Street­Map ID
node 1882099475
Open­Street­Map feature
place=­city
Geo­Names ID
745044
Wiki­data ID
Q406
This page is based on OpenStreetMap, GeoNames, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikivoyage.
We’d love your help improving our open data sources. Thank you for contributing.

Satellite Map

Discover Istanbul from above in high-definition satellite imagery.
© Stadia Maps, Airbus DS, CNES, PlanetObserver, and Copernicus

In Other Languages

From Abkhazian to Zulu—“Istanbul” goes by many names.
  • Abkhazian: “Сҭампыл”
  • Achinese: “Éseutamu”
  • Adyghe: “Истамбыл”
  • Afrikaans: “Istanboel”
  • Albanian: “Stambolli”
  • Amharic: “ኢስታንቡል”
  • Ancient Greek (to 1453): “Κωνσταντινούπολη”
  • Angika: “इस्तानबुल”
  • Arabic: “إستانبول”
  • Arabic: “إسطمبول”
  • Arabic: “إسطنبول”
  • Arabic: “إسلامبول”
  • Arabic: “استانبول”
  • Arabic: “اسطمبول”
  • Arabic: “اسطنبول”
  • Arabic: “الأسِتانة”
  • Arabic: “القُسْطَنْطِيْنِيَّة”
  • Arabic: “بيزنطة”
  • Aragonese: “Istambul”
  • Armenian: “Բյուզանդիոն” (historical)
  • Armenian: “Կոստանդնուպոլիս” (historical)
  • Armenian: “Ստամբուլ”
  • Arpitan: “Istanboul”
  • Arpitan: “Istanbul”
  • Assamese: “ইষ্টানবুল”
  • Asturian: “Estambul”
  • Asturian: “İstanbul”
  • Avaric: “Истамбул”
  • Avaric: “Истанбул”
  • Awadhi: “इस्तानबुल”
  • Azerbaijani: “İstambul”
  • Azerbaijani: “İstanbul”
  • Azerbaijani: “Konstantinopol”
  • Balinese: “Istanbul”
  • Bambara: “Istanbul”
  • Bashkir: “Истанбул”
  • Bashkir: “Ыстамбул”
  • Bashkir: “Ыҫтамбул”
  • Basque: “Istanbul”
  • Bavarian: “Istanbul”
  • Belarusian: “Канстантынопаль”
  • Belarusian: “Стамбул”
  • Belarusian: “Царград”
  • Bengali: “ইস্তাম্বুল”
  • Bhojpuri: “इस्तांबुल”
  • Bosnian: “Istanbul”
  • Breton: “Istanbul”
  • Bulgarian: “Tsarigrad” (historical)
  • Bulgarian: “Истанбул”
  • Bulgarian: “Константинопол”
  • Bulgarian: “Цариград”
  • Burmese: “အစ်စတန်ဘူလ်မြို့”
  • Catalan: “Constantinoble” (historical)
  • Catalan: “Istanbul”
  • Cebuano: “Estambul”
  • Cebuano: “İstanbul”
  • Central Kurdish: “ئەستەمبوڵ”
  • Central Kurdish: “ئەستەنبوڵ”
  • Central Kurdish: “ئەستەنبووڵ”
  • Central Kurdish: “ئیستەنبوڵ”
  • Central Kurdish: “ئیستەنبووڵ”
  • Chechen: “Истамбул”
  • Chechen: “Стамбул”
  • Cheyenne: “Istanbul”
  • Chinese: “İstanbul”
  • Chinese: “伊斯坦堡”
  • Chinese: “伊斯坦布尔 / 伊斯坦堡”
  • Chinese: “伊斯坦布尔”
  • Chinese: “伊斯坦布爾”
  • Church Slavic: “Царь Градъ”
  • Church Slavic: “Цѣсар҄ь Градъ”
  • Chuvash: “Стамбул”
  • Cornish: “Istanbul”
  • Corsican: “Istanbul”
  • Crimean Tatar: “İstanbul”
  • Croatian: “Carigrad” (historical)
  • Croatian: “Istanbul”
  • Croatian: “Konstantinopol” (historical)
  • Czech: “Byzantion” (historical)
  • Czech: “Istanbul”
  • Dagbani: “Istanbul”
  • Danish: “Istanbul”
  • Dimli (individual language): “Estamol”
  • Dimli (individual language): “Estanbol”
  • Dotyali: “इस्तानबुल”
  • Dutch: “Constantinopolen” (historical)
  • Dutch: “Istanboel”
  • Dutch: “Istanbul”
  • Eastern Mari: “Стамбул”
  • Egyptian Arabic: “استانبول”
  • Egyptian Arabic: “اسطنبول”
  • Erzya: “Стамбул ош”
  • Esperanto: “Istanbulo”
  • Esperanto: “Konstantinopolo” (historical)
  • Estonian: “İstanbul”
  • Extremaduran: “Estambul”
  • Faroese: “Istanbul”
  • Fiji Hindi: “Istanbul”
  • Fijian: “Istanbul”
  • Finnish: “Byzantion” (historical)
  • Finnish: “Istanbul”
  • Finnish: “Konstantinopoli”
  • French: “Istamboul”
  • French: “Istambul”
  • French: “Istanbul”
  • French: “Stamboul”
  • French: “Byzance” (historical)
  • Friulian: “Istanbul”
  • Gagauz: “İstanbul”
  • Galician: “Istanbul”
  • Galician: “İstanbul”
  • Gan Chinese: “伊斯坦布爾”
  • Georgian: “ისტანბული”
  • Georgian: “კონსტანტინოპოლი”
  • Georgian: “სტამბოლი”
  • Georgian: “სტამბული”
  • German: “Istanbul”
  • German: “Byzantion” (historical)
  • German: “Konstantinopel” (historical)
  • Ghanaian Pidgin English: “Istanbul”
  • Gilaki: “ايستامبۊل”
  • Gorontalo: “Istanbul”
  • Gothic: “𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽𐌱𐌿𐌻”
  • Gothic: “𐌺𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽𐍄𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌿𐍀𐌰𐌿𐌻”
  • Greek: “Βυζαντιο” (historical)
  • Greek: “Βυζάντιο” (historical)
  • Greek: “Ισταμπουλ”
  • Greek: “Ισταμπούλ”
  • Greek: “Κωνσταντινουπολη” (historical)
  • Greek: “Κωνσταντινούπολη” (historical)
  • Greek: “στην Πόλι [stimˈboli]” (historical)
  • Guarani: “Estambul”
  • Guianese Creole French: “Istanbul”
  • Gujarati: “ઈસ્તાંબુલ”
  • Haitian: “Istanboul”
  • Hakka Chinese: “Istanbul”
  • Hausa: “Istanbul”
  • Hebrew: “איסטנבול”
  • Hebrew: “ביזנטיון”
  • Hebrew: “קושטא”
  • Hindi: “इस्तांबुल”
  • Hungarian: “Bizánc” (historical)
  • Hungarian: “Isztambul”
  • Hungarian: “Konstantinápoly” (historical)
  • Iban: “Istanbul”
  • Icelandic: “Istanbúl”
  • Ido: “Istanbul”
  • Iloko: “Istanbul”
  • Inari Sami: “Istanbul”
  • Indonesian: “Istanbul”
  • Indonesian: “Konstantinopel”
  • Ingush: “Истмале”
  • Interlingua: “Istanbul”
  • Interlingue: “Istanbul”
  • Irish: “Iostanbúl”
  • Italian: “Costantinopoli” (historical)
  • Italian: “Istanbul”
  • Jamaican Creole English: “Istanbul”
  • Japanese: “イスタンブール”
  • Japanese: “イスタンブール市”
  • Japanese: “イスタンブル”
  • Japanese: “ビュザンティオン”
  • Javanese: “Istanbul”
  • Kabardian: “Истамбыл”
  • Kabiyè: “Isitambuli”
  • Kabyle: “Istambul”
  • Kadazan Dusun: “Istanbul”
  • Kalaallisut: “Istanbul”
  • Kalmyk: “Истанбул балһсн”
  • Kannada: “ಇಸ್ತಾಂಬುಲ್”
  • Kara-Kalpak: “Istanbul”
  • Karachay-Balkar: “Истанбул”
  • Karachay-Balkar: “Стампул”
  • Kashmiri: “اِستانبُل”
  • Kashmiri: “اِستنبوٗل”
  • Kashubian: “Sztambùl”
  • Kazakh: “Константинополь”
  • Kazakh: “Стамбул”
  • Kazakh: “Ыстамбұл”
  • Kazakh: “Ыстанбұл”
  • Kikuyu: “İstanbul”
  • Kinyarwanda: “Istanbul”
  • Kirghiz: “Стамбул”
  • Komering: “Istanbul”
  • Korean: “비잔티움”
  • Korean: “이스탄불”
  • Kurdish: “Stembol”
  • Ladin: “Istanbul”
  • Ladino: “Estambol”
  • Ladino: “İstanbul”
  • Lak: “Истамбул”
  • Lao: “ອິສະຕັນບູນ”
  • Latin: “Byzantium” (historical)
  • Latin: “Constantinopolis”
  • Latvian: “Stambula”
  • Lezghian: “Истамбул”
  • Limburgan: “Istanboel”
  • Lingala: “Istanbul”
  • Lingua Franca Nova: “Istanbul”
  • Literary Chinese: “伊斯坦堡”
  • Lithuanian: “Stambulas”
  • Livvi: “Istanbul”
  • Lombard: “Istanbul”
  • Low German: “Byzanz” (historical)
  • Low German: “Istanboel”
  • Low German: “Istanbul”
  • Lower Sorbian: “Istanbul”
  • Luxembourgish: “Istanbul”
  • Macedonian: “Византија (Vizantija)” (historical)
  • Macedonian: “Истанбул”
  • Madurese: “Istanbul”
  • Maithili: “इस्तानबुल”
  • Malagasy: “Istanbul”
  • Malay: “Istanbul”
  • Malay: “Setambul”
  • Malay: “ايستنبول”
  • Malay: “ستمبول”
  • Malayalam: “ഇസ്താംബുൾ”
  • Maltese: “Istanbul”
  • Manx: “İstanbul”
  • Maori: “Istanbul”
  • Maori: “Itānipuru”
  • Marathi: “इस्तंबूल”
  • Mazanderani: “استامبول”
  • Min Dong Chinese: “Istanbul”
  • Min Nan Chinese: “İstanbul”
  • Minangkabau: “Istanbul”
  • Mingrelian: “სტამბოლი”
  • Moksha: “Истанбул”
  • Mongolian: “Стамбул”
  • Moroccan Arabic: “إسطانبول”
  • Moroccan Arabic: “إسطنبول”
  • N'Ko: “ߌߛߑߕߊ߲ߓߎߟ”
  • Narom: “Coustantinoble”
  • Narom: “Coustantinobles”
  • Nauru: “Istanbul”
  • Navajo: “Ałchʼįʼ Nááʼáhá”
  • Nepali: “इस्तानबुल”
  • Newari: “इस्तान्बुल”
  • Northern Frisian: “Istanbul”
  • Northern Luri: “استانبول”
  • Northern Sami: “Istanbul”
  • Norwegian Bokmål: “Istanbul”
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: “Istanbul”
  • Norwegian: “Istanbul”
  • Novial: “Istanbul”
  • Nyanja: “Istanbul”
  • Occitan (post 1500): “Bizanci”
  • Occitan (post 1500): “Constantinòple”
  • Occitan (post 1500): “Istambol”
  • Occitan (post 1500): “Istanbol”
  • Official Aramaic (700-300 BCE): “ܐܝܣܛܢܒܘܠ”
  • Old English (ca. 450-1100): “Constanburg”
  • Old English (ca. 450-1100): “Constantinople”
  • Old Norse: “Mikligarður” (historical)
  • Oriya: “ଇସ୍ତାନବୁଲ”
  • Ossetian: “Стамбул”
  • Ottoman Turkish (1500-1928): “استانبول”
  • Panjabi: “ਇਸਤਾਨਬੁਲ”
  • Panjabi: “ਇਸਤਾਂਬੁਲ”
  • Papiamento: “Istanbul”
  • Persian: “استانبول”
  • Persian: “شهر کنستانتین”
  • Persian: “قسطنطنیه”
  • Picard: “Istamboul”
  • Piemontese: “Istanbul”
  • Pitcairn-Norfolk: “Istanbul”
  • Polish: “Istambuł”
  • Polish: “Istanbul”
  • Polish: “Stambuł”
  • Portuguese: “Istambul”
  • Portuguese: “Istanbul”
  • Pushto: “استانبول”
  • Pushto: “استنبول”
  • Quechua: “Istampul”
  • Quechua: “Istanbul”
  • Quechua: “Istanpul”
  • Romanian: “Istanbul”
  • Romansh: “Istanbul”
  • Russia Buriat: “Истанбул”
  • Russian: “Стамбул”
  • Rusyn: “Істанбул”
  • Samogitian: “Stanbols”
  • Santali: “ᱤᱥᱛᱟᱱᱵᱩᱞ”
  • Sardinian: “Istanbul”
  • Scots: “Constantinople”
  • Scots: “Istanbul”
  • Scots: “İstanbul”
  • Scottish Gaelic: “Istanbul”
  • Serbian: “Византион”
  • Serbian: “Истанбул”
  • Serbian: “Константинопољ”
  • Serbian: “Стамбол”
  • Serbian: “Цариград”
  • Serbo-Croatian: “Istanbul”
  • Sicilian: “Istanbul”
  • Silesian: “Stambuł”
  • Sindhi: “استنبول”
  • Sinhala: “ඉස්තාන්බුල්”
  • Slovak: “Byzantion” (historical)
  • Slovak: “Istanbul”
  • Slovenian: “Carigrad”
  • Somali: “Istanbuul”
  • South Azerbaijani: “ایستانبول”
  • Spanish: “Estambul”
  • Spanish: “İstanbul”
  • Spanish: “Constantinopla” (historical)
  • Standard Moroccan Tamazight: “ⵉⵙⵟⴰⵏⴱⵓⵍ”
  • Sundanese: “Istanbul”
  • Swahili: “Istanbul”
  • Swedish: “Byzantion” (historical)
  • Swedish: “Istanbul”
  • Swedish: “Konstantinopel” (historical)
  • Swedish: “Micklagård” (historical)
  • Swiss German: “Istanbul”
  • Sylheti: “ꠁꠍꠔꠣꠘꠛꠥꠟ”
  • Tagalog: “Istanbul”
  • Tajik: “Истанбул”
  • Talysh: “Istanbul”
  • Tamil: “இசுதான்புல்”
  • Tamil: “இஸ்தான்புல்”
  • Tatar: “Истанбул”
  • Telugu: “ఇస్తాంబుల్”
  • Tetum: “Istanbul”
  • Thai: “อิสตันบูล”
  • Tosk Albanian: “Istanbul”
  • Tumbuka: “Istanbul”
  • Turkish: “İstanbul”
  • Turkmen: “Stambul”
  • Tuvinian: “Истaнбул”
  • Tuvinian: “Истанбул”
  • Twi: “Istanbul”
  • Tyap: “Itambut”
  • Tyap: “Kwontanti̱noput”
  • Udmurt: “Стамбул”
  • Uighur: “Istanbul”
  • Uighur: “ئىستانبۇل”
  • Ukrainian: “Стамбул”
  • Upper Sorbian: “Istanbul”
  • Urdu: “استمبول”
  • Urdu: “استنبول”
  • Urdu: “قسطنطنیہ”
  • Uzbek: “Istanbul”
  • Venetian: “Istanbul”
  • Veps: “Stambul”
  • Vietnamese: “Istanbul”
  • Vlaams: “Istanbul”
  • Vlax Romani: “Istanbul”
  • Volapük: “İstanbul”
  • Võro: “Istanbul”
  • Waray (Philippines): “Istanbul”
  • Welsh: “Istanbul”
  • Western Armenian: “Իսթանպուլ”
  • Western Armenian: “Կոստանդնուպոլիս” (historical)
  • Western Armenian: “Պոլիս”
  • Western Frisian: “Istanbûl”
  • Western Mari: “Стамбул”
  • Western Panjabi: “استنبول”
  • Wu Chinese: “伊斯坦布尔”
  • Yakut: “Истанбул”
  • Yiddish: “סטאמבול”
  • Yiddish: “קושטא”
  • Yoruba: “Istanbul”
  • Yue Chinese: “Istanbul”
  • Yue Chinese: “伊斯坦堡”
  • Yue Chinese: “伊斯坦布爾”
  • Zeeuws: “Istanbul”
  • Zulu: “Istanbul”
  • “Estambul”
  • “Istanbul”
  • “Ìstanbul”
  • “İstanbul”
  • “Stambols”
  • “इस्तांबुल”

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About Mapcarta. Data © OpenStreetMap contributors and available under the Open Database License". Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, except for photos, directions, and the map. Description text is based on the Wikivoyage page “Istanbul”. Photo: Karsten Wentink, CC BY-SA 2.0.