Places to See Without Paying

Seeing Istanbul does not have to be expensive; the city's best views, its oldest buildings and several serious exhibition spaces are already free. The list below is drawn from places with no entrance fee. Mosques and their courtyards Suleymaniye, Sultanahmet, Sehzade, Rustem Pasa and Mihrimah Sultan mosques are all open to visitors and free. The terrace of Suleymaniye over the Golden Horn is one of the best views in the city, and sitting there costs nothing either. Visits pause at prayer times; shoes come off and women are asked for a headscarf. Parks and groves Gulhane Park, Macka Democracy Park, Yildiz Park, Emirgan Grove and Fenerbahce Park are free. Tulip season in April at Emirgan and autumn leaves at Yildiz are reasons in themselves. There may be a small charge to enter the Belgrade Forest, with use inside free. Exhibition spaces SALT Galata is free and the research library on its upper floor is open for use; you can sit and work in the reading room. Exhibitions at Taksim Sanat are free. Some galleries in Beyoglu and Karakoy also hold free exhibitions. Squares and open spaces Sultanahmet Square sits on a hippodrome with its three monuments in the open; the reliefs on the base of the Obelisk can be examined closely. Crossing the Galata Bridge, sitting on the Eminonu quay and watching the shipping from Ortakoy square are all free. Shore walks Walking from Moda to Kalamis, from Bebek to Arnavutkoy, along the Uskudar shore and on the Galataport quay is free, and the city's best views are on these stretches. Watching the sunset from the point at Fenerbahce Park costs nothing either. Neighbourhoods In Balat, Kuzguncuk, Cihangir and Arnavutkoy the thing to see is the streets themselves. Walking is free; when taking photographs you should not point into houses and windows, as people live here. One caution Being free does not mean requiring little effort; most of these places ask for walking and time. But in terms of understanding the city they say more than many places that require a ticket.