Budget · 3-hour walk · Istanbul
Üsküdar in three hours
Two mosques by Sinan, a third on the water's edge, the Maiden's Tower on its rock and tea on the shore as the sun goes down behind the old city.
Üsküdar, the old Scutari, is the most traditional of Istanbul's waterfront districts, a short ferry ride from Eminönü. Its mosques were built for the sultans' mothers and daughters, several of them by the architect Sinan, and its shore looks across the water at the old city. Come in the late afternoon and stay for the sunset.
The route, stop by stop
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Mihrimah Sultan Mosque
Sinan's mosque of the 1540s for Mihrimah, the daughter of Süleyman the Magnificent, facing the ferry pier.
20 min here Walk here → -
Yeni Valide Mosque
Built in the first years of the 18th century for Gülnuş Sultan, mother of two sultans. Her tomb in the courtyard is open to the sky under an iron cage.
15 min here Walk here → -
Şemsi Paşa Mosque
A small mosque by Sinan, from 1580, built right at the water's edge.
15 min here Walk here → -
Maiden's Tower
Arrive by ferry from the previous stop
A tower on a rock off the shore, rebuilt many times since the Byzantines and reopened as a museum in 2023. Boats run from the Salacak shore.
50 min here Walk here → -
Salacak
Arrive by ferry from the previous stop
The promenade facing the old city: tea from the gardens, and the sun setting behind the Topkapı Palace and the minarets.
30 min here Walk here →
More walks in Istanbul
Ecumenical Patriarchate · Bulgarian St Stephen Church · Phanar Greek Orthodox College · Balat · Chora
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Ferry from Eminönü · Kadıköy Market · Bahariye Caddesi · Moda
Dolmabahçe Palace · Yıldız Park · Ortaköy Mosque · Ortaköy square · Bebek · Rumeli Hisarı
Spice Bazaar · Rüstem Paşa Mosque · Süleymaniye Mosque · Şehzade Mosque · Valens Aqueduct · Zeyrek Mosque · Fatih Mosque
Hagia Sophia · Blue Mosque · Basilica Cistern · Topkapi Palace · Grand Bazaar
Topkapı Palace · Hagia Sophia · Blue Mosque · Basilica Cistern · Grand Bazaar · Süleymaniye Mosque · Spice Bazaar · Kadıköy
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Every walking route in Istanbul, the full Istanbul guide for where to stay and what a day costs, or walks in other cities.