This post has 17 Instagrammable places in Istanbul to take photos at plus a map of these Istanbul Instagram spots!
If you’re looking for the best Istanbul Instagram spots, look no further! I went to Istanbul for a week to eat, but between all the amazing food I tried, I took photos at many incredible Instagrammable places in Istanbul.
These Instagram spots range from cafes to mosques and markets to umbrella streets; speaking of umbrella streets, there are a few in Istanbul, which makes it a perfect place if you like to take colorful photos.
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Best Istanbul Instagram Spots
Seven Hill Restaurant
The Seven Hill Restaurant is one of the best photography spots in Istanbul because of its rooftop. It gives you a 360 view of the city, the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, two of the most Instagrammable places in Istanbul.
To be honest, the food isn’t the best in the city. You come here for the view and photo opportunity. As a result, if you’re on a budget, limit your order to a drink and a snack or two (versus a full meal).
Blue Mosque
The Blue Mosque is an Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque built between 1609 and 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I. The mosque itself is a site to see, but the walkway in front of it has lots of photography opportunities.
You can take a photo directly in front of the Blue Mosque, or there are benches that are a popular place to take pictures at too.
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia was place of worship built at Constantinople in the 6th century CE. It was once a church and is now a mosque.
There’s a beautiful fountain where you can take a photo, or you can go right up to it to have it fill the background of your photo.
Maison Balat
Maison Balat is an adorable antique, coffee and tea shop in one.
Not only is it one of the cutest Istanbul Instagram spots, but it has an adorable interior where you can enjoy a pleasant afternoon tea.
The inside is full of knick knacks and fun ornaments so enjoy a cup of tea as you explore Istanbul!
Balat Neighborhood and Dimitrie Cantemir Museum Cafe
Balat is the historic Jewish quarter in Istanbul. There are so many Instagrammable photo opps in this neighborhood with its brightly colored buildings and cute cafes. Just walk around and you’ll be bound to run into a handful of spots.
A notable cafe to visit is the Dimitrie Cantemir Museum Cafe. There are umbrellas hanging from up above, which makes for a great photo if you take it from down low.
RESTAURANT TIP: While you’re in this neighborhood, I recommend trying the restaurant Forno Balat and getting lahmacun, which is Turkish pizza.
Balat’s Kiremit Street Full of Colorful Houses in Istanbul
These colorful houses in Istanbul is probably one of the most photographed places on Instagram in all of Istanbul. The whole neighborhood is full of beautiful pastel homes to take photos but this dark blue, orange and blue homes are the most popular ones you see online.
When we were here, it was quite busy with people and traffic. I stood ready to take a photo, and Mike snapped a bunch whenever we had 10 seconds of open space. I would recommend going in the morning or weekday if you want to take photos at your own pace.
RESTAURANT TIP: While you’re in this neighborhood, I recommend trying the restaurant Forno Balat and getting lahmacun, which is Turkish pizza.
Umbrella Street in Istanbul and Han Karaköy Cafe
Out of all the umbrella streets in Istanbul, I thought this was the least photogenic one, but when I was there in 2019, there was scaffolding. Hopefully it’s gone by now.
While you’re taking pictures at this popular umbrella street, check out the Han Karaköy Cafe right next door. It has an adorable interior, which makes it (in my opinion) an Instagrammable cafe in Istanbul.
Grand Bazaar
The Grand Bazaar is the best place to go to if you want to buy some local goods, but more than that, there are tons of photo opportunities here.
The most famous Instagram spot in the Grand Bazaar is at any stand with the gorgeous lamps. It makes for a really enchanting and colorful photo.
GOOD TO KNOW: We bought a small notebook from the vendor before taking a photo. They work so hard everyday selling their goods so it didn’t feel right just using their store as a backdrop for my Instagram photo. As a result, if you’re like me, I highly recommend giving the vendor some money or buying something from their store if you want to take a photo with the lamps.
Rainbow Stairs in Istanbul
The Rainbow Stairs in Istanbul was at the very top of my Istanbul Instagram spots list. But when I got there, I was a bit disappointed. It was very dirty and faded.
Nonetheless, I went in 2019 so if you love bright colors, you could check out this spot to see if it was redone. According to recent Google Map images, it looks bright and colorful again but I’m not sure if that’s because of editing.
If you go, let me know if it looks nicer in pictures than it does in person!
By Rugs and Carpets
Istanbul is known for their beautiful handcrafted rugs and carpets. Since they’re everywhere, it’s easy to take aesthetic photos with these local goods that Turkish people are known for.
I took a photo at Sirvan Hali because this is where we bought two rugs from. This store is right next to the hanging umbrellas by Füreyya Meyhanesi. The prices here were much better than at the Grand Bazaar.
London Pub and Füreyya Meyhanesi
It’s amazing how many umbrella streets in Istanbul. These two locations at the London Pub and Füreyya Meyhanesi are right near each other.
RESTAURANT TIP” If you go to these Instagrammable places in Istanbul, I highly recommend eating at Çiya Sofrası. It’s noted as one of the best restaurants in Istanbul and we absolutely loved eating there. Everything we ordered was amazing.
Topkapi Palace Museum
The Topkapi Palace Museum, once the main residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans in the 15th and 16th century, is now a large museum with beautiful tilework and ornate details.
There are so many Instagram spots here, which include inside of the palace, by the garden or outside with an amazing view of the city.
Ortaköy Mosque
The Ortaköy Mosque is a beautiful mosque at the waterside of the Ortaköy pier square. It is one of the best Istanbul Instagram spots because you can take a photo of the mosque, bridge and water all in one shot.
Dolmabahçe Palace
Dolmabahçe Palace is the largest palace in Turkey and one of the best Instagrammable places in Istanbul.
There are so many beautiful spots to take photos at inside, but one of the most popular spots for an Instagram photo is by the gates.
You can take a close up shot with the gate or a shot from afar to get the entire gate in!
Galata Tower
The Galata Tower is a medieval stone tower build in 500 AD.
There are two photo opportunities here: right in front or at the window inside.
Map of These Istanbul Photo Spots
To make it easy on you to visit all these Istanbul photo spots, I made a map of all the locations, which include all the places I personally went to and the other spots I wish I went to but didn’t have time for.
If you have Google Maps on your phone, you can open this right on your phone and even use Google Maps offline to stay data costs.
If you find this map to be helpful, please consider buying me a cup of coffee.
I hope this helps me on your hunt for the best Istanbul Instagram spots!
You can discover more Instagrammable places on my travel Instagram @sarchetrit or see more Instagrammable places around the world here.
Thanks for stopping by!
xo, Sarah
PS If you’re wondering where to stay, we got a furnished apartment for rent in Istanbul.
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