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Istanbul city guide: Where to stay, eat, drink and shop in Turkey’s hub of culture and history

The centre of turkish history, cutting-edge art and affordable and authentic cuisine, istanbul is rich with mini-neighbourhoods to explore. vicky smith gives a steer on where to start, article bookmarked.

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W here Europe meets Asia, Istanbul is a dizzying array of Byzantine treasures and soaring minarets, bisected by the Bosphorus strait. Though it’s long captivated visitors with its ancient charms, a slew of recent openings is proving there’s more to this magical Turkish metropolis than the past. From the redesigned Atatürk Cultural Centre to the £1.3bn Galataport retail and arts hub, which is soon to feature a new Istanbul Museum of Modern Art by Pritzker prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, the striking new additions to the city are all must-sees.

Add in a lively events calendar – think Turkish Cuisine Week and modern art festival Contemporary Istanbul – and this is the best place to soak up Turkish cuisine, culture and mingling. The top sights are the stuff of legend (and many an iconic travel poster), but the cool neighbourhoods that lie beyond are equally worth your time and tourist buck.

Famous landmarks are mainly found on the city’s European side, where the Golden Horn estuary splits the newer region from the “old city” of Sultanahmet. Most are clustered in the latter, an enchanting peninsula on which simit (Turkish bagel) sellers ply their wares under candy-striped awnings and cats meander amid evocative vestiges of the Roman, Byzantine and early Ottoman past.

Tour the top sights

Still headlining itineraries is the Hagia Sophia , which – despite its controversial reconversion from a museum into a mosque, with many of its beautiful Christian mosaics covered – remains a world wonder almost 1,500 years on (free). Topkapı Palace (TL320/£15; harem entry extra) is another icon. This sprawling complex was the residence of the Ottoman sultans for around 400 years before the extravagant European-inspired Dolmabahçe Palace (300TL, £14.50) took over in the 19th century. Dolmabahçe entry is by guided tour only, and no photos are allowed.

Other top culture fixes include the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (75TL, £3.60) and Archaeological Museum (ditto), while a Bosphorus boat cruise should round things off nicely. If you plan to see several sights, the city’s museum pass is recommended at 550TL (£26.50) – it gets you into 12 in total with a validity period of five days.

Explore Istanbul’s diverse neighbourhoods

Istanbul’s eclectic jigsaw of neighbourhoods, each with their own distinctive character, are among its greatest assets. Well worth a detour are Istanbul’s former Greek Orthodox and Jewish districts, Fener and Balat. Honeypots for TV location scouts, with their tall multicoloured facades and cobbled streets, they teem with photogenic coffee shops and designer florists, plus enough antique dens to rival Cihangir. They’re fast becoming a hipster haven, complete with kombucha on menus.

Across the Bosphorus, on the city’s Asian side, bohemian Kuzguncuk is another colourful highlight whose traditional wooden buildings contain galleries, bookshops and bakeries (don’t miss the famed “mushroom cookie” at Tarihi Kuzguncuk Fırını ). Over in Kadıköy, you’ll find everything from chic patisseries and a busy fish market to new cultural destination Müze Gazhane , featuring a climate and comic museum, galleries, theatre stages and more in a revamped gasworks.

Have a hammam

No trip to Istanbul would be complete without getting hot and sweaty in a Turkish bath or hammam : a legacy of the Roman Empire, these have been a bastion of Turkey ’s culture for centuries. Shy westerners can be put off – ladies especially might balk at going topless – but once you realise no one else cares, having a stranger scrub you with a coarse loofah before soaping you up and washing you down feels quite invigorating. And afterwards your skin will feel like something from a Gillette advert. Many baths also offer optional extra treatments such as a massage.

Perhaps the most popular hammam for tourists is Cağaloğlu , a vision of elegant arches and white marble in Sultanahmet, where visits start at 800TL (£42). For something cheaper, and maybe more authentic, try a local hammam such as Aziziye in Kadıköy, where a basic bath experience will set you back just 110TL (£6).

Where to stay

There are three “The Stay” hotels in Istanbul, each good quality and exuding a distinct character. Its Ortaköy hotel overlooks Istanbul’s most iconic vista – ornate Ortaköy Mosque with the Bosphorus Bridge soaring behind – which is particularly magical come nightfall when both landmarks are illuminated. The Stay brand was also recently awarded carbon-neutral status by sustainability specialist Bureau Veritas. Doubles from £265, B&B. thestay.com.tr

For those with tighter budgets, the Green Parrot Hotel is a small but stylish option – think jungle wallpaper, patterned cushions and ceramic cacti. Centrally located in Sultanahmet and with all the necessary mod cons, it’s very reasonably priced . Doubles from £54, B&B. greenparrothotel.com

As for something even cheaper, you can’t beat Hostel Le Banc . Again well situated, in the Taksim neighbourhood, close to Galata Tower, this popular “home from home” attracts rave reviews for its friendly staff and comfy rooms. With in-house social events, plus a sociable café, it’s a steal. Private doubles from £35, B&B, dorm beds from £10. hostellebanc.com

Where to eat

Alongside its celebrated milky puddings and hearty main meals,  Emirgan Sütiş serves breakfast options such as sujuk (spicy sausage) and menemen , Turkish-style scrambled eggs with tomatoes, peppers and spices. If you fancy a change from the conventional savoury start to the day, Brekkie Croissant & Cookie in Kadıköy offers a more westernised menu.

Istanbul’s most legendary lunch spot – it’s closed for dinner – is Pandeli , which has tempted the likes of Audrey Hepburn and Turkish Republic founder Atatürk over the years with its turquoise-tiled interior and traditional cuisine. Try its kazandibi , a caramelised dessert featuring fine threads of chicken that fortunately tastes better than it sounds. You’ll find Pandeli in the Egyptian Bazaar, worth a visit in general to see its painted arches and aromatic heaps of spices.

Alternatively, grab some börek , flaky filled pastry, or pide , pizza-like flatbreads, for midday snacking on the go. Outlets are as ubiquitous as Istanbul’s dessert stores, among which Karaköy Güllüoğlu and Hacı Bekir lead the way in baklava and Turkish delight respectively.

Roof Mezze 360 , meanwhile, does classic dishes with postcard views across the Golden Horn estuary. Specials include testi kebab , a dish from Cappadocia in which meat and vegetables are cooked in clay pot that is cracked open in front of you (perfect for some tableside theatre).

Where to drink

Ask a local which outlet serves the best Turkish coffee in Istanbul and they’ll invariably tell you Mandabatmaz , a hole-in-the-wall off İstiklal Avenue whose name – meaning “a buffalo wouldn’t sink” in Turkish – refers to the foam that tops each meticulously crafted brew. For a cuppa in equally famed, albeit grander, surroundings, try afternoon tea at Pera Palace . This opulent hotel is where Agatha Christie penned Murder on the Orient Express – it recently starred in its own Netflix series, Midnight at the Pera Palace .

Fans of innovative cocktails will love Fahrī Konsolos , a mixology wonderland in Kadıköy’s trendy Moda area, where master barman Burak Ayaz rustles up concoctions like no other. They’re all inspired by Turkish flavours, including ayran, the country’s beloved yoghurt drink. For those who prefer more modest tipples in a buzzy atmosphere, head to the meyhanes (taverns) along Nevizade Street in Beyoğlu, a favourite area among locals for a night out.

Where to shop

Istanbul’s £1.3bn Galataport  – sporting a cruise terminal alongside a multitude of restaurants, stores and attractions along the Bosphorus – is the new place to go for some waterfront retail therapy. Far from a bland shopping mall, it hosts everything from western brands such as Adidas to resident talents like visionary jeweller Avedis Kendir (whose clients include the Queen) and mixes in a generous dose of culture to boot. The Istanbul Museum of Modern Art is soon to launch here – until then you can visit the Museum of Painting And Sculpture on the roof of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. Don’t miss the student recreation of painter Osman Hamdi Bey’s Woman with Mimosas on the steps opposite.

If you prefer to browse away from the hustle and bustle of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, among the world’s largest with its 4,000-plus shops, head to Arasta instead. This refreshingly quiet bazaar sells many similar products, from Turkish carpets to filigreed lamps, just on a smaller scale. Remember to haggle, and check out the tiny but fascinating Mosaics Museum while you’re there.

Architectural highlight

Along with the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul’s most visited mosques are the gargantuan Süleymaniye and the Sultan Ahmed, nicknamed the “Blue Mosque” for its tiled interior. But arguably just as stunning as the latter (if not more) is Rüstem Pasha: this “miniature Blue Mosque” boasts the same profusion of Iznik tiles in patterns of cobalt and aquamarine, yet with a fraction of the crowds.

Nuts and bolts

What currency do i need.

Turkish lira.

What language do they speak?

Turkish, though many younger Turks speak English.

Should I tip?

10 per cent is the norm in restaurants and hotels, but not expected with taxi fares.

What’s the time difference?

Turkey is two hours ahead of the UK.

How should I get around?

The Metro here is extensive and easy to navigate – for multiple trips, it’s worth buying a top-up Istanbulkart for 20TL (£1). For crossing between the European and Asian sides, jump on a ferry; Şehir Hatları is the official city operator.

What’s the best view?

Galata Tower , which reopened as museum in 2020, offers 360-degree city views. For a panorama that’s even more sweeping, try the new Çamlıca Tower , Istanbul’s tallest structure, with 45 floors above ground.

Insider tip

Hire a local guide and you’ll get multiple insider tips, as well as getting to know Istanbul’s less-explored bits. Through Azize Celiktas , we explored areas like arty Kungunzcuk, discovered the joys of stuffed meatballs on İstiklal Avenue and gained a perspective you won’t find in the guidebooks. 

Getting there

Trying to fly less.

You can travel from the UK to Istanbul entirely by train – travelling to Paris on the Eurostar and choosing between heading onwards via Bucharest and Budapest, or via Belgrade and Sofia, to Istanbul. Both routes take around four nights.

Fine with flying?

British Airways, Turkish Airlines and Pegasus all have direct flights from the UK.

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Cappadocia, Istanbul, Ephesus and Troy

Highlights and Inclusions

• Tour of Ankara and Ataturk’s mausoleum
• Explore the Anatolian Civilisations Museum
• See Cappadocia’s amazing rock pinnacles
• Walk through the Goreme Open-air museum
• Visit Kaymakli, the extraordinary underground city
• Tour one of the best-preserved Seljuk caravanserais
• Visit Mevlana Rumi’s Mausoleum in Konya
• Discover the natural phenomena at Pamukkale
• Guided tour of Aphrodisias, the city dedicated to the goddess of love
• Visit Ephesus for a walking tour
• Guided tour of the Acropolis of Pergamon
• See the remains of Homer’s Troy
• Cross the Straits of the Dardanelles 
• Visit Gallipoli, Anzac Cove and the Commonwealth cemeteries
• Walking tour of Istanbul and visit Hagia Sophia
• Tour the extraordinary Topkapi Palace
• Explore the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market
• The price of this Turkish tour is per person based on two people sharing a twin room. The price includes:
• 11 nights' accomodation in four-star hotels
• Daily breakfast and eight dinners
• All tours as mentioned
• Hotel porterage of one item of luggage per person
• Scheduled return flights
• All local taxes
• The services of a Riviera Travel tour manager

Fly to Ankara via Istanbul staying overnight at the five-star Mövenpick Ankara Hotel with dinner.

Morning Today we head straight to the Anatolian Civilisations Museum for a guided tour. We will learn about the ancient history of Anatolia, the migration of humans from Africa and the subsequent societies that evolved. From the Stone Age came some of the first actual societies, like the remarkable Hittites who discovered iron making, invented the wheel, signed the world’s first written peace treaty and had laws and social systems we could recognise. We then enjoy a guided tour of the Mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk. He was commander of the Turkish forces at Gallipoli. Known to be a national hero, he “founded” modern day Turkey in the 1920s. After the guided tour, you have some free time to explore as you wish. Afternoon We begin our journey to Cappadocia, stopping for lunch along the way. We drive alongside Tuz Golu, one of the world’s largest salt lakes, entering our destination and one of the planet’s most unique landscapes, a remarkably fertile volcanic plateau eroded into bizarrely contorted shapes. We stay two nights with dinner at the four-star Best Western Premier Hotel.

The Cappadocia region is incredibly rich in amazing natural phenomena and extraordinary settlements built by its resourceful peoples throughout the ages. Its history is unparalleled; it was once the land of the Hittites, then the Lydians, the Persians, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Turks and then the Mongols. Their remarkable legacies are astonishing. To survive periodic marauding invasions, entire cities were built underground here, some boasted a staggering 3,000 inhabitants.  This morning we visit the underground city of Kaymakli, which had eight levels. We have free time to wander around and you’ll be amazed by the rooms, passages and recesses; ranging from stables, wine presses and kitchens even a church and a copper smelter.  Then we visit nearby Pasabaglari where over the millennia, weathered rocks have formed almost unbelievable shapes capped with mushroom-like pinnacles. Some of these resulting “Fairy Chimney” rock pillars have been hollowed out by monks who distanced themselves from the outside world.  Perhaps the highlight of the day is our visit to Goreme. This vast monastic complex boasts some of the finest rock cut churches and exquisite frescoes and is particularly noted for the surprising freshness of their original 10th-century colours. This is Byzantine art at its most astonishing, cleverly utilising the rock’s rugged surface to highlight shadow. We return to the hotel in time for dinner. 

Morning We start the day with a visit to the pottery making village of Avanos and see a demonstration of the potter’s art before beginning our journey south-west to Konya. Leaving Cappadocia’s hills you can really appreciate the wide-open vistas of the Anatolian Plateau. Seemingly unremarkable today, this is the ancient Silk Road from the east.  Afternoon After our lunch stop, we continue the journey and soon reach the great Caravanserai of Sultanhani, one of the Seljuk caravanserais – essentially camel “truck stops” – used by travellers since earliest times. Rebuilt many times during its turbulent history, the current 13th-century complex is probably the finest and best preserved, noted for its magnificent portal and the elegant simplicity of its massive walls. Exploring the great courtyard and surrounding rooms, it’s not hard to imagine the relief with which weary camel trains and their minders would rest here before continuing their epic journeys. We have a guided tour here and enjoy some free time to explore before continuing our journey. On arrival in Konya we visit the Mevlâna Museum, the Mausoleum of Rumi, one of Islam’s greatest philosophers. Renowned for its green dome, it is sacred to the Muslim order of Mevlevi, sometimes called the Whirling Dervishes, and remains a site of pilgrimage today.  We stay for one night with dinner at the four-star Hotel Novotel.

Today we drive to Pamukkale, passing great lakes and dramatic mountain scenery along the way. On arrival we take a guided tour of the thermal pools and enjoy some free time to explore the ancient city of Heirapolis.  Pamukkale – Turkish for “cotton castle” – holds one of the world’s most extraordinary phenomena. By a freak of nature, calcium carbonate has been deposited by the evaporation of mineral-rich springs, causing water to slowly drip down the mountainside, collecting in shallow terraces and spilling over cascades of travertine stalactites into thermal pools. Over the millennia, it has created a shimmering, brilliant-white scene that really is something special to behold. There’s also the ruined city-spa of Hierapolis, where emperors bathed two millennia ago. We stay at the four-star Colossae Thermal Hotel, near Pamukkale, for one night with dinner.

Morning This morning we visit another momentous site in civilisation’s history, the enticingly named Aphrodisias, for a guided tour. As significant as Ephesus, this is one of Turkey’s finest archaeological sites, yet much remains undiscovered. Evidence suggests Neolithic farmers worshipped the Mother Goddess of Fertility here 7,000 years ago. Our tour explores Greek and Roman remains and their legends, immersing us in those societies’ passion for passion. Pre-eminent amongst the ruins is of course the great Temple of Aphrodite, subsequently transformed into a Christian basilica, and one of the most intact stadiums in the ancient world. Afternoon After lunch, we travel towards the azure-blue Mediterranean and Kusadasi. We stay at the four-star Hotel Korumar for two nights with dinner.

Morning Today we have a guided tour of Ephesus, an ancient city with breathtaking buildings. So great was Ephesus, with its amazing two-storey Library of Celsus and the enormous amphitheatre, that the Romans made it their capital of Asia. We’ll see the Temple of Artemis, which was one of the original ‘Seven Wonders of the Ancient World’. Intriguingly, only a fraction of the city has been excavated to date, but the discoveries indicate a highly sophisticated society living in luxurious houses with marble-lined halls, mosaics and beautiful frescoes. Strolling through the centre of Ephesus, you’ll be walking the same streets as St Paul and St John, who both lived here for several years. We also discover the remains of St John’s Basilica, built by the Emperor Justinian over St John’s tomb. Afternoon In complete contrast, we visit the hillside site of the House of the Virgin Mary. St John was entrusted to care for her, and it’s believed she travelled with him to Ephesus. We return to our hotel in Kusadasi in the late afternoon, and the rest of the day at leisure.

Morning Departing Kusadasi, we follow the coast towards the ancient Hellenistic city of Pergamon, where we have a guided tour. Perched on a high rocky outcrop, with stunning views for miles around, the city was famed for its library, so concerned were the Egyptians about this competition that they cut off supplies of papyrus to Pergamon, thus prompting the invention of parchment. We’ll see the remains of the Temple of Trajan, the altar of Zeus and the world’s steepest ancient amphitheatre. Afternoon We continue our journey along the scenic coastline to Canakkale. We stay for one night at the four-star Kolin Hotel, overlooking the Dardanelles, with dinner.

Morning A fascinating day of contrasts awaits today. Firstly, there’s free time in Troy, famous for the ‘wooden horse’ story, when Queen Helen of Sparta eloped with Prince Paris to Troy and her enraged husband followed seeking her return. Today, Troy is a complex archaeological site that spans nine separate cities. It nevertheless remains a romantic and alluring place to anyone who has read about the heroic struggles recounted in Homer’s Iliad. We then take a short ferry cruise from Asia to Europe over the extremely scenic, steep-sided Dardanelles, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, to the Gallipoli peninsula. This was made famous during the First World War as the scene of one of the greatest and most tragic campaigns of the conflict. Afternoon We visit the Lone Pine memorial and Anzac Cove, where the Australians mistakenly landed and were forced to scale steep cliffs and ravines under constant bombardment. After some free time here, we continue our journey through this refreshingly picturesque landscape to Istanbul. We stay at the superbly located four-star Armada Old City Hotel for three nights, with breakfast.

Istanbul For thousands of years, Istanbul sat at the centre of the overland trade routes, and its Grand Bazaar became home to merchants from all over the known world. Today, more than 4,000 shops sell all types of goods, mainly gold, silver, leatherwear, ceramics and carpets, including fine collectors’ items. Istanbul is a revelation: there are few places where you’ll find such a diverse array of monuments and fascinating places to visit. On a guided walking tour, we’ll see the immense and beautifully preserved city walls, still dominant after a thousand years, and the remains of the Hippodrome, where the emperors entertained a staggering 50,000 people.   Hagia Sophia This morning, we enjoy a visit to the breathtaking Hagia Sophia, one of the city’s best landmarks and quite simply one of the world’s greatest architectural achievements. Built in the 6th century, it was the largest enclosed space in the world for 1,400 years. During our visit you can explore the second floor, including the galleries. During its time as a mosque, this is where the women would sit during the service. It offers views of the nave below and the dome above, as well as the spot where the empress’s throne once stood. In the South Gallery, ornate Christian and imperial portrait mosaics adorn the wall. These amazing Byzantine mosaics seem to cover every wall with their vibrant golds, reds and yellows. This morning’s visit allows us to experience the sights and sounds of this thought-provoking relic of the past.

Morning We start the day with a guided tour of the Topkapi Palace, the glittering and labyrinthine imperial residence of the sultans for over 400 years. Today, it is a spectacular museum, but in its heyday, it functioned as a city within a city, a home to over 4,000 guards, eunuchs, courtiers and the ladies of the harem. There is a superb display of weapons from throughout history: crossbows, firearms inlaid with ivory and beautifully crafted armour from as far afield as Japan. The treasury is breathtaking too, with an amazing display of jewellery including the world’s fifth-largest diamond, emeralds, jewel-encrusted thrones and the famous Topkapi. Afternoon Next, we have a short walk around the Spice Bazaar, where your senses are bombarded by the vibrant colours and fragrant smells of herbs and spices from around the world: high-quality saffron from Iran; vanilla from Madagascar; turmeric from India; fresh peppercorns from Indonesia and much more. This entire area encapsulates the spirit of old Istanbul: a maze of tiny busy streets, where the locals chat over apple tea from numerous street vendors, as the commanding horns of the passenger ferries resound under the famous Galata Bridge. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure.

Today at the appropriate time, the coach will transfer you to the airport to take your return flight, after a most fascinating tour.

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Istanbul Itinerary: 3, 4, 5, or 7 Day Options

Co-Founder of The Turkey Traveler. Globetrotter, Adventurer, and Frequent Traveler to Turkey!

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Istanbul is a buzzing city with so much to see and do. As the once ancient capital of the Roman Empire, Constantinople, and the border between two continents, Europe and Asia, it’s a melting pot of history and diverse culture that cannot be found anywhere else on this planet.

While Istanbul is often visited as a stopover destination, being the largest transit hub in the world, anyone who just passes through this energetic city is really missing out.

From ancient landmarks to relaxing Turkish baths, serene nature, and world-class museums, there are tons of exciting attractions you could add to your Istanbul itinerary.

Whether you plan to stay for 3, 4, 5, or 7 days, these Istanbul itineraries will take you around some of the best sites in the city and tell you the best order in which to see them.

Planning a trip to Istanbul last-minute?

Make sure you book your tours, places to stay, and airport transfers ahead of time to ensure availability!

Here is our recommended airport transfer in Istanbul:

• Airport Shuttle From Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gocken International Airport (SAW) (Super affordable!)

Here are our recommended tours in Istanbul:

• Luxury Bosphorus Cruise At Sunset (A must-do In Istanbul)
• Whirling Dervishes Show (Unique experience!)
• Historical Turkish Bath Experience
• Istanbul Food And Culture Tour

Here are our recommended places to stay in Istanbul:

• Magnuara Palace Hotel (Gorgeous hotel in the historic centre!)
• Pera Palace Hotel
• Cheers Hostel (Budget hostel near the Blue Mosque!)

How many days is sufficient in Istanbul?

This is the age-old question we get asked the most. The amount of time you spend in Istanbul is usually dictated by how much time you have to spare. 

You could easily spend a week here and not get bored. We even spent two weeks there and didn’t run out of things to do.

We would say the optimal amount of time to spend in Istanbul is between three and five days. You could see all the highlights in three days, but if you have more time on your side, allow an extra couple of days for relaxation and to soak in the culture of the city.

After all, you don’t want to spend your time rushing from place to place and not take in the atmosphere. If you have time on your side, take it slow, don’t rush, and spend some time wandering the streets and take it all in.

📚 Read More: A Complete Istanbul, Cappadocia and Pamukkale Itinerary!

The Best Istanbul Itinerary for 3 Days

Most people visiting Istanbul only have a few days before they embark on a greater Turkey itinerary. After all, 3 days is the optimal amount of time to spend in the city.

Below is an Istanbul itinerary for 3 days, which takes you to all the top attractions and iconic landmarks in the city.

Day 1: Sultanahmet

Our itinerary begins in the enchanting city of Istanbul. This once capital of the Roman and Ottoman Empire, named then as Constantinople, is brimming with history and culture. It’s also the only city in the world to span two continents; Europe and Asia.

On the first day of your visit to Istanbul, you’re going to want to explore the neighborhood of Sultanahmet . This is where you’ll find the most iconic landmarks in the city, including the Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace, and the Basilica Cistern.

This day will do a lot of walking but it’s all within the same area, so you won’t need to travel far today, you’re going to see exactly why Istanbul is a city worth visiting .

Stop 1: The Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque, or Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is the most beautiful work of architecture in Istanbul, so it makes sense to visit this attraction first. It was built between 1609- 1616 by Sultan Ahmed I. It became famous for its hand-painted blue tiles that you can see inside.

The mosque features more than 200 stained glass windows, as well as a stunning carved marble mihrab that’s worth checking out. It’s also the resting place of Sultan Ahmed I.

The Blue Mosque has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985 and is one of Turkey’s most famous sites.

Stop 2: Hagia Sophia

The Hagia Sophia is just across the park from the Blue Mosque and is another one of the most important mosques in Turkey. It was built in 537 by the Roman Emperor Justinian. It was originally used as a cathedral for Constantinople, where it remained the largest Christian church in the Eastern Roman Empire for over 1000 years ago.

After Constantinople was seized by the Ottoman Empire, it was converted into a mosque. It was a museum for a short time between 1935-2000 but was converted back into a mosque. It has some of the most stunning architecture, mosaics, and artistic coverings of all the mosques in the city.

Stop 3: Topkapi Palace

Around the corner from the Hagia Sophie is the Topkapi Palace. The palace was the former home of the Ottoman sultans in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Today, it is a large museum, showcasing artifacts from the Ottoman era. Not all rooms are open to the public, but the most beautiful ones are. The Ottoman Imperial Harem and the treasury are the main reasons to visit this palace in Istanbul .

The Topkapi Palace was also declared a UNESCO site in 1985 and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city.

Stop 4: Basilica Cistern

During the Roman Empire, the Romans built several cisterns under the city as a water filtration system for the city’s palaces. The largest and best-preserved cistern in the city is the Basilica Cistern.

It is just 150 meters away from the Hagia Sophia, so it makes sense to see this historical landmark on the same day.

Stop 5: Istanbul Archeological Museums

The Istanbul Archeological Museums is a collection of three museums in the Sultanahmet district. They are made up of the Archeology Museum, The Ancient Orient Artifacts Museum, and the Tile Museum (Tile Kiosk).

They contain historic relics dating back to the early Ottoman period after it captured Constantinople from the Roman Empire.

One of the highlights of the museum is the Alexander Sarcophagus, which is the tomb of Alexander the Great, found in the Archeology Museum, and the Egyptian Grave with two coffins in the Ancient Orient Artifacts museum and the geometric tiles of the Tile Kiosk, one of the oldest buildings in the city.

Stop 6: Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar

Another one of the major landmarks in Istanbul is the Grand Bazaar. It is the largest and oldest covered market in the world, with 61 streets and over 4,000 shops. It began operating in 1455 after the Ottomans captured Constantinople.

The vibrant Grand Bazaar is the best place to pick up Turkish souvenirs , from Turkish delights, Turkish lamps, rugs, towels, and clothes.

Around the corner from Grand Bazaar is the Spice Bazaar. This is another souk market where you can shop for various teas and spices. The spices are said to help with certain medical conditions, from diabetes control to weight loss, and mood enhancers.

Stop 6: Evening Turkish Hamam

After all this walking around, you’re going to want to relax a little. We recommend finishing off the day in a Turkish Hamam, which is similar to a Roman Bath. It’s not just a public bathing space, but a spa where you can get massages and beauty treatments.

Located next to the Hagia Sophia is the Hurrem Sultan Hamam, which was built in the 16th century. It’s a little pricey, but if you’re going to enjoy a Turkish bath , you might as well go to an authentic one!

Day 2: Istanbul: Taksim

On the second day, we’re going to cross the Galata Bridge and explore the Kabataş neighborhood. This is still part of Europe, but also features many iconic attractions that should not be missed.

Stop 1: Galata Bridge

We’ll begin at Galata Bridge, a 19th-century bridge that crosses Istanbul’s Golden Horn channel. The bridge is famous because of the fishermen who cast their lines here, attracting hundreds of seagulls.

The bridge has two parts, the top part is where the cars cross the bridge and also where you’ll find the fishermen, and along the bottom part you’ll find many restaurants serving fresh seafood meals.

Stop 2: Galata Tower

Next, we’ll visit the iconic Galata Tower. By now you have probably noticed the tower in the skyline, given that it is the city’s watch tower.

It was built as a part of the Walls of Galata in 1348 by Roman Empire. The Galata Tower has had a tumultuous past, having caught fire in 1794 and 1831. It was also badly damaged in a storm in 1875.

The tower was renovated in the 1960s to look like the original but using concrete instead of wood. You can climb to the top of the tower and witness 360-degree panoramic views of the city. There is also a museum and exhibition hall in the tower.

Stop 3: Istiklal Street

Istiklal Street is the most famous street in Istanbul and is where you’ll find a blend of historic and modern. It was historically known as Grand Avenue of Pera, and is a pedestrian street made famous for its red tram that rides from one end to the other.

There are many high-street brands setting up shops here in the old buildings that were once apartments for the Romans. It’s a great place to pick up some street food or find a traditional Turkish restaurant down one of the side streets.

If you’re into nightlife, you’ll find vibrant bars in this area. There are also many things to do on Istiklal Street , including visiting some of the top museums in the city.

Stop 4: Pera Museum

The Pera Museum is a must-visit for art lovers. It was established in 2005 and is home to a large selection of iconic works from renowned Turkish artists such as Osman Hamdi Bey, Cihat Burak, and Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, as well as European artists such as Jean-Léon Gérôme and Jean-Baptiste van Mour.

The museum is a cutting-edge cultural space spanning over 5 floors and provides a fantastic space where history and art collide.

Pera has served as a hub for creative expression since it first opened its doors. Amongst its many fascinating collections, there is an art gallery hosting diverse works from across Turkey’s dynamic cultural heritage. Notable pieces include Orientalist paintings and rare photography pieces that explore the late 18th century through to modern-day times.

Stop 5: Bosphorus Cruise

If your legs are a little tired from all this walking, then a Bosphorus cruise is a great way to enjoy an afternoon or early evening.

The cruise takes you through Istanbul’s Golden Horn and out into the Bosphorus. It gives you a unique perspective of the city from the water, and it’s also the best way to see the palaces in Istanbul. Many of the palaces were built next to the water, and their beautiful decoration and architecture are best seen from the water.

You will see boats lined up on the waterfront in Eminönü, and there are plenty of cruises to choose from. They are all pretty much the same, but you do need to book your ticket in advance.

You can either head to the harbor early in the morning and book your ticket, or you can book your ticket online.

Day 3: The Asian Side

On the third day in Istanbul, you’re going to explore the Asian side. We’ll be visiting the largest mosque in Istanbul, the hip and vibrant area of Moda, and tasting delicious Istanbul street food .

Stop 1: Çamlıca Mosque

The first stop is Çamlıca Mosque, located at the top of Çamlıca Hill. To get here, you must first take the metro to Üsküdar and then change to the metro to Kısıklı. From here, you simply walk up the hill.

The Camlica Mosque is the largest mosque in Istanbul and measures at 72 m (236 ft). The six minarets measure even higher to 107.1 m (351 ft). This stunning mosque is a sprawling complex large enough to house 63,000 worshipers at one time.

There’s also an art gallery, library, and conference hall. It was designed by two female architects, Bahar Mızrak and Hayriye Gül Totu, and was said to have cost $110 million USD to make.

Stop 2: Kadikoy

After spending time admiring the mosque, head over to the area of Kadikoy, one of the biggest attractions in Istanbul’s Anatolian side . Here you’ll find bustling markets and fishermen on the waterfront. This is the perfect place to sample some street food. We highly recommend the balık ekmek (fish sandwich).

Stop 3: Moda

After wandering the neighborhood of Kadikoy, head further south to Moda. This is a hipster neighborhood with street art, boutique stores, cool coffee shops, and a relaxing park.

Stop 4: Whirling Dervishes Show

If you went for an afternoon Bosphorus cruise, then you’ve got plenty of time to enjoy a whirling dervishes show in the evening. This is a traditional Turkish dance where dancers look as though they are floating across the floor.

As well as being a dance, it’s an active meditation exercise, which originated from the Sufi tribes in the 13th century. This is one of our favorite things to do in Istanbul at night .

The Best Istanbul Itinerary for 4 Days

If you have an extra day to spend, you might want to spend it doing something more relaxing. Not many people know this, but Istanbul is surrounded by serene nature, and you don’t have to go far to find it.

In our Istanbul 4 day itinerary, we would suggest following the itinerary for 3 days, and on the fourth day, visit the Princes Islands…

Day 4: Princes Islands

On the fourth day, you’ll need to allow a full day to explore the Princes Islands , or Adalar as they are referred to in Turkish. There are nine islands in total, but only four are inhabited. Each island was once used as an exile home for the rich, famous and powerful, including members of the royal family (hence the name, Princes Islands).

There are no cars on the islands and they can only be explored on foot or by bike. You will notice several examples of luxurious, stunning architecture and 19th-century mansions as you explore each of the islands.

To get to these unique islands in Turkey , you must take a ferry from Kabatas or Kadikoy. The ferry stops at Kınalıada, Burgazadası, Heybeliada, and finally Büyükada, or “Big Island” as it’s often referred to.

It takes 75 minutes to reach the last island, Buyukada, and ferries operate every hour – this gives you an hour to explore each island, so you need to plan your trip accordingly.

You may wish to pick two out of the four islands we mention below if you want a more leisurely day.

Be sure to check out the ferry times here .

Stop 1: Kınalıada, Princes Islands

The first stop is Kınalıada, the smallest island in the Princes Island archipelago. It’s the nearest island to mainland Istanbul and its history dates back to the ancient Greeks.

The name Kinaliada means “Henna Island” in Turkish, and it is so named because of the red-color land you see here. This is made by iron and copper deposits which were once mined here.

The first settlers on the island were the Greeks, who used the island as a place of exile from the Byzantine rulers. The most famous exile to live here was Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes, who lived at the Monastery of the Transfiguration on Hristo Peak.

It won’t take you long to explore the small village on the island. Make sure to check out the former Greek Orthodox monastery, the Monastery of Christ, and wander along the small streets to check out the unique architecture. The old fire station and school are particularly beautiful.

After an hour, make your way back to the ferry pier to go on to the next island.

Stop 2: Burgazadası, Princes Islands

Burgazada, or Burgaz Adası, is the third largest in the group and was also an exile settlement for the Greeks. It was once called Antigoni, after Antigonus I Monophthalmus, father of one of the successors of Alexander the Great.

Antigoni built a fort on the island, which you can still see today. The island is small and has one single hill, so you can easily see all the main attractions in an hour.

Be sure to check out the Spanudis Mansion, which was the home to the famous Turkish short-story writer Sait Faik Abasıyanık. Then there is The Church of Iohannes Prodromos which was built in 1899. It was built on the site that was once a prison for St Methodius the Confessor, who was exiled here.

There are also a few monasteries to see, the Monastery of Hagios Georgios Garipi which was a refuge for White Russians fleeing the Russian Revolution, and the Monastery of the Transfiguration, which dates back to the Byzantine era.

Stop 3: Heybeliada, Princes Islands

The second largest island is Heybeliada, which was once used by the Turkish Navy. Each year, the island holds a few small open-air concerts in the summer, which attracts many visitors to the island.

Make sure to check out the Naval High School, which was founded in 1773 and has stunning architecture. It’s also the home of the only remaining Byzantine church on the island,  Kamariotissa , as well as the last church to be built before the conquest of Constantinople.

The grounds are where you’ll find the grave of Edward Barton, who was the second English Ambassador for Elizabeth I of England, who was sent to Constantinople and spent his last days on Heybeliada trying to escape the plague.

As with all the other islands, Heybeliada also has a monastery, named Hagios Georgios tou Kremnou, which was built in the 16th century. There are also the ruins of the Hagios Spyridon monastery which was built in the 19th century.

You can also visit the house of the second President of Turkey, Mavromatakis Köşkü, which is a museum, as well as several other beautiful 19th century mansions.

Stop 4: Büyükada, Princes Islands

The last island is the biggest island, Buyukada. If you only have time for one, make sure this is it. You can see many of the island’s notable landmarks, including the Merkez Eczanesi, a pharmacy from 1870, and the ruins of a villa where Trotsky lived during 1929-1933 on Hamlaci Street 4.

Since this island is much bigger than the rest, we recommend you rent a bike and cycle around the island, taking in the quietness and beauty of the island. See the Greek Orthodox Church, St. George Church, which sits on the highest point of the island with amazing views of the city.

Other notable landmarks on the island are the former Greek Orphanage, which was the largest wooden house in Europe.

You can also find a beach for swimming and relaxing on, as well as a huge green park. You could easily spend more than an hour here. Be sure to stay for sunset and try one of the top-rated restaurants on the waterfront.

The Best Istanbul Itinerary for 5 Days

For those blessed with five full days in the city, you might be wanting to see more off-the-beaten-path places in Istanbul. On our fifth day, we are going to explore the Fener district.

This is home to Balat, the Jewish district of Istanbul. Here you get to see the diverse cultures of Istanbul and see a unique side of the city in its architecture, history, and general way of life.

If you’re looking for a 5 day Istanbul itinerary, we suggest following the itinerary above and adding the following stops on your fifth day…

Day 5: Fener District

The Fener District is where you’ll find the remnants of Istanbul’s Jewish Population. In the late 15th century, Sultan Bayezid II offered citizenship to the Jews fleeing the Inquisition in Spain and Africa, and most of the immigrants ended up here.

The Fener District is part of the  UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Historic Areas of Istanbul . Fener has become a melting pot of culture, with ethnic minorities from places like Armenia, Bulgaria, and more.

The neighborhood also has a number of charming coffee shops and restaurants, as well as art galleries and boutique stores.

Stop 1: Balat District

Balat is the most famous neighborhood in Fener. It’s known for its colorful, narrow wooden houses and cobbled streets. Kiremit Caddesi (Kiremit Street), is the most famous place to find these buildings.

These pastel-colored buildings are some of the  most beautiful buildings in Istanbul . But this is not the only reason to visit Balat .

Nestled among the historic buildings and winding streets, are unique, cozy cafes, some of which are an artist’s playground, such as İncir Ağacı Kahvesi which is known for its umbrella installation and colorful huts where you can sip your coffee in.

You can also find many antique shops and vintage shops, if you enjoy thrift shopping. Be sure to check out the Phanar Greek Orthodox College, which you won’t miss as it’s a striking red building ontop of the hill.

Stop 2: Kariye Mosque

The Kariye Mosque, or The Chora Church as it’s also known, is one of the most historically significant mosques in Istanbul. It was built as a Greek Orthodox Church in the 4th century during the reign of Constantine the Great, at the time when the walls of Constantinople were being built.

It was part of a monastery complex outside the walls of the city and served as an Orthodox church until it was converted to a mosque in the 15th century by Ottoman Turks.

What makes this church unique is that it still has stunning mosaics depicting biblical stories and figures, some of which date back to the 14th century. It also hosts a number of incredible frescoes that showcase Ottoman artistry and engineering prowess.

The Kariye Mosque has been under renovation since 2005 and there has been no end date announced at present. We will update this guide as soon as we know of a re-opening date, and this is one site in Istanbul not to be missed.

Stop 3: The Walls of Constantinople

Have you ever wondered if the walls of Constantinople still stand? The answer is yes, but only in some areas. You can see the remains of the walls of Constantinople on Hoca Çakır Cd, this is where they are the most well-preserved.

The walls were built in the 4th century and were used as a defense against oncoming invasions, and they were withheld for many centuries before the great Mahmet II finally seized the city in 1453.

You can walk along the walls in some areas as well, which offer an incredible view of the Marmara Sea and the Golden Horn.

The Best Istanbul Itinerary for 7 Days

For those who have a full week at their disposal, you have time to truly experience the diversity and uniqueness of the city, but now you might be after a bit of adventure.

So on our sixth and seventh day, we plan to take you to the theme parks and on a day trip outside the city.

If you’re looking for a 7 day Istanbul itinerary, follow the itineraries above and add the following stops to day 6 and 7…

Day 6: Theme Park Day

Istanbul is also home to several exciting theme parks. If you are travelling with kids, you might want to have a theme park day!

Stop 1: Vialand Theme Park

If you only have time for one park, it should be Vialand. There is so much to see and do here, you should spend a full day here.

Vialand Theme Park has something for everyone – from its rollercoaster rides and other thrilling attractions such as Parkour land, mall, and Disney-inspired palace, to its interactive theaters and kid-friendly carnival games.

It opened in 2013 and was the first shopping, entertainment, and living complex in the world that combines a Theme Park and a shopping mall.

The park is spread over a huge 600,000 meters squared and features the world’s 4th biggest rollercoaster, the Nefeskesen, which accelerates to 110 kilometers in just 3 seconds. Don’t miss the “Justice Tower”, which descends from 50 meters, as well as the 7-D movie theatre.

If you’re looking for thrills and entertainment, Vialand has something for even the pickiest traveler!

Stop 2: LEGOLAND

If you have time for another theme park, then we recommend LEGOLAND. You can get a taxi here from Vialand and be here within less than 15 minutes.

Legoland is the perfect place for both grown-ups and children looking for an unforgettable day out. There’s so much to explore – from massive models, three incredible rides, and interactive activities, to 10 LEgo-build areas and Lego workshops.

Open since 2015, it has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Turkey within a few years. It not only offers lots of fun to kids but adults can also enjoy themselves playing with large building sets made from genuine Lego bricks.

No matter how old you are, you’ll be sure to find the perfect way to have some incredible fun at Legoland.

Day 7: Day Trip to the City of Troy (Çanakkale)

By now you must be feeling you’ve seen a lot of Istanbul and would like to explore some other parts of Turkey. Located four hours away by car is the ancient city of Canakkale, which is most famous for being where the ancient city of Troy once was.

Stop 1: Troy National Park

Perhaps the most famous thing about Çanakkale is the nearby ancient ruins of Troy, located in the Historic Troy National Park, which can be visited by guided tours or independently.

This legendary city served as an important historical battleground between Greeks and Trojans in the 8th century BC. Visitors can explore the remains of Troy or take a tour through its open-air museum featuring archaeological finds from Hellenistic and Roman eras. 

According to archaeologists, the City of Troy is only one of nine cities that was built on top of each other, so the findings you see here are that of several civilizations. The oldest city is said to have dated back to 3000 BC.

As well as being historical, it’s also an area of outstanding natural beauty, so take a moment to look out for several species of bird and wildlife that make this park their home.

Stop 2: Cimenlik Castle

The city of Çanakkale is also worth stopping off at, since it has some notable historical attractions, such as the Cimenlik Castle.

It was built in 1462 by Mehmet the Conqueror to protect the Ottoman Empire in the Dardanelles. Just right across the Dardanelles, visitors will also find Kilitbahir Castle, another fortress built around the same time.

Both of these castles are now museums and offer spectacular sea views.

Stop 3: Troy Horse

Many have heard the legend of the Fall of Troy , which has been passed down through Greek mythology for centuries. The story was also featured in Homer’s  Iliad .

If you don’t know the story, the Trojan War  went on for years, in which the Greeks tried to break through the walls of the City of Troy but were unable to breach them.

To trick the Romans on the other side, they built a wooden trojan horse and gave it to them as a gift. Little did the Romans know, the Greeks had waited inside the horse until nightfall, and then attacked the Romans as they slept. And thus the war was won.

To remember the story, head to the waterfront of Canakkale, where you can see the huge steel and fiberglass statue of the horse that was used in the 2004 movie “Troy.”

Extend to 10 Days Istanbul Itinerary

If you have fallen in love with the city and want to spend more time here, you could easily extend it to 10 or more days. 

If you’re looking for some ideas for how to spend 10 days, we recommend you fill your time taking some day trips to the cities near Istanbul . 

Bursa, Kumköy, or Şile are three cities we would recommend adding to your Istanbul itinerary. If you plan your visit right, you could even spend time at the beach in Şile if beaches are your thing.

There are also some beaches closer to Istanbul, which would be the perfect place to spend your days in the summer. 

Aside from that, I would spend time wandering the city, shopping for souvenirs, stopping off at traditional cafes , and gorging on street food. 

Explore some of the parks in Istanbul or check out the museums . There is so much to see and do, we know you’ll find something fun to fill in your time on a 10 day Istanbul trip.

Getting Around The City

Istanbul is a very walkable city, as long as you have some comfortable shoes on. We have purposely organized the stops in our itineraries to allow you to be able to walk from place to place, without the need for public transportation.

However, sometimes taking public transportation is necessary, especially if you plan to visit the theme parks or head over to the Fener district.

We have written a complete guide on public transportation in Istanbul for those who are visiting for the first time. Read about how to get around Istanbul here .

Tips for Visiting Istanbul

To help you have the best trip to Istanbul, here are a few words of advice:

• Go slow and don’t try to pack it all in. I know these itineraries are jam-packed, but you’re going to exhaust yourself trying to see every museum and mosque. Take time to just wander the streets and soak in the atmosphere as well.
• Get the Istanbul E-Pass, this is a tourist pass that gives you free entrance to many of the city’s top attractions. You can save up to 70% by using this card.
• Download Offline Google Maps or MapsMe, so you don’t need to rely on data.
• Pick up a Turkish sim card, but not from the airport. Turkcell is our preferred operator, but you can read more about it here.
• Dress modestly . This is a Muslim country and even though it’s hot, respectful attire should be worn at all time. Leave the hot pants at home, and bring light clothing that covers your knees and shoulders.
• Bring a headscarf if you’re a woman. You will need to wear one when entering the mosques.
• Take out cash, as many places don’t accept credit cards.

Final Thoughts on Istanbul Itinerary

So there you have it, this is how you can spend your days in Istanbul, and as you can see, there is a LOT to see and do.

No matter how many days you plan to spend in Istanbul, we know you will have a great trip.

Do you have any questions about this itinerary? Let us know in the comments.

Co-Founder of The Turkey Traveler

Sean Lau is a professional travel blogger and writer with adoration for Turkey. Originally from the USA, Sean frequently travels to Turkey to explore every nook and cranny. From bustling bazaars of Istanbul to the tranquil beaches of Antalya, Sean has seen it all. He hopes to share his first-hand knowledge, insider insights, and personal anecdotes to inspire fellow travelers to visit Turkey, especially to his favorite destinations – Istanbul and Cappadocia.

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Turkey stops all trade with Israel over ‘humanitarian tragedy’ in Gaza

Israeli foreign minister strongly criticises decision by President Erdoğan, accusing him of acting like a ‘dictator’

Turkey has halted all trade with Israel, citing the “worsening humanitarian tragedy” in the Palestinian territories , which prompted strong criticism from the Israeli foreign minister.

“Export and import transactions related to Israel have been stopped, covering all products,” Turkey’s trade ministry said late on Thursday.

“Turkey will strictly and decisively implement these new measures until the Israeli government allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”

Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, accused Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, of acting like a “dictator” after the restrictions were first reported.

The row will probably deepen tensions between the two formerly close allies, which have deteriorated since the start of the crisis in Gaza .

Hamas militants killed an estimated 1,136 Israeli citizens on 7 October and took about 250 people hostage, and since then Israel has sent soldiers into Gaza and bombarded the territory, killing more than 34,000 people , according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Turkey’s trade ministry first announced restrictions on exports to Israel in early April, stopping the export of iron and steel products and construction equipment. The two countries had a trade volume of $6.8bn in 2023.

Katz said Erdoğan was “breaking agreements by blocking ports for Israeli imports and exports”.

He said: “This is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen, and ignoring international trade agreements.”

Katz added that Israel would try to replace any lost products via local production and imports from other countries.

Last month, Katz criticised Erdoğan for his decision to publicise his latest meeting in Istanbul with the head of Hamas’s politburo, Ismail Haniyeh.

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The Loathe Boat: the honking cruise ships ‘ruining’ Istanbul’s port

Two years after Galataport opened to fanfare as a tourism success story, not everyone is happy about how it has transformed the Turkish coastline

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Even if you don’t see them, the sound is inescapable. Mammoth cruise ships have become so familiar to those living near the Istanbul port that some local people have taken to studying the arrival times to avoid having to look at them. But they can’t escape the noise: a booming horn that ricochets over the surrounding hills. Ships from one particular cruise line even honk the theme to the television show The Love Boat as it pulls into port.

“They’re huge,” says a waiter, who gave his name as Ali, at a municipal cafe on a hill that directly overlooks Galataport , the purpose-built dock and luxury complex for cruise ships. “It completely obscures the view when they arrive.”

His cafe has become a popular haunt recently due to its prime position for a perfect view out over the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus; on a good day, you can see all the way to the historic Maiden’s Tower. But with up to three large cruise ships docking at once – sometimes so big their arrival makes headlines , like the 4,000-person capacity Splendida that pulled up in late May – even one is enough to blot out the vista. The Bosphorus is no stranger to marine traffic, and the cruise ships must cross ferry and even tanker routes to reach port.

For some local people, the cruise ships have become an irritating reminder of how a prime stretch of Istanbul’s coastline has been privatised. When it opened two years ago, the sleek €1.5bn (£1.2bn) Galataport project symbolised the transformation of about 1km of coast – turning a stretch of warehouses, an old post office, and a ferry terminal built in the 1940s, into a manicured shiny dockside complex of high-end restaurants, a hotel, luxury watch and perfume shops and an outdoor mall.

The megaproject’s ability to attract tourists and investment from Turkey’s powerful construction firms has long been touted as a success story by the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who in 2021 declared it a “worldwide project with the potential of drawing 25 million visitors, 7 million tourists, and 1.5 million cruise passengers”.

Originally conceived in 1994, the project faced fierce opposition long before construction began. Opponents cited a clause in Turkey’s constitution that says when it comes to the coasts, “public interest shall be taken into consideration with priority”, despite the authorities rezoning the area for tourism as a workaround. The Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) fought local authorities in court for almost two decades to try to halt the construction, citing environmental and other damages to the social fabric of the area.

Galataport’s supporters champion the project as benefiting Istanbul financially, claiming that it has created 5,000 jobs, welcomes wealthy tourists from Mediterranean cruises, and spurs wider redevelopment of the neighbourhood. A year before it opened, Ferit Şahenk, the chairman of Doğus Holding, a major investor, said: “This 1.2km-long coastline had been closed to the public for over 200 years. Now, we are opening it.”

However, critics point out that the ring of security around Galataport gives the lie to the claim that the coastline is now open. Metal walls rise between the cruise ships and the dock, further obscuring the Bosphorus for those above ground. A labyrinth of underground passport control booths and passageways lead cruise ship passengers to tour buses that spirit them across the city on day trips, mostly to major sites far from the port.

“Even if I want to go out and get a coffee, I check the cruise ships’ schedule first. Once they’re in port, they put the walls up and you don’t have access to the coast. They’re like big apartment blocks sailing in, five or six storeys high. They block everything,” says Nazlı Eğinlioğlu, 43, who lives close to the development.

A longtime member of the local residents’ association who has lived here for most of her life, Eğinlioğlu says the project has created a blast radius of gentrification, increasing her property taxes and causing rents to rise even faster than they had been already during the recent economic crisis and rapid devaluation of Turkey’s currency, the lira.

She sees the area as a gated community that is unwilling to communicate with its neighbours. “It’s become a part of the city I try to avoid, as there’s so much traffic and it’s so expensive. It’s a very nice space, it’s clean and well run, but it’s like a closed circuit, walled off from all the public space around it, detached from the local area,” she says.

As rents rise and people are forced to leave the area, many apartments are being converted into businesses, selling expensive goods and services that are out of the reach of many.

“I call it ruthless tourism,” says Eğinlioğlu. “So much of the city, businesses and state resources are directed towards tourists, but local are unable to afford these things. They become unaccessible as they’re so expensive.”

Galataport did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Still, the project has proven so popular with Erdoğan’s government that even the administration in Istanbul, run by the main opposition party, is considering its own version of the development. The Haliçport redevelopment plan further up the Golden Horn aims to turn a historic industrial port into a vast mall and luxury hotel complex, with a marina designed to accommodate yachts. While construction is still in the early stages, the project is already drawing criticism for the destruction of historic buildings.

For Istanbul residents such as Elif Refiğ, who has lived near the port for almost two decades, seeing the cruise ships from her balcony and hearing the music that blasts from their top decks at night are constant reminders of how much the port development has reshaped the neighbourhood.

“[Now] I get lost in places I’ve been going since I was 12 years old,” she says. “In the end, the cruise ships are not a major problem, but just the latest extension of one.”

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Middle East Crisis Turkey Halts Trade With Israel as Relations Deteriorate

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• An Israeli soldier near the border with the Gaza Strip. Amir Cohen/Reuters
• Activists in Tel Aviv blocking a highway to demand the release of hostages held in Gaza. Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
• Workers at the damaged Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
• A Palestinian vendor preparing falafel in Khan Younis. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
• A Palestinian who had been detained by the Israeli military and later released receiving treatment at a hospital in Rafah. Hatem Khaled/Reuters
• A message in Rafah in southern Gaza thanking pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses in the United States. Mohammed Salem/Reuters
• A destroyed neighborhood in Khan Younis. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Follow live news updates on the crisis in the Middle East .

Turkey says it will suspend trade with Israel ‘until a permanent cease-fire.’

Turkey said late Thursday that it had halted all trade with Israel until “uninterrupted and adequate humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza,” signaling further deterioration in relations between the two countries.

Turkey’s Trade Ministry said in a statement that exports and imports “for all products” would pause. On Friday, the trade minister, Omer Bolat, said that the suspension would remain in place until Israel’s bombardment of Gaza stops.

“Until a permanent cease-fire is established and uninterrupted humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza, suspension of trade with Israel will be implemented for all imports and exports,” Mr. Bolat said at a news conference to announce monthly trade figures.

The move, which was initially reported by Bloomberg , prompted the Israeli foreign minister, Israel Katz, to lash out at Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“This is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen, and ignoring international trade agreements,” Mr. Katz said in a post on social media . Mr. Katz added that he had instructed the Foreign Ministry to create alternatives to trading with Turkey, focusing on local production and imports from other countries.

Turkey reported $5.4 billion in exports to Israel in 2023 and $1.64 billion in imports, according to United Nations figures.

Mr. Erdogan did not comment publicly on any changes in Turkey’s trade ties with Israel. But the Turkish leader has strongly criticized Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, which began after Hamas led an Oct. 7 attack into Israel that killed about 1,200 people and led to the abduction of about 240 others. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed amid Israel’s bombardment of the territory, according to health officials in the territory.

The Turkish leader has also forcefully defended Hamas and recently met with Ismail Haniyeh, the group’s political leader, and other Hamas officials in Istanbul on April 20. Mr. Erdogan told reporters then, “Israel will certainly pay the price of the atrocities it has been inflicting on Palestinians one day.”

The decision by Turkey to halt trade came after its Trade Ministry imposed export restrictions on Israel on April 9 in 54 product groups, including cement and jet fuel, and said they would remain in force until “Israel declares an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.”

The Trade Ministry defined Thursday’s suspension as “the second step in intergovernmental measures” and cited “worsening humanitarian tragedy in Palestine.”

The Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, also announced on Wednesday that Turkey would join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. In a preliminary decision in January, the court ordered Israel to ensure that its forces were not committing genocide in Gaza.

— Gulsin Harman and Ben Hubbard reporting from Istanbul

Hopes rise among relatives of hostages as signs of progress in talks are reported.

Dozens of family members of Israeli hostages and their supporters gathered in protest on Thursday opposite the Israeli military’s headquarters in Tel Aviv while the country’s war cabinet convened there to discuss, among other things, developments in talks aimed at securing the release of the captives.

The protesters blocked a sidewalk near the building where Israel’s top officials were meeting and, using loudspeakers, they counted to 209 — the number of days that had passed since the hostages were seized on Oct. 7. They called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a deal that would secure the remaining hostages’ release, no matter how costly.

“Tension is very high,” said Shay Dickmann, the cousin of Carmel Gat, one of the hostages still in Gaza. “Whenever there’s talk about a deal our heart opens.”

Many of the relatives of hostages have staged similar demonstrations to Thursday’s in the months since their loved ones were taken captive. But in the last several days, they have experienced especially tense anticipation, clinging to reports indicating progress in the negotiations with Hamas.

But others in Israel — including right-wing lawmakers like Bezalel Smotrich, the country’s finance minister — have expressed disdain about the concessions the government would have to make to secure such a deal. Israel has recently said it would agree to the release of fewer hostages in exchange for a cease-fire and the release of Palestinian prisoners .

The proposal’s detractors have also raised concerns that a cease-fire would interfere with a planned ground incursion into Rafah, the southern Gaza city that Israel’s government maintains is the last stronghold of Hamas. Far-right members of Israel’s governing coalition have threatened to bring down Mr. Netanyahu’s administration if the war ends without Hamas’s total defeat.

Ms. Dickmann said she realized that the concessions Israel would have to make to reach a deal were difficult to accept but that they were “worth the lives that can still be saved.”

“I want to believe my country cares about my cousin’s life,” she said.

— Johnatan Reiss

A U.N. report says rebuilding all the homes destroyed in Gaza could take 80 years.

Rebuilding all the homes destroyed by Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip could take until the next century if the pace of reconstruction were to match what it was after wars there in 2014 and 2021, according to a United Nations report released on Thursday.

Citing data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the U.N. report said that as of April 15, some 370,000 homes in Gaza had been damaged, 79,000 of which have been destroyed. If those destroyed homes were rebuilt at the same pace as they were after the two previous wars — an average of 992 per year — it would take 80 years, according to projections in the report from the United Nations Development Program and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.

The report detailed the war’s socioeconomic impact on the Palestinian population and said “the level of destruction in Gaza is such that the required assistance to rebuild would be on a scale not seen since 1948” to replace public infrastructure, including schools and hospitals.

The report said that even if Israel were to allow five times as much construction material into Gaza after this war as it did after the war in 2021 — “the most optimistic scenario” — rebuilding all of the destroyed homes would still take until 2040. That projection does not account for the time it would take to repair the hundreds of thousands of homes that were damaged but not destroyed.

The cost of rebuilding Gaza is increasing “exponentially” each day the fighting continues, Abdallah Al Dardari, the director of the U.N.D.P.’s regional bureau for Arab states, speaking over a video call from Amman, Jordan, said at a news conference on Thursday.

Mr. Al Dardari said that before “some sort of normalcy” can be established for Palestinians in Gaza, an estimated 37 million tons of debris must be cleared to allow for the construction of temporary shelters and, eventually, the rebuilding of homes.

The report also found that the unemployment rate for Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza surged to roughly 46 percent from about 26 percent after six months of war.

Over those six months, poverty rates in the Palestinian territories more than doubled, to an estimated 57.2 percent from 26.7 percent. That means 1.67 million Palestinians were pushed into poverty after the war began, the report said. Its estimates were based on a poverty line of $6.85 a day.

The effects of the war on Palestinians both in and out of Gaza “will be felt for years,” the report said.

— Anushka Patil

The U.S. and Israel say the fate of a cease-fire deal rests with Hamas.

With the United States and Israel insisting that the fate of a Gaza cease-fire deal is in the hands of Hamas, the leader of the group’s political wing said on Thursday that it was studying Israel’s latest proposal with a “positive spirit,” and would soon return to in-person negotiations.

The proposal, after almost seven devastating months of war, includes the release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and the return of civilians to the largely depopulated northern part of Gaza. It would also allow for increased delivery of aid to the territory.

On Thursday, the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, told an Egyptian official that his group was examining the proposal. A Hamas delegation will go to Egypt soon to “complete the ongoing discussions” for a deal that “realizes our people’s demands and ends the aggression,” according to a statement from the group.

Less than a day earlier, a Hamas spokesman, Osama Hamdan, had said on Lebanese television that “our position on the current negotiating paper is negative.” But the Hamas press office later said his comment was not an outright rejection. Some changes would need to be made for Hamas to agree, the office said, without elaborating.

In Israel, the war cabinet met on Thursday evening to discuss the cease-fire negotiations and a planned Israeli invasion of Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, where around a million people have been sheltering, according to an Israeli official who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to communicate with the media on the matter.

On a visit to Israel on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken put the onus squarely on Hamas to accept the Israeli proposal. “We are determined to get a cease-fire that brings the hostages home and to get it now, and the only reason that that wouldn’t be achieved is because of Hamas,” he said.

However, the Israeli opposition leader, Yair Lapid, said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “no political excuse” not to make a deal quickly.

The complex negotiations have dragged on for months, with each bargaining piece moved also shifting several others. Complicating matters further is that Israel and the United States do not talk directly with Hamas, which they consider a terrorist organization, but communicate through officials of Qatar and Egypt who act as intermediaries.

A seemingly intractable sticking point is Israel’s planned ground offensive into Rafah. “If the enemy carries out the Rafah operation, negotiations will stop,” Mr. Hamdan said on Wednesday. “The resistance does not negotiate under fire.”

The Biden administration has pressed the Israeli government hard to abandon the idea of a major invasion of the city, and to rely instead on surgical operations to kill or capture Hamas leaders and fighters.

But Israeli officials have said, consistently and emphatically, that the offensive will take place. Far-right parties in Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition have hinted at leaving it if he calls off the offensive, which could cause the government to collapse and force new elections.

“We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there — with or without a deal — in order to achieve the total victory,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a statement released on Tuesday.

Hamas has insisted that any agreement would eventually lead to a permanent cease-fire, not just a temporary halt in the fighting — a stance that Israel has rejected as a Hamas play for time to re-establish itself as a governing and military force. The Biden administration has held out hope that a six-week pause in the war could be the first step toward a lasting end to the fighting.

Israel this week softened some of its positions. It agreed to allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza en masse in the first phase of a cease-fire. Israel had previously insisted on screening returnees and limiting their flow.

Israel also backed away from its demand that Hamas release 40 hostages — female civilians and soldiers, and those who ill or aged — after Hamas indicated that it did not have 40 living hostages in those categories. The latest proposal lowers the figure to 33. The number of Palestinians Israel is offering to free in exchange is unclear.

In the Hamas-led Oct. 7 assault on Israel, about 250 people were kidnapped and taken back to Gaza, according to the Israeli government. More than 100 were released in a weeklong cease-fire in November, and Israeli officials say they believe that more than 30 — possibly many more — are dead.

The Oct. 7 attacks killed some 1,200 people, Israel has said. Gazan health officials say that Israel’s subsequent bombing and invasion have killed more than 34,000 people, and injured far more. Most of Gaza’s population of some 2.3 million have been displaced, and more than a million people are suffering catastrophic food insecurity, according to the United Nations .

— Adam Rasgon ,  Hwaida Saad ,  Edward Wong and Damien Cave

The lead negotiator for Hamas is the deputy to Yahya Sinwar, the group’s leader in Gaza.

As cease-fire talks appear to be gaining momentum, Hamas’s point man in negotiations is likely to be a conservative former lawmaker from the Gaza Strip who is the deputy to Yahya Sinwar, the hard-line and powerful leader of Hamas in the enclave.

The ex-lawmaker, Khalil al-Hayya, has led the Hamas delegations that met recently with Egypt’s General Intelligence Service, a key mediator that has been shuttling messages between Israel and Hamas.

Mr. Hayya, 63, who favors a salt-and-pepper beard and often goes without a tie, was most likely selected as Hamas’s top negotiator because he comes from the Gaza Strip and is close to Mr. Sinwar, the presumed mastermind of the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, according to analysts.

“He’s the closest to Sinwar among the leaders in the diaspora,” said Salah al-Din al-Awawdeh, an Istanbul-based Palestinian analyst close to Hamas. “At this moment, he’s the most important link between Sinwar and the outside world.”

Mr. Hayya, a longtime resident of Gaza, left the territory before Oct. 7 and has spent much of his time in Doha, Qatar, and in Istanbul. He officially serves as Mr. Sinwar’s deputy, a position he took on after he supported Mr. Sinwar in internal elections in 2021 against a challenger who nearly unseated him, Mr. Awawdeh said.

On Thursday, Ismail Haniyeh, the chairman of Hamas’s political wing, told Abbas Kamel, the chief of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service, that Hamas was studying the latest Israeli proposal for a cease-fire with a “positive spirit” and that the group would send a delegation to Cairo to participate in talks soon, according to a statement from Hamas.

While Hamas officials have expressed skepticism about the latest Israeli proposal, it includes some concessions on longtime sticking points in the negotiations.

While Mr. Hayya has been entrusted with some latitude as a negotiator, he does not have free rein. In recent rounds of talks, Hamas officials have conducted extensive internal discussions before sharing their own proposals or responding to those of other parties.

Mr. Sinwar’s opinion has been crucial to Hamas’s ultimate responses, which have often taken hours or sometimes days to obtain, according to American officials, an Israeli official and an official familiar with the talks.

While exchanging messages with Mr. Sinwar has occasionally taken a long time, Hamas leaders abroad have also used the excuse of difficulties in communicating with him to fend off demands to provide swift responses to new proposals, Mr. Awawdeh said.

“It lessens the pressure on the movement,” he said. “Sometimes, the mediators tell Hamas leaders: ‘We need an answer immediately. We need it right now.’ The best response is to say there are no communications with Gaza.”

In a television interview last week, Mr. Hayya, a former legislator, said that the main obstacle in the negotiations was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel’s government, which he asserted did not want a cease-fire.

“That’s the bottom line,” he told Ahsarq News, a Pan-Arabic television channel.

Israeli officials have expressed openness to a temporary pause in the fighting, but have repeatedly said that a ground offensive in Rafah — the southernmost city in Gaza, where around one million people have taken shelter — was necessary in order to destroy several Hamas battalions there.

Mr. Hayya, who has lost several family members in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is seen as a by-the-book Hamas institutionalist who has no history of corruption, unlike some other officials in the organization, analysts said.

“He represents the movement’s position completely: He doesn’t veer away from it at all,” Mr. Awawdeh said.

He also has a reputation for being less extreme than some other leaders in the Hamas hierarchy, who support no compromise with Israel. “He’s not radical,” said Hussam Dajani, a Gaza-based analyst.

Julian Barnes contributed reporting to this article.

— Adam Rasgon Reporting from Jerusalem

Biden denounces violence on campuses, breaking his silence after a rash of arrests.

President biden addresses campus protests, president biden defended the right of demonstrators to protest peacefully, but condemned the “chaos” that has prevailed at many colleges nationwide..

Violent protest is not protected. Peaceful protest is. It’s against the law when violence occurs. Destroying property is not a peaceful protest. It’s against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations — none of this is a peaceful protest. Threatening people, intimidating people, instilling fear in people is not peaceful protest. It’s against the law. Dissent is essential to democracy, but dissent must never lead to disorder or to denying the rights of others, so students can finish the semester and their college education. There’s the right to protest, but not the right to cause chaos. People have the right to get an education, the right to get a degree, the right to walk across the campus safely without fear of being attacked. But let’s be clear about this as well. There should be no place on any campus — no place in America — for antisemitism or threats of violence against Jewish students. There is no place for hate speech or violence of any kind, whether it’s antisemitism, Islamophobia or discrimination against Arab Americans or Palestinian Americans. It’s simply wrong. There’s no place for racism in America.

President Biden broke days of silence on Thursday to finally speak out on the wave of protests on American college campuses against Israel’s war in Gaza that have inflamed much of the country, denouncing violence and antisemitism even as he defended the right to peaceful dissent.

In a previously unscheduled televised statement from the White House, Mr. Biden offered a forceful condemnation of students and other protesters who in his view have taken their grievances over the war too far. But he rejected Republican calls to deploy the National Guard to rein in the campuses.

“There’s the right to protest, but not the right to cause chaos,” Mr. Biden said into cameras in his first personal remarks on the campus fray in 10 days. “People have the right to get an education, the right to get a degree, the right to walk across the campus safely without fear of being attacked.” Antisemitism, he added, “has no place” in America.

The president’s comments came as universities across the nation continued to struggle to restore order. Police officers in riot gear arrested about 200 people as they cleared a protest encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, while other officers removed demonstrators occupying a library at Portland State University in Oregon. Activists erected 30 tents at the University of Wisconsin-Madison a day after the police removed tents and detained 34 people .

The confrontations on Thursday followed a tense 24 hours during which police officers made arrests at Fordham University’s Manhattan campus , the University of Texas at Dallas, Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and Tulane University in New Orleans , among other places. As of Thursday, the campus unrest had led to nearly 2,000 arrests at dozens of academic institutions in the last two weeks, according to a New York Times tally .

Administrators at some colleges, including Brown University in Rhode Island and Northwestern University in Illinois, opted to avoid conflict by striking deals with pro-Palestinian protesters to bring a peaceful end to their encampments — agreements that have drawn harsh criticism from some Jewish leaders .

The protests have erupted in response to Israel’s war in Gaza since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack killed 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in more than 200 taken hostage. More than 34,000 people in Gaza have been killed since then, according to authorities there, including both Hamas combatants and civilians. The protesters have demanded that the Biden administration cut off arms to Israel and that their schools divest from companies linked to Israel, but in many cases the demonstrations have included antisemitic rhetoric and harassment targeting Jewish students.

Some of those sympathetic to the protesters pushed back against administrators for resorting to police action. The Columbia University chapter of the American Association of University Professors on Thursday called for the condemnation of Nemat Shafik, the university’s president, after a police operation that removed students occupying Hamilton Hall and resulted in more than 100 arrests.

“Armed counterterrorism police on campus, student arrests and harsh discipline were not the only path through this crisis,” the group said.

The images of arrests and clashes have come to dominate the political debate in Washington in recent days as Republicans seek to position themselves as defenders of Jewish students and portray Democrats and university leaders as soft on antisemitism.

A day after the House passed a bipartisan measure seeking to codify a broader definition of antisemitism into federal education policy, with 70 Democrats and 21 Republicans voting no, a group of 20 Senate Republicans introduced their own version of the resolution.

“Antisemitism is rearing its ugly head at college campuses across our nation,” said the bill’s sponsor, Senator Tim Scott, Republican of South Carolina and a possible vice-presidential running mate for former President Donald J. Trump. “Jewish students are being targeted with violence and harassment, and the university presidents and administrators, who should be defending them, are caving to the radical mob and allowing chaos to spread.”

Mr. Trump weighed in on social media. “This is a radical left revolution taking place in our country,” he wrote in all capital letters as the confrontation at U.C.L.A. escalated. “Where is Crooked Joe Biden? Where is Governor Newscum? The danger to our country is from the left, not from the right!!!”

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a Democrat, issued his own statement on Wednesday. “The right to free speech does not extend to inciting violence, vandalism, or lawlessness on campus,” he said.

That was the formulation that Mr. Biden advanced during his televised comments on Thursday morning before leaving the White House for a daylong trip to North Carolina, where he met with relatives of four law enforcement officers killed in Charlotte on Monday and later gave a speech in Wilmington announcing plans to replace lead pipes.

“Destroying property is not a peaceful protest. It’s against the law,” the president said. “Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations — none of this is a peaceful protest. Threatening people, intimidating people, instilling fear in people is not peaceful protest. It’s against the law. Dissent is essential to democracy, but dissent must never lead to disorder or to denying the rights of others so students can finish the semester and their college education.”

Mr. Biden has been pushing for an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would end the combat, at least temporarily, but a deal has remained elusive. Under a U.S.-sponsored proposal on the table, Israel would enter a cease-fire for six weeks and release hundreds of Palestinians held in its prisons while Hamas would free 33 of the more than 100 hostages it is still holding.

The president and his team hope that such a first stage would lead to a longer cessation of hostilities and the release of more hostages as well as more food, medicine and other aid to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. But American officials said that while Israel has agreed to the plan, Hamas has so far refused.

The president’s four-minute statement came after some Democrats frustrated by his reluctance to speak out pressed him to publicly address the campus uprisings. Until Thursday, Mr. Biden had offered only a couple of sentences in response to reporter questions on April 22 that even Democrats considered too equivocal and otherwise left it to his spokespeople to express his views. Republicans have castigated him for not weighing in himself.

Mr. Biden implied that his critics were simply being opportunistic. “In moments like this, there are always those who rush in to score political points,” he said. “But this isn’t a moment for politics. It’s a moment for clarity. So let me be clear: Peaceful protest in America. Violent protest is not protected. Peaceful protest is.”

In calming some in his party, though, Mr. Biden took heat from others on the political left. In their view, he employed none of the nuance that he expressed in 2020 when otherwise peaceful protests after the police killing of George Floyd got out of control and Mr. Biden acknowledged root causes of the anger even while condemning violence.

“He could’ve made some effort to do the same today,” said Matt Duss, a former foreign policy adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist from Vermont. “Instead, he chose to amplify a right-wing caricature. Unfortunately, it’s consistent with an overall policy approach that shows little regard for Palestinian perspectives or Palestinian lives.”

In his statement, Mr. Biden emphasized that he would always defend free speech, even for those protesting his own support for Israel’s war. But he made clear that he thought too many of the demonstrations had gone beyond the bounds of simple speech.

“Let’s be clear about this as well,” he added. “There should be no place on any campus, no place in America, for antisemitism or threats of violence against Jewish students. There is no place for hate speech or violence of any kind, whether it’s antisemitism, Islamophobia, or discrimination against Arab Americans or Palestinian Americans.”

In response to questions by reporters, Mr. Biden said he would not change his Middle East policy as a result of the protests. Asked as he left the room if the National Guard should intervene, he said simply, “No.”

Reporting was contributed by Jonathan Wolfe from Los Angeles; Ernesto Londoño from St. Paul, Minn.; Bob Chiarito from Madison, Wis.; and Mike Baker from Seattle.

— Peter Baker Traveling with President Biden aboard Air Force One

A father in Rafah whose family survived an airstrike asks, ‘What should we do?’

As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel repeats his vow to launch a ground invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza and Israeli airstrikes continue to pummel the city, it is a particularly fearful time for displaced families sheltering there.

“What should we do? Where will we go?” said Mohammed Abu Youssef, who spoke on Wednesday in video shot by the Reuters news agency about how he and his children had narrowly survived an airstrike. “I am waiting for a tent so I can leave,” he added as he burst into tears.

Mr. Abu Youssef said his family had recently fled to Al-Shaboura neighborhood in Rafah, seeking safety. He suffered a head injury in the strike, he said, and his brother-in-law, who was sheltering with him, lost two children. Several other relatives were also wounded, he said.

Roughly a million displaced Palestinians have sought shelter in Rafah from the Israeli bombardment and ground fighting that health officials say have killed more than 34,000 people across Gaza. Israel has said that the purpose of the planned invasion is to root out Hamas fighters there.

Mr. Abu Youssef said he was now left grappling with the uncertainty of again trying to find a place where his family could be safe. Some displaced families in Rafah have already been moving north into areas of Gaza that were combat zones earlier in the war.

Nader Ibrahim contributed reporting and video production from London.

— Hiba Yazbek reporting from Jerusalem

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