11 Things to Do in Istanbul with Kids

Istanbul manages to dazzle children and adults alike: from classic activities such as sailing on the Bosphorus strait; going to the colorful markets; spending a day at the beach if the weather is nice, or visiting a theme park. Trust me: you won't have time to get bored. You definitely have a lot to see and do in Istanbul and the kids won't forget it.

Visiting Topkapi Palace as a family can be an excellent adventure full of history, an ideal plan for children to become familiar with one of the places that reflects the imperial era of Istanbul.

Topkapi Palace served as the main residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans. If you book a visit to the Topkapi Palace you can tour the imposing pavilions of the palace, see an extensive collection of jewelry and see the vast harem of this building. I recommend getting your tickets in advance to schedule your visit. Children under the age of 6 are free.

When leaving the Palace, I recommend a family stroll in Gülhane Park, the oldest park in the city, which is right next door. This place opened its doors to the public in 1912. After several restorations, today it is a meeting place for visitors and locals to relax and take a leisurely stroll.

Kids, for the most part, love the beach plan. From spring to well into autumn, a trip to Büyükada Island, the largest of the nine that make up the Princes Islands, can be the perfect getaway to explore and enjoy one of the city's most popular beach resorts.

In addition to the beaches, you can take a bike ride through its forests and sights or walk because there is not a single motor transport on the island.

One advantage of booking an excursion to the Princes Islands in spring or fall is that you won't run into dozens of tourists, who, like you, want a quiet day at the beach for the kids to enjoy the sand and sea. My recommendation is to leave early on one of the available tours and set out to enjoy this Turkish gem.

The guided tours on the Istanbul tourist bus are suitable for children and also allow you to have a panoramic view of the city and plan a route that suits your needs and time.

If you book the Istanbul tourist bus you will tour the city at your own pace, getting on or off wherever you want, an extremely comfortable option for traveling with small children and these rest while they see the city.

Of all the options for tours and excursions in Istanbul, these tours usually have free tickets to certain attractions included in the value of the ticket and have about 20 stops near the most striking points of the city, audio guides in several languages and are suitable for children, people with reduced mobility or disability.

An ideal plan that you can live in Istanbul with the whole family is a zip line adventure overlooking the Bosphorus, an experience for groups of up to five people in which you will reach, no more and no less, than 80 kilometers per hour in a distance of 250 meters.

If you have never ridden a zip line, do not worry. Beforehand, you will have an orientation session in which an expert will provide you with the safety equipment while guiding you through the activity. This way, you'll only have to worry about enjoying the mind-blowing views of Nakkaştepe Park, the Bosphorus and the city in general.

Miniaturaturk is a proposal to get in touch with the culture of the city and appreciate the wonders of all of Turkey on a small scale in a fascinating tour of 60 thousand square meters with green spaces, playgrounds, rest areas and interactive activities.

The models of some of the city's emblematic places such as the Blue Mosque, the Galata Tower, the Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia are full of details and offer an entertaining walk through another hundred wonders of the country such as the thermal waters of Pamukkale, the hidden city of Cappadocia or a replica of the Tower of Artemis.

Useful information

• Price: approximately 3€ (50 Turkish Lira).
• Hours: daily from 9 am to 6 pm.
• Address: Örnektepe Mahallesi, İmrahor Caddesi, No.7 Sütlüce 34445 Beyoğlu - İstanbul.

Aquariums, like zoos, are always a place that attracts the little ones. In Istanbul you can visit what is considered the fifth best aquarium in the world. The Istanbul Aquarium offers 17 thematic rooms with information about the marine flora and fauna of the world's oceans. Here the little ones can learn more about species such as turtles, jellyfish, sharks and more.

This visit also includes other attractions such as the world's longest marine tunnel, thematic exhibitions on marine life and interactive activities.

Useful information

• Price: approximately 11 € (180 Turkish Liras). This ticket allows you to enter the aquarium and stay as long as you like. The aquarium also offers a ticket valid for the aquarium and the wax museum for a price of 16 € (270 Turkish Liras). Tickets are valid for 90 days after purchase.
• Opening hours: daily from 10 am to 8 pm.
• Address: Kocatepe Mah, Pasha Cad. 5/5, 34045 Bayrampaşa/İstanbul.

Located near Karaköy, one of the neighborhoods of Istanbul that I recommend you to visit, the Istanbul Toy Museum offers a plan of assured fun for children and adults, in one of the most traditional places on the eastern side of the city.

The collection of toys exhibited by the museum, makes a tour of classic and modern pieces of the twentieth century, as well as masterpieces, more than 4,000 in total, carved by artisans from all over the country. It is also known as Sunay Akın Toy Museum, in honor of its creator.

The museum has scheduled activities with workshops on wood paintings and paper figure making.

Useful information

• Price: general admission tickets for adults cost approximately €2.45 (40 Turkish Liras). Children from 3 years old pay approximately 1.50 € (25 Turkish Liras).
• Hours: Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 6:30 pm.
• Address: Dr. Zeki Zeren Sokağı No:17 Göztepe, İstanbul.

Nothing like a refreshing ice cream, more so if you're visiting Istanbul in summer. The Turkish version is known as dondurmas, an ice cream made with a special artisan technique, based on goat's or cow's milk and served in cookie cones.

The texture of this typical ice cream is a little different from what you may know, with an elastic and gelatinous consistency, which you can find in the food places of the big Turkish stores such as the Grand Bazaar or the Spice Bazaar. In addition, the little ones will have fun with the acrobatics of the ice cream makers, who perform a whole show to serve them.

Also known as the Rahmi M. Koç Museum, this space offers details about the influence of transportation, industry and communications in shaping the history of mankind.

Ships, planes, trains, cars, submarines and other great human inventions that were carefully selected by Rahmi M.Koç, a businessman belonging to one of the wealthiest families in Turkey and where you can admire thousands of items in perfect condition. For the youngest ones to know the cabin of an airplane, to enter in a submarine, to visit the planetarium of the place or the playground, will be a didactic and inspiring experience.

A visit that will give you the perfect excuse to enjoy the maritime sunset in the strait, to enjoy a good cruise and to taste a family dinner with the best Turkish dishes and traditional dances show.

Useful information

• Price: a general admission ticket for an approximate cost of 5.50 € (90 Turkish Liras). Students pay 2.45 € (40 Turkish Liras).
• Hours: Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Address: Rahmi M. Koç Müzesi, Hasköy Cad. No: 5 Hasköy 34445 - İstanbul.

Located in the European part of the city, in the Bayrampaşa District, Legoland Istanbul offers everything a child could want. Games, cinema in fourth dimension, models of the great monuments of the city in Lego version, access thematic exhibitions and assembly areas with the pieces, make up the perfect plan to spend a few hours of family leisure.

The space has a cafeteria and rest areas inside. I warn you that you will be amazed with the themed bathrooms that the place has.

You can get double tickets to attend this attraction in combination with the Istanbul Aquarium, to give the little ones and young travelers the opportunity to live a day they will not easily forget.

Useful information

• Price: a general admission ticket for an approximate cost of 11 € (180 Turkish Liras).
• Hours: daily from 10 am to 7 pm.
• Address: Forum Istanbul, No:3 Kocatepe Mah. Pasha Cad.34045, Bayrampaşa, Istanbul.

Isfanbul Theme Park, located in the European part of the city, has more than 20 attractions, including a huge roller coaster on a waterfall, for an adrenaline-filled family experience.

The park's themed areas get young visitors integrated into the local culture by recreating traditional children's stories and tales from Turkish culture, in the best style of the sultans and magical characters. It has food areas and many of the attractions have access for people with reduced mobility or disabilities.

Useful Information

• Price: children 36 € approximately (589 Turkish Liras), adults 37 € approximately (599 Turkish Liras).
• Hours: daily from 10 am to 6 pm.
• Address: Yeşilpınar, Şht. Metin Kaya Sk. No: 11/1, 34065 Eyüpsultan/İstanbul.

Istanbul offers a lot to see and do. It has tourist attractions in all directions and almost 15 million inhabitants. Therefore, I recommend that you plan your daily activities as much as possible, leave early, be flexible and careful, especially if you are traveling in high season and with very young children and that you book the Istanbul Tourist Pass.

With this card you can visit 85 attractions for free. Visit the Istanbul Tourist Pass website and find out which attractions are included.