Istanbul is an amazing city and it’s beautiful even when it rains. It has so much to offer and if you’re visiting Istanbul and it’s raining during your trip, don’t despair. Beside the top sights in Istanbul you can visit so many other places and do interesting things. Living in Istanbul for two years we had quite a few rainy days (and weeks), but we were never bored. Here are my recommendations on what to do in Istanbul on a rainy day.
1. If you want to start your day in a relaxing way, the first thing to do is to have Turkish breakfast. You can enjoy your breakfast with a view of Bosphorus in Uskudar. There’s a chain of restaurants called Mado and they have really nice breakfast menu as well as great desserts. You can also go to Ortakoy and have a cup of Turkish tea enjoying the view of Bosphorus as well and the view of Ortakoy mosque. Believe me, it’s beautiful even when it rains.
2. Next thing I would recommend doing is to visit Istanbul Modern. I loved this museum and as the name says – here you’ll find some great contemporary art pieces.
3. What’s better than spending a rainy afternoon in Istanbul in a pretty coffee shop or restaurant with great food and watching people go by and listening to the sounds of rain. A lot of restaurants in Istanbul have outdoor seating even during winter so you don’t have to go inside to enjoy your meal. Don’t worry, there are heaters everywhere so you won’t feel cold. Karakoy area in Istanbul has some of the prettiest coffee shops with really interesting decor. You can also find good restaurants here and enjoy a good lunch. Another thing you MUST try when in the Karakoy area is the best baklava in Istanbul – Karakoy Gulluoglu. You can bring some home with you, just choose which one you like and tell them to pack it for you.
4. If you’re a fan of wax museums, there’s Madame Tussauds in Istiklal street. Grab your umbrella, walk to the museum and enjoy a couple of hours taking photos with your favourite celebrities.
5. Have a day at Hamam – Turkish bath. This is a great way to spend a rainy day in Istanbul and experience something you haven’t done before.
6. Go shopping! Rainy days in Istanbul are perfect for shopping. And this city has so much to offer when it comes to this guilty pleasure. In Istanbul you can buy anything you can imagine – starting with local products and souvenirs, thrift and antique shops and at the end, the highest fashion brands. Enjoy it!
7. Have lunch and a stroll in Suadiye. Yes, this area is gorgeous even when it rains. You can enjoy lunch in one of the restaurants and have a cup of Turkish coffee or tea. Here you can also go shopping. Bağdat Caddesi (Bagdat street) is one of the longest and most beautiful streets in Istanbul so you can easily spend the whole afternoon here. This street is in the Asian part of Istanbul, but this whole area (Suadiye and Fenerbahce) very much resembles some European cities.
8. Get cozy with a cup of hot drink in some of Kadikoy’s cute coffee shops. Kadikoy (and the part of Kadikoy called Moda) is something you can’t miss when visiting Istanbul. Here you’ll find little streets filled with restaurants, coffee shops and small shops. It’s a great place to spend your day. When you come to Moda you can easily access the sea and have your coffee there.
9. Visit Spice bazaar
I already wrote about Spice bazaar here so you can check it out!
10. If you are a book lover you’ll enjoy Homer kitabevi (Homer bookshop) in the Beyoglu area. Another bookshop you can visit on a rainy day in Istanbul is Pandora. These two are rather close to each other so you can enjoy your day in a company of books. If you ask me, an interesting book is the perfect gift for someone waiting for you at home.
If you’re visiting Istanbul and want to know what are those less touristy things you can see and do in this great city read this blog post. I already mentioned I lived in Istanbul for two years so it’s no surprise that I wrote a lot about it. In this blog post you’ll find out everything about one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods in Istanbul.
You can always visit my Instagram profile and see more photos from Istanbul and other places I’ve been to or lived at.
Thank you so much for reading!
