Two continents, three empires and 8,500 years of history — all within a short drive of your appointment.
20 min from clinicCompleted in 537 as the largest cathedral on earth, later an imperial mosque, then a museum, and a mosque once more. Its 31-metre dome seemed to float above the nave — a feat that reshaped architecture for a thousand years. Stand under it once and you understand why Istanbul was worth ruling.
Allow 2–3 hoursHome to Ottoman sultans for almost 400 years: courtyards of plane trees, the Harem's tiled chambers, the Treasury with the 86-carat Spoonmaker's Diamond, and a terrace where the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara meet in one view.
Five minutes from Hagia SophiaTwenty thousand hand-painted İznik tiles give the Sultan Ahmed Mosque its name and its light. Entry is free, visits pause during the five daily prayers, and shoulders, knees and hair are covered — scarves are provided at the door.
Steep streets nearbyA Genoese watchtower from 1348 with a 360-degree balcony over the old city, the Golden Horn and the strait. There is a lift, but the surrounding lanes are steep — worth knowing after abdominal or leg surgery.
Sunset visitA small islet tower off the Asian shore, rebuilt many times since 408 BC and wrapped in the legend of a princess and a prophecy. Today it is a café with the finest sunset seat in the city — reachable by a five-minute boat from Üsküdar.
Skip in the first daysFour thousand shops under sixty covered streets, trading since 1461. Wonderful, and crowded — we suggest leaving it until after your dressings come off, and going on a weekday morning rather than a Saturday.
After implant or crown treatment we recommend soft, warm dishes for the first days — luckily Turkish cooking is full of them.
Dozens of small cold plates — smoked aubergine, garlic yoghurt, broad beans, stuffed vine leaves. Soft, gentle, and the safest first meal after treatment.
Red lentil soup with a squeeze of lemon. Warm, smooth, no chewing — every restaurant in the city makes it.
Tiny lamb dumplings under garlic yoghurt and melted butter. Small enough to swallow almost whole.
Eggs slow-cooked with tomato, pepper and white cheese. The classic Turkish breakfast and the easiest thing to eat on day two.
Thin doner over toasted bread with tomato butter and yoghurt. Ask for it well-soaked and it needs almost no chewing.
Grilled fish in bread, eaten standing at Eminönü with the ferries behind you. Order it boneless.
Shredded pastry and stretchy cheese in syrup, served hot. Sweet, soft and worth the trip on its own.
Oven-baked rice pudding with a caramelised top. Cold, soothing and a good idea the evening after surgery.
Sesame bread ring with black tea from a tulip glass. Two lira, sold on every corner, eaten all day.
Thick, unfiltered, served with a glass of water and a piece of lokum. Wait 48 hours after extractions before you order one.
90 minutesThe cheapest sightseeing in the city. Board at Eminönü, sit on the top deck with tea, and watch palaces, wooden mansions and two continents slide past.
Closed Sundays4,000 shops under one roof since 1461. Go for the ceilings and the tea as much as the carpets. Haggling is expected and good-natured.
20 min from clinicSteep lanes, third-wave coffee, design shops and the tower at the top. The most walkable neighbourhood if you only have an afternoon.
Short boat rideCross to the Asian side for a calmer, more local Istanbul — tea gardens, seafront benches and the best skyline view back towards the old city.
From sunsetKaraköy and Beyoğlu rooftops look straight at the old city. Book the early sitting and watch the mosques light up one by one.
NightlyThe same ferry route after dark, with the bridges lit and the water black. Quieter, cooler and far more photogenic.
Free · after duskHagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque floodlit, with almost no crowds after 9pm. Ten minutes on foot between the two.
Until lateMeze, raki and live fasıl music in Asmalımescit or Kadıköy. Order slowly — a meyhane dinner is meant to take three hours.
Your coordinator books tables, ferries and transfers — just ask on WhatsApp.
Istanbul Airport (IST) on the European side and Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side. We arrange your transfer from either — just send your flight details.
April–June and September–November: mild, dry and comfortable for recovery. July–August is hot; winters are cool and quiet with lower hotel prices.
The currency is the Turkish lira. Cards are accepted almost everywhere; keep a little cash for the bazaar, ferries and street tea.
Turkish is the local language, but our coordinators speak English, German, French, Italian, Russian and Romanian — and a translator joins you at every appointment.
Şişli Plaza, behind Cevahir Shopping Mall in Şişli — central, on the metro, and 15–40 minutes from most hotels.
Sightseeing is fine the same day for most crown and veneer patients. After implant surgery we suggest a gentle first day — a Bosphorus ferry rather than the bazaar.
All-inclusive packages from €299, a coordinator who speaks your language for a year — and a city worth the flight. Tell us your dates and we will build the plan around them.