Landmark
Topkapı Palace
Palace of the Ottoman sultans with courtyards, treasures and Bosphorus views.
7 min drive from the center · 3.3 km · 2.0 mi
Photo: Carlos Delgado · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Turkey
Istanbul
15 shuls · 0 kosher · 1,356 hotels on our map
Photo: A.Savin · FAL · Wikimedia Commons
Topkapı PalaceGrand BazaarBosphorus CruiseBasilica CisternGalata TowerQuincentennial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews
About
Where Europe meets Asia across the Bosphorus. Istanbul has an old Jewish community with several working synagogues (security is tight, so contact them ahead), Chabad for visitors and a few kosher restaurants and shops.
Good to know: only 15 shuls and no kosher places are on our map here so far, and the real number is likely higher. Before you book, check with the local Chabad (search Chabad Istanbul) and look up kosher on Google Maps.
Best time to goApr–Jun and Sept–Nov; summers are hot and crowded.
Local time
Before you goPlaces come from OpenStreetMap and can change. Call ahead for minyan and Shabbos meals, and check the hechsher yourself.
Top attractions
Things to do in Istanbul
Stroll & shop
Grand Bazaar
One of the oldest covered markets in the world, with thousands of shops.
6 min drive from the center · 2.9 km · 1.8 mi
Photo: A.Savin · FAL · Wikimedia Commons
Nature & outdoors
Bosphorus Cruise
Ferry rides between Europe and Asia past palaces and wooden mansions.
25 min drive from the center · 17 km · 11 mi
Photo: Astronaut photograph ISS008-E-21752 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Landmark
Basilica Cistern
A huge underground water reservoir held up by hundreds of marble columns.
6 min drive from the center · 3.3 km · 2.0 mi
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Landmark
Galata Tower
A medieval stone tower with a viewing balcony over the Golden Horn.
6 min drive from the center · 2.7 km · 1.7 mi
Photo: A.Savin · FAL · Wikimedia Commons
Jewish heritage
Quincentennial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews
A museum in the old Zulfaris synagogue near Galata telling the story of Turkish Jews.
5 min drive from the center · 2.3 km · 1.4 mi
Photo: Yusuf Pinhas · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Where to stay
Hotels by walk or drive to minyan
Walking and driving time from each hotel to the nearest shul and kosher food. Tap a hotel for its map, phone numbers and directions.
Loading hotels…
Walking times are estimates: straight-line distance × 1.3 at about 80 m a minute. Driving times are road routes without traffic (OpenStreetMap routing); where a route is missing we show “≈”, straight line × 1.4 at city speed. No prices or ratings here; each hotel links to Google Maps reviews and a Booking.com search.
Minyan
Shuls & Chabad
Chabad houses first. Call ahead for minyan times.
3 shuls, Chabad houses and kosher places in this city were added or completed by hand from Chabad, kashrut-agency and community websites (checked November 2026). Each one links to its source.
Not every shul is on the map yet: search synagogues on Google Maps. Denomination is shown only where it is mapped. Something wrong? Report a correction.
Food
Kosher food
Each card names its hechsher and the agency, vaad or Chabad list it comes from. Places marked “Tagged kosher on OpenStreetMap” have no hechsher source yet. We don’t certify anything: always check the hechsher yourself.
Search kosher on Google Maps for places not on our map yet.
Map