Grand Bazaar to Aksaray, Istanbul: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour from the Grand Bazaar to Aksaray in Istanbul: 3 stops, about 1.6 km, about 20 minutes of walking plus about 22 minutes of listening. Start in the Grand Bazaar, which grew around the Inner Bedesten that Mehmed the Conqueror ordered around 1455 to fund the upkeep of Hagia Sophia, and walk west to Laleli Mosque, built for Sultan Mustafa III as Ottoman taste was turning towards the Baroque. Finish at the Aksaray Valide Sultan Mosque, completed in 1871 for Pertevniyal, mother of Sultan Abdülaziz, with Neo-Gothic carving on its walls.
- Stops:
- 3
- Distance:
- about 1.6 km
- Walking:
- about 20 min
- Listening:
- about 22 min
Grand Bazaar to Aksaray, Istanbul: how long does the walk take?
About 42 minutes in all: about 20 minutes on foot over about 1.6 km, plus about 22 minutes of audio at the 3 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Grand Bazaar to Aksaray, Istanbul: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Grand Bazaar, Laleli Mosque, and Aksaray Valide Sultan Mosque. The longest stretch between two stops is about 1.1 km, about 15 min on foot.
Route and map
Navigate with Google Maps, listen with Mappu: the stories keep playing while you follow the route.
Opens Google Maps with walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
For centuries the market was organised by guilds called lonca, with every street given to a single craft.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Laleli Mosque · about 1.1 km, about 15 min on foot
Stop 2
Its marble comes in reds, blues, yellows and browns, with small inset medallions of rarer stones.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Aksaray Valide Sultan Mosque · about 0.4 km, about 6 min on foot
Stop 3
Better known on maps as the Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque, it stands where Ordu Street meets Atatürk Boulevard.
about 8 min of audio
How does this self-guided walking tour work?
The audio guides on this page stay free: open any stop to listen in your browser.
Walk Mode uses your location to narrate places as you walk. It opens in the Mappu app at the first stop, Grand Bazaar. Your first walk is free for three stops with a free Mappu account.
Walk Mode: 2 hours for 50 credits (€4.99 Starter pack)
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
More walking tours in Istanbul
Plan more days in Istanbul
These day-by-day Mappu itineraries include Istanbul. The day links open the days that visit stops on this walk.
Route checked by Mappu on October 20, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.