In Three Days

With 3 days at your disposal (having spent your first 2 days following the 2-day itinerary), you have the luxury on day 3 of stopping to smell the roses, figuratively speaking. After 2 days of manic exploration, it's time to poke your nose into the lesser-visited nooks and crannies that make Istanbul as complex and captivating as it is. Start: Ecumenical Patriarchate, Fener.

1. Balat & Fener

The contiguous neighborhoods of Balat and Fener encompass authentic and timeless streets whose time is fast running out. The entirety of these two neighborhoods -- a skeletal landscape of the former Jewish, Greek, Armenian, and Ottoman communities that resided here -- has been identified as a restoration zone, and a patchwork of projects is either completed or under way. Dotting the streets are Byzantine-era basilicas interspersed between crumbling ancient ruins, stately merchant-class town houses, and the odd goat. I recommend that, for an abbreviated tour, you follow walking tour 2 in reverse from the Ecumenical Patriarchate until you arrive at the Balat Market.

2. Istanbul Modern

After 2 days chock-full of antiquity, the very contemporary Istanbul Modern provides a gentle reminder that this city is an international player. Fascinating portraits, landscapes, and multimedia exhibits are illustrative interpretations of a culture in transition between traditional Ottoman and Republican Turkey.

Take a Break: Istanbul Modern Restaurant and Café

Although not individually listed in this guide as a destination restaurant, the museum restaurant, which gets fantastic views of Topkapi Palace, serves a sophisticated selection of Turkish and international dishes at reasonable prices. It's open Monday to Saturday 10am to midnight and Sunday 10am to 6pm.

4. Dolmabahçe Palace

Lavish in its ornamental European architecture and sumptuous interior decor, Dolmabahçe Palace represents the later Ottoman sultans' desire to replicate all things modern and Western. The palace proper sits on 25 hectares (62 acres) of landfill and is made up of 285 rooms, 46 salons, 1,427 windows, and 68 toilets.

5. Ortaköy

The modern and trendy seaside village of Ortaköy is Istanbul's uptown location with the downtown feel. Its labyrinth of cobbled alleys converge on a picturesque waterside quay, where you'll find restaurants, cafes, boutiques, and sidewalk vendors hawking everything from accessories to scarves to a hefty assortment of wigs -- the compromise of choice for headscarf-wearing female students who aspire to attend state-run universities.