Istanbul · Sports & events
SPORT & SEASON
Three enormous clubs, a marathon across two continents, and a swim between them.
Süper Lig derbies
Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş play August to May in stadiums that make noise you can feel. Buy through the clubs; you will need a Passolig card.
EuroLeague basketball
Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahçe play European nights from October to May, mostly at the Sinan Erdem Dome on the European side. Tickets are affordable.
Istanbul Marathon
Run each November from Asia to Europe across the Bosphorus bridge — the only marathon that changes continents. Entries close well beforehand.
Cross-continental swim
A mass open-water race down the Bosphorus each summer, ballot-entered and heavily oversubscribed, with the strait closed to shipping for the morning.