So you have just 24 hours for Istanbul? In this short indie travel guide, I will list places you could easily manage to visit and see in less than 24 hours.
My story short - at the end of May we booked connecting flight from Riga to Tbilisi, via Istanbul, we had an option to have a shorter waiting time, but we decided to spend one night in Istanbul's Sultanahmet area, which offers great access to the most of the tourist sights in Istanbul.
If you are traveling from Istanbul Ataturk airport, there is a metro system connecting to the City Centre, though you will need to make a transit to the line leading to Kabatas. Once you are in Sultanahmet your discoveries can start. We had a lovely hotel Dosso Dossi located just a few hundred meters from the Blue Mosque and The Grand Bazaar.
Although we missed more cool sites to visit this time, like Galata tower or buying mussels from local fisherman, in just 24 hours to sites like the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar are really cool to have on your to-do list.