Take01
1963
From Russia with Love
Basilica Cistern, Hagia Sophia (then a museum), Sirkeci station doubling for Belgrade and Zagreb
41.0082°N, 28.9784°E
Istanbul
Since January 2026 every public-space shoot in Istanbul runs through the district governorship under the city's three-zone filming rules. We file those notices, plan around the palace ban and the Hagia Sophia's status as a mosque, and book the stages that rebuild what the city won't let you shoot.
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Scene 01 — Filmed Here
Notable Productions in Istanbul
Take02
1999
The World Is Not Enough
Third unit only: Maiden's Tower and Küçüksu Pavilion exteriors on the Bosphorus
Take03
2009
The International
Süleymaniye Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar interior and rooftops
Take04
2012
Skyfall
Opening chase in Eminönü by the Yeni Cami and Spice Bazaar, and across the Grand Bazaar rooftops (the train viaduct was near Adana)
Take05
2012
Argo
About two weeks in Istanbul doubling for Tehran, including the street outside the embassy walls
Take06
2012
Taken 2
Istanbul scenes shot in November 2011
Take07
2016
Inferno
Establishing shots including Hagia Sophia; the cistern climax was built on a stage in Budapest
Take08
2024
Kızıl Goncalar (TV)
Sets rebuilt at Beykoz Kundura after the series' original location permit was cancelled in December 2023
Take09
2005-2007
Gümüş (Noor) (TV)
Abud Efendi Yalısı on the Bosphorus
Scene 02 — Locations
Filming Locations in Istanbul
From landmark monuments to hidden quarters — every district scouted and permit-mapped.
market
Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı)
Covered market whose rooftops carried the Skyfall chase and scenes in The International. It closes on Sundays and on the first days of both bayrams, which makes Sunday the realistic day for a controlled set; it was opened on a Sunday in 2023 for a Mission: Impossible scout.
Hagia Sophia & Sultanahmet Square
An active mosque under the Presidency of Religious Affairs since July 2020. Foreign visitors use a ticketed upper-gallery route introduced in January 2024. We frame it from Sultanahmet Square and other public space, where the April tulip beds also work in frame.
Strict
Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan)
Reopened in July 2022 after a five-year restoration that reinforced its 336 columns and added a lower walkway and new lighting. From Russia with Love and The International shot here; Inferno built its cistern on a stage in Budapest instead.
Complex
Bosphorus, On the Water
The strait between Europe and Asia, its yalıs and the Maiden's Tower. A Heineken commercial shot off Istanbul needed port departure and entry clearance every morning and evening because of shipping traffic.
Complex
Galata Tower & Galata Streets
Genoese tower run as a museum by the General Directorate of Foundations since October 2020. The steep streets around it are public space under the district governorship.
Moderate
Topkapı, Dolmabahçe & Beylerbeyi Palaces
Run by the Presidency's National Palaces Administration. Article 22(3) of its procedures bans advertising, series, film and product-film shoots at all three, and series or film shoots at its other palaces and pavilions. Visitor photography indoors was allowed from January 2026; professional shoots were not.
Strict
Haydarpaşa Station
No longer an operating terminus. Archaeological excavation has run under the platforms since 2018, and the site is being converted into an archaeopark, with the first phase targeted for 2027. The sea-facing façades were restored and unscaffolded by June 2026.
Strict
TİMS Hadımköy Film Studios
A 25,973 m² site in Arnavutköy with three film studios and standing sets recreating Old Istanbul, operating since 2017. The same company runs TİMS Akpınar Film Studios nearby.
Easy
Beykoz Kundura
A former shoe factory on the Asian side, closed in 1999 and used for film and series since 2005. Diriliş: Ertuğrul and Karadayı shot here, and Kızıl Goncalar rebuilt its sets here in January 2024.
Easy
Historic Peninsula (Sultanahmet, Eminönü)
The four zones UNESCO inscribed in 1985 as the Historic Areas of Istanbul: Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern, the Grand Bazaar and the Eminönü waterfront where Skyfall opened. Heritage operators differ site by site, so each location carries its own permission on top of the district notice.
Beyoğlu & Galata
Galata Tower has been run by the General Directorate of Foundations (Vakıflar) as a museum since October 2020, so the tower and the streets below need separate permissions. Istanbul's municipal Cinema Office, a 1,910 m² hub between Tepebaşı and the Golden Horn, opened here in May 2026.
Bosphorus Shores
Yalı mansions and waterfront pavilions on both continents. Gümüş was set at the Abud Efendi Yalısı; The World Is Not Enough sent a unit to the Maiden's Tower. Anything shot from the water needs a separate maritime permission, covered below.
Beykoz (Asian Side)
Home to Beykoz Kundura, the former shoe factory that has worked as a film and series platform since 2005. When Kızıl Goncalar lost its location permit in December 2023, the production rebuilt its sets here.
Arnavutköy
TİMS Hadımköy Film Studios (operating since 2017) and TİMS Akpınar Film Studios, in the Akpınar industrial zone, are both in this district. We use them for stage days and Old Istanbul backlot streets.
Princes' Islands (Adalar)
The zone and vehicle-cap articles of the 2026 rules do not apply in Adalar. Notice to the district governorship and the owners of any private location still do.
Scene 03 — The Case for Istanbul
Why Film in Istanbul
- ✓Foreign Film Production Support refunds up to 30% of Ministry-accepted spend in Türkiye for features, documentaries and series. A Turkish co-producer or service company applies, the project must score at least 50 of 100 points, the minimum local spend is set annually by the Ministry in lira, and payment is a lump sum after a sworn financial adviser's audit.
- ✓Clear national timing: the General Directorate of Cinema permit is filed on filmingpermit.ktb.gov.tr at least 10 business days before the first shoot day, and the 2019 regulation (Official Gazette No. 30919) requires at least one Turkish-citizen fixer on the production. We fill that role and file the wrap report.
- ✓Reduced location fees: the municipal tariff drops to one quarter for Ministry-supported projects and for units with 3 or fewer large vehicles. Handheld crews that do not occupy public space pay no municipal fee but must still notify.
- ✓Seasons to plan around: January averages 6.8 °C with highs near 9.6 °C, December is the wettest month (99.2 mm), and July–August are the driest (about 22–24 mm). Türkiye stays on UTC+3 all year, so December sunrise comes after 08:00.
- ✓The Istanbul Film Festival (İKSV) runs each April with its Meetings on the Bridge industry platform. The same month, İBB plants tulips at Emirgan, Gülhane and Sultanahmet Square (3.58 million in 2026).
Scene 04 — Logistics
Transport & Logistics
AirportsIST (European side of the city) · SAW (Asian side of the city)▼
Istanbul Airport (IST) — European side of the city
Crew transfer arranged by our teamTaxi
Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) — Asian side of the city
Crew transfer arranged by our teamTaxi
Local Transitcar · ferry · taxi▼
car
Production vans and trucks move under the 2026 zone rules: in Zones 1 and 2 large vehicles may work 07:00 to midnight from October to April and 07:00 to 01:00 from May to September.
Crew tip: Night work between 23:00 and 06:00 is allowed only in designated night-filming areas, with a 7-vehicle cap. We check the zone of every address before locking the call sheet.
ferry
Public ferries cross between the European and Asian sides. Filming from any boat needs the provincial environment directorate's sea permission.
Crew tip: No published charter terms exist for filming on İBB's Şehir Hatları ferries, so we quote boats case by case.
taxi
Taxis suit small scout and recce teams moving between locations.
Crew tip: Carry each address written in Turkish.
Production Parkingdifficult · Permits required▼
Base camps are capped by zone: at most 7 large vehicles in Zone 1, 11 in Zone 2, no cap in Zone 3. Residents get signs 24 hours before the shoot.
Municipal fees apply when more than 3 large vehicles stay on set; the fee drops to a quarter with 3 or fewer, or for Ministry-supported projects. A district coordination unit can halt a shoot for a day if a violation is not fixed within 24 hours.
Getting Between Locations▼
Two of your sets on the same day must be at least 1 km apart, and so must yours and any other production's. Shoots that affect traffic or close roads need the municipality as well as the district governorship, again at least 7 days ahead. Explosions and crash stunts need police permission.
Ready?
Plan Your Istanbul Shoot
From permits and crew to equipment and logistics — we handle everything on the ground so you can focus on capturing the city of two continents.