Kaleiçi rewards aimless wandering more than structured sightseeing. The most rewarding route enters through Hadrian's Gate, winds through the lanes past the Yivli Minaret and Tekeli Mehmet Paşa Mosque, descends to the harbour, then follows the cliff walk south through Karaalioğlu Park to the Hıdırlık Tower. The whole circuit takes about 90 minutes without stops.
The lanes between the main monuments reveal the residential life of the old town: small workshops, cats on warm stonework, courtyard gardens glimpsed through wooden doors. The best time is early morning before the tour buses arrive, or late afternoon when the light is golden and the heat drops.