The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system that connects various gadgets and technologies without requiring human involvement. The IoT accelerates global city development, enhancing sustainability, comfort, and productivity for residents. A lot of work has been observed in the literature for the same. So, this paper introduces IoT-enabled smart cities, smart city workflows, IoT fundamentals, IoT architectures specific to smart cities, and diverse applications of IoT. This paper dis- cusses various challenges, observed by researchers in this domain and proposes generalized solutions at conceptual level. In future realization of the proposed solutions are recommended. It is concluded that the study provides foundational insights for researchers on IoT implementation in smart cities, serving as the initial step towards optimizing sustainable integration.