Indian will be in Istanbul for 2 days in second week of november and has almost 4 hrs on day 1 and 10 hrs on day 2 for shopping and sightseeing .
Will I abe able to make it to Haga sofia and back in 10 hrs from Istanbul ??
suggest some good places to shop and what to shop …
thanx in advance…
The Hagia Sophia is in Istanbul (not Constantinople*), did you mean can you see it in ten hours, or get there from where you’ll be?
There is/was a Turkish Doper called Watermelon Man, but I don’t recall seeing anything from him recently.
*Sorry, couldn’t help myself
My sister isn’t Turkish, but lived in Turkey for many years, speaks the language, etc. She’s not a doper, but if you give me the questions you have, I’m sure she’ll be glad to answer them. What kind of things to you like? Buildings, museums, shopping (and for what?).
StG
find out if they make their sushi in the toilet
At any market you can buy 2 real Rolex Oyster watches for less than £5.
They come with a 20 minute no quibble guarantee
StGermain,
Thanx ! I want to know , if I can make a visit to Haga sofia and back to my hotel in Istanbul in about 10 hrs or so…
thanx again for your response…
The Hagia Sofia is in Istanbul.
HE,
yes ! I noted that …
I have seen in shanghai , to get to an extreme point in city outskirts, I had to travel about 2.5 hrs by taxi alone one way and on return about 3 hrs, due to frequent traffic jams.
I asked the question,with extreme traffic conditions in mind , and wanted to get some info from people who have been there .
Thanx for responding …
Oh, I see. Well, how far from the Hagia Sofia is your hotel?
I was born in Istanbul, but I doubt my childhood memories would be of much use.
I’m hoping that there is a Hagia Sophia Sofitel. That would be kind of poetic.
Taxis in Istanbul travel at approximately 3 times the speed of sound and have little to no regard for oncoming traffic. You should have no problem getting between any two points in the city within 30 minutes, assuming you survive the trip.
Indian - My sister says any taxi driver should easily get you there and back. The Turks pronounce it Aya Sofia. Or ask to be taken to Sultan Ahmet, which is the area where all the main tourist attrraction are, within easy walking distance. There’s the Blue Mosque, and the Aya Sofia is across the park from the mosque. Behind Aya Sofia is Topkapi palace and the archeological museum and a pathetic zoo you shouldn’t waste your time at. You should easily do these in an afternoon and are the must-see tourist attractions. At this point you’re also within walking distance of the Grand Bazaar. In Turkish that’s called Kapali Carsi. That will have all kinds of tchotkis. To say “I don’t want it” say “istemem”. Or click your tongue at them. That’ll get rid of annoying people selling crap. The bazaar has carpet merchants, brass, gold, etc. If you need a break, there’s Istanbul University that has a nice book market with a quiet tea garden. That’s right off the Grand Bazaar. All around Sultan Ahmet are small hole-in-the-wall restaurants with good food, and a good restaurant in Topkapi Palace.
If the weather is good you can take a ferry up and down the Bosphorus. You take a short trip for an hour or two. Don’t be intimidated by all the soldiers with guns. The have a conscripted army and have to do something with all those guys.
Any other questions?
StG
StG,
Thanx a ton !
I understand that Aya sofia is a secular place now. Is it okay for a christain to enter it on a friday ( in case muslim friday payers are on then ) ??
Indian - All the things at Sultan Ahmet (prounonced phonectically sool-tahn Ah-met) are accessible to tourist of either gender. If you go to a mosque you’ll be asked to remove your shoes before you enter. Hagia Sofia is now a museum, so no religious services are held there.
StG