I had a bit of a windfall this month, arrears on travel expenses which I didn’t even realise I was entitled to (result!), and was already feeling in desperate need of a holiday. So I’ve booked a flight to Istanbul near the end of the month, staying for four nights.
I know there’s some people here who know the city, and obviously there’s previous threads which are easy to find. What I’d love is any personal recommendations which won’t be in the obvious online or guide-book suggestions…best places to sit and take in the surroundings, circuitous routes which are worth the extra walking, or just simple travellers tips from personal experiences.
I’ve got a hotel booked in Sultanahmet, but will cancel that reservation if I can find something reasonable in Beyoglu, which seems to be more what I’d like, i.e. travel to and from the old town in the day, and be able to have a drink in the evening Any further advice on this would be very welcome, especially if there’s adjacent districts which I should look at - I’m wary of booking somewhere which looks vaguely ‘within walking distance’ without knowing what I’d be walking through!
I stayed in a youth hostel on Caferiye Sk. with Aya Sofia on the otherside of the street. It was a great, cheap, clean room in a perfect spot. I really cannot remember the name of it, but I highly recommend it. The Grand Bazaar is pretty cool, The Suleymaniye Mosque is worth seeing as is the Topkopi Palace. The walls of Theodosius are covered in trash so pretty much a let down. You should definetly walk down to the Galata bridge and get yourself a fresh fish sandwich from the docked boats serving food. South west of The Aya Sofia is a passageway underneath the city to the aquaduct below, that’s worth a trip.
As alluded to by RealityChuck, it’s among those cities that have a famous history under a previous name. But this one’s been around long enough to have a famous history under it’s even yet previous name, Byzantium.
I haven’t been there, but if I were I’d want to see some of the new, the old, the yet older, and the really old.
It’s probably in all the guide books, but make sure you get up to the top of the Galata Tower. The 360 degree view will leave you speechless.
Also, do not miss the Spice Bazaar (also known as the Egyptian Bazaar). It receives much less attention than the Grand Bazaar and is often only mentioned in passing yet I found it much more compelling and authentic (But by no means bypass the Grand Bazaar).
I recommend you take one day to just walk the city. Just start wandering around Eminönü and Beyoğlu. It’ll be hard to go wrong with that plan as you will see a thousand things that are not captured in guide books.
I have been to Istanbul in November-07. I find it to be tourist friendly …( I could visit some key places only, as I was on a business trip and had a tight travel schedule). The people on the street are very helpful .
Plenty of tourists every where !! So it should speak something about Istanbul ! Enjoy …
The Chora Church is far from the center of things but well worth the trip.
If you have the energy after the Blue Mosque and Suleimaniye, I found the Rüstem Pasha mosque really beautiful and quiter.
I agree with everything else mentioned here. It’s a great city. If you have time, take a ferry ride to nowhere – I found the trip to the mouth of the Black Sea really interesting.
Mississippienne and I went there last year and we had mostly good experience.
The city is a perfect blend of Europe and the Middle East. You won’t find anything else like it in the world.
Dolmabahçe Palace is absolutely awe-inspiring. Do not pass up the chance to take a tour of it.
Sultanhemet is artsier and has better restaurants, but Taksim is where the nightlife is! Just be very, very careful… if someone offers to take you to a club, politely decline. I lost about $1,400 to a rip-off scam there (I’ll tell the story if anyone wants to hear it). However, there’s a little shop there that serves grilled meat and fries on a pita. I wish I knew what it was called. If you find it, though, eat there. You won’t be disappointed.
Like the other posters said, just walk around and take it all in. It’s impossible to get bored there.
We had very limited time in Istanbul, so instead of the Grand Bazaar we opted for the Cemberlitas Hamami for a real Turkish Bath in a 500 year-old building. Relaxation vs. insane shopping-crowd stress? That was a no-brainer.
Except for the front desk guy, nobody spoke English (in that way it wasn’t much different from the Korean sauna I visit on occasion), but I managed to get through all the washing, scrubbing and pummeling without too much confusion. If you aren’t squicked out by being washed by a stranger, I recommend it! And it was super cheap too.
I love Istanbul. During the season, it is very touristy and crowded, but that’s part of the experience. Look out for people trying to hustle you because you are unfamiliar with the currency and never try to exchange on the street for a better rate, you’ll likely get ripped off.
One of the coolest things I saw there was the Roman era sistern.
I think that this is a pretty good idea. If possible, try to find something near Taksim. That seems to be where most of the night life is. We stayed in Sultanahmet which was fine because we were off being tourists and really didn’t care about getting a drink, but if I were younger, I would have stayed in Taksim. There is a subway which connects with the trams so you can get to Sultanahmet. Sultahmet is rather touristy and I wasn’t all that impressed with the restaurants on the Divan Yolu.
I would visit the Grand Bazaar just for the people watching. You can find some good bargains there but you’ll need to haggle.
We spent a day wandering in the Western District of Istanbul and wound up near the old Greek quarter. For me, that part of the city had a less European feel and was worth seeing provided you had the time. Chora Church is somewhat far but it didn’t take that long to get there and we walked most of the way. Istanbul has a good public transport system.
I completely agree with both of these statements (I’m amazed that there’s a recommendation for Sultanahmet’s restaurants upthread). That said, for four days I think staying in Sultanahmet is a good idea, because it IS where all the good sights are and you don’t have that much time.
Other than that, I recommend checking out Eminoglu, which is next to Taksim. It’s very cute with lots of restaurants and cafes. Someone told me not to bother with the Taksim side of the Golden Horn because it’s just ordinary “big city”, and I’m glad I ignored that bit of advice.
GorillaMan, for non-touristy stuff, I don’t know what you’re into, but I had a great time just walking along Kennedy Caddesi, the boulevard that runs along the Bosphorus. The Bosphorus is, I believe, one of the busiest waterways in the world, and I honestly could have sat there for hours watching all the big container ships going by. (Well, except that it was December and a little too chilly to just sit; I had to keep moving.) It’s a great sight. I imagine you want to get off the beaten path a bit, and I don’t blame you (says the person who’s just returned from a holiday in Albania), but there’s a reason those sights are visited. It’s criminal to go to Istanbul and not visit the Hagia Sofia. The archaeology museum is really excellent, too.
GorillaMan - This is the text of a post I made when Indian was asking about Istanbul. He only had a day, so if you have any other questions, I can ask my sister, who lived there for several years, and used to be a tour guide for European and American tourists.
My sister says any taxi driver should easily get you to Hagia Sofia 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 you have any specific questions, I’d be glad to ask her. Her you interested in travelling out of the city?
Thanks for all the advice and suggestions so far. I’ve opted to change to a different hotel, in Beyoglu, as general opinion both here and elsewhere confirmed my earlier hunch. Sorry for not responding to everyone individually here, but I assure you it looks like we mostly think along the same lines, so keep it coming
Great suggestion, exactly the kind of tips I was hoping to get, unique experiences that aren’t in the usual tourist lists.
If it was the outrageous-bill trick which most books and websites mention somewhere, then slightly bizarrely it’s the same one as which operated in London decades ago, in the seedy bars of Soho, with Japanese businessmen the favoured target.
Any further advice on this would be very welcome, especially if there’s adjacent districts which I should look at - I’m wary of booking somewhere which looks vaguely ‘within walking distance’ without knowing what I’d be walking through!