Travel Advice: Istanbul

[Hyde]

Hello

Finaly I am travelling to Istanbul between 29th of March to 3rd of April after making such plans for years.

But this trip is for a different reason so I will not have more than 3 days of time for travel out of 5. So what recommendations can you guys make for me please? Turkish friends???

I have number of questions to ask

1) What will be the top 5 attractions you would want to recommend... (I know its gonnai be Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Museum, Grand Bazaar perhaps)??? But I would love to know your views and any recommendations and believe such places can perhaps be visited within a day?

2) What is the most convenient way of transportation and how much does it cost? Is there any underground/subway passes for a day or should I rent a car?

3) Do you recommend anything near but outside Istanbul if its worth it?

Thank you

 

[Kambojaric]

Was in Istanbul a couple of years ago. Amazing place. To answer your questions

1) Aya sofia, Sultan Ahmet and Topkapi are a must of course. I would further definitely recommend the Galata Tower due to the amazing views you get from up there. Ortakoy mosque is nice as well. Also dont forget Dolmabahçe Palace.
With regards to the Grand Bazaar, its nice for sight seeing for a bit but I wouldnt really recommend it for shopping. At least I didnt feel like the vendors there were serious about bargaining. They are used to Europeans coming and bargaining with them, and got annoyed when me and my friends seriously tried to bring prices down.

About the time span, 1 day is in nowhere enough mate . In Aya Sofia alone I spent about half a day. Topkapi is another half a day. Depends on how into this stuff you are as well, but I personally am a huge history nerd, so Istanbul was like heaven for me haha. Distance wise, Aya sofia, sultan ahmet and Topkapi are right next to each other so they can be covered in one day, but if you wanna go further out then you need more time.

2) The trams were pretty reasonable. On time and not expensive. Do take a trip on the ferries as you get beautiful views of the city, and again they were reasonably priced. To and from the airport you can take taxis, but I hear Uber is working as well now, so you might wanna give them a try if you want.

3) You can catch a ferry to the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Islands. Not too far from Istanbul, but quieter and greener from what I hear. I personally never got the chance to go there due to time constraints, but heard its a nice retreat from the city and popular amongst tourists.

 

[Hyde]

Was in Istanbul a couple of years ago. Amazing place. To answer your questions

1) Aya sofia, Sultan Ahmet and Topkapi are a must of course. I would further definitely recommend the Galata Tower due to the amazing views you get from up there. Ortakoy mosque is nice as well. Also dont forget Dolmabahçe Palace.
With regards to the Grand Bazaar, its nice for sight seeing for a bit but I wouldnt really recommend it for shopping. At least I didnt feel like the vendors there were serious about bargaining. They are used to Europeans coming and bargaining with them, and got annoyed when me and my friends seriously tried to bring prices down.

About the time span, 1 day is in nowhere enough mate . In Aya Sofia alone I spent about half a day. Topkapi is another half a day. Depends on how into this stuff you are as well, but I personally am a huge history nerd, so Istanbul was like heaven for me haha. Distance wise, Aya sofia, sultan ahmet and Topkapi are right next to each other so they can be covered in one day, but if you wanna go further out then you need more time.

2) The trams were pretty reasonable. On time and not expensive. Do take a trip on the ferries as you get beautiful views of the city, and again they were reasonably priced. To and from the airport you can take taxis, but I hear Uber is working as well now, so you might wanna give them a try if you want.

3) You can catch a ferry to the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Islands. Not too far from Istanbul, but quieter and greener from what I hear. I personally never got the chance to go there due to time constraints, but heard its a nice retreat from the city and popular amongst tourists.

Amazing info.... thank you so much

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Im thinking about going to Turkey too.

 

[Kambojaric]

Amazing info.... thank you so much

No problem. Let us know how your trip was. Although a bit weak on English, Turkish people are very hospitable so it should be good.

PS: they love cats and dogs in Istanbul. Don't be surprised to see these animals being loved and cared for throughout the city

Im thinking about going to Turkey too.

I have travelled quite a bit in Europe (Prague, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Paris etc) but Istanbul followed by Florence are by far my favourite places, so I would definitely recommend it.

 

[Path-Finder]

Hello

Finaly I am travelling to Istanbul between 29th of March to 3rd of April after making such plans for years.

But this trip is for a different reason so I will not have more than 3 days of time for travel out of 5. So what recommendations can you guys make for me please? Turkish friends???

I have number of questions to ask

1) What will be the top 5 attractions you would want to recommend... (I know its gonnai be Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Museum, Grand Bazaar perhaps)??? But I would love to know your views and any recommendations and believe such places can perhaps be visited within a day?

2) What is the most convenient way of transportation and how much does it cost? Is there any underground/subway passes for a day or should I rent a car?

3) Do you recommend anything near but outside Istanbul if its worth it?

Thank you

Istanbul is Huge mega city bigger than London. I went to istanbul by car so I didn't hire any vehicle but like any big city you will discover very quickly that it not worth driving in a foreign city which you don't reside in and it's best to use public transport. I stayed right in the centre of Istanbul to give you an idea one landmark the galata tower was outside my residence you could walk to every sight seeing location all the mosques, palaces bazaars and more by foot but it adds up to A LOT of walking which will keep you fit and healthy. Best bet which I did is bought a city guide and used that. plus there are sooooo many tour busses that can take you around the historical city.

There are two sides of Istanbul one is on the European side and the other is on the Asian side. Asian side is conservative while western side is like well you can guess.

 

[Hyde]

No problem. Let us know how your trip was. Although a bit weak on English, Turkish people are very hospitable so it should be good.

PS: they love cats and dogs in Istanbul. Don't be surprised to see these animals being loved and cared for throughout the city



I have travelled quite a bit in Europe (Prague, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Paris etc) but Istanbul followed by Florence are by far my favourite places, so I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you. That is encouraging as I have seen most of the mentioned places too... so hopefully life will be easy on me if Istanbul turns out to be better than experience I had in Barcelona!!!

Istanbul is Huge mega city bigger than London. I went to istanbul by car so I didn't hire any vehicle but like any big city you will discover very quickly that it not worth driving in a foreign city which you don't reside in and it's best to use public transport. I stayed right in the centre of Istanbul to give you an idea one landmark the galata tower was outside my residence you could walk to every sight seeing location all the mosques, palaces bazaars and more by foot but it adds up to A LOT of walking which will keep you fit and healthy. Best bet which I did is bought a city guide and used that. plus there are sooooo many tour busses that can take you around the historical city.

There are two sides of Istanbul one is on the European side and the other is on the Asian side. Asian side is conservative while western side is like well you can guess.

I have heard about Asian and Western sides of Istanbul but can you please give more detail of attractions of either side. Like if I am at Asian side what to do and when I go to see Western side what else to do

Blue Mosque etc are Asian side right?

We were lucky to get a very reasonable deal but the hotel seems to be bit far from main attractions.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/tr/hilton-istanbul-bomonti-amp-conference-center.en-gb.html

But you can say we managed to get it for free as the cost of flights was almost same as the entire package they had charged including Hotel so its well worth it

 

[Arsalan]

Hello

Finaly I am travelling to Istanbul between 29th of March to 3rd of April after making such plans for years.

But this trip is for a different reason so I will not have more than 3 days of time for travel out of 5. So what recommendations can you guys make for me please? Turkish friends???

I have number of questions to ask

1) What will be the top 5 attractions you would want to recommend... (I know its gonnai be Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Museum, Grand Bazaar perhaps)??? But I would love to know your views and any recommendations and believe such places can perhaps be visited within a day?

2) What is the most convenient way of transportation and how much does it cost? Is there any underground/subway passes for a day or should I rent a car?

3) Do you recommend anything near but outside Istanbul if its worth it?

Thank you

Cool!!

Have a nice trip man. I hope you will enjoy it a lot. Istanbul have such rich history is so filled with life, it is almost impossible not to like it. I have been making similar plans for a few years now as well but unfortunately have not be able to follow up on those. May be this year, may be next!! But i will INSHALLAH visit Istanbul some time. Perhaps your experience of this trip will eventually be helpful for me.

 

[Path-Finder]

Thank you. That is encouraging as I have seen most of the mentioned places too... so hopefully life will be easy on me if Istanbul turns out to be better than experience I had in Barcelona!!!

I have heard about Asian and Western sides of Istanbul but can you please give more details of attractions of either side. Like if I am at Asian side what to do and when I go to see Western side what else to do

Blue Mosque etc are Asian side right?

We were lucky to get a very reasonable deal but the hotel seems to be bit far from main attractions.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/tr/hilton-istanbul-bomonti-amp-conference-center.en-gb.html

But you can say we managed to get it for free as the cost of flights was almost same as the entire package they had charged including Hotel so its well worth it

I think it will be better to stay on the Western half as the attractions you are looking for are all on the western side, I only went across the bosphorus to meet someone there and came back so I am not familiar with the Asian side. but having said that I will say no harm in exploring both sides you may discover something to share with us later.

That is a very decent hotel I and my friends stayed in a hostel with students from all over the world in this hostel like place. you walk out and galata tower was in front of you and everything was walking distance. The place had view of the blue mosque Hagia sophia and the strait from the windows. This was the biggest plus point because we were there to explore and a bed to sleep in at night.

It might be cold as well because I have been to Istanbul in summer and winter, Winter is absolutely merciless there it's colder than the south of England where I live! But it might not be so just to let you know.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...8b330b!8m2!3d41.0256567!4d28.9741562?hl=en-GB

 

[Hyde]

I think it will be better to stay on the Western half as the attractions you are looking for are all on the western side, I only went across the bosphorus to meet someone there and came back so I am not familiar with the Asian side. but having said that I will say no harm in exploring both sides you may discover something to share with us later.

That is a very decent hotel I and my friends stayed in a hostel with students from all over the world in this hostel like place. you walk out and galata tower was in front of you and everything was walking distance. The place had view of the blue mosque Hagia sophia and the strait from the windows. This was the biggest plus point because we were there to explore and a bed to sleep in at night.

It might be cold as well because I have been to Istanbul in summer and winter, Winter is absolutely merciless there it's colder than the south of England where I live! But it might not be so just to let you know.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...8b330b!8m2!3d41.0256567!4d28.9741562?hl=en-GB

I will check the weather before leaving... I also live in UK so weather is not an issue

My biggest confusion is to know if I am able to get some sort of day pass for transportation so I don't have to worry about recharging the oyster card like RFID card they have in istanbul as I saw on Google that we can top up the card with oyster card like system of London... but since I wouldn't know how much to pay for each journey its always good to have day pass in hand...

I would have loved to book near Galata tower but unfortunately the booking is already done but your literally lived in the heart of Istanbul so that's good to know

 

[Kambojaric]

There are two sides of Istanbul one is on the European side and the other is on the Asian side. Asian side is conservative while western side is like well you can guess.

Depends which parts of the European side you are in too. Eyup (the area where Hazrat Ayub Ansari is buried) is very religious despite being on the western side (http://www.dw.com/en/istanbuls-eyup-district-is-haven-of-islamic-tradition/a-6259441). I would recommend going there if you have time @Zaki . But yes generally the Asian side is more residential. One interesting place there is the Beylerbeyi Palace, the place where the last ruling Ottoman sultan passed away (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Hamid_II). Meanwhile the partying scene is centered around Taksim/Beyoglu on the European side.

I will check the weather before leaving... I also live in UK so weather is not an issue

My biggest confusion is to know if I am able to get some sort of day pass for transportation so I don't have to worry about recharging the oyster card like RFID card they have in istanbul as I saw on Google that we can top up the card with oyster card like system of London... but since I wouldn't know how much to pay for each journey its always good to have day pass in hand...

I would have loved to book near Galata tower but unfortunately the booking is already done but your literally lived in the heart of Istanbul so that's good to know

This site might help http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Istanbul/Transport/istanbulkart.html

We stayed in a hotel just behind Sultan Ahmet so had walking distance access to the major sites. Would have recommended that area if you hadnt booked yet.

 

[Ganges Zephyr]

I love this city too. Let me put my view of the city and some suggestions. Now that I have been to this city 3-4 times, here is what I love to do
Day 1. Stay in Sultanahmet. Check out the famous places (topakapi, blue mosque etc.) on day 1. All these places are together
Day 2. Now you know the surroundings and better equipped to explore.....morning... start walking from Sultanahmet towards grand bazaar, have a coffee at starbucks in between, sit outside watch people.... the way is easy to find as you just have to follow the tram line towards grand bazaar. use google map if you want to..... roam around university area and grand bazaar..
Back to Blue mosque area and visit cistern (underground water storage system) you would love it. Lunch

evening.... now again follow the tram tracks but in the opposite direction.... you will reach galata tower... spend some time.... when it starts getting a little dark.... now is the time to walk on a street connecting Galata to Taksim Square..... This is my personal favorite

Day 3. Take a ferry, go to Asian side... come back after dark....all lights
Or take a day pass for REDBUS, it crosses Bosphorous and goes to Asian side too..

I love this city

 

[Path-Finder]

Depends which parts of the European side you are in too. Eyup (the area where Hazrat Ayub Ansari is buried) is very religious despite being on the western side (http://www.dw.com/en/istanbuls-eyup-district-is-haven-of-islamic-tradition/a-6259441). I would recommend going there if you have time @Zaki . But yes generally the Asian side is more residential. One interesting place there is the Beylerbeyi Palace, the place where the last ruling Ottoman sultan passed away (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Hamid_II). Meanwhile the partying scene is centered around Taksim/Beyoglu on the European side.



This site might help http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Istanbul/Transport/istanbulkart.html

We stayed in a hotel just behind Sultan Ahmet so had walking distance access to the major sites. Would have recommended that area if you hadnt booked yet.

i have been to the grave of the Sahaba there just remembered! and Reading Friday prayers in the blue mosque is quite an experience as well.

I will check the weather before leaving... I also live in UK so weather is not an issue

My biggest confusion is to know if I am able to get some sort of day pass for transportation so I don't have to worry about recharging the oyster card like RFID card they have in istanbul as I saw on Google that we can top up the card with oyster card like system of London... but since I wouldn't know how much to pay for each journey its always good to have day pass in hand...

I would have loved to book near Galata tower but unfortunately the booking is already done but your literally lived in the heart of Istanbul so that's good to know

Its very modern system of commuting so it won't be an issue and Nectar card like system exists there I can't remember the name but it's good. But walking and exploring is far better in my opinion. Bus tour and there is a ferry tour as well just remembered.

 

[T-123456]

My biggest confusion is to know if I am able to get some sort of day pass for transportation so I don't have to worry about recharging the oyster card like RFID card they have in istanbul as I saw on Google that we can top up the card with oyster card like system of London... but since I wouldn't know how much to pay for each journey its always good to have day pass in hand...

Maybe this will help.

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Istanbul/Transport/istanbulkart.html

 

[Path-Finder]

view outside the windows and galata tower outside the door