Istanbul has to be my favourite city in the world. I've been to this city thrice, with different groups of people, and, every time, there is always something new to discover. It's a city of contrasts - where old meets new, traditional meets trendy, ancient meets modern, Asia meets Europe; and this melange of life, culture, languages gives Istanbul its unique and vibrant vibe which leaves one coming back for more. |
With Turkey offering e-visa facility to multiple nationalities and Turkish Airlines offering great flight options, either direct as was the case in my first two trips or as a layover before my final destination in the last, Istanbul has never been too far to travel. My first visit to Istanbul was during Christmas. Having flown from London (and having done bare minimum research) for some reason, I had expected warmer weather and was very surprised when it snowed the first night. The second was in November and I was much better prepared for the cold this time around, and the last was in the summer when I discovered a totally different Istanbul. |
Getting around
I've normally used CityTransferIstanbul.com for my airport transfers - they're very good with a great fleet of cars, reliable and one of the most reasonably priced airport transfer facilities I found in Istanbul. Their standard sedan rate (4 passenger) for return transfers from Ataturk airport to the Old City is EUR50 and EUR60 to Taksim - this is much more reasonable than taking an Uber which would normally cost around TRY170 (approx EUR40) one way from Taksim to the Airport, and definitely cheaper than taking a local taxi.
I would also recommend getting an Istanbul Card (Istanbulkart) to travel within the city. I know I know, walking is the best way to explore the city, but at times, to get BACK to your accommodation from the point of interest it is best to have this card. This card, as I recall, is however not available to be bought at the ticket machines at all stations, but it is available at the automated machine in Ataturk airport, the IETT counters at the stations and many of the local newspaper shops. The thing that I liked best about this card was that a single card can be used by multiple people (more like the NY metro card and unlike the London Oyster!). It can also be used on all forms of public transportation (metro, light rail, tram, funicular, boats), hence the recommendation - considering most public transport in Istanbul are now cash free, imagine having to carry multiple green token to travel, or worse, having to stand in line to buy those green tokens to travel!
Where to Stay
For a historical and cultural feel, Sultanahmet is the place to stay. It is packed with tourists and there are lots of restaurants around for meals (though I did find them to be on the pricier side), and loads of hotel options with plenty offering views of the Golden Horn. The best part about staying in the old city is that all historical sights are literally 5-10 mins walking distance.
But, if you would like a more lively environment and would want to experience the Istanbul nightlife (and there's plenty of it) - Beyoglu area would be my recommendation. It is very well connected, with all sites being accessible via metro, tram, boat or walking :) Street food, restaurants, bars all around as well as plenty of hotel and Airbnb options.
My first trip to Istanbul was quite some time back and at that point we had wanted to discover the historical Istanbul and had stayed in a quaint hotel in Sultanahment. But, after the first night we realised that we kept going back to Taksim in the evening.
My second trip to Istanbul was an all girls trip, and this time we decided to the stay on the Beyoglu side of town. With plenty of options to choose from we finally chose a quaint boutique hotel called Corinne. This is a slightly pricey hotel as compared to other 4 stars - but, what a great find this was. From a beautiful spiral staircase in the reception, to grand rooms with cute balconies and luxury toiletries, to the art gallery downstairs, to the amazing restaurant and the cute beer garden. They also state that they have a roof-top bar with views of the Bosphorus which we didn't get a chance to explore as it was pretty cold at that time of the year and the downstairs garden area was a lot more comfortable. |
What we got was a very nice duplex apartment with a big balcony and outside seating arrangements. It was a 2 bedroom (sleeps 7) penthouse duplex which was very tastefully done up and was just a stone's throw away from Istiklal street - literally 10 mins to Taksim Square and Galata Tower. But, it was a penthouse duplex on the fourth floor with no elevators - a thing that went unnoticed as the pictures of the flat were so great and the price was unbelievable. The other things that went unnoticed till we actually spent a night in the place was the fact that this apartment was right in the middle of a party street with nightclubs and bars playing loud music till the wee hours of the morning.
Basically, if you want to book an Airbnb for your stay in Istanbul and want to go to sleep before 2am, I'd suggest to avoid the areas around Taksim. Istanbul has a vibrant nightlife and there are plenty of streets around Taksim with loads of clubs and bars playing REALLY loud music. PS - (and this goes without saying) Make sure you read ALL the reviews of the place on the site to avoid making a blunder like I did.
Things to do...
As our very first trip was dead in the middle of winter and we only had 2 full days to explore, we had taken advantage of the the day tours that are offered by many companies in Istanbul. When you're short of time, these tours are definitely recommended as its not just that you get to see most (if not all) the famous sites in the city without having to figure your way around on your own, but they also provide an informed guide who details the history and the importance of the sites as well. Plus, there is no waiting in line for the purchase of entry tickets as its part of the package that is offered.
The tour services that I've used are All Istanbul Tours (One Nation Travel Agency) and Pride Travel (travelagencyturkey.com). They are both really good with amazing guides and very comfortable tours. I had used All Istanbul Tours for my trip, however they've stopped offering the 2-day package that I had taken. The same 2-day package was booked with Pride Travel when my parents visited and they enjoyed their trip equally.
For first timers in Istanbul who are either just transiting thru or have just come for a short break, I would recommend the following from Pride Travel: Full Day Classic Istanbul Tour (in which you get to see most of the historic sites) followed by the Full Day Bosphorus Tour.
The full day Classic Istanbul tour starts off at the Hippodrome and covers the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Kucuk Ayasofya, and as the Grand Bazaar is closed on Sunday's, a local carpet shop with a really cool underground cistern like place was covered instead, as well as the Topkapi Palace.
Highlights of the Classic Istanbul Day Tour
Highlights of the Full day Bosporus Tour
My second trip to Istanbul was a weekend all girls retreat with absolutely no agenda apart from shopping and eating. This was the time when I really got to see the Grand Bazaar as we literally spent half a day there (and even then, I don't think I have seen the entire place!)
Dolmabahce Palace is one of the largest palaces in Turkey and is quite modern (built in the mid 1800's). It's a beautiful building to explore which was built to update the medieval lifestyle in the Topkapi Palace, and it did so not just with all the luxurious fittings and the gorgeous view of the Bosphorus, but with gas lighting and water closets imported from Britain.
The Dolmahbace Palace is quite opulent in comparison to the Topkapi Palace with its gold and crystal fineries all over.
There are amazing crystal chandeliers all over the palace, the ones from the Ambassador's Hall is pictured below.
The one thing that I realised we did not end up seeing was the gorgeous Gate to the Bosphorus. Though we did see the Palace and the Gate from the Bosphorus cruise, this is surely something I would want to come to visit in another trip.
We had read about the Medusa head columns, and stayed long enough just to catch the 2 columns with the heads as my claustrophobia was getting the better of me.
We had landed in the afternoon and after checking in to our Airbnb accommodation and freshening up a bit decided to just walk around the Beyoglu area. Our only stop for the evening ended up being Galata Tower which was about a 10-15 min walk from the apartment. Though this was not my first time, it was a first for the family, and the walk down Istiklal street gave them an idea of how buzzing Istanbul is - hordes of people on the street, artists performing various tricks, street vendors...the works.
Galata Tower looks beautiful in the day but even more stunning at night with the lighting, and in my opinion offers the best panoramic views of Istanbul. We made it to the Tower close to dusk, waited in a relatively short line to buy tickets and take the elevator up - once upstairs, we could not care less for the cafe and restaurant and made our way straight up the stairs to be observation deck. What we caught were some gorgeous colours over the Golden Horn as the lights came on across Istanbul. A quick point to note, the observation deck is not that wide and it can be quite a squeeze at some points when there are a lot of people on the deck (which is almost always unless you're the first or last ones there). |
Though we wanted to have a relatively early start the next day, jet lag caught up with us; plus the fact that we didn't really fall asleep till the wee hours of the morning did not really help. We got ready and had a scrumptious Turkish breakfast (I can still see the yummy sucuklu yumrta in front of me...so delicious!) at one of the cafes on Istiklal street before making our way to the sights for the day.
Started off with a walk down to Taksim square from where we took the funicular and then the train down to Sultanahmet. We started with the Hippodrome and the German Fountain and then made our way to the Blue Mosque. Unlike the last time when we were given plastic bags and were required to remove our shoes, this time around, the officials were pretty strict with the attire worn by tourists as well and provided robes, skirts and scarves for anyone who was not appropriately dressed. People with shorts on were asked to put on a skirt (both men & women), anyone with a sleeveless/tank top was asked to wear the robe, and all females were required to cover their head. To be honest, the Blue Mosque is a place of worship and one must respect all religions. I was glad that instead of turning people around and not letting them enter, they were providing the means for all to enjoy this beautiful mosque.
Next day with the jet lag slightly better, though with still broken sleep from the music downstairs, we headed back to Sultanahmet to see the Topkapi Palace. Topkapi Palace was the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans from the 15th to the 19th century after which the residence was moved to the Dolmahbahce Palace in the mid 1800's. The palace grounds are quite extensive from the Imperial fountains to my favourite. place - the Konyali Lokantasi cafe. After a tiring tour of the Palace, one cannot miss sitting and relaxing in this cafe with some food and Turkish tea taking in the beauty of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus.
This visit to Istanbul of ours was in end of May 2016 and while we waited for the cruise to commence, we were able to witness one of the many riots happening at that time. In a span of 5-7 minutes, there was a big mob outside the mosque, burning things, protesting, etc. And, all of this, was monitored by the Turkish Police with drones that were flying above us. |
Until next time...