Istanbul Things to Do Tips by seasonedveteran

This place did not fail to impress, by the size of it. Im glad that i didnt need tour, because I already know orginally it was a central to the Byzantine Empire, but when Mehmet the Muslim Ruler rolled in, his gracious hand granted amnesty to all the inhabitants, under condition it is converted to a mosque. This was typical practice for Muslims conqueuring Christian lands, and in my estimation, there is no country of muslim faith exceeding the beauty of Istanbul.

Hagia sofia, like so many other mosques in istanbul, are so grand on the exterior, but such a pleasure once inside. Each have your own unique style as well. Hagia sofia is mosque that bears the wear of almost a thousand years, and holds contrasts of Greek Orthodox images of Jesus Christ from Byzantine empire on the front naval of the ceiling, side by side Arabic calligraphy translated 'God is Greatest and Mohammad'. There is bound to be great scattfolding as maintaining this millenium old jewel requires day and night restoration projects.

This church was the largest contruction project during its time, and it is HUGE! From the outside it is easy to imagine this thing in the Age of Kings.

Tip: on the second level, look at the front on the bottom of the guard railing, where you can see the chisel marks of Muslim conquerers removing the signs of the cross from the church.

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Istanbul is very european in many ways, thanks to the revolutionary reforms of Atiturk, the national hero whose death is perserved here.

Anyway, the house of parliament was moved from The palace of topkapi to this location. And although it is no strategically situated on a hill like the former, this location is low and beautiful on the coast of the golden horn. ahhh. I miss the relaxation the sea of marmara provides. The gates are so magnificant at the edge of the water. I cant stop myself once i start about this palace and istanbul in general, but the palace's architecture is very classical and exellent example of a royal palace. the enormity of the columns and the colonial style is modelling after Western style. The interior is also taking after influences from western and russia. In fact, i was quite surprised to find that Istanbul has its very own orchestra and a rich culture and history of classical music from 1910's. Inside are the most precious artifacts from all over the world, such as vases from china, bear rugs from russia, a tea set from england, a french lamp or radio and a 4000 light bulb chandelier from england. Such ornate opulence and extravagence is truly exceeding tasefulness in some ways, and reaches the point of tacky.But it is something to behold! the audacity!

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This is a tourist friendly hammam that you should try when in Istanbul. Many americans and canadians come here. It is still very authentic and the architecture is very cool. After a day in the busy city of istanbul running between the wondrous tourist sites, a good turkish hammam experience is very advantageous since your killing two goals of hammam and relaxation.

First pay i think 20 euros (expensive, but this place is good). The atmosphere is very relaxing and spa like. The main dome room is euphoric created by the light rays shining through the holes in the roof. There is three other smaller domes branching off with cold water so you can pour on your body. this is very fun, and the stone is very smooth and precious.

First you will walk into the grand room, which has a massive marble circle piece where you slump your tired body onto. Somehow this stone slab has a deep warm quality; perhaps heated stone? The authentic Turkish man begins his work, of removing the old and rough layers of your skin; very thourough work he does. Now he beats you up real good, stepping on you, kneeing you, pulling your arms apart and cross each other, and ju-jitsu all over. lol Then he applies the sweet smelling soap all over you, finishing off with a layer of oil. This unique experience leaves you sqeeky clean like a newborn baby, and truly rejuvenated to take on the city again...

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Directions: located near the great pillar of Constantine (may be covered in scaffolds)

The golden horn is the area that separates the european and asian shoresides of Istanbul, and leads out to the sea or marmara. The geography is a little fuzzy, but one thing is for sure: It is simply beautiful! I was very lucky, and an acrobatic airplane stunt competition was being held on the water. So I got to see the the planes weaving in and out between the massive pylons with the Blue mosque in the background on the great hilly land.

The Tower itself is extremely difficult to locate. I had the taxi driver bring me there, but he lied to me and told me it is just around the corner where he dropped me off. in addition , the streets of istanbul on this side of the golden horn are more chaotic, and i soon found myself walking up and down the inclines, twisting and turning in local streets, drinking a very strange dark red vegetable juice, and finally i turned a blind corner there it was in a plain opening! There is an elevator thank God! From the top you can see all the major attractions, boats streaming across the bay, the beautiful sky and birds, and an unparalleled 360 degrees of one of the most ancient and mystifying lands ever. up there i met a russian tourist who equally loved this city. simply breathtaking... I particularly loved to see Topkapi palace shrouded by the forest preserved. That must be prime realestate being salvaged in istanbul.

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This palace is very old and houses some extremely precious treasures from Mecca in Saudi Arabia, such as Golden Candles that weighs several tons, John the Baptist relics, and the bow and hairs from the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). The architecture is clearly from an age of Islam's golden era, and a level of quality in oriental art and mastery found nowhere else in many of the gold gilded ceilings. Dont miss the Harem tour. It is very very good, to see where the family of the royal Sultan dwelled.

There are many areas of interest. Decide from the grand map where you would like, but dont miss the jewellry and precious artifacts rooms. The sword of Topkapi from indiana jones movies is showcased, but there is a particular diamond the size of plum! it is amazing, and also lots of other artifacts with so many diamonds it dazzles any skeptic. The Sword of Mehmet the Conquerer who took over Constantinople and made it into Istanbul for the Muslim ottoman empire is also here, in the weaponry rooms. very cool!

This palace is highly pleasant and right from the moment of passing the grand gates your journey begins through the impressive inner gates as you walk and view the enormous trees around. Enjoying topkapi palace also equates to enjoying the great views of istanbul since these relaxing and idyllic courtyards allow you to overlook the calming Sea of marmara. Actually it is very romantic to see the sea, the forest around the palace, the spacious courtyards with enchanting canopies of oriental architecture, and most of all, istanbul spread over the intercontinental connection of the golden horn

TIP: The audioguides are very good, and play music while you stroll through the royal gardens. Listen to it entirely, and make sure you spend the whole morning here!

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Go to Eminönü ferryboat docks, and take the traditional Bosphorus boat tour. This is the biggest bang for your buck; around 15 euros for a full day boat cruise. departure times start around 8 and there is about three departing per day showing you the beautiful geographic location of istanbul, as you head towards Rumeli Kavagi (the farthest northern dock on the European shore of the Bosphorus), and Anadolu Kavagi (the final dock on the Bosphorus cruise-tour); about 10 km (6 miles) south of the Black Sea. These docks are as far as the Bosphorus cruises go, taking a total of three hours. three hours of pure delight. A slice of heaven i call it, gently riding along the bustling golden horn and then next the calming sea of marmara. The enviable expensive homes on the coast built in classic colonial style will be the sight to behold, and you can get off at several of these stops for lunch. I recommend staying on the boat until the very last stop, which also has restaurants, but even better, set on the upward hike towards the famous castle, which gives unparralleled sea views of the hills of green in the open ocean.

Tip: wait in line to get a seat on the top floor for better views of the interesting mosques, the mosques, the sights, the skylines of istanbul, and the clustor of turkish homes with victorious turkish flags on top of the great hills.The weather is always impeccable, and you will enjoy your trip undoubtably.

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This is a wonderful street to go shopping in, for clothes with latest sexy fashions, grab a quick donor, or just enjoy a stroll where no cars travel. It is a very broad street, and i would recommend taking the tram ride which cuts through the center. That in itself is a piece of history since it remains from the time istanbul began its movement towards europeanization, and modernization. branching off these streets is You can find dancing nightclubs, live guitar shows, some belly dancing, traditional turkish water pipe smoking shops, irish bars, italian restaurants, and rock bars. you get the picture. and all this amidst the call to prayer in arabic. absolutely contrasting, but wonderful.

This street had Taksim square at one end, where dozens of buses meet and head out towards massive istanbul districts. Any given time, public shows are performed on an outdoor stage at night. While i was there, young children were dancing in german style clothes, and it was just great. Taksim square has the liberation monument with very symbolic statues showing the sacrfices they made during WWI and WWII with soldiers and revolutionaries like the founding Hero Ataturk.

At the other end you will reach the dazzling blue waters of the golden horn and have the Award Winning Photograph opportunity vantage point of the sultanahmnet area skyline photo. This is definately one of the best places to capture the beauty of istanbul's blue mosque and hill landscape surrounded by water. I was lucky and snowbird airplanes were circling over the water, which really made it magically dreamlike.

At night, there is heart shaped christmas lights hanging over this amazing avenue. Please see this place, but realize the true unique istanbul character lies in sultanahmnet and the historic topkapi palace, hagia sofia, mosques and the bosphorus. I love istanbul.

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Taking a break from the hustle and bustle of istanbul is well advised, and you can achieve this by getting your tickets from the docks near the dolumbace palace. It is certainly an all day events, but will promise out door fun. I rented a bicycle and actually rode around the entire island, uphill, until i finally reached the pinacle circling around the inlet where you can have the panoramic view of the mountainous islands this place is famous for.

It is truly idyllic to ride your bike along oceanside roads, and immerse in the blue water under the heavenly canopy of sky. There are many sights here as well, like the miliitary base, and the beautiful homes cascading along the hills, dotting the landscape. its a huge island, and there is much to see, but more to enjoy, so have a picnic or just take in the beauties of mother nature and the amazing climate.

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This place is crazy. i walked straight through, not turning at all, and only got to the end after several hours. Be advised, they are tough to haggle, but it is worth it. you can find many beautiful things here. i found some very nice jewelry. also, the turkish delights and pastries are very good here. the good thing about this bazzar is that there is somehow order in the apparant chaos. You can easily get lost, but it is paved, and has some signs near the main passageways. but otherwise, it is very dense. look at it from google maps to see how crazy it is.

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In a perfectly situated spot, istanbul is one of the greatest tourist cities in the world because in the sultanahmet area, you can potentially knock off three or four tourist sites in one day. for example, you can see hagia sofia, the blue mosque, tour the topkapi palace nearby, see the cistern columns, and lastly see the historic Byzantine Hippodrome!

amazing is the history presented in this place. The hippodrome is the oval area where they used to hold the famous chariots races. included is the obelesque from egypt and the serpent intertwined pillar, which rumour has it had the top half broken by a overly drunken german delegate i believe it was. Also see the great Gazibo which is simply phenomenal in the inside dome roof. this was a gift from kaiser wilhelm I for the efforts and support during WWI.

The history here is top notch, so please learn about the significance of these historic sites, and you will be completely awe struck at the privilege you have to stand on the ground of history.

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