Sign in with Facebook"Irresistible, Magical Istanbul" Istanbul by Gypsystravels
Istanbul Travel Guide: 7,700 reviews and 19,770 photos
Normally I like to experience a country on my own but I had very little time to put this trip together and a scheduled tour was our best option to optimize our stay.
After doing a little research I found a tour company that was flexible and within my budget. We got lucky, our tour comprised of my mother, my daughter, myself and our guide Sadr.
Sadr accompanied us throughout our 9 day scheduled tour and was a wealth of information. He is an archeological student at the university and gives lectures as well on archeological sites.
I'm still in the process of adding pics and updating information.
We started our mornings with a very good breakfast at the hotel. Our first day we paid a visit to the famous AyaSofia. AyaSofia is now a museum and an entrance fee is required. About 1-2 hours is all you need to visit this wonderful marvel. Sidr explained to us that AyaSofia has been under renovation for the past 10 years but he has yet to see anyone actually working on it. There is scaffolding towards the dome and hence, the center part of the museum is fenced in.
We continued our day with a Bosphurus cruise. It was a very bitter day with light drizzle and somewhat obscured visibility, but nonetheless, this is definitely a must do while in Istanbul. It gave us an overview of the city and we saw some of the most expensive homes with their pools and landscaping. .
Sadr choose a wonderful place for lunch after the cruise on the Asian side of the Bosphurus.
After lunch we drove to a what I would consider the most beautiful and impressive building, the St. Chora. St. Chora is small in comparison to the other religious sites. But what makes it so impressive are some of the most beautiful and important scenes of Christianity. Mary’s life is depicted from childhood to death and the mosaics and frescos are some of the finest you will ever see.
We continued our afternoon with a visit to Suleymaniye Camii. This particular mosque is still in use, so plan your visit when they are not at prayer. You must remove your shoes upon entry and a small donation is welcome but not necessary. Suleymaniye Camii was quite beautiful, with its two semi and one domed ceiling.
Day two started with a visit to Sultan Ahmet Camii (or the Blue Mosque). This mosque with its impressive 6 minarets and beautiful blue iznik tiles which covers the whole of the interior is well worth a visit. The grounds boast an impressive view of the Bosphurus and of the New Mosque.
Next stop was a brief visit to the Spice Market. This market not only has stalls and stalls of spices, but you can also find stalls selling fish, and other items like jewelry.
Then, off to the Grand Bazaar. Sadr recommended that we do a brief walk around the Bazaar and if we wanted we could return in the evening. The largest Bazaar in the world, it houses over 4000 stalls. The main caddesi (street) houses the jewelry stalls with millions of dollars worth of 22k gold items. The Bazaar is a great place to walk around and bargain for some goods. You can find stalls with pashminas, clothing, leather, perfume, silver jewelry with semi-precious stones, carpets and kilims, pottery work and all sorts of other items. We enjoyed our strolls through the Bazaar and this would prove to be one of our favorite places to wander. We were offered apple or Turkish tea by the merchants and just sat around talking and enjoying our tea. The caddesi’s are marked and though it may be easy to get lost, you can always note the name of the caddesi you first entered from. There are signs with the names of the caddesi’s posted so you can find your way.
We finished our second day with a trip to Topkapi Palace. The afternoon proved to be the perfect time to visit and the weather allowed us to appreciate the gardens. Upon coming to the front gates you will be in the inner courtyard with its beautiful gardens.
Once you enter the actual Palace there is so much to see, the breathtaking view of the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphurus. Also pay a visit to the treasury room with its impressive treasures including the spoon maker’s diamond. There is a fantastic story behind this diamond. Visit the armory (always a favorite of mine), the portrait gallery (I think it is what its called), the hareem (closed while we were there); and the council room. (Please note, no pictures are allowed in these rooms)
After dinner we decided to take a walk to the Sultan Ahmet Square. We passed the Hippodrome and stopped to see the columns we also wanted to see the night views of AyaSofia and Sultan Ahmet, wow, they are so beautiful glowing in the crisp night sky.
Our last two days we spend walking endlessly along the caddesis, we visited the Cistern Basilica, shopped at the Bazaar and had a wonderful fish dinner at the Galata Bridge with my daughter’s new friend.
Please note that I have just started to add tips to this page and would appreciate that the tips not be rated! Thanks
- Pros:Let me see, the gorgeous men
- Cons:None
Reviews (25)
Nice place in Galata
Restaurants
(3)
We wanted to have a nice seafood dinner during our last night in Istanbul and we choose to walk over to Galata Bridge... more travel advice
Pudding Shop
Restaurants
(3)
After some shopping and visiting the Cistern we decided to stop here at the Pudding Shop because the restaurant was... more travel advice
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Comments (9)
Primarily Thank you for comments. I Temucin Kain, the owner of the Super Kosem Restaurant I have read and very liked the comments so free meals will be a next visit If you send an e-mail before coming here Iwill be hapy communication :ercan@superkosem.com
Those leather and rug shops look so familiar...Maybe they all look alike LOL
loved the Chora - must have thirty pictures. Amazing site. Maybe all the guides in Istanbul are Sadir - we had one too.
Glad to see you enjoyed Istanbul so much...your guide isn't his name sadIr? :) just a little observation
I loved this city too! Yes, you should visit Malta..It is awesome! Very nice and enjoyable.. Tons of sunshine and the beautiful blue Med!
Hahaha Janet that is funny I get a comment on my Greece page and I go ''WHAT '' I don't hav e Greece page so I go look and I find this pretty Dancing Partner ready for a Greek Zorba lalalallal lalal Dance I can't wait Janet Kristara is beautiful
So it was a nice Turkey trip!? And next?.....greetings from sunny Holland!
Que Pasa chica?!! Wonderful start to this glorious adventure you had! Ha! Love what you listed as the "Pros." You're a Pro at the Pros, girl! ;-)))
this is fun