"Istanbul" Istanbul by mikelisaanna
Istanbul Travel Guide: 7,646 reviews and 19,527 photos
Istanbul is Turkey's largest city, with a population of more than 10 million people. It is also one of the most interesting cities in the world, because it was the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires for 1500 years. It also straddles the border between Europe and Asia, which are separated only by the Bosporus strait, the narrow body of water that flows through the middle of the city. You can easily spend a week sightseeing in Istanbul and still have plenty left to see and do. In addition to tons of history, Istanbul also has plenty of good restaurants, nightlife, and scenery. We spent about 10 days in Istanbul and would like to return some day to see what we missed.
Many of the city's top attractions and historic sights are located in or near the Sultanahmet neighborhood of the the city's European side, including the Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia cathedral, the Basilica Cistern, the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Islamic Arts, the Egyptian Obelisk, and the Grand Bazaar. This area of Istanbul also has dozens of restaurants and cafes, as well as plenty of shops. It is by far the most convenient area in which to stay if visiting Istanbul as a tourist.
Further afield, we also enjoyed visiting the Dolmabahce Palace, the Chora Church, the Galata Tower, and the Beyoglu neighborhood. Another highlight of our Istanbul visit was a cruise up the Bosporus, which we did at sunset on our last night in the city.
- Pros:Tons of great historical sights and restaurants
- Cons:More expensive than the rest of Turkey
- In a nutshell:One of the world's most interesting cities
Reviews (24)
Sultan Ahmet's tomb
Things to Do
(15)
Sultan Ahmet I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1590 to 1617, and is best know as being the sultan who... more travel advice
Column of Constantine Porphyrogenetus
Things to Do
(15)
The Column of Constantine Porphyrogenetus is a tall column made of stone blocks in Istanbul's Hippodrome. The column's... more travel advice
Egyptian Obelisk
Things to Do
(15)
The Hippodrome in Istanbul features three ancient columns. The most famous of the them is the Egyptian Obelisk, which is... more travel advice
The Spice Bazaar
Things to Do
(15)
The Spice Bazaar (also known as the Egyptian Bazaar) is the second-largest bazaar (after the Grand Bazaar) in the old... more travel advice
Istanbul Travel Guide
Member Travel Pages
- "STROLLING THROUGH ISTANBUL"
- "The only city in the world build in 2 continents"
- "Istanbul not/and Constantinople"
- "istanbul tips"
- "ISTANBUL"
- "My Beloved Istanbul"
- "Beauty, Culture, & History - All In One Place!"
- See All...
Explore the World
- Member Rank:
- 0 0 2 2 9
- Forum Rank:
- 0 0 1 1 8
- 989 Reviews
- 1,686 Photos
- Add Friend
- Follow
- Send Message
Badges & Stats in Istanbul
- 24 Reviews
- 56 Photos
- 45 Forum posts
- 12 Comments
- 1,579PageViews
- See All Stats
- See All Badges (36)
Have you been to Istanbul?
Share Your TravelsLatest Activity in Istanbul
- Posted in Travel Turkey Forum "Re: visiting Afrodisias on way to..."
- Wrote a Review Sultan Ahmet's tomb in Istanbul Things to Do
- Uploaded a Photo to "Sultan Ahmet's tomb"
- updated a Istanbul Travel Page "Istanbul"
- Commented on one of Hopkid's Istanbul travel pages
Photos in Istanbul
See All Photos (56)Top 10 Pages
-
Istanbul
Intro, 24 reviews, 56 photos
-
Krakow
Intro, 29 reviews, 37 photos
-
Lisbon
Intro, 20 reviews, 39 photos
-
Shanghai
Intro, 15 reviews, 43 photos
-
Pittsburgh
Intro, 22 reviews, 36 photos
-
Guilin
Intro, 19 reviews, 37 photos
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Reunion
Intro, 20 reviews, 34 photos
-
Beijing
Intro, 18 reviews, 31 photos
-
Saint Petersburg
Intro, 16 reviews, 32 photos
-
Paducah
Intro, 22 reviews, 26 photos
Friends
See All Friends (35)Latest Istanbul hotel reviews
- Green Anka Hotel
- 16 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Dec 31, 2012 - Rast Hotel
- 339 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 24, 2013 - Hotel Grand Unal
- 15 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 2, 2013 - Hotel Tashkonak
- 510 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 24, 2013 - Eterno Hotel
- 13 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Mar 15, 2013 - Instanbul Samir Hotel
- 12 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jan 6, 2013 - Hatay Hotel
- 60 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 18, 2013 - Armagrandi Spina Istanbul
- 116 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 22, 2013 - Allstar Nanda Hotel
- 52 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 11, 2013 - Garden House Istanbul
- 716 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 19, 2013 - Dersaadet Hotel
- 732 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 22, 2013 - Kordon Otel
- 12 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 5, 2013 - Four Seasons Istanbul
- 482 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 22, 2013 - Sunlight Hotel Istanbul
- 20 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 10, 2013 - Bey Marmara Hotel
- 6 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 7, 2013

Family Travel
National/State Park
Historical Travel
Comments (12)
Nice pages for Istanbul. Turkey is still high on my list. More so than Greece.
Very enjoyable page on Istanbul. Anna is lucky to visit one of the most exciting cities. I have fond memories of this city when I visited here as a student and I still remember the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar.
I enjoyed your tips especially about obelisks. Enduring landmarks of humanity.
Thanks for reply on drink in Istanbul, I enjoyed these pages,great tips and photos, i travel to Ist. on Thursday.
congrats. You have a great page here about the city where I live. Your tips are useful and accurate. Photos are good too. All the best. Bora
very good pages; glad you enjoyed it
I've enjoyed reading your tips on Istanbul. The photos of the Palace are beautiful, it really is a must see, and the Bazaar! can't wait to get there.
Turkey(especially Istanbul & Ephesus) have long been on my wish list.Hagia Sophia is simply awesome. After India- its my next stop. Thanks for great tips.
Good tip on the shoeshine scam....I have a tip on how to get rid of the pain-in-the-neck touts LOL
As a Turkish girl, I think it is very shameful for us. It is indecent to charge 15 YTL. You must not give more than 5 YTL.