Istanbul Things to Do Tips by muratkorman

You can take the boat which makes a round tour in Bosphorus. It is the best way to see both Asian and European sides of Bosphorus while the boat goes quite close to the shoreline. The boat trip starts from Eminonu (European side), but it also collects passengers from Uskudar (Asian side). It takes about an hour. Don't think that it is only preferred by tourists. You will find the boats filled with locals who want to enjoy the fantastic Bosphorus panaroma.

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Address: Eminonu Boat Station
Directions: Keep Galata Bridge on your right and check for "Eminonu Bogaz Iskelesi"

Prince Islands consist of 5 islands : Kinaliada, Burgazada, Heybeliada, Buyukada and Sedefadasi (order from closest to furthest).
There are regular boats to these islands from 4 main stations which are Bostanci and Kadikoy (Asian side), Sirkeci and Kabatas (European side). The duration of the boat travel is between 30 mins to 1 hour depending on which island you want to hop. If you travel from European side the duration will increase. Besides the boats, there are also fast ferries which even shorten the travel time.
At summer weekends islands are occupied by locals, but weekdays are more enjoyable when they are less crowded.

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Address: Bostanci, Kadikoy, Sirkeci, Kabatas Boat stations
Directions: Check for "Adalar Iskelesi"

This is a very good spot for enjoying the panaroma of Bosphorus from the European side. There is a cafe where you can drink something and also enjoy the beatiful scenery during day and night.

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Address: Ulus Parki
Directions: From Ortakoy or Levent, the park is quite close. You can take a taxi from these locations.

Camlica is one of the seven hills on which Istanbul is located. It has a very nice panaroma over the Bosphorus from the Asian side. There is a cafe managed by Istanbul Municipality where you can get some drinks.

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Address: Camlica Tepesi
Directions: You can take a taxi from Altunizade, Acibadem or Kisikli which are quite close to Camlica.

Topkapi Palace used to be the home of Sultans from Ottoman Empire. To get to know the history of Ottoman Empire, a guided tour in Topkapi Palace would be very educating. You will be amazed with Kasikci Diamond and other interesting artifacts like the sword of Fatih Sultan Mehmet who conquered Istanbul in 1453.

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Address: Topkapi Palace near Sultanahmet Square
Directions: Located in Historic Peninsula.

Ortakoy is a very lively spot on European side of Bosphorus. Many cafes and restaurants are located on this area. There are boat trips organized regularly which make a roundtrip between the two bridges on Bosphorus. The tour takes about 30-45 minutes. When you catch a good weather, don't miss this beautiful boat trip.

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Address: Ortakoy
Directions: From Besiktas, take a bus or walk for 15 minutes.

Anadolukavagi is at the end of Bosphorus in the Asian side. This place is famous for several fish restaurants in this area. A beautiful panaroma and fresh fish is a fantastic combination to enjoy. You can take the boat from Sariyer. There is also a public bus from the Asian side.

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Address: Anadolu Kavagi

Sultanahmet Camii (Blue Mosque) is built with the order of Ottoman Sultan Ahmet. The blue mosque name comes from the blue tiles covering the interior. This is the only mosque in the world with 6 minarets.

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Address: Sultanahmet
Directions: In Historic Peninsula

Hagia Sofia (Ayasofya) was built in 537 as a church and after Fatih Sultan Mehmet conquered Istanbul in 1453, it was transformed into a mosque. However, the interior wasn't destroyed. I see it as an example of religious tolerance because Ottomans respected other religions and they didn't force non-muslims to change their religion or treated them badly. There were many non-muslims very effective in the empire and this continued till the end. Some reinforcements had to be made to the building after centuries weakened the foundations. Great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan made this work. At present, the building has become a museum and it was recently visited by Pope Benedict on his Istanbul visit.

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Address: Sultanahmet
Directions: Opposite to Blue Mosque in Historic Peninsula

Fenerbahce Stadium has been renovated with increased capacity recently. At the moment, it is the best stadium in Turkey for design and acoustics. Fenerbahce, which is the champion of Turkish Super League for 2007, plays its matches here. Having a huge crowd of fans, Fenerbahce dominates the matches in this stadium. If you are a football fan and would like to watch a living legend like Roberto Carlos, check out for the UEFA Champions League Programme and Turkish Super League in 2008. Fenerbahce went into quarter finals in CL and just got eliminated by Chelsea for the pursuit of semifinals. Not to mention, you will be amazed with the passion on field displayed by the team on one of the biggest derbies in the world against Galatasaray. There are only 5 weeks left for the end of Turkish league and Fenerbahce leads with 2 points ahead of Galatasaray. On match days avoid passing in front of the stadium as the traffic will be blocked.

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Address: Kiziltoprak-Sogutlucesme