Lets go Istanbul

3 Days in Istanbul

Istanbul is beautiful all year round so you can surely visit the place in Dec/Jan/Feb. Temperatures were negative throughout and you need to ensure that you carry warm clothes with you and drink lots of tea to keep yourself warm. 

This is how we planned our trip to Istanbul in January 2015.

We had booked our stay at Nidya Hotel Galataport (Bosphorus View + Blue Mosque View), 45 minutes drive from the Ataturk International Airport. This hotel was good in many as it was in proximity with both the old and the new Istanbul city, and the best part was the tram station was on a 10 minutes walk - A walk to remember (snowy) ;) and a very friendly staff specially Mr. Kadeir, Younus and the entire team.

Istanbul has an excellent public transport infrastructure and it is very much economical. One metro card can be used for as many as 20 persons and the cost is very much reasonable too. I strongly suggest using trams as the stations are close to all the major attractions of the city and it saves you money and time which one could loose due to traffic jams in the populous city.

Day 1 - dedicated to cultural sites (Blue Mosque - Hagia Sophia - Topkapi - Rainbow Stairs)
We took a tram from Tophane to Sultanahmet station. Blue Mosque holds cultural and religious significance as it was built by an Ottoman Ruler Sultan Ahmet to compete with Hagia Sophia. This is the only Masjid in Istanbul with 6 minarets.

Then walked to Hagia Sophia, also known as Aya Sofia. This massive site originally was as a Greek cathedral, later a mosque and now a museum. Please note that the museum is closed on Mondays and other religious holidays.

Then we headed to Topkapi Palace which is on top of a hill overseeing the Golden Horn and the beautiful Sea of Marmara. There are many sections of the Palace which can be visited today and photography is prohibited in certain areas where relics and exhibits of the Great Prophets and his companions can be seen. This was a hair raising experience!

On the sides: On the way back to our hotel, we went to the Rainbow Stairs and then had a sumptuous Dinner at the restaurant in our hotel.Turkish food is yum!

Day 2 - markets and shopping (Taksim Square - Grand Bazaar - Spice Market - Hamdi Restaurant

Tram from Tophane station to Kabatas and then an underground metro to Taksim. You definitely have to walk up the hill from the famous Taksim square and then take the old mini-tram mid-way. Beware of pick-pockets and beggars in this area.

Then to Grand Bazaar....

Then to Spice Bazaar (not so fun) and then Hamdi restaurant where we enjoyed the traditional Turkish cuisine. This restaurant has an amazing view of the galata bridge footed by the local fishermen and the new blue mosque.

We had deliberately kept Day 2 light as we had booked an all day tour on Day 3 which cost us 70 Euros pp. 

Day 3 - Bosphorus & Dolmabahce Palace

Cruise on the Golden Horn & Bosphorus

Here we were cruising between the old, new istanbul and the Asian side of Istanbul. The cruise on the Bosphorus gives the best chance to view the finest palaces which are now run as either museums or universities along the shores.

Pierre Loti Hill

The hill was named after the french novelist and naval officer Pierre Loti who visited the city several times and praised it for its scenic views from the hill. One one side of the hill, there is a graveyard where graves are step-cut to make more use of the land.

Here you can enjoy the beautiful view from th cable car all the way down to the hill.

City Walls

Constantiniple's great city walls were built to protect the city from the aggressors. The Walls are now part of the UNESCO world heritage and have been preserved. The walls were breached only twice in 1600 years.

Dolmabahche Palace

This massive Palace was home to six sultans until the abolition of the caliphate in 1924. Ataturk would use the Palace as a presidential residence and even today important NATO and government level meetings and talks are held at the Palace. There is a limit to the number of entrants to this Palace and only authorized travel guides can help you get in here. Thankfully, our guide from Senkron Travel Agency was well versed and a knowledgeable guide. I would not want to disclose everything about this Palace as I would want you to have a personal experience of it but one of the interesting things in this palace is that it has the second heaviest Chandelier (the first is in Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Abu Dhabi) and the second largest hand-woven carpet (the first is again in Sheikh Zayed Mosque) and everything in this Palace has a real reflection in symmetrical terms. For example, if there is a chair on one side of the mansion there is another adjacently placed. There is only one item, a telephone gifted by a British Royal to one of the Sultans, which does not have its duplicate and hence a mirror has been placed for its reflection.

Bosphorus Bridge

This is one of the world's largest suspension bridges linking Europe and Asia. When one drives on the bridge, there is a yellow board welcoming on the other side and people here make a wish which they believe comes true. 

Asian Hill

Here we climbed the hill by bus for a view that embraces the Bosphorus and old Istanbul.

Never say NO to turkish food, tea and the hot Pomegranate juice

Let me have your views and experiences!