| Why
Travel to Istanbul?
Apart from being historically and architecturally spectacular, with
a skyline of mosques and minarets surrounded by water, Istanbul
is the only city in the world that lies on two continents. There's
plenty of sunshine, green and blue space, OK food, good beer, terrible
wine, great prices.
The Turks are very friendly and not too pushy even when selling
a carpet [tho' don't believe every word they say].
It's a lot safer than most European cities and the shopping is sensational.
And by the way, Istanbul is not Turkey's capital - Ankara is.
Istanbul
climate guide:
Best: April - Nov
Avoid: winter [often wet and grey] and Ramadan when
people can get irritable and services become unreliable [Muslim fasting month, Sept 1 -
Sept 29 2008; August 22 - September 21, 2009; August 11- September 10, 2010. There's always a lively feast day, Idd al-Fitr, at the end of Ramadan].
Main Attractions:
Old City, around Sultanahmet: Topkapi Palace [a huge maze-like palace;
to see the popular harem, go in the morning to get a ticket], also
check out the lovely Ottoman style street adjacent to Topkapi entrance,
Aya/Saint Sofia [ancient cathedral], the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome
[monolith], Sultan Suleyman Mosque, Yerebatan Underground Palace,
the Grand Bazaar [and while you're there don't miss a real marble
Turkish bath with traditional massage - it's beside the tram stop
near the Bazaar]...
New City, across the bridge: Galata Tower [great views from the
top], Dolmabahce Palace, Istiklal street [popular pedestrian street].
Also check the views from the banks of the Bosphorus and Marmaris
seas.
*Dress appropriately when you visit mosques.
Short
Trips:
Take the Bosphorus ferry; visit: Uskudal [Istanbul's Asian side];
The Princes' Islands [Kizil Adalar] - resorts with hip restaurants
and clubs; Iznik [historic lakeside town famous for tiles]; Bursa
[hot springs and ski area].
Arts/Culture:
Museums: The Archaeological Museum , Mozaik Museum, Museum of Turkish
Carpets.
Galleries: Museums of Turkish and Islamic Art, Museum of
Fine Arts, Istanbul Museum of Paintings and Sculpture.
Night Clubs/Belly Dance/Live Music: expensive and touristy, but
try Orient House in the old town, Galata Tower Night Club, or Saki
Restarant in the new town.
Check 'The Guide' magazine for event info/listings.
Cuisine:
Turkish meals are a mix of Mediterranean and central Asian cooking
with olive oil and spices, and lean towards meze [mixed appetisers,
like Tapas], starting with cold meze, then hot meze, fish or meat
if you can afford it for main dish, and finally some sort of sticky
sweet thing.
Old City: for fresh sea food and value for money, go to the lively
Kumkapi area. Otherwise the Sultanahmet area has a good selection
of mid price restaurants.
New City: Çiçek Pasaji [food court] and the adjacent
street is a pleasant, good value dining area with lots of great
fishy things on offer.
Try Musa Ustam Adana or Konak for kebabs. Go to Tügra [Ottoman
cuisine] or Safran for a posh Turkish meal.
Shopping:
Souvenirs: Istanbul's massive Grand Bazaar [nearly 5000
shops in 30,000sqm] and Egyptian Bazaar.
Also for traditional Turkish tourist stuff such as carpets,
leather and jewellery, go to Cagaloglu area or Sultanahmet area
in the Old City.
Made to measure leather goods can be amazingly good value.
Classy, trendy shops can be found in Beyoglu or Osmanbey areas in
the New City.
Shopping Centres: Carousel, Galleria [Old City], Akmerkez
[New City, the best European shopping centre award in '95]
Festivals
guide:
Not a very festive city, but...
mid-end May, Theatre Festival
mid-end April, Film Festival
June 9th - July 3rd, Music Festival
July 6th -21st, Jazz Festival
Muslim
festivals:
Seker Bayrami: a 3-day fesival at the end of Ramadan [see above
for dates]
Kurban Bayrami: a 5 days festival, March-April.
* we strongly advise you to avoid/ make plans for Kurban Bayrami,
because banks and offices close for a week, accomodation will be
expensive and difficult to get, and travel will be a nightmare.
If
you plan to travel to Istanbul, how about adding another city or
two to your trip? Check these tourist guides:
Athens
Travel | Rome
Guide | Turkey
Beach Pictures | Venice
Travel | Prague
Travel | Paris
Guide |
