Spirit in Istanbul

Does anyone have any suggestions of what good sites are walking distance from the Istanbul port to do on your own?

There is plenty of specific information about Istanbul in the Ports of Call - Europe - Mediterranean - Other Mediterranean section of CC.

Basically, there is nothing within reasonable walking distance of the port to see or do. There is, however, the close-by Tophane tram stop which will take you to the old section of Istanbul (Sultanahmet Square) where most of the major sights are located.

Also lots of specific information at the Turkey Travel Planner website.

Doing the major sights on your own does require some preparation and research. Know which museums and mosques are closed on which days. Get some Turkish lira for the trams. Avoid taxis. Avoid taxis. Avoid taxis. Plan the order in which you will visit the attractions.

It's a wonderful city -- we've been there three times and plan to go back.

Does anyone have suggestions for a transfer from Cruise to Ataturk Airport. Our flight is early so hopefully Istanbul traffic is not too bad. I am thinking of arranging for a car myself via one of the online offerings, or should I wait until Cruise begins in Venice and have Silversea arrange a transfer. I don't even know if they would offer this. Also does anyone have a suggestion for a company to use.

Thanks

Silversea offer a group coach or private transfer at the end of each of their cruises. They are not usually the cheapest way to make the journey but take the hassle out of making the arrangements. Otherwise we have made arrangements through our TA.

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Does anyone have suggestions for a transfer from Cruise to Ataturk Airport. Our flight is early so hopefully Istanbul traffic is not too bad. I am thinking of arranging for a car myself via one of the online offerings, or should I wait until Cruise begins in Venice and have Silversea arrange a transfer. I don't even know if they would offer this. Also does anyone have a suggestion for a company to use.

 

Thanks

We have used Efendi Travel's transfer service a few times, from airport to hotel, from ship to hotel, and from ship to airport, and we were very pleased. They charge a fixed fee (about 25 euros as I recall) to take you from the cruise terminal to the airport. You can book on line (on their website) and pay in advance or pay the driver when you get to the airport.

The new museum of modern art is walking distance from the dock. But the tram is quick and easy to get to other areas.