Istanbul. I Shall Report Back.

We will soon be in Istanbul, March 2015 for 3 days of snooping the backstreets. I will survey the scene with a 'Cruisers Eye' and offer my 2/cents here when I return. Anybody have a specific request? Locomotiveman Tom

My strange questions are as follows:

If you're getting on a cruise there, about where along the cruise dock area did the ship dock? I hear Istanbul is having the ships dock a little farther away from the bridge than before.

Was the ship closer to the Tophane stop or the one above it?

Did you see a long series of painted steps visible from along the tram street between Tophane and the tram stop north of there?

Assuming you leave when it's light, about how long did it take for the ship to leave the dock and pass by the Sultanahmet area with the Topkapki palace and Blue Mosque visible?

Were you able to see the Maiden's Tower out in the water?

Did you find any restaurants in the Sultanahmet area or elsewhere you'd recommend, especially if they were moderately priced?

Someone else reported ATMs are plentiful. If you use any, would you happen to know how many major banks they support and what are the choices (in general!) of the denominations you can get? In other words, in the U.S., you can normally get as little as $20 worth of money.

Don't spend valuable time looking for answers to my questions, but if they should hit you in the face, that's fantastic!

Thanks!!

ROOTHY123 I will print off your Queries and see what I can do to answer them once I look it over. Locomotiveman Tom

Assuming you leave when it's light, about how long did it take for the ship to leave the dock and pass by the Sultanahmet area with the Topkapki palace and Blue Mosque visible?

It is just minutes. You can see the area from the ship when it is docked.

I can answer some of your questions.

We spend four days in Istanbul pre-cruise and used bank ATMS with no problem.

When our ship departed for the Aegean, we did see the Maiden's Tower. Also, it took less than half an hour for us to be opposite Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. It was a great photo opportunity.

We stayed in the Sultanahmet area, I will post the portion of my cc review about Istanbul, which includes restaurants.

Istanbul

We arrived mid-day and the Hotel Lausos had a driver pick us up at the airport (no extra charge). The traffic was awful and we were glad to arrive at the airport as our aggressive driver probably violated the traffic laws on several occasions. A couple of times the driver went up a one-way street in the wrong direction. The hotel was located in the old (Sultanahmet) district of the city, with its narrow streets that were probably set hundreds of years ago. The hotel had about 50 rooms and most of them became occupied by Constellation cruisers within a couple of days of the cruise. Service was great, the free breakfast excellent, with Turkish and American options and the hotel clean and tidy. TripAdvisor had given Lausos good ratings, but reviews mentioned that its rooms were small. That proved to be true. The hotel room had a whirlpool bathtub and room safe. The bed was comfortable, but we had to leave our clothes in our suitcases since there was no place to store our clothing. Our cabin on Constellation was larger than this room. Still, the hotel was great and we spent little time in our room. We were able to walk to most of the sites in the city. Also, good restaurants were close by. The hotel staff was friendly and always helpful. We would stay there again, if we visit Istanbul once more.

We enjoyed the Turkish food in Istanbul. Turkish food is similar to Greek, Egyptian, Arabic and Israeli food. Moussaka, Kabobs (lamb, chicken and beef), yogurt, hummus and baklava are notable examples of Turkish food. I had searched on TripAdvisor and written down some restaurants close to the hotel Lausos. Every place we dined was great. We enjoyed great meals at the following restaurants:

Amedros Café and Restaurant

Amedros is located about four blocks from Hotel Lausos on Divanyolu Cad. which is on the street were the tram runs. It is a busy street with many restaurants. Amedros is in an area with several other restaurants.

East-West Erhan Café and Restaurant

Erhan is on Binbirdirek Mah. Klodfarer Cad. about fifty yards from Hotel Lausos. It specializes in Turkish and Kurdish dishes. We ate at Erhan twice and with a large beer paid about 75 TL ($38) each time ($1=2 TL). The owner was Kurdish and we talked with our waiter, who was Kurdish. He stated that of Turkey’s 75 million people that one-third (25 million) are Kurdish. I knew that the percentage of Kurds was significant, but did not know it was one-third of the population. The food was great and price reasonable.

Lady Diana Hotel

This hotel has a rooftop restaurant with great views of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and the city. It is located at Binbirdirek Mah. Terzihane Sok. No:9. The food was excellent, but you pay for the view, as the prices were almost double the prices at Erhan. Still, the view was worth the prices. Several of the Constellation cruisers ate together at this restaurant and enjoyed the ambiance of the view.

Exploring Istanbul

We visited most of the main sites in Istanbul, specifically, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace and Harem, Istanbul Archaeology Museums, Byzantine Hippodrome, Spice Bazaar, Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, Chora Church and Theodosian Walls.

After arriving on 21 September, were had the usual jet lag, but visited the Hippodrome and Blue Mosque that afternoon.

Hippodrome

The Hippodrome was the Byzantine version of Rome’s Circus Maximus. Directly west of the Hippodrome was the Emperor’s palace. Emperors had a private path within the place building to the Emperor’s box at the Hippodrome. The Blue Mosque is in that location today. Most of the structures of the Hippodrome were taken to construction buildings in the area. The Hippodrome is now something of a large oval square with column at one end and the Obelisk of Thutmosis III in the middle. The Hippodrome was enlarged by Emperor Constantine in the fourth century when the capitol of the Roman Empire was moved from Rome to Constantinople. The Hippodrome could seat 100,000 spectators. Chariot races were popular in those days.

When we arrived at the Hippodrome, we found it to be partially filled with stalls of a cultural exchange exposition between Turkey and Korea. The Blue Mosque is an imposing structure adjacent to the Hippodrome. It has six minarets rather than the usual four. We entered the courtyard adjacent to the mosque and were approached by a man offering to guide us through the mosque. He said we could pay him what we desired after the tour. I should have said no, but agreed. His half hour tour of the mosque was fine, but I had already read most of the information in my guidebooks. I offered him 10 TL ($5) and he indicated he was insulted, so I added another 10 TL. He still was unhappy, but we left him in any event. We were approached frequently by locals and some would try to just chat with you then lead up to the solicitation visit at a run shop. From then on, we just said no.

Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque was a very impressive structure. It was constructed from 1609 to 1616. The Sultan meant to build a mosque that outshined Hagia Sophia, which is not far away. Hagia Sophia was the Byzantine cathedral built by Emperor Justinian in the 6thCentury AD. The interior of the mosque is very impressive with its beautiful blue tiles and many windows. Before entering, we removed our shoes and carried them in a plastic bag provided at the entrance. Ginny had brought a scarf to cover her hair. If you plan to visit the Mosque, you must avoid visiting during the Muslim prayers. Muslims pray five times a day, but for some reason a sixth prayer call exists for the Blue Mosque. Inside, there are carpets on the floor for prayers and the wide front of the mosque points toward Mecca, which is designated by the mihrab, a structure next to the pulpit where the Imam preaches.

Hagia Sophia

The next morning, after sleeping 12 hours to recover from jet lag, we set out to visit Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace. I had purchased museum passes for each on the internet, so we could skip the line waiting to buy tickets. The only snag with this plan was that our home printer printed the scan able passes on a slightly reduced scale, which did not work on the museum scanner. The museum attendants reprinted our passes for Hagia Sophia, Topkapi and the Harem, but took a few minutes. We decided to purchase the audio guide for each museum that we visited in Istanbul, and I highly recommend that option. You don’t need a guide and you save on paying for guided tours. The audio guides are easy to use and well understood. We paid 25 TL ($12.50) each for admission and another 10 TL for the audio guide. The prices were similar for admission to Topkapi (Harem another 15 TL). Hagia Sophia was an engineering marvel to have been constructed in the 6th Century. Two earlier, lesser buildings were destroyed by earthquake and fire. Justinian wanted a building to last, so the domed roof was the largest cathedral in the World for a thousand years. Buttresses were added by later Emperors to support the dome and walls. The Ottoman Turks converted the building to a mosque after 1453 and the building was converted to a museum by Attaturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic in 1935. The building includes the minarets added by the Ottomans, in addition the mihrab and pulpit for the Imam as well as panels with quotes from the Koran. The Ottomans plastered over the mosaics in the cathedral, since Islam does not allow human forms to be displayed in art. Ironically, this acted to protect the beautiful mosaics. It takes less than two hours to go through the museum using the audio guide and taking in all the mosaics and other impressive features.

Basilica Cistern

The Basilica Cistern entrance is located not far from the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. The cistern was built by Emperor Justinian to provide water for his palace and the surrounding area. The cistern is huge and while underground, supported by many columns that were taken from other buildings in the 6th Century. You can see that the columns are of different styles and types. Some have art work on them, such as the Medusa column. The cistern was used during the James Bond movie, From Russia with Love. It takes less than an hour to go through the cistern. The audio guide is somewhat useful, but not as good as in the other museums.

Topkapi and the Harem

After visiting the Cistern, we had a light lunch and then moved on to Topkapi and its Harem. We purchased the audio guide for both. We spent the rest of the afternoon going through the Museum and Harem. Topkapi is spread over a large area and includes hundreds of rooms. The first portion of the museum includes the Imperial Gate and Courtyard, kitchens, porcelans, silver items, weapons. The Treasure room is very impressive, with its thrones, and jewels (like the crown jewels). The Topkapi Dagger is included. The 18th century Topkapi Dagger was meant as a gift from Sultan Mahmud I to Nadir, the Shah of Iran, but he unfortunately died before it could be delivered. There are several pavilions in the palace that are impressive structures. They are located close to the north end of the palace, near the Golden Horn (water). There is a section for Islamic relics that included items important to Muslims, such as the Prophet Mohammed’s signet, sword and bow.

The Harem is notable for its decorative tiles and baths and courtyards. The Harem held the Sultan’s wives and concubines. Large Ethiopian eunuchs controlled security at the Harem. We learned that the Harem included women that the Sultan never met, but were sheltered there for some reason.

The palace and Harem took more than three hours to go through with the audio guide. We finished in late afternoon and thought we were museumed out, but we still had more museums to see.

Chora Museum

The next day we wanted to visit the Chora church. The Byzantine church is now a museum. It was located about 4 or 5 miles from our hotel. We could have taken the tram to within a mile and a half of the site, but it required a transfer. We decided to take a taxi. The taxi cost 25 TL with tip included. The church was located in a residential area near the ancient city walls built by Emperor Theodosius, so we planned to walk from the church to the wall and follow it about a mile to where the street along the Golden Horn. The Golden Horn is an inlet of the Bosphorus dividing the city of Istanbul and forming the natural harbor. The Chora was a relatively small church compared with Hagia Sophia, but contained many mosaics that were well preserved. We found the mosaics to be spectacular and well worth the visit. It reminded us of Byzantine mosaics we saw in Ravenna, Italy. After visiting the museum, we walked north for a short distance to the remains of the city walls. Much of the walls were ruins, but in some areas the walls were more intact. In particular, a restoration effort was underway on one section of the wall, demonstrating a massive and formidable barrier that protected the city for over a thousand years. On our way toward the street facing the Golden Horn, we got lost, but friendly locals pointed us in the right direction. We made it too street, turned south on our way towards the Spice Bazaar. We probably walked about four miles to the Spice Bazaar, but the exercise felt good and we saw parts of the city that were not normally exposed to tourists. We saw a wide range of homes and businesses. We saw some housing that could be described as unlivable in most countries, but those building were likely abandoned. Other houses and apartments were modest but clean. Other dwellings demonstrated some level of prosperity.

Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar

The Spice Bazaar was a mini version of the Grand Bazaar, but was interesting, due to the many stalls or shops that offered many spices, with the spices piled up in separate boxes like in a Chinese apothecary. There were other items sold in the spice bazaar, like dried fruits and foods, cooked, packaged or uncooked. It was very picturesque and worth the trip. The Bazaar is next to a mosque and built in an L shape. The Grand Bazaar is much larger and over a half a mile from the Spice Bazaar. Between the two bazaars are more shops. By the time we reached the Grand Bazaar, we had clearly been overexposed to shopping. The Grand Bazaar looked like a shopper’s paradise. We did not go through the entire Bazaar, which would take hours. I am glad that we saw the bazaar, but since we had walked from the Chora church we did not linger very long to shop.

That afternoon, the Hotel Lausos had the tea for our group of Constellation cruisers. There were about 24 participating and we all enjoyed getting to know each other. Several of us went to eat at the rooftop restaurant at the Lady Diana Hotel, which had great food and a great view of the city.

Istanbul Archaeology Museums

The next day we slept a little late due to our heavy schedule of sightseeing the previous days. This was our last full day prior to moving to the ship. We decided not to take a Bosporus cruise, since our ship was going to make two transits of the Bosporus. That turned out to be a good decision, since I had two guidebooks of Istanbul and the DK Eyewitness Travel guide of Istanbul had an excellent section on the key buildings and features facing the Bosporus. The Eyewitness Travel guide was great, with much detail and a great map of the city. I also had a Rick Steves Istanbul, which was helpful, but probably unnecessary since I had the Eyewitness Travel guide.

The Archaeology Museums were great. We spent four hours there and loved it, but at the end were definitely museumed out. We did use the audio guide, which was excellent. Admission to the museum was only 10 TL.

There were three museums. The first museum we visited was the Museum of the Ancient Orient. This museum contained antiquities from Egyptian, Hittite, Assyrian and Babylonian civilizations. It contained friezes from the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, which reminded us of a similar exhibit at the Pergamum Museum in Berlin. There was a large and impressive collection of Hittite items. The Hittites were a Semitic people with an empire that was centered in Anatolia in the second millennium BC. The Hittites challenged the Egyptians. One of the most interesting exhibits is the Treaty of Kadesh, circa 1269 BC between Egypt and the Hittites. The treaty included provisions for the protection of the citizens of both empires.

The second museum that we visited was the Cinili Pavilion with Turkish Tiles and Ceramics. This museum includes many beautiful works of art in tile.

The third and most impressive museum was the Museum of Classical Archaeology. This museum was quite large with many impressive items. It included a huge span of history, but much was ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine. We saw many sarcophagi (ancient burial containers) with magnificent sculpturing. The so called “Alexander Sarcophagus” was awesome. It was not actually Alexander the Great’s sarcophagus, but built for another King, but depicts Alexander’s victory over the Persians. There were several impressive busts of Roman Emperors, as well as a bust of Alexander the Great. The museum is loaded with impressive items and is a must see if you visit Istanbul. However, after four hours of non-stop museum hopping, we had reached our limit. We wandered back to the hotel to relax a bit and planned an early dinner, since we were part of a group that planned to see a Whirling Dervish show that evening.

Mevlevi Sema Ceremony of Whirling Dervishes

Several of our Hotel Lausos group opted to see this ceremony, which was arranged by Marianna. It would be wrong to call it a show, since the participants consider it a religious ceremony. Apparently, the participants have a religious experience by whirling in a counter clockwise manner for about half an hour. They did stop a few times during the ceremony. The show or ceremony was interesting and we learned something of the Sufi Islam. The ceremony had is origin in the 13th Century. We were all impressed by the ability of the men to constantly spin for many minutes at a time. However, all agreed that after seeing the ceremony, we would not likely wish to do it again.

After the ceremony, we returned to the hotel, but again visited the rooftop of the Lady Diana Hotel for a nightcap. Again, we enjoyed the awesome views of the city, particularly the lit up Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.

The next day we checked out of the hotel and our group moved on to check in the Celebrity Constellation. I had arranged for a bus transfer for 14 persons from the hotel to the ship at the cost of 5 euros per person (also for 10 persons from the ship to the airport at the end of the cruise for 7 euros per person). I had found the transfer on the internet with eyewitness travel. I learned that being in charge of such a transfer has its problems. I had located the office of eyewitness and pay for the transfers in advance. When the bus arrived at eleven that morning, the bus had 14 seats, but one was for the driver. The driver got on the phone and another vehicle appeared very quickly, so we all made it to the ship without delay. I emailed eyewitness while on the ship and the response was that the additions vehicle had been arranged in advance. That is possible, but I have my doubts, in any event the transports worked out just fine on both ends of the cruise. We saved a lot not just taking a taxi for both transfers.

Hi 4774 Papa.

I enjoyed reading your review of your visit to Istanbul. How did you get to the places you visited, e.g. organized tour, walk. taxi?

Thank you.

4774Papa,

Would you please provide Eyewitness travel contact information?

Thanks!

Hoping Locomotiveman circles back to us with his Istanbul observations.

For some reason, this Forum 'times out' before I can enter my lengthy 'Post' about my recent visit to Istanbul. Darn. Hmm. Locomotiveman Tom

Wow! What a bummer to have (apparently) lost a lot of reviewing! Hope you give it another try (maybe write it somewhere else and copy and paste)?

For some reason, this Forum 'times out' before I can enter my lengthy 'Post' about my recent visit to Istanbul. Darn. Hmm. Locomotiveman Tom

I will be in Istanbul in September after disembarking the Constellation so I am really looking forward to your post. since I am anxious to read your review, I'll be brazen enough to offer a suggestion- write it in word and then copy and paste into your post. Thanks for any Istanbul guidance, suggestions, etc.

Locomotiveman, your public awaits you. Hope you have time to make another attempt. Would love to see your observations as I am planning several days in September.

Locomotiveman, your public awaits you. Hope you have time to make another attempt. Would love to see your observations as I am planning several days in September.

Hi everybody. I will limit my April 2015 observations to separate topics in each 'Post' to avoid rambling off-topic. Firstly, ISTANBUL Airport,Taxi, transport and getting to a Hotel/Ship in APR2015. I recommend getting a Map from Internet beforehand?

Ataturk Airport: Very busy but NOT chaotic both on ARR and DEPT. I'd say find an ATM for Turkish Lira (maybe $100/USD) before departing Airport. $1USD= 2.5Lira. Euros are fine as a PlanB, money is money. Grab a luggage cart for $free$ upon arrival if you value your feet and back. Passport/Security lines at every turn make ISTANBUL much more time-consuming than say, O'Hare or JFK. Once thru final Passport Control on ARR you can do fine by getting a Yellow Taxi if you prefer. Major Hotels will pre-arrange it also for about $5 more. $24/USD or 56/Lira to Sultanahmet (BlueMosque area), $30/USD to Cruise Terminal area in Taksim area in North Istanbul. Have Name of your Hotel w/address & Tel# for the Taxi-man, or write 'CRUISE SHIP' on paper then step out to the Taxi-line. If you made arrangements w/Hotel..they will have a Driver amongst the hoards of drivers curbside with your NAME on a paper. Say a prayer, grab yer bags and head to the curb.

Don't try taking Train or Bus from the Airport to anywhere. Far too complicated and slow. Airport is 20/miles West from anywhere. Once in ISTANBUL proper have some Turkish Lira coins for the Metro/Tram and Ferries before striking out from your ship or Hotel.

You'll regret not taking a Ferry across the Bosphorus. It's a beautiful way to get great Photos you can get no other way. They use turnstills, but you need to buy tickets or get a $Pre-loaded Multi-day swipe card pass that's really worth it... for it's convenience. Hand the Tram or Ferry kiosk guy 50Lira for a few days worth of travel, it's use is interchangeable on each.

We walked from the Blue Mosque...downhill...to the Galata Bridge and Cruise Terminal in 45/minutes. We coulda used the Metro/Tram, but it was fun to walk n gawk. We gave our Multi-day pass to a Guide as a $tip when leaving Turkey. Group Tours to the Biggie sites via Mini-van from your Hotel might be a good idea if physical infirmities are an issue only because ISTANBUL has hills, not because it appeared dangerous in any way whatsoever.

Next 'Post' I will discuss whether or not to 'Do it Yourself' or get a Guide to zip you around the backstreets and Bazaars. We used UrbanAdventure and CulinaryBackstreets Guide s and saw the REAL nitty-gritty ISTANBUL up close and had a blast. I will talk about that next time.

Locomotiveman Tom

Locomotiveman, your public awaits you. Hope you have time to make another attempt. Would love to see your observations as I am planning several days in September.

Using a Guide for Istanbul methinks depends on ones time constraints, frugality, the weather and how fit one is. We are fit as a fiddle, but were limited in time; PLUS we wanted to walk, talk and eat with local people for a full day. Istanbul is quite safe from what we saw but it's hilly. Every hill or set of steps one goes down will involve going UP the same. We didn't want to waste time gawking at maps at every street corner, so we had CulinaryBackstreets and then a UrbanAdventures guide to help us roam the Highlights and alleyways of Istanbul for the 2 days we had. We weren't disappointed. The knowledge and friendship of our guides were invaluable for us to get a 'real' sense of the streets and sights of Istanbul. All good. Istanbul is one of the friendliest big cities we've been in.

UrbanAdventure guide was Alexander, a newly married 25ish fella with vast knowledge and training. He scooted 3 of us all 'round the Highlights of Old Istanbul, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palaces, Grand Bazaar, and also snooping other quirky local haunts in and around those classic attractions we woulda never known about. Yes, he had pre-bought tickets for places requiring admission $fees$, which really helped eliminate line waiting syndrome. Also, we had a wonderful lunch at an outdoor restaurant near the Grand Bazaar..and near the Cemberlitas Metro stop, Tea-times and bathroom stops were found for us whenever needed. Steering us thru the Grand Bazaar n Spice Market area also really helped us avoid wasting time. We walked a LOT!!, but we took our time when needed. Never a dull moment with our great Guide, Alexander. Without a guide we woulda felt uninformed and a bit stupid about what we were looking at. I got a good 'feel' of the Istanbul streets after 2 days of walking with both young people. We told Alex what did NOT interest us....and he always had a 'PlanB' for us after asking us what interested us. Was I glad we had walking guides for Istanbul? Yes. A savvy backpacker with limited funds and a map may do OK on one's own of course, but I'm not a broke backpacker anymore, now we want to roam the streets and alleys with a local person so we could ask all the strange questions we could throw at him. It was fun, much moreso because we had a guide. Our CulinaryBackstreets walking tour deserves it's own overview by me at a later time. THAT walking tour was really, really fun.

Locomotiveman Tom

We saw more of the real Istanbul because of our guide. He took us on the ferry, trams, etc. he bought all the tickets in advance so no waiting in long lines. He knew the time of the demonstrations so we visited that area before the demonstrations began.

Very interesting and appealing perspective on Istanbul, Locomotiveman, thank you. Ken

Locomotiveman, your public awaits you. Hope you have time to make another attempt. Would love to see your observations as I am planning several days in September.

Hotel location can be EVERYTHING in Istanbul...as it's HUGE!! It comes down to 3 General areas methinks AIRPORT, SULTANAHMET, BEYOGLU/TAKSIM...so print off a map and follow along.

AIRPORT AREA: Horrible choice if one wants to 'See the Sights'...it's 20+miles West from anything. Gal we talked to said it was their worst decision to stay out there. No real transport options except Taxi to any of the sights. However, if you are done with tourist stuff and need to catch an early flight etc etc. then by all means stay near AIRPORT because locals told me it can be a full 1/Hr+. or more to get there on a good day from Downtown. The Airport area is a sea of apartment blocks, to us Cruise-people it appeared to have no 'Bling-bling'. It's $25/USD minimum for Taxi to Blue Mosque area from Airport and about $30+/USD to the Cruise Terminal area, as of APRIL 2015. The Kennedy Cadessi (Expressway) follows the coastline into Istanbul downtown proper.

SULTANAHMET:This the focal point of the tourist 'Biggies', ie Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palaces etc. This area has many highly regarded 'Boutique Hotels', plus the larger, luxurious Four Seasons and everything in between.

Let me now talk about the term 'Boutique Hotel'. It's a charming word for quirky, precious, historic little Hotels, and some are excellent. It's ALSO a term for "Let's remodel this little Apt.Blg into a BoutiqueHotel and charge Tourist a $fortune$ because of the location". So...check out TripAdvisor with a careful eye if this area interests you, as TripAdvisor reviews can be from the owners' cousins, sisters, brothers OR from genuine travelers who just LOVED their choice of lodging. Am I a Hotel critic? No...and I ain't gonna start now.

Mini-bus Tours seem to pick up small groups from some of the Hotels around SULTANAHMET, I wouldn't wanna be getting around with a walker or cane in some of these streets, but Taxis abound for those that need that kinda thing to get around. If one doesn't want to walk too far each day while walkin' n gawkin'...and $$money$$ isn't an issue you couldn't beat this area. Restaurants with terrace views of the Bosphorus Straits etc. are plentiful in this area. It's a hilly area, the streets can be narrow and confusing, as it is where 'Old Istanbul meets modern traffic'., but the excellent Metro/Tram run right thru it down the middle of Yeniceriler St. No High-rise Hotels here like Radissons, Hiltons, etc. Youngish 20-somethings seem to find small hotels here as well. So...where did WE stay? Dersaadet Oteli just behind the Blue Mosque.

BEYOGLU/TAKSIM: This area is generally the area NORTH of most Old Istanbul Tourists sites. It's close to the Cruise Terminal. It is linked to the Blue Mosque area of Sultanahmet by the 1/2mile long Galata Walkbridge. It too can be hilly like much of Istanbul, but this is where some really big-name Hotels are found. Businessmen from all over the World stay here. It's the 'Big-time' but it can lack the charm of Sultanahmet for exotic ambiance. Comprende'?? A huge plus for Cruise Ship people is the Cruise Terminal is right here....just up the street from the Galata Bridge and not too far from some Ferry Docks if one wants to float over to the Asian side of the Bosphorus Straits. A family we spent 1/2 a day with on a walking tour said they were a bit removed from the 'action and color' in their Hotel that was North of Taksim Square, with nothing close at hand that was fun to do. My son stayed in a cheap little Hostel in the Taksim area for 4 weeks in 2013 and loved it. He was working in Istanbul and found some place that fit his $Budget$. If one must take a Mini-van Tour to the Mosques and Museums anyway because of physical limitations...I suppose this would be an A-OK place to stay for a few nights. We did NOT want to stay here...because we wanted to snoop and be closer to the more exotic Grand Bazaar and Mosques of Sultanahmet.

ASIAN SIDE: So-ooo why isn't there much mention of the East Side of Bosphorus for Hotels?? Locals told me it was because for a foreign tourist it hasn't enough attractions to make it worthwhile. One of our walking guides LOVED living there...but she said the same when it came to this area being 'not-so-hot' for tourist Hotels.

There you have it...my very short take on 'Wuzzup' when it comes to Istanbul Hotel areas in general. I simply 'Ain't going there.." when it comes to recommending any Hotel I haven't stayed in myself, but I think I got a feel for what each area offered in general for someone reading this CruiseCritic Web-site. Locomotiveman Tom

Hi 4774 Papa.

 

I enjoyed reading your review of your visit to Istanbul. How did you get to the places you visited, e.g. organized tour, walk. taxi?

 

Thank you.

We walked everywhere, except for the Chora Church, which requred a taxi to the church and we walked back, via the road south of the golden horn down to the Bazaars.

4774Papa,

 

Would you please provide Eyewitness travel contact information?

 

Thanks!

Huseyin YAYLA

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL - MANAGER

Phone : +90 212 518 07 80 | Fax : +90 212 518 18 40

ADDRESS : Küçük Ayasofya caddesi No : 5 / A Sultanahmet – Istanbul / TURKEY

E-mail : info@eyewitnessturkey.com| web : www.eyewitnessturkey.com Facebook :/eyewitnessturkey

Locomotiveman, your public awaits you. Hope you have time to make another attempt. Would love to see your observations as I am planning several days in September.

Why, oh why would 2 cruisers Walk n Eat all 'round Istanbul with a guide?? We did so because we are 'Independent Travellers...always walking and snooping off the beaten path. However, we DO know we not getting younger and the concept blends learning a lot with the getting up close and personal with market vendors, restaurant cooks of the streets, but doing so safely with a GUIDE that knows those alleyways and owners, which and can truly make best use of ones time. Map-gawking? Over. 'I wonder what THAT is?' Done. Comprende' ?

http://www.Culinary Adventures.com had a wonderful Tour called 2Markets, 2 Continents that really suited us to a 'T'. Yes, we ATE and sipped tea and coffee...a lot, and took Istanbul's Ferry boats; but oh did we snoop and gab too. (I warn you...skip the Lido or Hotel breakfast before you strike out on such a tour...ha!!) Everywhere we went we were welcomed with hugs and smiles. The locals all knew our Guide, Ipek Baltutan, a 25ish hip walking encyclopedia of all that is Turkish and food. Every place we stopped they knew her and let us either sample their wares...or really laid out a spread of their delicacies for us to indulge in, $Free$ part of the deal. Vegetarians fear not....there was something for everybody.

We met up with Ipek and a young family from Netherlands at the North end of the Galata Bridge near the Cruise Terminal. Straight off we weaved our way into an Ancient Han for morning tea and traditional bread with a local vendor. A Han is where the Camel Caravans arrived with their wares...now trucks and pushcarts do it. T'was like stepping back in time. An impromptu table was set up on packing crates and we sipped morning tea and took it all in. "Oh my, what a cool start", we said to ourselves. We explored the Han's complex of vendors and tradesmen opening for the day...then snooped amongst the nearby markets also beginning their day. Ipek would stop here and there to explain to us what the various foods were and we sample dso-ooo many things we had never even heard of before we headed for the Ferry to take us to the Asian side for what turned out to be quite a day.

The Ferry Ride across the Bosphorus Straits to the Eastern side was just great. Sensational views of The Maidens Tower near the Asian side and to-die-for morning views of the Blue Mosque were a real plus. Off we headed to a bustling Open-air Market. We sampled and snooped and sat for a while at open-air street restaurants or stand-up stalls for various foods I can't even remember now...like 'Pickled Figs'...Rice Noodle/Honey dessert?? We also visited a World-famous Candy store...samples offered of course. Wandering the Market itself was quite a treat. Colorful, aromatic, exotic...but all so clean and tidy compared to some cities we've been to. Nice.

Tea time breaks were always fun. A great time to talk and for Ipek to fill us in on what lies ahead. Never a dull moment. She explained why the dogs and cats looked so healthy and clean (Istanbul neuters them...and local vendors set out fresh water and snacks for them).

Then it was time for LUNCH!! Where to start...Olives and Goat Cheese on Romaine. Rice, lentils, soup, Fresh bread. Meat ke-bobs or Grilled fish or whatever you wanted. Followed by more tea!! Bathroom breaks were getting popular by this time. Curiously, I didn't see near as much cigarette smoking as I was prepared for. Times are achanging. A peek here into a small bakery or a candy-maker there were all part of walking off our lunch. The Asian side of Istanbul has some of the more Liberal areas and youngish people...so here is where one can relax with a Beer or Raki if so inclined. Sidewalk tables abounded for chillin'. But away we went again...checking out various markets selling used books and antiques or, of course, MORE FOOD!! "I can't believe I ate the whole thing"....was a common refrain from those of us who could speak by now.

We finished up at a wonderful Coffee Shop..but not just any Coffee Shop. This was a gourmet shop with a sitting area up on the 2nd Flr. from which we could survey the scene below....and have our Fortune told by devining the Coffee Grounds remaining in our cup. After this....we meandered/shuffled to the Ferry Docks and sadly had to part ways with our Guide and new-found friends from Netherlands who enjoyed the day every bit as much as we. Ipek steered us to the correct Ferry....and away we went, back to Old Istanbul and the Galata Bridge. Could we have had a BETTER day seeing the back streets haunts of Istanbul? No. Would we recommend this to others? Yes. It's a funny thing....the FOOD was merely a great way to take in all the other things we experienced. This was precisely why we do such things. We were ready for a nice nap. I rate it also a 'Wow'.

Locomotiveman Tom

Tom, Thanks for all the delicious detail on your walking tour. Sounds wonderful!

Hi Tom, wondering specifically which Urban Adventures tour you did, I see they have an ALL day, all the highlites option or a half day option?

Thanks for the amazing review!

Tom, Thanks for all the delicious detail on your walking tour. Sounds wonderful!

GormetGal, You're welcome. As I hinted...the FOOD was the dessert. The Main Course was interacting with the Guide and the people she knew. while we gnoshed our selves silly. We mixed Sit-down with Stand-up, PLUS we did a lot of snooping into the actual shops and markets..pickles, candy, Yoghurt, breads... Lot's of 'talking and gawking' as I like to put it. If anyone wants to see a few of the Pics I took...or questions let me know at the following. thsteinman at GEE MAIL Dot com. We needed a nap after our foray. So-ooo fun.

Locomotiveman Tom and Peggy

Hi Tom, wondering specifically which Urban Adventures tour you did, I see they have an ALL day, all the highlites option or a half day option?

Thanks for the amazing review!

Hi guy. ISTANBUL CONQUERED was our UrbanAdventures Walking Tour for about $75/USD p/p ?? We met him about 5/Blks from our Hotel...near the Sultanahmet Metro stop.

A PLUS, which I never realized til we got going, was that our walking guide had the tickets for the 'BIGGIE' sites ahead of time. We basically walked right in while most tourists waited in lines, which woulda just killed our day. We 3 saw what we wanted to..and that was cool with Iskender US, our guide dude. "...No more guilded ceilings, Isk, let's roll", so we talked about the darnest things instead. As we were game for the non-typical, he didn't follow a strict set piece routine; he took us where WE wanted to go within the general area of Old Istanbul's Sultanahmet area and the tour's basic intinerary, so I tipped him $10/USD. A great sit-down lunch and a wander thru the Grand Bazaar was included too, a well-rounded day indeed. Locomotiveman Tom

Awesome, that's the one I was looking at! Thanks so much for the insights - I like it when they are willing to go with the flow. Thanks again.