Nana Cathie Posted October 4, 2009 #1 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Our first port on our upcoming cruise is Istanbul, where we will only have the morning and early afternoon before departure. Does anyone have advice on the best way to utilize our limited amount of time? We are trying to decide if we should take one of O's tours or do another option. We will be there on a Sunday, so the Spice Market will be closed. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetchpeople Posted October 4, 2009 #2 Share Posted October 4, 2009 My strong recommnedation is to arrive early and have some time to visit some of the key sites. On Sunday the Grand Bazaar is closed, but the Spice Market MAY be open. Of greater interest than the Spice market would be Topkapi and Hagia Sofia which alone could take most, if not all of the day. A trip on a ferry to the Asian side would cap off your day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicagogal Posted October 5, 2009 #3 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Our first port on our upcoming cruise is Istanbul, where we will only have the morning and early afternoon before departure. Does anyone have advice on the best way to utilize our limited amount of time? We are trying to decide if we should take one of O's tours or do another option. We will be there on a Sunday, so the Spice Market will be closed. Thanks! What a same to have only half a day in such a WONDERFUL city! There is really a lot to see and do there. I would definitely recommend going to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted October 5, 2009 #4 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Echoing the sentiment that you should arrive at least 2 days early. Short of that, a private tour, while more expensive for just 2 people, will be more flexible and you can decide what you want to see rather than follow a rigid schedule of a cruise ship tour. If you can, please arrive early - it's a special city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Canuck Posted October 5, 2009 #5 Share Posted October 5, 2009 private likely better but a ships tour will get you to the ship on time...with half a day you are only going to see the highlights and drive by most of them..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanandJim Posted October 5, 2009 #6 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Nana Cathie, We're also going to suggest that you add time in Istanbul, not only because there is so much to see and do there, but because your body clock is going to be a mess after flying halfway around the world. If you don't take time to "smell the roses" in Istanbul, you'll likely get on the ship very much the worse for wear. You're spending thousands for the cruise, you deserve to enjoy every minute of it. Airline travel is so unpleasant and difficult, these days, that everyone needs time to decompress. Lovely Istanbul has something for everyone from history buffs to James Bond fans. Don't miss the Sisterns, for example..........and this is the city water tank! One other thing- Shopping in the spice market, though exotic and fascinating, can be a bit of a bummer. Many of the spices we would have love to have purchased were fresh (A USA import no no), and even with the dried spices, the packaging was not travel friendly. Good quality Russian caviar was fairly inexpensive, but who brings caviar onto a cruise ship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted October 5, 2009 #7 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Our Nautica cruise in 2006 started in Istanbul...Our Nautica cruise this most recent June/July ended in Istanbul...We spent three extra nights there each visit...and we still wish we had more time... So, I agree, you are leaving yourself short... Be that as it may, I understand not everyone can have that much time... When we visited in 2006, we used Ekol Tours to provide a guide and city tour to Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Grand Bazaar, et al...Then, on a second day, we did the half-day Bosporus cruise and visit to the Spice Market...We also did a night at the Orient House for the Dinner and Show...Our first day, we were so tired, we just lounged around our hotel--exhausted from the long airline flights and time zone changes... This past visit, we toured with another couple with Nejat for one day to the Cisterns, the Spice Market, the Chora Church and a different city tour...We again visited the Orient House for the Dinner/Show...The next day, we did a tour of the Dolambache Palace (including a bus tour over to the Asian side)--there's a kiosk across from the Hagia Sophia where they sell bus tours and HOHO bus tours--did it through them...The third day, we visited the Blue Mosque, the Tomb of the Sultans, the Grand Bazaar and other sites on our own--by that time we felt fairly comfortable just enjoying the town on our own... Here is what I would do if I was you: Contact a good tour provider (I would recommend Ekol here--their rates are fairly good, even for a tour for only two) and let them no your time limitations...They will be able to know what can be fit in, what will be open, etc. You really should make sure to include the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque...The Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar are great, especially if you want to get a little shopping in...The Topkapi Palace is pretty fascinating...the Dolambache is more modern--the last palace of the Ottoman Sultans... Logistic-wise, the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, the Cisterns and the Topkapi are all fairly close together and it's easy to work them into a tour...Make sure to tell your guide that you DO NOT want to waste any time with a rug sales presentation (high pressure, high prices--really not worth the time, save it for the real sights)... Also, you just won't get to see as much taking a ship-sponsored shore excursion--and you will likely pay MORE) Have fun... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIWP Posted October 5, 2009 #8 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Our Nautica cruise in 2006 started in Istanbul...Our Nautica cruise this most recent June/July ended in Istanbul...We spent three extra nights there each visit...and we still wish we had more time... So, I agree, you are leaving yourself short... Be that as it may, I understand not everyone can have that much time... When we visited in 2006, we used Ekol Tours to provide a guide and city tour to Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Grand Bazaar, et al...Then, on a second day, we did the half-day Bosporus cruise and visit to the Spice Market...We also did a night at the Orient House for the Dinner and Show...Our first day, we were so tired, we just lounged around our hotel--exhausted from the long airline flights and time zone changes... This past visit, we toured with another couple with Nejat for one day to the Cisterns, the Spice Market, the Chora Church and a different city tour...We again visited the Orient House for the Dinner/Show...The next day, we did a tour of the Dolambache Palace (including a bus tour over to the Asian side)--there's a kiosk across from the Hagia Sophia where they sell bus tours and HOHO bus tours--did it through them...The third day, we visited the Blue Mosque, the Tomb of the Sultans, the Grand Bazaar and other sites on our own--by that time we felt fairly comfortable just enjoying the town on our own... Here is what I would do if I was you: Contact a good tour provider (I would recommend Ekol here--their rates are fairly good, even for a tour for only two) and let them no your time limitations...They will be able to know what can be fit in, what will be open, etc. You really should make sure to include the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque...The Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar are great, especially if you want to get a little shopping in...The Topkapi Palace is pretty fascinating...the Dolambache is more modern--the last palace of the Ottoman Sultans... Logistic-wise, the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, the Cisterns and the Topkapi are all fairly close together and it's easy to work them into a tour...Make sure to tell your guide that you DO NOT want to waste any time with a rug sales presentation (high pressure, high prices--really not worth the time, save it for the real sights)... Also, you just won't get to see as much taking a ship-sponsored shore excursion--and you will likely pay MORE) Have fun... Having often been to Istanbul, I totally agree with what has been said. Get in several days early and explore. In addition to guided tours, do not be afraid to walk and go out on your own once you've oriented yourself. It is an amazing city and the people are very friendly, open and welcoming. The city at night is most special and you will have a totally different view when seeing the lighted monuments. Enjoy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare YoPhilly Posted October 6, 2009 #9 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Our first port on our upcoming cruise is Istanbul, where we will only have the morning and early afternoon before departure. Does anyone have advice on the best way to utilize our limited amount of time? We are trying to decide if we should take one of O's tours or do another option. We will be there on a Sunday, so the Spice Market will be closed. Thanks! We were in the same situation two years ago - one short day in Istanbul. I suggest you take a ship's tour, and get back to the ship on time. Then, after you've fallen in love with Istanbul, you can take another cruise that either begins or ends there and spend an extra couple of days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Wren Posted October 14, 2009 #10 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Our first port on our upcoming cruise is Istanbul, where we will only have the morning and early afternoon before departure. Does anyone have advice on the best way to utilize our limited amount of time? We are trying to decide if we should take one of O's tours or do another option. We will be there on a Sunday, so the Spice Market will be closed. Thanks! Hire a private guide that knows his/her stuff! That is what we did, and not to mention driving in the traffic and getting you into all the right places. I found our guide right here on this website, but had to book well in advance, as they are very popular, but Very good at what they do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friscorays Posted October 14, 2009 #11 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Another thumbs up for Ekol. They are easy to book online, reasonably priced and allow you to tailor your own personal itinerary. There are many other private guides which can be found in the Europe section. In addition to Ekol, we have used Kagan Kosagen in the past and also enjoyed the day with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie21 Posted October 19, 2009 #12 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I agree about Ekol. I used them in Kusadasi (Ephesus) and they were great. I also agree that you have severly limited yourself and should add more time in Istanbul if at all possible. In addition, given your limited time I recommend you buy Rick Steves Istanbul book and use it to inform yourself about the things to see and make some priorities. This is the best single source of info I have found. The Haga Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Cisterns are all within a few blocks of each other as is the wonderful National Museum. Once you are in the neighborhood there is no problem getting around; just the problem of time to see all of this stuff. Enjoy, Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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