Istanbul advice

[ccrella]

Any hotel recommendations (4 star OK or 5 star within reason)? Our April Crystal cruise ends there and we have one extra day.

 

Any guide recommendations?

 

Any other tips?

We are two women travelers - I am told safety is fine - just watch it at bazaars and of course be appropriately covered.

[cruisemom42]

If you want to stay in the old town area (Sultanahmet) where most of the tourist sites are located, I can highly recommend the Four Seasons Sultanahmet, which is in a converted Ottoman building. It consistently gets rave reviews and it is very well located:

 

http://www.fourseasons.com/istanbul/

 

If you're looking for more of a boutique hotel experience, the Hotel Sari Konak is also very good and always gets great reviews. Obviously not at the level of the Four Seasons, but it does give a bit more of a "real" Turkish experience and the service is excellent. It is also well located, although slightly less central than the Four Seasons.

 

http://www.istanbulhotelsarikonak.com/

 

 

P.S. I love Istanbul and have stayed there and wandered about on my own as a woman several times with no problems whatsoever.

Edited September 29, 2013 by cruisemom42

[clmom]

Any hotel recommendations (4 star OK or 5 star within reason)? Our April Crystal cruise ends there and we have one extra day.

 

Any guide recommendations?

 

Any other tips?

We are two women travelers - I am told safety is fine - just watch it at bazaars and of course be appropriately covered.

We were on a recent (Sept2013) cruise with port stops in Kusadasi and Istanbul. We used Ephesus Shuttle for our tour needs. They were very efficient and flexible and the prices were great. There is so much to see in Istanbul. I highly recommend taking a guided tour for one of your days. We were able to bypass long lines as our guide had already purchased the entrance tickets. We learned so much about the history, culture, religion of Turkey from a native.

joan

[Jayayeff]

Any hotel recommendations (4 star OK or 5 star within reason)? Our April Crystal cruise ends there and we have one extra day.

 

Any guide recommendations?

 

Any other tips?

We are two women travelers - I am told safety is fine - just watch it at bazaars and of course be appropriately covered.

 

I have been to Istanbul several times in the past few years. On my first visit I stayed at the Intercontinental but found it to be out of the way with regard to all the tourist sites, etc., and the established chain hotels can be horrendously expensive.. Now whenever I go (was there in late July and will be there again in a couple of weeks) I always book one of the boutique hotels in Sultanahmet. I have stayed at the Amira hotel twice and the Neorion hotel once, both are excellent, very comfiortable, superb service with very helpful staff and are very safe for a solo female traveller... I have never used a guide, if you stay in the old city it is very easy to get around to all the major sites and you can get all the info you need from audio guides or guide books...or from the front desk staff at the boutique hotels as most give their guests an orientation talk complete with free map, etc. upon arrival.... You can also buy tickets for many of the sites/museums, etc. online ahead of time to avoid lines....

 

Anne

Edited October 1, 2013 by Jayayeff

[Jhdh]

I have been to Istanbul several times in the past few years. On my first visit I stayed at the Intercontinental but found it to be out of the way with regard to all the tourist sites, etc., and the established chain hotels can be horrendously expensive.. Now whenever I go (was there in late July and will be there again in a couple of weeks) I always book one of the boutique hotels in Sultanahmet. I have stayed at the Amira hotel twice and the Neorion hotel once, both are excellent, very comfiortable, superb service with very helpful staff and are very safe for a solo female traveller... I have never used a guide, if you stay in the old city it is very easy to get around to all the major sites and you can get all the info you need from audio guides or guide books...or from the front desk staff at the boutique hotels as most give their guests an orientation talk complete with free map, etc. upon arrival.... You can also buy tickets for many of the sites/museums, etc. online ahead of time to avoid lines....

 

 

 

 

Anne

 

We are overnight in Istanbul. Can you recommend a non-touristy restaurant for mezes not far from port?

 

Thanks,

Pam

[ccrella]

Thank you all, very helpful. A lot of others had recommended the 4 seasons, which I'm sure must be very nice - but it's good to have some other options.

[CarolinaMamma]

We just booked with Melitour, recommended by Rick Steves. Have not taken the tour yet but they have been lovely to work with and very thorough and professional. The information they have sent us has been the most complete I have ever received from a guide or tour company, including exact instructions on where to meet and photos of our guides for Eohesus and Istanbul. Price is reasonable, too.

[4774Papa]

Any hotel recommendations (4 star OK or 5 star within reason)? Our April Crystal cruise ends there and we have one extra day.

 

Any guide recommendations?

 

Any other tips?

We are two women travelers - I am told safety is fine - just watch it at bazaars and of course be appropriately covered.

I highly recommend the Hotel Lausos. It is located minutes walk from the Hippodrome and Blue Mosque.

Prices are great, people friendly, great free breakfast and they pick you up at the airport free.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293974-d1724276-Reviews-Lausos_Hotel-Istanbul.html

Room are small, but who stays in the room much while in Istanbul.

[theojay]

We just came back from Mediterrean cruise & spent a day in Istanbul. We used Daily Istanbul Tours. It's a small company and the owner Soner was great. He speaks good English, his knowledge of everything we saw was amazing and we didn't wait in long lines for anything. I would highly recommend Soner for Istanbul.

[centerlinefl]

We just came back from Mediterrean cruise & spent a day in Istanbul. We used Daily Istanbul Tours. It's a small company and the owner Soner was great. He speaks good English, his knowledge of everything we saw was amazing and we didn't wait in long lines for anything. I would highly recommend Soner for Istanbul.

 

I just contacted Soner about doing a tour - anything I should know before booking with him? He quoted me 80euros for 6-8 people for a full day inclusive tour. I like the small size of the group - Includes Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, grand Bazaar, and Topkapi Palace. Any suggestions on anything else? Thanks for any help!

[Julessmiles]

I just contacted Soner about doing a tour - anything I should know before booking with him? He quoted me 80euros for 6-8 people for a full day inclusive tour. I like the small size of the group - Includes Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, grand Bazaar, and Topkapi Palace. Any suggestions on anything else? Thanks for any help!

 

 

Not sure you would be able to do it all in a day but worth going up the Galata Tower & also the Sulieymane Mosque - it is quieter and we felt more beautiful than the Blue Mosque.

[centerlinefl]

thanks! can always ask the tour company and see what they say!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Not sure you would be able to do it all in a day but worth going up the Galata Tower & also the Sulieymane Mosque - it is quieter and we felt more beautiful than the Blue Mosque.

 

I will second that the Suleymaniye mosque is outstanding, and a lot less touristy. I presume it's now re-opened? I know it was closed for renovations some time back.

 

Also the Kariya or Chora museum. It's a Byzantine church, now a museum. It has outstanding mosaics and frescoes. A bit out of the way--we got there via the HoHo bus, but very worthwhile.