Help with Istanbul in 1.5 days

[louiseemma1000]

Hi

 

We are sailing on Celebrity Reflection and docking in istanbul on 08.08.2014 & leaving at 1pm on 09.08.2014.

 

We have come up with the following itineriary:

 

DAY 1

Hagia Sophia

Grand Bazaar

Spice Market

Stop for a break & drink at the Hotel Turkoman Roof Terrace

Bosphorus Cruise (1-2hrs)

Galata Tower

Back to the ship to watch the Bridge Light Show

 

DAY 2

Blue Mosque

Stroll through Byzantine Hippodrome

Return to the ship

 

Does this sound ok?

 

Any advice on the itineriary would be much appreciated

 

Thank You :)

[CintiPam]

With so short a time in port, I would skip the Bosphorus cruise and concentrate on the Sultanahmet sights. Topkapi Palace and Harem both are fascinating as well as the Basilica Cisterns.

 

I now see that you posted a duplicate thread with the same question which already has some great advice. With so little time, you may want to substitute the smaller Arasta Bazaar for the Grand Bazaar.

Edited May 12, 2014 by CintiPam

[24butterfly]

Hi

 

We are sailing on Celebrity Reflection and docking in istanbul on 08.08.2014 & leaving at 1pm on 09.08.2014.

 

We have come up with the following itineriary:

 

DAY 1

Hagia Sophia

Grand Bazaar

Spice Market

Stop for a break & drink at the Hotel Turkoman Roof Terrace

Bosphorus Cruise (1-2hrs)

Galata Tower

Back to the ship to watch the Bridge Light Show

 

DAY 2

Blue Mosque

Stroll through Byzantine Hippodrome

Return to the ship

 

Does this sound ok?

 

Any advice on the itineriary would be much appreciated

 

Thank You :)

 

 

 

I always suggest skipping the Grand Bazaar---it's a gi-normous Costco with thousands of little stores selling the same stuff. The Spice Bzr is really all you need. Also, since the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque are across from each other, I suggest doing those 2 in 1 day. You're really not going to spend much time in the BLue Mosque. Also, I highly recommed the Topkapi Palace and the Harem. If you do have time, the Cistern is right around the area of the Mosques, and really doesn't take all that much time to go through--maybe 30 minutes....

 

Also, for the .5 day: I highly recommend taking the ship tour of the Dolmabache Palace. We're DIY'rs and the tour was well worth it, as was the Palace. Difficult to get to on your own, and you really need a tour guide.

 

Why do you want to go to the Galata Tower?

 

Get a good guide book---I always recommend EyeWitness guides--they're great.

[CintiPam]

Get a good guide book---I always recommend EyeWitness guides--they're great.

 

Take a look also at the Rick Steves' Istanbul guidebook. Just check it out from your local library. He supplies great practical transportation information, walking tours and excellent sight tours of the Sultanahmet sights you will be visiting.

[24butterfly]

If you really want a Bosphorus Cruise, and you are on the Spice Bzr side, go to pier 2, Emionou---u can catch one of the local ferries that goes up the Bosphorus-- about 1-2 hours.....

[aquilegia]

I certainly wouldn't miss out Topkapi Palace or the Cisterns.

[TAC1582]

Agree on the Bazaar. It's an interesting experience, but unless you are a real shophaholic, expendable. Also, it is a but further out in the opposite direction from everything else. The Spice Market was interesting, but very crowded (wall to wall people), and not so large. I bought some Iranian Saffron and tea. Note that the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Cisterns, Topkopi, Hippodrome, and Turkomen Hotel are all right next to each other. There isn't much to see a the Hippodrome (unless I missed it). It's a nice park with a couple of very old obelisks. The neighborhood around the Sultanahmed Tram stop is packed with restaurants if you want something other than the Turkoman Terrace. We did the 2 hr Bosphorus Cruise with Turyol. Their dock is just across the street from the Spice Market (use the underground pedestrian walkway), immediately west of the bridge. There's a tram stop (Eminonu) just east of the bridge.

[texancruzer]

Disagree here….. I enjoyed the Grand Bazaar both times I have been. I actually could have skipped Topkapi except for the treasure room :o and do not, I repeat do not miss the Bisilica Cistern….. especially since you will be there in August. It is nice and cool down there and a welcome respite from the heat.

 

The hippodrome is nothing more than an obelisk at this point and an easy one to scratch off the list….. at least in my opinion.

 

We are headed back next April/May and I can't wait. We love Istanbul.

[cruisemom42]

If you are at all interested in history, I would NOT skip the Hippodrome. It doesn't take very long to see what was once the living, breathing center of the Byzantine Empire. Certainly it's more than a pleasant park and a couple of obelisks!!

 

It is the "Circus Maximus" of Constantinople. This is where the people gathered to cheer on the chariot teams. And this is where the Emperor watched from a box in the Imperial Palace, which was right next door (the Blue Mosque is built on its ruins). Amazingly, the granite obelisk's base preserves a carving of the emperor and his family doing just this -- watching the races and handing out prizes. Still recognizable after these many centuries:

 

 

Here is where riots started that nearly destroyed the city (and caused Haghia Sophia to be rebuilt, appearing much as it does today).

 

Here is where the emperors flaunted their wealth and power, bringing back treasures from all around the Empire to impress the people, and placing them on the "spine" in the middle of the track -- at that time the most visible location in the world. The obelisk, obviously, came from Egypt. The strange, spiral column was a treasure looted from Delphi. It represents three entertwined serpents (serpents being favored by Apollo, the god worshipped at Delphi) and originally was topped by their three heads, which held a tripod. Up until the 1700s, the heads were still there, but now only one is known to still exist, in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum:

 

 

Here too is where the famous monumental bronze horses were displayed -- later stolen during the Crusades and taken to Venice where they can still be found in St. Marks. The crusaders also ripped the gold-plated bronze tiles off the large stone obelisk/column found at the south end. It's quite tragic reading, what these supposed "soldiers of the cross" did in looting this city -- which at the time was Christian. Many famous statues from antiquity were destroyed or carried off.

 

In short, HERE is where I can get a sense of ancient Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Empire, more than just about anywhere else in modern Istanbul (because so much of it is gone.....) The cisterns (of which the Basilica Cistern is the largest and most interesting) are very atmospheric but at the end of the day, they are just water storage tanks. The Great Palace Mosaics Museum is the only place you can glimpse a tiny bit of the Imperial Palace. But the Hippodrome was so much more.

 

I personally would choose seeing this place -- which was at the center of ancient Constantinople, when ancient Constantinople was at the center of the world -- over going shopping any day. But that's just me....

[TAC1582]

I didn't really mean to skip the Hippodrome. It's just that it doesn't take too much time. You basically have to walk down it anyway to get the Blue Mosque entrance. That and the park between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are a wonderful places to hang out. I have lots of pictures from these public parks. I also have those same pictures of the obelisk and the serpent head from the Museum. BTW, if you ever get to Ankara, I thought the archeological museum there was much better than the one in Istanbul, and I only got to see a small part of it as much of it was closed for renovations (this was one year ago).

[cruisemom42]

I didn't really mean to skip the Hippodrome. It's just that it doesn't take too much time. You basically have to walk down it anyway to get the Blue Mosque entrance. That and the park between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are a wonderful places to hang out. I have lots of pictures from these public parks. I also have those same pictures of the obelisk and the serpent head from the Museum. BTW, if you ever get to Ankara, I thought the archeological museum there was much better than the one in Istanbul, and I only got to see a small part of it as much of it was closed for renovations (this was one year ago).

 

I've been to Ankara, and the museum there is focused a lot more on very early civilizations and near-East civilizations (although it is quite nice). Since Greek and Roman history are more in my wheel-house -- as well as ancient Troy -- I found the Istanbul museum to have much more, and of higher quality, than the one in Ankara. :)

[texancruzer]

I guess I am more of a visual person…. the Hippodrome appears pretty much as a park as it is now to me…. not much of the original there…… what they could find is now in museums etc…. As a side note I was terribly disappointed in Circus Maximus in Rome too…..

 

but the Grand Bazaar, while providing shopping, also provides history - It has been the center of trade for Istanbul for centuries and has undergone many changes since its beginning.

 

I found the tidbit about the shoe section quite interesting; being that back in history there was law about shoes.

 

" Ottoman sumptuary laws prescribed yellow shoes for Muslims, blue for Greek Orthodox, black for Jews and red for Armenians "

 

NOW, I love buying shoes but I guess back in the day you didn't get much choice on what color you got to wear :eek:

 

Anyway, my point is that there is history in every nook and cranny of a place like Istanbul……

[cruisemom42]

I guess I am more of a visual person…. the Hippodrome appears pretty much as a park as it is now to me…. not much of the original there…… what they could find is now in museums etc…. As a side note I was terribly disappointed in Circus Maximus in Rome too…..

 

but the Grand Bazaar, while providing shopping, also provides history - It has been the center of trade for Istanbul for centuries and has undergone many changes since its beginning.

 

I found the tidbit about the shoe section quite interesting; being that back in history there was law about shoes.

 

" Ottoman sumptuary laws prescribed yellow shoes for Muslims, blue for Greek Orthodox, black for Jews and red for Armenians "

 

NOW, I love buying shoes but I guess back in the day you didn't get much choice on what color you got to wear :eek:

 

Anyway, my point is that there is history in every nook and cranny of a place like Istanbul……

 

Sure, there's history there. But for me, that's modern history (dating from Ottoman times). :D

 

In all seriousness though, there's a big difference between something that's 500 years old versus 2,000 years old. I don't expect there to be as much to see when something's that much older and has been in continuous use. Maybe that's where all my research prior to the trip helps. One can often find reconstructions and maps online that really help one to visualize how an ancient site would've looked.

[TAC1582]

...In all seriousness though, there's a big difference between something that's 500 years old versus 2,000 years old. I don't expect there to be as much to see when something's that much older and has been in continuous use. Maybe that's where all my research prior to the trip helps. One can often find reconstructions and maps online that really help one to visualize how an ancient site would've looked.

 

I recall sitting at a sidewalk cafe in a narrow alley in the Sultanahmet neighborhood for an afternoon break. Looking down the alley I had a clear view of the Hagia Sophia towering overhead and I just sat there thinking this has been one of the largest and most important buildings (and in continuous use) for 1500 years. Amazing. How many other structures can you say that about?

[cruisemom42]

I recall sitting at a sidewalk cafe in a narrow alley in the Sultanahmet neighborhood for an afternoon break. Looking down the alley I had a clear view of the Hagia Sophia towering overhead and I just sat there thinking this has been one of the largest and most important buildings (and in continuous use) for 1500 years. Amazing. How many other structures can you say that about?

 

I have to agree. Haghia Sophia is probably my second favorite ancient building in the world .... right behind the Pantheon, which is one of the few other examples I can think of that have also seen continuous use (without significant alteration). And is slightly older. :)

Edited May 26, 2014 by cruisemom42

[texancruzer]

I have to agree. Haghia Sophia is probably my second favorite ancient building in the world .... right behind the Pantheon, which is one of the few other examples I can think of that have also seen continuous use (without significant alteration). And is slightly older. :)

 

THIS I agree wholeheartedly with :D

 

I like all history…… perhaps if I zeroed in on a more specific time I could remember more…… but I guess my favorite part of history is how it affects us now…… the food, the culture, the customs etc……

 

Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.

George Orwell

[TAC1582]

I have to agree. Haghia Sophia is probably my second favorite ancient building in the world .... right behind the Pantheon, which is one of the few other examples I can think of that have also seen continuous use (without significant alteration). And is slightly older. :)

 

I've not been to Rome, but we have a cruise booked for next April that sails from Istanbul to Rome, via the Greek Islands, Sicily, and the Amalfi coast. Will definitely want to check out the Pantheon - still the largest cement dome in the world, I think. I've always been a fan of architecture and the Pantheon is certainly among the most important/influential/remarkable structures ever.

[afto]

Hi

 

We are sailing on Celebrity Reflection and docking in istanbul on 08.08.2014 & leaving at 1pm on 09.08.2014.

 

We have come up with the following itineriary:

 

DAY 1

Hagia Sophia

Grand Bazaar

Spice Market

Stop for a break & drink at the Hotel Turkoman Roof Terrace

Bosphorus Cruise (1-2hrs)

Galata Tower

Back to the ship to watch the Bridge Light Show

 

DAY 2

Blue Mosque

Stroll through Byzantine Hippodrome

Return to the ship

 

Does this sound ok?

 

Any advice on the itineriary would be much appreciated

 

Thank You :)

 

Another vote for skipping the Bosphorus Cruise - you won't see much more than you can already see from the ship. Basilica Cistern is a must - not too time-consuming and a unique and very cool site, right across the street from the Hagia Sophia. Spice market - small, you can't get lost, very photogenic with lots of bins full of colourful spices and teas; good place to shop for souvenirs to take home. All of these easily reached by the tram.

[Charles4515]

Spice market - small, you can't get lost, very photogenic with lots of bins full of colourful spices and teas; good place to shop for souvenirs to take home. All of these easily reached by the tram.

 

By the way if you go around to the back side of the Spice Market there is a very interesting pet market.

[24butterfly]

Take a look also at the Rick Steves' Istanbul guidebook. Just check it out from your local library. He supplies great practical transportation information, walking tours and excellent sight tours of the Sultanahmet sights you will be visiting.

 

I have taken a look at Rick Steves, that's why I like EyeWitness Guides. It's a matter of preference.

[Chairsin]

I personally like the small collection of shops next to the Blue mosque ( below and just east). There were more handmade items , fewer crowds and at one shop I bought a number of very high quality pashminas for a very good price. I do like to wander through the Spice market and just breathe in the aromas. The Grand Bazaar is a turn off to me ---all of the stalls seem to be selling the same cheap goods not made in Turkey and the crowds are overwhelming.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[texancruzer]

I personally like the small collection of shops next to the Blue mosque ( below and just east). There were more handmade items , fewer crowds and at one shop I bought a number of very high quality pashminas for a very good price. I do like to wander through the Spice market and just breathe in the aromas. The Grand Bazaar is a turn off to me ---all of the stalls seem to be selling the same cheap goods not made in Turkey and the crowds are overwhelming.

 

There are lots of stalls that fit this description……but there are also areas with so much more to offer. We stumbled upon the antique area by accident one time and I was truly fascinated. Store after store of dusty old interesting unique (sometimes weird) items…….I could have spent a whole day if I could have. The area where the goldsmiths are is pretty neat too…. artisans creating beautiful items by hand as they have done for centuries.

 

So I agree that the crowds can be overwhelming…..but keep going further into the bazaar and it becomes something VERY different. BTW: Rick Steves is the one who suggested this ;)

[cruisemom42]

I personally like the small collection of shops next to the Blue mosque ( below and just east). There were more handmade items , fewer crowds and at one shop I bought a number of very high quality pashminas for a very good price. I do like to wander through the Spice market and just breathe in the aromas. The Grand Bazaar is a turn off to me ---all of the stalls seem to be selling the same cheap goods not made in Turkey and the crowds are overwhelming.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

There are lots of stalls that fit this description……but there are also areas with so much more to offer. We stumbled upon the antique area by accident one time and I was truly fascinated. Store after store of dusty old interesting unique (sometimes weird) items…….I could have spent a whole day if I could have. The area where the goldsmiths are is pretty neat too…. artisans creating beautiful items by hand as they have done for centuries.

 

So I agree that the crowds can be overwhelming…..but keep going further into the bazaar and it becomes something VERY different. BTW: Rick Steves is the one who suggested this ;)

 

I have to agree with both of you. :D

 

I do like the Arasta Bazaar beside the Blue Mosque. Tex, if you haven't discovered this area yet, you really should get there if (when?) you get back to Istanbul. Really lovely, high quality things. If you ever wondered where designers get the one-of-a-kind items they use to decorate homes.... Or unusual jewelry....

 

However, I also agree that if you get well inside the Grand Bazaar you can find some areas that are less touristy and still offer some authentic handicrafts and hand-made items as well as antiques. I bought a lovely small antique worked silver box at one stall on one of my trips. (The experience ended up being one of those you don't forget -- the stories shared, the leisurely bargaining....;)). So even though I'm not a huge shopper, I enjoyed it.

 

Of course, I still stick by my statement that only if I have extra time left after seeing other items on my "wish list" do I generally do any shopping. But having spent a good number of days now in Istanbul, I've found a little time...!

Edited June 4, 2014 by cruisemom42

[texancruzer]

I have to agree with both of you. :D

 

I do like the Arasta Bazaar beside the Blue Mosque. Tex, if you haven't discovered this area yet, you really should get there if (when?) you get back to Istanbul. Really lovely, high quality things. If you ever wondered where designers get the one-of-a-kind items they use to decorate homes.... Or unusual jewelry....

 

However, I also agree that if you get well inside the Grand Bazaar you can find some areas that are less touristy and still offer some authentic handicrafts and hand-made items as well as antiques. I bought a lovely small antique worked silver box at one stall on one of my trips. (The experience ended up being one of those you don't forget -- the stories shared, the leisurely bargaining....;)). So even though I'm not a huge shopper, I enjoyed it.

 

Of course, I still stick by my statement that only if I have extra time left after seeing other items on my "wish list" do I generally do any shopping. But having spent a good number of days now in Istanbul, I've found a little time...!

 

 

AHA !!! I knew there was a "little" shopper in you Cynthia !!! :D The silver box sounds wonderful as I collect boxes…… and yes the actual process of purchasing an item is half the fun…… BTW: we visited the Arista Bazaar last visit as well as the Spice bazaar. We will be visiting again next April/May on another cruise - this time we are taking my son and his wife - I can't wait !