ISTANBUL

Whilst sitting on a rooftop and looking through the large mosques, listening to the prayers echoing in the air and the buzz from the streets. That is the chaotic city of Istanbul, the magical place where East and West meet.

There are things that you may already know about Istanbul. Such as that it is not the capital of Turkey, or that it was once called Byzantium and then Constantinople. Nowadays, Istanbul is centred around Sultanahmet, home to three major sights – Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque. Istanbul has both Asian and Western influences and it is mesmerizing to see the variety of cultural impacts. Read more to see what you can do, see and go around Istanbul.

Things to do and see

1. Hagia SophiaHagia Sophia once was a large Orthodox church, then the building served as an Ottoman imperial mosque and now it is open as a museum for visitors to come in and explore the variety of religions that has been passed in this large building. It is famous for its large dome in the middle that has been demolished by earthquakes back in time.  2. Topkapi PalaceTopkapi Palace is a large area with museums and gardens for visitors to come in and explore the Ottoman sultan’s habits, living style and culture. In the 15th century, it served as the main residence and administrative headquarter for Ottoman sultans. The diverse rooms, the interior design and the beautiful gardens are very impressive and worth strolling around for hours.  3. Blue MosqueThe Blue Mosque, or so-called Sultan Ahmed Mosque is located just opposite Haga Sophia. It is one of the main sights and an icon of Istanbul city. This mosque continues to function as a mosque today. Therefore, dress appropriately and respect the praying times. In fact, the mosque is closed during the praying times, so check before when visiting. There is also a small booth nearby where they can lend you long scarves to cover yourself. However, if you are around the praying time, it is magical to stay at the background and hear the prayers speaking up on a microphone from one mosque to another. In particular, from Blue Mosque to Hagia Sophia. 4. Galata Bridge Cross the Galata Bridge and you will find yourself in a vibrant area full of shops, boutiques and restaurants. The Galata bridge spends the Goldern Horn in Istanbul. What is interesting about it, is not only the views from the riverside but also that many fishermen are fishing from the bridge. You would never see something like this elsewhere!                  

Galata Bridge

5. Basilica Cistern Located under the large public square, Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lies underneath. Built-in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. This large space is pretty impressive with large marble columns and a Medusa column base. 6. Grand BazaarAnother icon of Istanbul. Grand Bazaar is one of the largest and oldest covered market complexes in the world attracting many visitors daily. You will find all kinds of things. From souvenirs, gold, clothes, and antiques to carpets. There are places where you kind of bargain or they have fixed prices. The Bazaar have many exits and entries, so it is no surprise if you will get lost around here or if you will walk around the same place a couple of times. 7. Spice BazaarAfter Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar is another known undercover market complex. Here they are specialised in spices (no wonder the name, right?), teas, nuts, dried fruits, Turkish delights or souvenirs. It is significantly smaller compared to Grand Bazaar, it has approximately around 85 shops only.  8. Suleymaniye mosqueThe Sulemaniye mosque is an Ottoman imperial mosque and it is the second largest mosque in the city. Known for the best sights of Istanbul. The mosque is definitely less crowded than Blue Mosque, and equally beautiful. Again, bear in mind their praying times and dress code. 9. Galata towerIf you are looking for a place to get some great bird views over Istanbul, visit Galata tower located on the other side of Galata bridge. A medieval stone tower in the Galata/Karakoy quarter is the most striking landmark that dominates the skyline. 10. Taksim squareTaksim square is a major destination for people seeking for leisure, entertainment, restaurants and shopping. It is located in the modern part of Istanbul, and you will see the difference being around here and around Sultanhmet square. From Taksim Square, there is a long pedestrian shopping street at which you may notice a heritage tram line passing through. This tram goes from Taksim to Tunel and it is called a Nostalgia Tramway, as it operates on the same alignment where trams last ran in 1956. 

Suleymaniye mosque

Grand Bazaar

11. Dolmabahce PalaceLocated in the Besiktas district of Istanbul, Dolmabahace Palace served as the main administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire, where the last Ottoman Sultan reside here. Built-in the 19th century and it is a glorious palace influenced by neo-classical and Ottoman architecture. Part of this palace, there is also a National Palace Painting Museum which you may visit.  12. Ortakoy Mosque Located in Besiktas district, a bit further than other monuments and tourist sights are, but this Ortakoy Mosque is built baroque-style, by one of the architects who worked on Dolmabahce Palace. The modern Bosphorus Bridge is just around the corner, making it great for a photo spot and for the ideology of “old meets new”.13. Watch the whirling dervishes performanceWhen looking for activities, try to book to go to see Sufi whirling. You may find on internet plenty of facts and things you wouldn’t know about Sufi. But in short, this whirling dance is practised by the Sufi Dervishes and acts as a meditation practice. Listening to music, focusing on God and spinning the body in a repetitive circle, which is a symbol of planets in the Solar System orbiting the sun.  14. Try out traditional Turkish bathTurkish bat is a type of public bathing associated with the Ottoman Empire culture and widely present in the Islamic world. The process is something like in ancient Greek and Roman bathing practices. Where you go from hot rooms to hot rooms, before you were yourself in cold weather and undertake massages for relaxation.  15. Immerse into Turkish style through Turkish tea, Turkish coffee sipping and hookah bars 16. Cross to the Asian side of Istanbul and discover extra dimension to a visitIf you have more time, try to explore and compare the differences in both European and Asian side of Istanbul. 

Haga Sophia

Food & drink

Istanbul is full of spices and delicious food. Turkish cuisine is the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, heavily influenced by Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Balkan cuisine and Eastern European cuisine. Thus you may find a lot of rich flavours and spices in Turkish food. Among all the food, traditional food of Turkey is Doner kebab or other types of kebabs, yapra sarma, kofte or baklava.  1. Cicek Pasaji (a historic passage once been a market, now full of diverse restaurants)2. Anadolu Nargrile Corlulu Ali Pasa Medresesi – Loved this local hookah bar with its nice decoration and a large variety of hookah flavours. If you don’t smoke shisha, you may just sit down for Turkish tea and coffee while getting immersed in great decoration around.3. Mimar Sinan Teras Cafe – Visit this large cafe teras to get the full panorama over Istanbul as well as sip some Turkish coffee or tea 4. Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi Selim Usta – If you are in the old town and hungry, stop by this place for some local, authentic and cheap meal. Suitable for lunches.5. Old Ottoman Cafe & Restaurant – Turkish restaurant6. Gren Carner Cafe – Located just next to Haga Sophia, this place offers both Turkish as well as international meals7. Brew Coffee Works – coffee shop8. Beso Restaurant Bistro – Turkish restaurant9. Balkon Restaurant & Bar – Turn up here for dinner or drinks and admire the sunset views from this rooftop place10. Sahne sk – This is a street very vibrant during evenings, stroll around this street to pick a great spot for dining

Where to stay?

During our stay, we stayed in two different hotels, one located in the old city and the second one nearby Taksim square. It was a great experience staying in two different places in Istanbul, especially was great to get around by foot. Booked my hotel through Booking.com (make sure to book it via my link to get a discount). However, if you prefer having your own space, check Airbnb  what they got. 

How to get around?

Istanbul old city is easy to walk around and I do encourage you to walk in order to not miss some great coffee or tea places or just to stroll around markets. However, there are also good links via tube, buses or trains around Istanbul. I would say that it is not the most convenient way to get public transport. However, to get to the airport, you may hop on a tube and it takes about an hour to go straight to the airport. Taxis are relatively cheap as well, but make sure not to get scammed! In order to get to the Asian and European sides, it is connected via rail tunnel or you may travel by ferry. Ferry trips are a great way to explore the city on the water as well as they will give you some great views of both sides of the city. 

Taksim Square and Nostalgia Tram

Skyline rooftop views

As seen on Instagram

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