Istanbul....Where East Meets West

A beautiful interior ceiling at Istanbul's Bazaar.

Majestic tiles fill the interior of the Rustem Pasha Mosque.

Mosques are a major part of Istanbul's skyline.

The Galata Bridge 

Istanbul is one of Europe's largest cities with 13 million people and it is the gateway to Asia.  In fact, when the Bosphorus Bridge was built in 1973, it was the first suspension bridge to span two continents.  Istanbul is a blend of its layers of Nyzantine and Turkish civilizations and cultures and is often times called "Istancool" because of its hip culture.

Between the fact that Turkey's gas prices are some of the highest in the world and that traffic flows at a slow crawl, your cab fare is sure to be expensive.  When you can, plan your way around Istanbul on foot.  That means "pre-travel planning" is a must!  First of all, Istanbul is a sprawling collection of small villages all meshed into one.  You should plan on giving Istanbul at least five days of your time and you still will not have covered it all.  And, just like I advise when going to New York, plan your activities each day that are located in close proximity of each other.  You will save yourself time and money by focusing on an area for each day.  

Food is excellent throughout Turkey and Istanbul is no exception.  You can experience good food at almost every side street cafe.  Turkish food is really delicious but if you are yearning for pizza or pasta you will need to find a restaurant located near the tourist areas located near the mosques and markets.  Bakeries sell quick and inexpensive snacks such as spinach or meat baked into bread.  Open-air Turkish tea houses on the Bosphorus are a great way to experience Istanbul.

A great website I have found for scouting restaurants is at www.istanbuleats.com.  Below these three photos are a list of some of the ones I think are great, but there are many others listed on this website that are worth taking into consideration!

Stalls at the Bazaar.

Ceramic stall at the Bazaar.

Dried fruits at the Spice Market.

Ciya ( a cluster of 3 small restaurants a the fish market on the Asian side of the city specializing in
regional peasant cooking like no other restaurant in Istanbul.  Makes 50 types of meat kebabs.)
Karakoy Lokantasi (an elegant, family-owned eatery located in the wharf district near the Galata Bridge, Karakoy)

Kantin Lakanta (great place for lunch with incredible blackboard specials each day)

Abracadabra (waterside seafood eatery in a wooden mansion, Arnavutkoy)

360 Istanbul (one of the hottest restaurants in town with sleek interior and floor to ceiling windows serving modern fusion food)

Dukkan (a steakhouse specializing in dry-aged steaks and house-made sausages.  The meats are sold at the butcher shop two doors from Dukkan plus they supply veal and sausage to many of the finest restaurants in Istanbul.)

Beyti (this roast meat mecca serves great dinner debabs in Florya by the airport)

Sade Kahve (a cafe on the banks of the  Bosphorus specializing in buttery egg casseroles)

Cafe Nar (a breakfast eatery on the banks of the Bosphorus selling terrific fruit salads)

Munferit (Istanbul's hippest modern rooftop bar.)

If you are interested in visiting the historic part of Istanbul (all of the things that usually show up on postcards of Istanbul), you should plan on staying at a hotel in the Sultanahmet area.  Most of the interesting mosques are in the Sultanahmet.  Just know that unless you plan to photograph the tourist attractions by 6:00a.m. there will be hoards of people in all of your photos blocking parts of the structures.  The world's oldest shopping mall, the  Grand Bazaar, is also in this area.  Word of warning about the Bazaar, it makes for great photos, but prices are high.  In the thousands of stalls you will find everything from fine jewelry to everything else you can imagine.  And take note not to ever purchase a carpet where a tour guide takes you.  Those stalls are sometimes 40% higher than what you would pay at another stall.  From the Bazaar, walk over to Spice Market which offers more types of dried fruit and spice than you've ever seen in one location.  It is visually beautiful looking at the mounds of colored spices.

Another "don't" to take note of is that you don't want to bathe in a Turkish bath.  These days the quality of the baths has been overlooked and only the unfortunate and the uninformed dare to bathe there.

The most interesting mosques are in Sultanahmet.  Make an effort to find Rustem Pasa which is up some stairs from a nest of some market alleys.  It is famous for its ceramic tiles.  It is also near the Bazaar.  The Blue Mosque is at Sultanahmet Square.  It was commissioned in the 1600's by Ahmed I, and it is famous for its blue Iznik tiles, its six minarets and its cascade of domes.  You will find photos of Blue Mosque on just about every postcard of Istanbul.  Within walking distance from the Blue Mosque is Hagia Sophia at Aya Sofya Square.  It is 1,400 years old.  It was converted from a 6th century Christian Church to an Ottoman Mosque in the 15th century.  It is one of the world's most important religious buildings.

The ornate 15th residence of Mehmed II called the Topkapi Palace is a must see.  The harem is a maze of rooms devoted to wives and concubines.  And the treasury is full of jewelry-encrusted chain mail, daggers, canopies and an 86-carot diamond.  It is located at Gulhane Park near Sultanahmet Park.

You will enjoy seeing the Dolmabahce Palace but you can skip a tour of the less-than-impressive inside of the Palace.  In the 19th century the Sultans built this European-style house that sits on the Bohorus.  

Listen to chamber music accompanied by the sound of dripping water at the underground Byzantine water tank called Basilica Cistern.  It's accessible via staircase leading underground from a kiosk with subterranean walkways and columns that are surrounded by water.

To see how the Turks of today, especially the wealthy turks, hang out around the banks of the Bosphorus.  In fact starting your day off with breakfast waterside by the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, then trail along the Bosphorus visiting the Rumeli Hisari Fortress and Ortakoy Mosque.  You will stay entertained by the variety of the shops, cafes, pastel-colored houses, tea houses, market stalls, yachts and fishing boats along the banks.  At the end of the day capture the beauty of the changing colors on the Bosphorus Bridge by its dramatic lighting scheme.  

Suada Club is another fun way to spend a day in Istanbul.  It is a refitted barge that feels like a private island with 7 restaurants, a nightclub and an Olympic-sized seawater pool.  It is located at the port at Kurucesme Park.

One of the best and inexpensive ways to view Istanbul is by ferry.  After all, Istanbul was built up along the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn, the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea.  Take a ferry ride from Eminonu.  Any ferry will do, but it is a great way to see Istanbul's beauty.

Another great thing to do on a ferry is take ride the ferry across the Marmara Sea to the Princes' Islands off Istanbul's Asian Shore.  It's a great day trip enjoying the beautiful landscapes and beaches on bike or by a horse-drawn carriage. 

Another way to enjoy an ariel view of Istanbul is take the elevator up to the top of the Galata Tower's observation level.  The tower is just south of Beyoglu-proper in the Galata neighborhood and stays open until midnight, but the views around sunset offer the most stunning views.  You will get excellent views of Istanbul's Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sultanahmet area.

Finding a great hotel only enhances the Turkish experience.  Here is a list of places to check out:

Ciragan Palace Kempinski

www.kempinski-istanbul.com

A former palace with lush gardens enjoys incredible views across the Bosphorus to Asia.

W Hotel Istanbul

www.wistanbul.com.tr

a modern centerpiece amongst domes and minarets in the historic Akaretler Row Houses

Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul
www.swissotel.com

An elegant Leading Hotels of the World member situated on 65 acres on the banks of the Bosphorus overlooking the Dolmabahce Palace with panoramic views over the Asiatic coast

Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul
www.ritzcarlton.com

Located in the prestigious Dolmabahce area overlooking the Bosphorus in the heart of Istanbul

Hotel Les Ottomans
www.lesottomans.com

Renovated and classically designed from a former private mansion on one of the most beautiful stretches of the Bosphorus.

Ceylon Inter-Continental Istanbul
www.istanbul.intercontinental.com
Five star ambiance and a rooftop bar enjoys beautiful view of the Bosphorus

Niles Hotel Istanbul
www.hotelniles.com
A very charming family-owned boutique located close to Istanbul's main attractions in the Old City.

House Hotel

www.thehousehotel.com

On the Bosphorus and mixes pre-Republic architecture with Autobahns mid-century-esque furnishings

Four Seasons Hotel
www.fourseasons.com/istanbul
Renovated from a century-old neoclassic Turkish prison in the Sultanahmet neighborhood has provided a unique and exceptional decor in each of its 65 rooms in the heart of the city