Istanbul

Best and worst sights, experiences and destinations:

Best: New District Walk
Why: I liked seeing modern Istanbul --- cheering soccer fans dressed in team colors making lots of noise, salesmen dressed as perfume bottles working the crowds, families shopping, and all the fun sights to find on the walk.

Gail Gerdemann in Albany, OR USA 06/26/2008

Best: Hagia Sophia
Why: Amazing history, beautiful mosaics and just overwhelmingly beautiful. Best to go very early to avoid the crowds.

Amy Sinclair in Novato, CA USA 06/05/2008

Best: Blue Mosque
Why: The book described every thing perfectly.

Worst: Open Top Bus Tour
Why: What a rip off. Two hours long, most of it spent in choking deisel fumes. Again I suspect the reviewers never took this tour. It should be removed from the book. We hardly saw anything we could not have seen from the tram.

John Dillon in New York, NY USA 05/27/2008

Worst: Rami and Balilci Sabahattin
Why: The book lists the main courses at 20-25 YTL. Instead, they really cost 27-28 YTL, AND there is a 15% "service charge" added (one must still tip), which brings the real price for the main courses to 31-32 YTL. The food was pretty good, but not cheap.

Balilci Sabahattin charges a 5 YTL per person "cover" charge. This charge is listed as the last item in the dessert menu, in exactly the same font as the desserts. If this isn't fraudulent, I don't know what is. Of course, the average person isn't going to notice this until the bill arrives, and even the bill was written in such a way to make it incomprehensible; I had to demand to have the bill explained to me line by line.

Tom Shiple in San Francisco, CA USA 04/29/2008

Best: Aya Sophia
Why: Amazing that this was built over 1500 years ago

Worst: Grand Bazaar
Why: Very touristy

Suzanne Lau in St Ismier, France 04/28/2008

Best: Chora Church
Why: Your tour absolutely made the experience.

Worst: Cisterns
Why: You gave it a high rating but it absolutely wasn't worth 10 YTL.

Karen Muncaster in Westford, MA USA 01/07/2008

Worst: The so-called Hop On-Hop Off Tour.
Why: This is probably the biggest rip-off and most misrepresented item I have ever experienced in a Rick Steves' Tour book. Essentially it takes you from Dolmabahce or nearby Taksim Square to St. Sophia and back in the most round about way, through terrible traffic congestion where you get to sit exposed to unremitting engine exhaust. You get to see nothing except the old city wall which most everyone sees coming in from the airport. For 35YTL a piece the day we used it, no other stops were made and the promised hourly departure from St. Sophia did not occur. It appeared that they were waiting to fill up the bus, and they would not refund any of our money.

The Tram gets you to and from the same spots cleanly, inexpensively,and quickly.

mm gillen in potomac, md USA 12/09/2007

Best: Self-guided tours and walks.
Why: I’ve been to Turkey six times (once as a high school exchange student), yet this book brought fresh perspectives and deeper insights than ever before, thanks to Rick Steves and his native Istanbul co-authors, Lale Surmen Aran and Tan Aran. In my 8-day October 2007 trip, this book helped me maximize my time, appreciate what I was seeing without overwhelming me, and guided me through the maze of choices that a city of 15 million can offer. Hands-down, this is the most practical, insightful book on Istanbul I’ve used.

Helen Holter in Seattle , WA USA 11/01/2007

Best: Hagia Sophia
Why: I was the first visitor in the museum when it opened and had the place to myself for a few minutes before the tour groups descended -- profoundly holy experience.

Worst: Cicek Pasaji on Istiklal Cad.
Why: Nothing much to see when I was there except dinner tables. However, I do appreciate its historical significance. The adjacent Balik Pazari was much more fun and interesting!

Helen Holter in Seattle, WA USA 11/01/2007

Best: Walking tours about Istanbul
Why: Insights provided by authors, was like having a private tour guide. We were in Istanbul for 6 days,Sept 27-Oct 3,2007,ending 2 weeks self touring Turkey. The Ramadan scene was especially interesting to us. Much different than experiencing it in an Arab country.

Annette Bannon in Gig Harbor, WA USA 10/11/2007

Best: Topkapi Palace
Why: Lots of history, Ottoman 'crown jewels' that remind me of those in The Tower of London. This deserves a 3 rating in the guidebook instead of the current 2 triangles.

Dale in Fairfield, Oh USA 07/17/2007

Best: Hagia Sofia, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul Archaeology Museum
Why: I found the book's self-guided tours of these places to be excellent. They really enhanced our enjoyment of the sites, providing interesting tidbits we wouldn't have been aware of otherwise. Very helpful, considering on the day we went, there was no guided tour offered to the Topkapi Palace Harem.

Worst: Istiklal Street
Why: I was confused as to why this was rated a 3-triangle site. I thought it was overly crowded and boring. You can find a better, more atmospheric shopping street just about anywhere in Europe.

MP in Landstuhl, Germany 07/08/2007