Istanbul Guidebook
Best and worst sights, experiences and destinations:
Best: Haghia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Chora Church, Mosque of Süleyman
Why: Stunning architecture and art. These buildings alone are worth the trip.
Worst: City Walls walk
Why: The walls and walk are very interesting, but the neighborhood is not safe, and not advisable for solo travelers, even during daylight. For a colorful Roma/Gypsy neighborhood, the southern area of Sultanahmet just north of the sea wall is equally interesting, and much safer.
Heidi in Doha, Qatar 01/29/2012
Best: Chora Church and Ottoman Military Band
Why: The mosaics in Chora are incredible, are well preserved and well lighted. We took tram 1 and tram 4 to get there (8TL round trip) The military museum was great for historians like me. My wife couldn't believe the quality of the hour long show put on by the Ottoman Band. Very professionally done; included in entrance fee of 4TL. Sit back, shut your eyes, and you can feel the Ottoman horseman racing across the deserts.
Worst: Dolmabache Palace
Why: Overpriced at 40TL. The guides rushed us through with almost no comment. Since it was a slow day for visitors, I guess they wanted to get the tour over with as fast as possible. The interiors are ornate, but no time given to absorb the atmosphere. Bad!
George Braun in Manassas, VA USA 11/29/2011
Best: Aya Sofya and Sulimanye Mosque
Why: In a city with many marvelous experiences, these were the pinnacle of pinnacles.
Worst: Bosporus Cruise
Why: The cruise up the Bosporus was lovely. However, there is NOTHING to do in Anadolu Kavagi except eat lunch (we were hoping for a nicer town, not just a pit stop). Our fish lunch was fresh and delicious, but our waiter disappeared after the entree. The return trip was quite boring, and I was not the only looking exhausted. It made for a long and tiring day, only the first half of which was worthwhile. A shorter cruise would probably be nice, and recommendations for other, more interesting towns on the Asian side would be helpful.
Harold Chasen in Philadelphia, PA USA 10/11/2011
Best: Dolmabahçe Palace
Why: Breathtakingly beautiful, I thought it was better than most of the 3 star sights recommended by the guidebook.
Worst: Carpet sales people
Why: No thank you did not work, we were stalked, followed and constantly harassed. What finally worked was "I already have lots of carpets, I don't need any more."
Joe Mackenzie in Kenmore, wa USA 08/06/2011
Best: Hagia Sophia
Why: Stunningly beautiful.
Worst: City Wall Walk
Why: Unsafe, directions are poor, guidebook needs to be immediately revised for the safety of travelors.
Joe Mackenzie in Kenmore, WA USA 08/06/2011
Best: Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent and the little Hagia Sophia
Why: Beautiful and so peaceful, gave me a true appreciation for the difference between a church and a mosque in inspirational decoration.
Worst: Being constantly asked where we were from as an opener for rug sales.
Why: Just got a bit old. Luckily no one had heard of Maryland so we used that but of course eventually someone had lived in Baltimore and gave us a 20 minute spiel before getting to the rug. Being polite we listened. Our first rug salesman helped us cut the line at the Blue Mosque gave us a nice tour and then several cups of tea and a rug later we were released. That was fun but you only want to do that once!
Anna McHale in Kensington, Md USA 04/25/2011
Best: The cistern.
Why: Amazing architectural space, impressive strangely like Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
Joe Costantino in Sofia, bulgaria 04/10/2011
Worst: New City area
Why: Not too impressed with the New City area, though glad we saw it since it might be more representative. We felt that Asian Istanbul communities of Harem and Uskudar reflect the more authentic side of Istanbul.
Joan Barnes in Portland, OR USA 04/01/2011
Worst: Tarihi Subasi Restaurant, Istanbul
Why: PLEASE do not recommend this restaurant. We, too, fell for the "mixed plate" scam and ended up paying 88TL for a mediocre meal. This ploy is a blatant scam that continues to be perpetuated by having this restaurant recommended by your book. My consolation is that we were able to warn away another unsuspecting group before leaving.
Ali in Cabin John, MD USA 10/15/2010
Best: Private Bosphorus cruise
Why: The public ferry schedule is dramatically reduced after Sept. 21st. We took a private boat and although it only went to the second bridge, I used the "itinerary" from your book and was able to identify all the sights for not only me and my husband but the other passengers. We have used your information for the Grand Canal cruise in Venice and this was just as wonderful.
Pamela Welham in ANNANDALE, VA USA 09/29/2010
Best: hagia sophia
Why: wow
c armstrong in hilliard, OH USA 07/20/2010
Best: Legendary Istanbul: From Byzantion to Instanbul; 8000 Years of a Capital
Why: A special exhibit until Sept.4th. Sakip Sabanci Museum on the Bosphorus (beautiful setting). Take the Metro to Itu Ayazaga then 6TL taxi or one way cruise and taxi. Closed Mon., 10:00-18:00 except Wednesday until 22:00. Cost: 10TL, includes an audio guide. Well worth your time, selective collection, visually stimulating & informative for all ages.
Worst: the taxi cost
Why: Our taxi rides from Old Town to the Sheraton Atakoy hotel ranged from 10TL to 48TL. We joked every time we got into a taxi as to what the cost would be. The price quickly came down when challenged.
Dianne in Austin, TX USA 07/06/2010
Best: Topkapi Palace
Why: Not only did we spend four hours here marveling over all of the rooms/harem/artifacts, etc., but on our last afternoon, when we were incredibly tired, we laid down in the Fourth Courtyard and just had a very peaceful time pondering our trip. A close second was the Bosphorus Cruise - a MUST!
Worst: City Walls/Neighborhoods Walk
Why: We started the walk, but three different Turks told us that it was a very unsafe neighborhood and that we should turn around. We did, and ended up taking the very expensive cab ride back.
Clara in Cincinnati, OH USA 05/17/2010
Best: Hagia Sophia
Why: Absolutely the most beautiful building I have ever seen in my life. I actually made a trip to Istanbul just to experience this masterpiece of architecture a second time. Sadly, the building is overrun with "tour guides" trying to sucker you into signing on to their "exclusive" tours. But, hey, that's Istanbul.
Rhonda Higgins in Spokane, WA USA 12/31/2009
Best: Eating fish sandwiches by the Galata Bridge
Why: Tourists and locals alike seemed to be enjoying the mackerel sandwiches, which were simply delicious! It was an inexpensive treat, and so worth it!
Kelley Snead in Washington, DC USA 07/31/2009
Best: Bosphorus cruise
Why: It is a relaxing day when you just need a break from the hectic activity, carpet salesmen, and pick pockets on the streets of the old city. The yogurt from Kanlica is great, too - be sure to get it with the sugar.
Dale in Fairfield, OH USA 07/19/2009
Best: Cistern
Why: Bizaarely beautiful.
Worst: Trekking to Suleyman Mosque
Why: Closed for renovations--only one little room open to public now--renovations will keep the place closed for eons.
Jane Wolfarth in Salt Lake City, ut USA 06/21/2009
Best: Topaki Palace
Why: So much to see at the Palace, but the Archaeological Museum with things from BCE was the real highlight. Or maybe Chora Church Museum.
Worst: Mosque of Suleman the Magnificant
Why: So much was closed off for restoration, it was a let down after the effort to get there.
Jackie Farbeann in Columbus, OH USA 06/19/2009
Best: The Grand Bazaar / Spice Market
Why: Coming into Istanbul on a cruise ship was jaw-dropping spectacular. While the Grand Bazaar was a great experience, we couldn't handle the stimulous overload for long. We were fascinated by street vendors peeling cucumbers, sprinkling them with salt and handing to customers. The spice market was just so exotic. We could have spent so much more time there.
Worst: Mosque of Suleiman
Why: disappointed that the Mosque of Suleiman was closed for renovations...admittedly, we didn't have the most curren guidebook.
Marsha McCracken in Mill Creek, WA USA 06/17/2009
Best: The Spice Market
Why: I loved the atmosphere, the amazing spices, teas, nuts, and dried fruits. Even though it was smaller than the Grand Bazaar, it was so fun! Although, the Bosphorous Cruise, Istakhal Street Walking Tour, and so many other sites were amazing.
Worst: No such thing
Why: Everything was fantastic!
Sara Patterson in Atlanta, GA USA 06/15/2009
Best: The call to prayer
Why: We loved all the sounds of Istanbul, esp, the call to prayer. We walked around the Fatih neighborhood and the call to prayer was not a recording, but a man in a minuret.
Matti in Chicago, IL USA 04/12/2009