Istanbul

Guidebook corrections:

Please note: The following corrections were submitted by readers and have not yet been confirmed by Rick. Check updates from Rick for the latest.

Maybe I missed it, but I was surprised to see no mention of getting to or about getting to Ephesus. It's mentioned in the older DVD on Istanbul.

Wayne Watson in Nevada City, CA USA 08/09/2009

-We found that the major tourist attractions (Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace) took only Turkish lira. We had to get out of line and find an ATM.

-We were in town on a Sunday, and the Spice Market was open.

Kelley Snead in Washington, DC USA 07/31/2009

The Bogaz Iskelesi ferry is 20 TL round trip, not 17.50; it is 13 TL for one way, not 10. Tram and metro fare is 1.5 TL, not 1.4.

Dale in Fairfield, OH USA 07/19/2009

Public transport is now 150 lira.

Jane Wolfarth in Salt Lake City, ut USA 06/21/2009

Changa was a recommended restaurant we tried to go to, but it was closed for the summer when we got there. It may be helpful to recommend that folks check in to make sure they're open in your next edition.

[Editor's Note: We've noted in the 2010 edition that Changa is closed on Sundays and mid-June through mid-October.]

Sara Patterson in Atlanta, GA USA 06/15/2009

The bus back from Saryier off the Bosphorus Ferry tour back to Taxim is only the 25T, the 40 has been cancelled. Thr funicular token is no longer .90 but is the same as the Tram 1.40 The last ferry from kadikoy back to Istanbul was 8pm.

Bob in palm city, fl USA 05/12/2009

We were just in Istanbul on Easter Sunday and the Spice Market was definently open. The guidebook states it is closed on Sundays.

regina white in tampa, fl USA 05/08/2009

My wife and I rented an apartment and stayed a month. The 30-day Akbil was a great convenience, but it does not give you 200 rides for the TL 112 it costs. Instead, it runs out after 65 rides or so and can then be topped up with more money. Rides end up costing 10 percent less than the standard TL 1.40 fare; the real savings is in time and convenience.

David in Seattle, WA USA 05/04/2009

We were in Istanbul in early March 2009, and purchased the guidebook within days of its publication, so I was suprised at the number of errors in the book.

*A passpost photo is not required for the Akbil pass, and the pass is actually very handy if you are staying more than a day or two, esp. since you can share it with another person. Also, some of the buses do not take tokens and require an Akbil pass.

*The kitchens at the Topaki palace were closed.

*The Mosque and tomb of Suleyman the Magnificent were closed.

*The location for the Sunday Whirling Dervishes performance is not at the monastary but at the train station.

*The City Walls tour was great but the directions were quite confusing.

*The Ataturk cultural center is closed.

Matti in Chicago, IL USA 04/12/2009

Be a little more specific in your Topkapi Palace tour. Some of the directions to get you to the Treasury and to the jewels and then back to the Courtyard with the Circumcision Room, etc. are very unclear.

Shelby in Columbia, SC USA 04/08/2009

I love Rick Steves's books and use them whenever I go to Europe. I've never had a problem until I used his Istanbul book.

Overall its well done, but the City Walls Tour left me scratching my head. The walk ran through some really gritty areas, which are also very high traffic areas, and included a walk up a tower that was more like rock climbing than stairs. In addition, since there was no map provided and there are few street signs in Istanbul, we were never quite sure if we were where we were supposed to be.

My world traveller girlfriend understandably didn't want to climb the "stairs" to the tower, and had her arms crossed, her mouth closed, and her antenae up for the whole trip. I won't say it ruined our day, but it definitely was not an enjoyable excursion, and was otherwise a waste of time and money.

Plus, I may very well be wrong, but I think the ghost writer is wrong in stating that the historically significant Mese Street led to Edirnekapi Gate (i.e., the starting point; see p. 245). I've read several sources -- and even seen old maps -- which show Mese Street following what is now Divanyolu Avenue to the Golden Gate, which is at the present day Yedikule. If I'm right, that's not some minor error. It's like saying that the Appian Way was some place in modern Rome that is was not.

After visiting Yedikule, which includes the huge Seven Tower castle, the Golden Gate, etc., I wondered why in the world Rick led to me to the section of walls that he did rather than Yedikule. Yedikule can be reached easily and relatively inexpensively by cab from the airport (it cost us 17 Lira), and from Sultanahmet (that leg cost us 13 Lira), includes the Golden Gate, a castle (with dungeon), a modern park, and wall sections in far better shape than those in the area he recomends.

My recommendation: scrap the City Walls tour, and add an excursion to Yedikule.

Dave Harstad in Indianapolis, IN USA 03/23/2009

This is from a trip in Dec. 2008

The book is overly negative about the Akbil pass. It doesn't require a photo, and 2 people can easily share one. It's really more convenient than carrying jetons, and we had no trouble getting the deposit back.

The Haseki Sultan Bath was not open.

Koska Helva doesn't sell mixed helva any more (but their helva was quite good).

The Turyol Bosphorus cruise was only running once a day, and it follows the opposite bank than what was described in the book for the ferry trip.

Restaurants:

Yeni Akbiyik Caddesi wasn't recogizable from the description in the book. There are a few hostels left, but it's mostly been upgraded to mid-range, mid-priced hotels and restaurants. The bars were always empty when we passed.

Sultanahmet Koftecisi - nice scene, but the food wasn't anything special.

Buhara 93 was just OK - food was reasonably priced, but boring.

Balikci Sabahattin was a disappointment - just tourists, food was OK but very plain, somewhat overpriced, service was out of "Fawlty Towers".

David in San Francisco, CA USA 01/18/2009

The cost for each museum has doubled. Now it is at least 20 Turkish Lira for each entry fee.

Elaine Daniels in Sacraamento, CA USA 11/26/2008

1. We arrived for our visit to Istanbul on a large cruise ship, the Norwegian Jade, along with some 2400 other passengers. Most of us had arranged to stay extra days in the city, but the instructions in the guidebook were rather vague about where the cruise ships actually docked, and how to find transportation to the Sultanahmet. In the index, some information was listed under boats (confusing), but ours was definitely a cruise ship. 2. We arrived in November, and the Whirling Dervishes of Galata had taken a break for the next 4 months, so we weren't able to see them.

Carol Miller in Cypress, CA USA 11/20/2008

The tramway going through the Sultanamet district is so packed that I wouldn't normally recommend its use when carrying luggage heading for Ataturk airport. And I wouldn't transfer at Aksaray where the area is confusing. We did OK only because we caught the first tram at 06h00 and transferred at the end of the tramway, Zeytinburnu station.

Paul Kakazu in Walnut, CA USA 11/12/2008

pg 227 Chora Church is now 15 YTL pg. 140 Palace is now 20 YTL and hareem is 16 YTL pg. 124 hagia is now 15 YTL

Aron Kansal in Prague, CZ Czech Republic 10/30/2008

page 333/Glossary/Alem: it is not only a minaret top, but an ensign -also in the military- as one can see some in the Treasury of Topkapi Sarayi and in the Military Museum

Farago Eva in Szombathely, Hungary 10/22/2008

1. In octobre 2008, most museum entry fees already changed compered to 2008 edition: Hagia Sophia 20 YTL, Topkapi Palace 20 YTL, Harem 15 YTL, Chora Church 15 YTL, Archeological Museum 10 YTL. And jeton is 1,4 YTL. 2. page 81, description of the Egyptian obelisque, last paragraph, 2nd sentence: Instead of "The Byzantine base [...]. It stands on 4 bronze feet", the Byzantine base stands on 4 granite blocks. (It is the Egyptian obelisque what stands on bronze feet.) 3. page 128, plan of Hagia Sophia: the entrance and the exit are now (Octobre 2008) reversed. 4. page 319, transportation connections from the airport by public transport. Because between the subway stop Aksaray and the tram stop Yusufpasa, there are several houndred meters to walk, I prefered to change at Zeytinburnu, where tram terminus is next to subway station. Like this, it's faster too.

Farago Eva in Szombathely, Hungary 10/20/2008

The sidebar on p 28 is incorrect in stating that public transportation is "all covered by the same tokens and tickets". The tram requires one type of token at YTL1.40. The Nostalgic Tram on Istiklal Cd requires a ticket from a kiosk at YTL1 (or just pay the driver). The funicular Tunel subway requires another type of token at YTL0.90, while the funicular between Kabatash and Taksim requires yet another type of token at YTL1.40 (yes, it is different from the regular tram token). This is a bit confusing, it would have been so much easier if the sidebar really had been correct...

The entrance fee at Topkapuh Palace has increased 100%, the cost is now YTL20 per ticket. Further, there are three types of lines - one for tour guides, one for Turks and one for non-Turks. Maybe the Turks get in at a lower cost? If that is the case and you have a Turkish friend, let him buy the tickets for the palace...

Erlend Leganger in Tomter, Norway 10/18/2008

Under Know Before You Go on P. 7 - Information regarding validy of passport - "should be valid at least 6 months FOLLOWING THE ISSUANCE OF VISA - NOT..after the ticketed date of return. This information is for Canadian travellers but I don't believe it would be any different for US travellers. This information was issued by the Turkish Embassy in Canada and verified by an e-mail.

Birni Tkachuk in St. Albert, AB Canada 07/27/2008

Suggestions: 1. Women should avoid Blue Mosque restroom as it is the only place women can do their ablutions before entering mosque (men have free benches and faucets outside)...the wait is really long and when you get down there women are washing their feet in the sink, the floor is flooded, etc. It's a cross-cultural experience but not good if you're in a hurry to use the facilities. 2. Warn people not to take a cab from the ferry stop at Karakoy (we arrived on the overnight train from Ankara) to Sultanahmet District. Our hotel suggested a taxi for the short ride with luggage, but 3 cabbies turned us down when we showed them where we wanted to go and the fourth who took us chose a round about route (I checked on a map as we went) AND abandoned us 10 blocks from our hotel in a traffic jam. When we arrived at the hotel, they told us taxi drivers don't like to take tourists to this area because the fare will be too small for the amount of time (taxi drivers are paid by distance not time and Sultanahmet is congested area). Instead give good directions for finding the tram stop (we couldn't see it from where the ferry exits) and expect a hike to your hotel.

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

The Istanbul guidebook suggests riding the metro from the airport to Aksaray and changing to the tram. Unfortunately, the metro and tram are not connected at Aksaray. The walk between the two is not well marked and involves an underpass and an overpass. The transfer is hard with luggage.

A better alternative is to change from the metro to the tram at Zeytinburnu. The metro and the tram are both within one station and there is an elevator and ramps. This makes it much easier to transfer with luggage.

Lawrence in Washington, DC USA 06/03/2008

Yes, one cannnot make the right turn described in the book, for the walking tour, at the Haga Sofia. It is roped off.

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

I just came back from a great trip to Istanbul. Unfortunately, the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent is closed for renovations. I'm not sure when it closed, but was told it will be 2 years before it is open. it was very disappointing ti discover. Otherwise, everything was great!

Jill Vaniman in Heidelberg, Germany 04/15/2008

The Chora Church was truly magnificent, but the gift/book store there only takes Turkish money and no credit cards.

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