Istanbul: Turkish Delights

Bosphorus Cruise

For a relaxing day-long cruise on the Bosphorus Strait, catch a ride on a public ferry, which leaves each morning year-round (with additional departures in peak season), and takes about 5.5–7 hours, including a 2–3-hour stop at an Asian fishing village that makes a good spot for lunch. Weekdays are best — the ferry can be miserably crowded on weekends, especially from late spring through early fall. Consider hopping off the boat at Sarıyer to visit Rumeli Fortress on your way back into town.

Galata Fish Boats 

Enterprising fishermen historically tied up just inside the Galata Bridge and dished up fish sandwiches literally right off the boat. Now, with stools and tables spilling onto the sidewalk, this line of four boats has evolved into simple and identical self-serve restaurants. Fish restaurants on the Galata bridge offer the same prices with fine views...but lesser-quality fish.

Grand Bazaar

The world's oldest shopping mall is a maze of shops and pushy merchants — a unique Istanbul experience that shouldn't be missed, even if you're not a shopper. Sprawling over a huge area in the historic city center, Kapalı Çarşı (“Covered Market”) was a bustling market during Byzantine times, and grew even larger when the Ottomans arrived. Anchored by traditional bedestens (commercial complexes of related shops and workshops), over time the diverse merchant shops were connected and roofed into a single market hall. At its prime, the Grand Bazaar was the center for trade for the entire Ottoman Empire, guarded by a hundred soldiers like a fortified castle.

Ayhan Usta

In a courtyard just outside the Grand Bazaar's Mercan Gate is the shop of goldsmith Ayhan Usta, who belongs to a dying breed of craftsmen, as most gold-working is now done in large factories outside the city. Ayhan speaks only Turkish, but if you peek into his shop, he may wave you in. Sometimes cautious at first, Ayhan enjoys showing travelers how he melts cast-off gold shavings down for reuse. You need not pay or tip him in return — he simply likes to share his craft with curious travelers. Stay safely away from the fire (burning at 2,200°F) — especially when he tosses in some white powder to increase the temperature as he melts the gold. 

Mosque of Süleyman the Magnificent

Note that locals only know this mosque by its Turkish name: Süleymaniye, which applies not just to the mosque, but also to the huge network of related buildings that nestle around it on a hilltop overlooking the city. Within this complex are the ornate mausoleums of Süleyman and his wife, Roxelana, as well as a former madrassa. The mosque has been renovated in recent years, and today is almost as clean and shiny as it was the day it opened.

Foundation of Universal Lovers of Mevlana (EMAV)

Foundation of Universal Lovers of Mevlana gathers on Thursdays, and on the last week of the month, the ritual master is a woman. They wear colored dresses resembling rose gardens described in Mevlana's couplets, symbolizing diversity. Guests are welcome (free but donations requested), there is no dress code, and amateur photos are allowed — but this is not a stage show. The evening starts with a 90-minute video of the sheikh, subtitled in English. After prayers and hymns are sung, the dervishes change into their dresses, and the nearly hour-long ritual itself begins.

See the Travel Details above for recommendations highlighted in bold, excerpted from Rick's guidebooks.

---

Hey, I'm Rick Steves — back with more of the best of Europe. This time, we're in perhaps the most historic, and certainly the most populous city we've ever filmed in: Istanbul. Thanks for joining us.

Istanbul is one of the great cities on Earth, period. For thousands of years, this place, where East meets West, has been a crossroads of civilizations. Few places on Earth have witnessed more history than this sprawling metropolis on the Bosphorus.

Enjoying the delights of Istanbul, we'll marvel at mosques, peruse the grand bazaar, be wowed by classic carpets, admire artisans at work, and learn why the dervish whirls. We'll sail the Bosphorus, eat fish fresh off the boat, be tempted by honey-drenched baklava, buy some exquisite silk, and grab some ice cream…or not. We'll take a side trip to Asia and lose ourselves in a sea of its people as we celebrate this vast and complex city.

Turkey bridges Europe and Asia. Its largest city, Istanbul, straddles the Bosphorus Strait. Part of the city's in Europe and part in Asia. The Golden Horn inlet, long a strategic harbor, is crossed by the Galata Bridge. It connects the bustling New Town and the Old Town with its fabled palace and mosques. After a cruise on the Bosphorus, we'll explore the Grand Bazaar, wander down the İstiklal Caddesi boulevard, then finish in Asia with a visit to Üsküdar.

Inspiring monuments showcase 2,000 years of Istanbul history: its ancient Roman and early Christian Byzantine period, its centuries as the capital of the Muslim Ottoman Empire, and its birth as a modern nation in the 20th century. While today the city is a vast megapolis of over 15 million people sprawling along both sides of the Bosphorus, its oldest citizens actually remember when it had only a million people. In other words, the vast majority of the city is new. And its historic points of interest are mostly corralled into a relatively compact old center.

The starting point for many travelers is Istanbul's state-of-the-art cruise terminal — with its ingenious collapsible walls. It adds to the city's population whenever ships are in port. A farsighted infrastructure investment, all the buses and taxis are underground to efficiently move the crowds. In season, massive cruise ships pour thousands of tourists smoothly into the city for a busy day of sightseeing and shopping.

When ships sail, the security and customs walls fold down, and Galataport transforms into a delightful public promenade — 600 yards long. Late in the day, the people watching mixes with the commotion of the busy harbor to make it a Turkish paseo like none other.

The Bosphorus is churning with boat traffic of all sorts. This narrow and strategic strait is a bottleneck busy with freighters, including lots of Ukrainian and Russian ships, since this is the only route between ports on the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. And tourist boats, doing their maritime do-si-do, dance around the serious cargo ships and ferries.

For more of a mini-cruise, it's easy to hop a sightseeing boat for a relaxing sail up the Bosphorus.

Yes, an intercontinental cruise. It's a chance to see Istanbul from the water and get the lay of the land, with Europe on one side and Asia on the other.

Small, historic towns, marked by their minarets, are now engulfed in the sprawl of modern Istanbul. The boat passes an Ottoman emperor's hunting lodge, palaces of the nobility, and homes of wealthy locals — locals who can afford Bosphorus waterfront, some of the priciest real estate in all of Turkey. And anyone can enjoy the inviting beachfront parks. The dramatic Bosphorus Bridge was the first bridge ever to span two continents. And the Rumeli Fortress was built by the Ottomans five centuries ago.

Back in the old center, the Galata Bridge spans the strategic inlet called the Golden Horn. For centuries this easy-to-defend bay provided the city a protected harbor.

A thousand years ago, long before there was a bridge here, a mighty chain was stretched across the mouth of this inlet. This gave the Byzantine Empire its safest harbor, which provided the city a critical key to both trade and military power.

While just a few years ago its shoreline was an industrial wasteland, today the Golden Horn is cleaned up and lined by inviting parks. After a determined effort by the city and lots of investment, the people of Istanbul now share a delightfully green and welcoming people zone: the Golden Horn.

Back at the Galata Bridge, for fast food Istanbul-style, you can grab a fish-wich just off the boat — mackerel, fresh from the guys who caught it, at one of the venerable, and very tipsy, fish-and-bread boats.

And as the sun sets, on the bridge you can enjoy panoramic views of Istanbul's Old Town, an iconic place for more fast fish, or a nice dinner with a view of the harbor action. There are lots of tourists in Istanbul. And it's interesting to note that about half of them come from other Muslim countries.

While Istanbul is full of iconic sights, there's one that seems to be on every traveler's list: the Grand Bazaar. In many ways Istanbul's Grand Bazaar remains much as it was centuries ago: enchanting and perplexing visitors with its mazelike network of lanes hiding more than 4,000 colorful shops, artisans at work, and tiny eateries.

Despite all the tourists and knickknacks, the heart of the Grand Bazaar still beats — giving the observant visitor an unforgettable memory. In its day, this labyrinthine warren of shops under fine arches was the "world trade center" for the entire Ottoman Empire — locked down and guarded by more than a hundred soldiers every night.

While today's main drag is touristy, do what you can to imagine the atmosphere here centuries ago during Silk Road times: the barrage on the senses — exotic spices, busy merchants, convivial tea breaks, and thirsty shoppers.

The market is vast, and you can still escape the tourist zones to discover some authentic nooks and crannies. Surprises await in the low-rent fringes. A commotion of shouting marks the bazaar's "poor man's Wall Street." These currency brokers are frantically swapping fortunes of euros, dollars, and Turkish lira for their clients.

Others keep their fortunes in gold. The many jewelry shops are a reminder that Turks love gold for more than just its beauty and alure. Traditionally, it's considered a practical and tangible place to store their wealth.

And much of that gold may be recycled. Around the corner, surrounding a humble courtyard, sooty smiths labor over furnaces. They're melting gold trimmings from nearby jewelers' workshops back into a pure and more useable form.

For over 20 years, I've been visiting Ayhan. His skillful techniques have changed little through the generations as he works his trade.

Ayhan: Gold.
Rick: Gold.
Ayhan: Gold.

And with that gold you can buy a fine Turkish carpet.

Shops can come with a vast inventory offering a warp-and-weft fantasy of options. Enjoy a colorful demonstration…

Merchant: Here I have four amazing art pieces that they are totally different categories. It's like a modern language. Each region of Turkey, we have different style.

But be attracted not by aggressive sales pitches but by merchants who celebrate this rich artistic heritage.

Merchant: So, the other name of those silk collection rugs are "flying Turkish rug."

With the fall of Christian Byzantium and the rise of the Muslim Ottomans, grand mosques shaped the city's skyline — and Süleymaniye [a.k.a. the Mosque of Süleyman the Magnificent] is the finest in town.

This soothing, restrained-yet-magnificent house of worship was built by the great 16th-century architect Sinan for his sultan, Süleyman. Although less colorful and less glamourous than some of Istanbul's other mosques, this mosque is bigger, older, and considered the masterpiece of Ottoman architecture. The tranquil interior is decorated in pastel hues and stained glass. Its vast expanse, with no interior support, was a marvel in its day. And visiting Turks make a point to visit the elaborate tomb of the sultan Süleyman, whose nickname was "the Magnificent."

The Muslim faith is as varied as the Christian faith. Some groups are more orthodox and conservative, and others more progressive, like this congregation of mystic Sufi dervishes [the Foundation of Universal Lovers of Mevlana], which welcomes women to take leadership roles. While some worship in grand mosques, others gather in a more intimate space like this, where musicians set the mood, the leader guides the congregation in prayer, and slowly, the dervishes blossom into a state where they're ready to whirl.

Dervishes are like monks, inspired by the mystic 13^th-century poet Mevlana, also known as Rumi. Not all dervishes whirl, but all whirlers are dervishes. With one foot planted in their community — their family — and the other foot dancing around and around celebrating the diversity of God's great creation, they whirl themselves into a meditative trance. In this mesmerizing form of prayer, the dervish contemplates how everything in the universe whirls — from the smallest particles to the earth and beyond. By whirling, the dervish "goes with the cosmic flow."

Mevlana's teaching is all about love and finding that elusive "oneness." With one hand symbolically reaching up to their heavenly creator, and the other — like a fountain — showering that love on all of creation, the dervish meditates on how they can be a conduit of God's love.

To get a fuller appreciation for Istanbul, it's important to leave the Old Town and explore the lively, more modern neighborhoods.

For the visitor, Istanbul's central tram line laces together the most interesting sightseeing areas. While often packed, it zips directly through the middle of town fast, unaffected by the frequent traffic jams.

My friend and co-author of our Istanbul guidebook, Lale Sürmen Aran, is joining us as we ride over the Galata Bridge. Rather than fighting traffic, Lale knows to stick with the tram as we head into the New Town and the place where everyone seems to be heading: Taksim Square, Istanbul's contemporary heart.

Taksim Square is a major transportation hub and gives us a good taste of modern Istanbul. The traffic circles a statue that celebrates the father of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. If Turkey is Western-looking today, you can thank this man.

In the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire was in a state of decline. Its nickname? The "sick man of Europe." Following Germany in World War I and therefore losing, the decrepit old empire was swept away, and from its remnants arose the modern republic of Turkey, founded in 1923 by Atatürk.

The monument shows the two sides of Atatürk: the military hero of the War of Independence, and civilian Atatürk, the first president of modern Turkey, surrounded by figures representing the proclamation of the Republic.

Nearby, a colorful trolley travels the length of the city's main shopping boulevard, İstiklal Caddesi, or Independence Street. Offering a parade of local culture, it was born after a devastating fire in 1870. The Ottoman government took the opportunity to rebuild the area as a showpiece of the European style. The message? Look west.

The fine old architecture is a reminder that this street was home to the city's Europe-oriented elite back in the 19th century. Even today, Istanbul's churches and foreign consulates are in this district.

It's just teeming with people. I love to lose myself in this river of humanity. And it's lined with shopping temptations.

This fine shop sells silk scarves — made in Turkey, of course.

Lale: Tulip is the Turkish flower.
Rick: That's great. This pattern is so beautiful

Turks know how to spiff up their look with a scarf around the neck, or as a head covering.

Rick: And if you wanna go to the mosque, which scarf would you wear and how would you wear it?
Merchant: If I went to mosque, I wear the long one.
Rick: Uh-huh.
Merchant: Like this. It's enough for me like this.
Rick: So you say "enough for you." Every woman will choose how much modesty?
Merchant: Of course, of course. If she's religious, also she can wear like this, in square one, for example.
Rick: If she's very religious?
Merchant: Yeah. Yeah. She can put a pin here, then she do it like this.
Rick: Oh, OK.
Merchant: She can put it here.
Rick: So this is an accessory…
Merchant: Yeah.
Rick: …to cover the hair.
Merchant: Yes.

So true to the culture, and easy to pack — a silk scarf makes a nice souvenir.

And the street offers an enticing parade of taste treats. Döner means "revolving," and you know why when tempted by a döner kebab.

You can try the sesame rings called simit…along with your tiny Turkish vocabulary:

Rick: Bir simit, lütfen.

One ring, please.

And for a fast meal with no language barrier, ever-present cafeteria-style restaurants offer a cancan of fresh and traditional Turkish food. You'll choose from a range of classic Turkish dishes.

I'm having cabbage rolls, lamb chops, and potatoes. And something I always look forward to: my go-to yogurt drink here in Turkey, ayran, and my favorite dessert, rice pudding, or sutlaç.

But on this street, rice pudding is just the first of many sweet temptations. Popping into this baklava bakery, it's hard to resist such a festival of honey-soaked delights.

Rick: Hey, look at this!

Generations of the local chocolate salesman have worked this little station, peddling a variety of Turkish treats.

Rick: Looks like there's a lot of different flavors.
Lale: Yes. With hazelnuts and pistachios and dark chocolate and milk chocolate...

Today, Lale loves to give samples.

Lale: Okay. This is the pistachio we're tasting now.
Rick: This is this one?
Lale: Yes.
Rick: What do you like best?
Shopkeeper: Both.
Rick: Everything's good!

And to really earn your dessert, try getting some ice cream from this guy.

He's from Kahramanmaraş, a town in the southeast of Turkey, famous for its toffee-like ice cream. While delicious, it doesn't come easy…for anyone.

Ice cream vendor: Whoa!
Rick: I want chocolate!…Oh! That's nice, thank you.

Every day over a million people in Istanbul commute between Asia and Europe. Some take the five-minute subway ride though the underwater tunnel, while others catch a ferry for a more scenic intercontinental commute. An array of ferries cross the Bosphorus every few minutes, and cost less than a buck. And a memorable way for a tourist to experience this city's urban energy is to join the locals for a 20-minute cruise to Asian Istanbul.

The city of Üsküdar, on the Asian side, is now a suburb of Istanbul. While bustling and modern today, it also has a traditional, religious feel. In the Ottoman era, it was the gathering and departure place for pilgrims and caravans heading to Mecca. Taking a stroll along its waterfront promenade or through its family-friendly parks, you'll notice a more conservative lifestyle.

Rick: Oh, fresh fish!

The marketplace offers a cultural scavenger hunt and plenty of ways to nibble on even more of Turkey's endless array of taste treats.

Rick: Oh, dates. I love dates! How do you say "date" in Turkish?
Lale: Hurma. In Ramadan, it's traditional we break the fast with a hurma. Try it.
Rick: So this is how we break fast?
Lale: Yes.
Rick: Happy breakfast. Oh yeah. And there's a beautiful variety.

Rick: So these are grape leaves?
Lale: Yes. They are grape leaves, and we use these for rolled grape leaves.
Rick: So you buy a whole bundle?
Lale: They will sell by the weights.
Rick: What would you put inside?
Lale: Mainly rice, onion, and seasonings, sometimes with meat, too.
Rick: Beautiful. Look at that! Nice. Yeah?
Lale: Rick, this is phyllo. We use this to make börek. It's pastry. We make it both savory and sweet. These ones I'm buying, I'm going to use with cheese and parsley, and it will be a savory pastry.
Rick: Can I come over?
Lale: You're welcome.
Rick: It looks so good.

Lale: That's the delicacy. The best fish of Istanbul: turbot.
Rick: Turbot?
Lale: Yes. It's the finest fish of Bosphorus, and these are horse mackerel and anchovy, the cheapest protein you can buy.
Rick: There. My goodness. They're beautiful!

Rick: I love olives. Look at so many different varieties!
Lale: Different regions, different kinds, and different cures. Why don't you try one?
Rick: Yeah. And where is this from?
Lale: South Turkey, Antioch. Naturally grown.
Rick: It's great to have a selection, you know? Mmm. And what is this?
Lale: This is from the Sea of Marmara, Edremit.
Rick: The Sea of Marmara. Oh, that's really good. Let's get a mix. A little of that and a little of that in a little bag.
Lale: [speaking Turkish]

Back on the waterfront, I enjoy the view from Asia across the Bosphorus back to Europe, marveling at this extraordinary city.

Istanbul. It's fast-changing yet strangely timeless — truly one of Europe's great cities. And for me, it never gets old. Soaring domes, spinning carpets, whirling prayers, churning harbor — it's an endless promenade that broadens my perspective. The city's both rooted in tradition and modern-facing, as it navigates the challenges of today.

The richness of Istanbul's culture, diversity, and heritage is seen in the faces of its people. This is today's Turkey: a melting pot of ethnic groups — Turk, Kurd, Armenian, Jew, Gypsy, Georgian, Greek, and more — and styles, from the very traditional to the very latest. The city remains a crossroads of humanity. And according to the Turkish proverb, every guest is a gift from God.

Istanbul bridges East and West. With a complex weave of modern affluence, Western secularism, and traditional Muslim faith, it's a dynamic city filled with delights. Thanks for joining us. I'm Rick Steves. Until next time, keep on travelin'.