Wednesday, March 08, 2006

What Is Istanbul Trip Guide and What Is It For

When I go abroad for vacation, mostly i always have a very limited time for a big city. Thus, I always want to visit the most important locations in my very limited time. But this requires very good planning and research beforehand. It takes buying several books on the city and deciding where to go and when.

So, for a very magnificent city like Istanbul, i decided to make a very brief trip guide for foreign visitors. As a resident of the city, i tried to make 3 different trip plans for 1, 2 or 3 day visits. Using this plans, you can make the best of your time. I also included, some more detailed informations about the places. I will add more in time.

I hope it will be helpful to you. Have a good Istanbul Trip!

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1 Day Trip Plan for Istanbul

If you have just one day for Istanbul, then you should be very quick! I suggest you to visit the most historically important part of the city.

Must have places to visit in 1 day:
Nice to have places if you can fit in 1 day: Eat Here That Day:
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2 Days Trip Plan for Istanbul

The 1st Day: Sultanahmet Region

Must have places to visit in the 1st day:
Nice to have places if you can fit in the 1st day:
Eat Here That Day:
The 2nd Day: Beyoğlu Region and Grand Bazaar

Must have places to visit in the 2nd day:
Nice to have places if you can fit in the 2nd day:
  • Pera Palas Hotel
  • French Street (Fransız Sokağı)
  • Church of Panaghia
  • St. Mary Draperis
  • Tünel (Very Old Small Underground)
  • Taksim Square (Taksim Meydanı)
Eat Something Those Places That Day:
  • Hacı Abdullah Lokantası (Historical Restaurant)
  • Markiz Pastanesi (Patisserie)
  • Lebon Pastanesi (Patisserie)
  • İnci Pastanesi (Patisserie)
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3 Days Trip Plan for Istanbul

The 1st Day: Sultanahmet Region

Must have places to visit in the 1st day:
Nice to have places if you can fit in the 1st day:
Eat Here That Day:
The 2nd Day: Beyoğlu Region

Must have places to visit in the 2nd day:
  • Beyoğlu (Pera) General Sightseeing
  • Mevlevi Monastery
  • Fish Market (Balık Pazarı) and Çiçek Pasajı
  • St. Anthony Church (Sen Antuan Kilisesi)
  • Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi)
  • Pera Palas Hotel
  • French Street (Fransız Sokağı)
Nice to have places if you can fit in the 2nd day:
  • Church of Panaghia
  • St. Mary Draperis
  • Tünel (Very Old Small Underground)
  • Taksim Square (Taksim Meydanı)
Eat or Shop Something Those Places That Day:
  • Hacı Abdullah Lokantası (Historical Restaurant)
  • Markiz Pastanesi (Patisserie)
  • Lebon Pastanesi (Patisserie)
  • İnci Pastanesi (Patisserie)
The 3rd Day: Sirkeci Region and Ortaköy

Must have places to visit in the 3rd day:
Nice to have places if you can fit in the 3rd day:
  • Rumeli Hisarı
  • Dolmabahçe Sarayı (You should drop the Grand Bazaar above if you want to see the palace)
Eat or Shop Something At Those Places That Day:
  • Konyalı Restaurant (Traditional Turkish Food)
  • Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir (Historical Candy Shop)
  • Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi (Coffee Shop, no service, sells grounded coffee)
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The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii)


Located at the Sultanahmet Square, opposite to the Haghia Sophia church, the Blue Mosque is famous of its' blue Iznik tileworks. It was built in the time of Sultan Ahmet I, between the years 1609-1616 by the imperial architect Mehmet Ağa. The Blue Mosque is one of the most famous religious buildings of the world.

Adress:
Sultanahmet Meydanı

Visiting times:
9:00 - 17:00 daily

Contact:
212-5181319 or 212-5133608

For more information: Blue Mosque

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Thanks for photos to digitalink and abitofcolor
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Haghia Sophia (Aya Sofya)


Located at the Sultanahmet Square, Haghia Sophia church is considered one of the worlds' greatest architectural achievements. The more than 1400 years old building was a flagship of its time. It was built over two older churches and inaugurated by Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the year 537. In th 15th century, it was converted to a mosque by the Ottomans. Now, it is a museum.

Adress:
Sultanahmet Meydanı, Eminönü

Visiting times:
9:15 - 16:30 Tuesday-Sunday

Contact:
212-5221750

For more information: Haghia Sophia

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Thanks cactusbones for photos.
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Grand Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı)


The Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı in Turkish) in Istanbul is one of the largest covered markets in the world with more than 58 streets and 3000 shops. It is well-known for its jewelry, pottery, spice and carpet shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by type of good, with regions for leather coats, gold jewelry and the like. The bazaar contains two bedestens, or domed masonry structures built for storage and safe keeping, the first of which was constructed in 1464 by the order of Mehmed II. In 1894, it underwent major restoration after an earthquake. It has 250,000-400,000 daily visitors.
This paragraph is taken from Wikipedia. Copyright information.

Address:
Çarşıkapı Caddesi (Street), Beyazıt.

Visiting Times:
9:00-19:00 Monday-Saturday

For more information: Grand Bazaar

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Photos by the author.
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Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıcı/Sarayı)


The Basilica Cistern, also called the Yerebatan Sarayı or Yerebatan Sarnıcı, is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that still lie beneath the city of Istanbul, Turkey.

This cathedral-sized cistern is an underground chamber of 143 by 65 metres, capable of holding 80,000 cubic metres of water. The large space is broken up by a forest of 336 marble columns each 9 metres high. Curiously, in the base of two of these columns are carved the head of a Medusa.

The cistern, located in the historical peninsula of Istanbul, was built during the reign of emperor Justinianus in the 6th century, the age of glory of Eastern Rome, also called the Byzantine Empire. The cistern is surrounded by a firebrick wall with a thickness of 4 meters and coated with a special mortar for insulation against water. The cistern's water was provided from the Belgrade Woods—which lie 19km north of the city—via aquaducts build by the emperor Justinianus.

The cistern was used as a location for the James Bond film From Russia With Love.
This paragraph is taken from Wikipedia. Copyright information.

Address:
Yerebatan Cad 13, Sultanahmet, Eminönü

Contact:
212-5221259

Visiting times:
8:30-17:30 May-September, daily
8:30-16:00 October-April, daily

For more information: Basilica Cistern

Photos by the author.

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Saturday, October 08, 2005

Sultanahmet Köftecisi


If you visit the Sultanahmet region, don't leave before eating delicious meatballs at Sultanahmet Köftecisi. This 3 storey, popular and inexpensive restaurants' history goes back to 1920s. Köftes are grilled on charcoal here.

Your order can include:
  • Köfte (meatballs)
  • Piyaz (a kind of salad made with boiled beans, greens and tomato)
  • İrmik helvası (sweet semolina with butter)
A whole menus' cost will be around 10YTL/person (about 6.5 USD). There is no reservation.

Address:
Divanyolu Cad. 12/A, Sultanahmet, Eminönü.

Service hours: 10:30-23:00 daily

Contact: 212-5131438


Photos by the author

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