TOP TIPS:
- Wear comfortable shoes for the tours (a lot of walking on uneven pavements)
- Use Public Transportation instead of taxi's (subways are most convenient)
- Try Nutella and Pistachio Turkish Delights
- Purchase tour tickets online
- Keep a sweater for nighttime, especially for ferry rides
What's better than getting paid to travel to a new country? Well, a lot of things but this was pretty awesome too! haha. B had to meet a few colleagues so we took this opportunity to have an adventure of our own. After a 5 hours flight, we arrived at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport. It was an hour and half drive from Maywood hotel that was located in the city center. The narrow streets are congested with cars, tour buses and pedestrians all busy getting to their destinations.
We were dropped off on the sidewalk because our driver couldn't pass the traffic. It took us 10 minutes to find the hotel. We were welcomed with two blue 'Nazar Boncuk" which is a Turkish eye bead charm that stares back at the world to prevent evil eye and keep one safe from harm. The hotel was in a perfect location with a five minutes walk to Blue Mosque and a few blocks away from local restaurants.
Sightseeing City Tour
We bought two tickets online for 110 euros. The bus arrived at our hotel at 7:30am. It was a group tour so we got the chance to meet new faces. The weather was beautiful however we did have to keep leather jackets for the cold night. In April, the temperature varies a lot from a crisp morning, to a sunny afternoon and then again with a cool breeze to end the night. Our tour began with visiting the 3000 years old Obelisk Tower.
Next, we went to Hagia Sophia, one the largest cathedral in the world at one point in history. Our guide was very knowledgeable and kept our interest throughout her speech about the transformation of a church into a mosque and now a museum.
We then continued to the Hippodrome of Constantinople, that once hosted chariot races and large political events. Unfortunately, Blue Mosque was closed due to renovations, so we got to take some pictures outside of it and moved on for lunch at a local restaurant. The kebabs in Turkey are the best we've had.
After a one hour lunch break, we made way to Topkapi Palace, which was the center of the Ottoman Empire. The rooms inside the palace included robes, jewelry, weapons and armors. One of our favorite parts of the tour was visiting the Islamic Manuscripts. Photos weren't allowed but we got to see Prophet Moses' stick, Prophet Mohammad's beard hair and tooth, and swords of many sahabas including Usman, Umar and Abu Bakr. Our final destination was a 45 minutes stop to the Grand Bazaar. There were over 4000 stores filled with antiques, spices, souvenirs and clothes. The day went by in a flash but we sure were glad to come back to our hotel.
We checked into Fraser Suites located on the Asian side a day later that B's company had booked for the next four days. It was a beautiful hotel, but there was only a mall nearby and a few restaurants.
All the main attractions were across the bridge on the European side, so we could only go after B came back from work. Taxi's are expensive in Turkey, and there is no fixed rate because they are monitored through a taxi meter which add cents at a red light. Although we saved our location on Google Maps, many drivers took the long way around just to make extra cash.
We suggest using public transportation instead. It is 5 liras/person for a one way metro ticket which beats the traffic and costed a quarter of what we paid to get to the ferry's. A single ticket for the 15 minutes ferry ride was 10 liras to get to Eminonu (city center).
Galata Tower
Although there were signs leading us to Galata Tower, the walk was incredibly long and tiring. There were many uphills/downhills so again, wear comfortable shoes unless you take a taxi there but it can cost a lot due to the streets being narrow and drivers making a fortune from that. After an hour, we reached the famous Tower built in 1348. The tickets were sold at the location for 25 liras/person and there was a lineup to go inside in which we waited for 45 minutes. The panoramic view at the top was amazing with the azan emanating from all corners of Istanbul.
Movies
We never skip a movie date in a different country. We took the subway to Emaar Square Mall. The cinemas are quite small there, and very few English selections. 8 out of 10 movies were either dubbed in Turkish or Turkish movies. We found one that was in English (Hostiles), but more than half the movie was in native language and the subtitles were in Turkish.
On our last day, we went to Topkapi Palace where locals had created a Traditional Turkish set with beautiful royal costumes for people to wear before sitting on the golden throne. It was too tempting not to take a picture here.
Our 8 days trip was fantastic. Istanbul is one of the most beautiful cities we have visited. It is so rich in culture, history and delicious kebabs! We can't wait to visit again, there is so much more to explore.
