Istanbul

If you are trying to decide on your next city break, look no further than Istanbul! Another uncommon destination that raised a few eyebrows when we said we had booked it, but with Turkey being my favourite country it was the perfect choice for us, and having visited I cannot recommend it enough. The food, the culture, the sights are incredible. We were shocked at the size of the city and truthfully to see everything you would need a couple of weeks, but we managed to squeeze in all we could in 3 days.

Getting there

We flew from London Stansted direct to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport with Pegasus Airlines. The flight was around 3 and a half hours. We did enquire about taxi transfers but these came out as quite an expensive option, so we ended up taking the airport bus from the airport to the Asian side of Istanbul, then a ferry across to the European side, and a tram to our hotel. It cost around £5 per person for all of this and was a picturesque way to do it.

Where to stay

I did quite a lot of research before booking accommodation – as I mentioned, Istanbul is a huge city with a population of 15.5 million. You need to choose somewhere sensible which is accessible to all the major sights, otherwise you will end up spending all your time travelling. The Sultanahmet area near the Blue Mosque is a good option and where we ended up choosing, but I would think to stay near the Galata area would be an equally good choice. We split our time in the city equally between these areas. We chose the Primero Hotel, which was clean and modern and although our room was quite small we couldn’t complain for what we paid. The staff were incredibly friendly and nothing was too much, and there was breakfast included. We didn’t take them up on this however as we really wanted to get out to try breakfast in the city.

Food

Watch this space – I am doing a whole blog dedicated to the food of Istanbul!

Things to Do

Blue Mosque – This is an functioning mosque so you can only visit between prayer times. Unfortunately we went at a time the mosque was closed so couldn’t go inside, but it is impressive even from the outside.

Hagia Sophia – The Hagia Sophia sits opposite the Blue Mosque. We did go in this one and the scale and beauty is incredible. It was built originally in 537 as a Church, it then turned into a mosque, then a museum, and now has been turned back into a mosque. If you do wish to visit the mosques then ladies will require a headscarf, and you will have to dress modestly and remove your shoes (so no odd socks!)

Grand Bazaar – What an experience! The Grand Bazaar is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, and it really feels it. The architecture is beautiful, and it is like a maze. The amount of times we realised we had gone round in circles! All sorts is sold in here, from clothing to trainers, leather to denim, beautiful lighting to hand painted kitchen ware, purses, handbags, jewellery, spices, Turkish Delight, Baklava, and so much more. The atmosphere is bustling and even if you don’t intend on buying anything I would still recommend a walk round to experience it.

Spice Market – a bit further North from the Grand Bazaar is the Spice Market, a much smaller market dedicated to Spices, Turkish Delight, Baklava, special Chocolates, all different kinds of tea, and more. The smell of spices hits you when you walk in and it’s a sensation for the senses!

Galata Tower – An iconic tower which hovers above the Istanbul skyline, built in 1348. The tower is an observation point overlooking the entire Istanbul skyline and costs 100TL (around £5.30). There is a lift almost to the top and then 2 flights of stairs to an outside viewing area. The views are sensational. We went at 8:30am and it was really quiet, but I have heard of queues down the street so perhaps it is wise to arrive early. We spent around half an hour having a good look at the amazing views across the city, I imagine it would be incredible at sunset.

Istiklal Street – Probably my favourite place in Istanbul, this street is a shoppers dream and one of the most famous streets in the city. It has a nostalgic tram which runs up and down and is filled with high street and designer shops, and a multitude of eateries. This was where we saw the most diverse foods. We walked along the street in the daytime and at night and I would recommend doing both if you have the time as it was a completely different experience. It was so busy on the Saturday evening we visited, apparently the street has almost 3 million visitors on a weekend! It was a really great bustling experience – we loved it.

Bosphorus Cruise – We did the Bosphorus Cruise on a bit of a whim – it was a sunny day and we had walked across the Galata Bridge and they were being advertised with one due to leave in the next ten minutes, so we hopped on! It cost 45TL each (£2.50pp) for a 105 minute cruise, what great value. The boats have an upper outdoor deck and a lower indoor deck, both with plenty of seating. Refreshments are offered (at an extra cost, although very reasonable) throughout the cruise. The Bosphorus is a huge body of water separating the European and Asian sides of Istanbul, running from the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea. The cruise was great, I would definitely recommend, especially at the cost. We had read about the possibility of seeing dolphins in the Bosphorus but sadly we weren’t so lucky. However, on our ferry on the way back to the airport we were so lucky to see about ten dolphins jumping from the Bosphorus!

Summary

Istanbul is an incredible, affordable and massively underrated city. The ideal city break within close proximity to the UK, friendly locals, fantastic shopping, and the most amazing food! You can spend as little or as long in this city without worrying about running short of money or things to do. I am already thinking about going back and I really cant recommend it enough.