Istanbul! Exotic and spanning two continents. This city is much more traditionally European feeling than I expected. We felt incredibly safe here and had a great time exploring this massive city on the Bosphorus. The city is so large you can give yourself a few days to check out its many pocketed neighborhoods, or make a quick stop and limit your explorations to Old Town, where nearly all of it’s well known sites are concentrated. 

Pattern, Textiles and Textures

EXPERIENCE

Istanbul was our first stop upon arriving in Turkey. While I was definitely enthused to check it out, the city portion of a trip is rarely my favorite, so I like to knock it out immediately after flying in and before venturing to the outskirts. We cabbed it over to the Old City after a nice breakfast in the upscale riverside neighborhood of Bebek. In the Old City we started with the Blue Mosque which was stunning, followed by the Hagia Sofia. I would suggest buying the all inclusive museum pass, which gets you into most places on the tourist circuit for one flat rate. We also checked out the Mosaic Museum, which in hindsight we could have skipped. The main square that these iconic mosques are on is really beautiful in and of itself, with fountains, palm trees and a flurry of activity. We also check out the Topaki Palace on this first day in the city. We found this to be a bit swarming with tourists for our liking, so we kept our visit here mostly to exploring the gardens and grounds, just not one to fight my way through a mob to see an old, fancy chair. 

The Hagia Sophia

While in the Old City, we also did a Bosphorus River Cruise to close out the afternoon. We walked over to the Eminönü Ferry Dock, near the Egyptian Spice Market, where we heard many boats leave from and picked an inexpensive two hour ride. We ended up napping for much of the trip, but the open air and breeze felt amazing and the sites along the river were quite lovely. 

On our second day in Istanbul, we were feeling revived and began the day with the Basilica Cistern. This underground wonder is odd, but also not much different than we expected from the photos. If you have time, check it out, but I would not wait in a long line to see this. After that we finally made our way to the famous Grand Bazaar to shop for lanterns, silver and kilims. We moved to the Egyptian Spice Bazaar from here and then called it a day with Istanbul. We ended up skipping the Turkish Baths because with such short time we didn’t feel like spending so much time on an activity that sounded somewhat gross and similar to our massage experiences in Thailand recently. If I went back, I’d consider doing this, but we just couldn’t pack it into our schedule in a way that felt like it would be fun. Overall, I really enjoyed the city more than I anticipated! I would be quick to recommend this destination to anyone asking. It’s a very accessible way to immerse yourself in a Muslim country and take in some wonderful art history. 

Turkish Breakfast Spread

STAY

While in Istanbul we stayed at the Le Méridien Istanbul Hotel Etiler. This place was in Etiler. This is quite a hike from the Old Town area where most of the must-visit sites are, but it was a gorgeous hotel and we had a nice hookup; so we took advantage. This was in fact one of the nicer hotels we have ever stayed at, complete with a gorgeous bathtub and lovely 360 rooftop deck and restaurant. We had drinks up here each night we were in town, feeling like we could finally get a lay of the land from this vantage point.

EAT

I came into this city with an impressive list of recommendations from friends, locals and travel guide books. On our first evening we stuck close to the hotel and checked out a more upscale Turkish restaurant called Develi Kebap. It was alright, and allowed us to try a myriad of traditional mezzes and kebabs, but this meal really set the food tone for the whole trip- unimpressed. 

Our first breakfast in Bebek was noteworthy at a place called Mangerie. They serve a beautiful Turkish breakfast on a deck overlooking the Bosphorus, the only challenge is finding it. We also had a lovely lunch in the Old City at a place called Fes Café. This hip joint is decorated with amazing flair and we had a decent sandwich here. Other restaurant I did not make it to but have heard great things about, include Münferit, Leb-i Derya and Assk Kahve in Beşiktaş. 

The Grand Bazaar

Banks of the Bosphorous