Istanbul is the biggest city I’ve ever visited. Situated in two continents – Europe and Asia – this city is simply magnificent.
My mom is a huge fan of all the Turkish TV series. She watches a lot and there is not a day for her to skip and not watch at least an episode. And she wanted to visit Istanbul for ages, so it was only acceptable for me to go and book a visit. We’ve been there for 2 full days and managed to explore just a little bit, but it was enough for me to like it.
Balat, Fatih
The first places we visited were situated in Fatih – this is a neighbourhood still in the European part of the city. We stopped by the Bulgarian iron church St. Stefan – originally closed for visitors, it seems it is opened for tourists, especially from Bulgaria. Its history is very interesting and to be able to see inside was nice – it is nicely restored.
We have also visited the small streets and also went to drink Turkish coffee – heated on hot sand, it tastes very well, very bitter and strong for me though. My mom drank both coffees, strong woman.
Our hotel was also in this exact neighbourhood and we definitely benefited from this. It was full of stores, nice streets and people. We were largely mistaken for being Russian – probably because both of us are blonde – and everyone tried to speak with us in Russian. Thankfully, I understand it enough.
Bosporus
The main thing we wanted to see was Bosporus. We have originally planed to go on a daily sightseeing with a ship on Bosporus, but then very impulsively decided to go for a dinner on a ship as well – one of the best decisions. Istanbul during the night is amazing and looking at everything from the water was magical.
I had no idea that I would love sailing that much. My first time on a ship was back in 2009 when I visited the Lake Constance – Mainau island and it was for very short 30 minutes. This time, both evening and day sightseeing were for at least 2-3 hours and I enjoyed this time a lot. Okay, got a little discomfort at the beginning, but later everything was great.
It was captivating to look at the city and see all the architecture – old and new buildings living together and this cosmopolitan city. I was able to see the bridges from down under and admire the way they were built. Especially those ones on the Bosporus, that has the job to connect Europe and Asia.
Beylerbeyi Palace
As a huge fan of royal families and places, it was a must for me to visit the Berlerbeyi Palace, situated in the Asia part of the city. The tour inside was very interesting and all the history that we heard about is now safely tucked in my memory. We were not allowed to take pictures inside, so I made sure to take pictures outside. The fact that it is located just on the Bosporus is also adding to the lovely experience.
I could just stay inside, in the gardens and look at the bridge, the water and enjoy the time. I can imagine what would have been to live there, even though when it was working palace, I am sure that the women from the harem were not just simply enjoying the weather.
Where else?
I am not really a museum type of person and the best way for me to see a city is to look at the people. Just sit in a park, look at the buildings, speak with people, enjoy the time – this is the best thing! Me and mom also visited the Yenikapı area and just enjoyed looking at the Aegean sea. Stopped for dinner at Mado – a nice café/restaurant at Ordu Cd and just walked the streets.
Technicalities
On transport – I am not familiar at all. We were on organised tour and mostly were traveling by bus. Everything was already booked by the tour agent and we simply enjoyed the time. But below are some things to consider if you are going to travel to Istanbul alone.
- The easiest way to get to Istanbul is by plane. Be careful, though, as the airport is one of the biggest I know of. Here is a detailed article on how to navigate through it and get to the city.
- Use public transport – you may purchase the Istanbul card and use it for all the transport within the city.
- Make sure to have local currency – Turkish lira. Other currencies are not widely accepted.
- Either get roaming data or purchase local SIM card both for calls and data. Having Internet saved me from lots of issues.
More?
Being one of the largest cities in the world, there is a lot more to see in Istanbul. For 2 days, it was mostly impossible for me to see more, but below are a few other places/parts of the city I would love to see should I go again (and I plan to).
- Kapalı Çarşı – one of the biggest markets, where negotiating the price is a must.
- Topkapı Palace – the bigger palace in the city. I am sure visiting it will be as interesting as visiting Beylerbeyi Palace.
- Süleymaniye Camii – the central mosque of Istanbul.
- Dolmabahçe Palace
- Rumeli Hisarı
- Karaköy Pier
Have you been to Istanbul? Please let me know what you liked the most. If not, what would you want to see the most?
xoxo
Amairo out
