20 hours in Istanbul

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This is a note I made for a friend doing a long layover in Istanbul

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3 Off-the-shelf Plans

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See more descriptions on the neighborhoods mentioned here below.

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Sultanahmet + Beyoğlu (classic + simple)

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Get lodging near Taksim Square in Beyoğlu and drop off bags

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Activities in Sultanahmet until ~6pm

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Do dinner and nightlife in Beyoğlu

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Walk or taxi back to lodging

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Sultanahmet + Kadıkoy + Beyoğlu (classic + local)

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Get lodging near Taksim Square in Beyoğlu and drop off bags

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Go directly to Sultanahmet and do activities there until ~5pm

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Take the ferry from Eminönü to Kadıkoy

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Do dinner and a drink in Kadikoy

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Take the metro to Şişhane or take the Ferry to Karaköy

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Walk down Istiklal Street back to lodging

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Sultanahmet + boat tour + Beyoğlu (classic + scenic)

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Get lodging near Taksim Square in Beyoğlu and drop off bags

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Go directly to Sultanahmet and do activities there until ~5pm

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Do a Bosphorus boat tour (have options for time and length)

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Do dinner and nightlife in Beyoğlu

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Walk or taxi back to lodging

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Resources

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Apps

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BiTaksi: uber for taxis, might have more supply than uber and might be cheaper

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Rick Steves Audio Europe: it has some things you can download to listen to giving some tips on Istanbul

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CityMapper: a bit more confident with transit than Google

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Google lists

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Istanbul Trip: my mostly food-focused list (specific food places mentioned here should be in this list, and this list may have more options too)

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To-The-City Istanbul: my dad’s more visitor-oriented list

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Planning Ideas

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Rick Steves İstanbul has good walking tours (will reference this below)

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I’m sure other books have good walking tours, but I know Rick tends to hit the highlights and mention the interesting points pretty efficiently.

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NYT 36 Hours on the asian side (2015)

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This looks very interesting to do

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Vocab

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Pronunciation help

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ş = “sh”

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ç = “ch”

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c = “j”

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ğ = (silent)

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Merhaba = hello

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Güle Güle = bye

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Teşekkürler = thank you

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Evet = yes

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Hayır = no

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Lütfen = please

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Bir = one

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Iki = two

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More details on neighborhoods

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See screenshot at the bottom to see the location of each neighborhood.

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Sultanahmet (1)

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The old city. This is where the most famous historical sites are.

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Basic Itinerary

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Start at the waterfront at Karaköy

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Take the Rick Steve’s Golden Horn walking tour to the old city side.

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When you get to the old city side (Eminönü), should see docked boats serving fish sandwiches (balık ekmek) and purple pickle juice (Tursucu on the map).

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Walk up the hill towards the Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya). Can take the tram to save energy.

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Visit the Hagia Sophia

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Now that it’s a mosque, I don’t know what the touring situation is once inside. A walking tour or some pre-reading on the history of the building would be worthwhile. Rick Steves’ walking tour in the Istanbul guide is good if the places are still accessible.

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Do the Historic Core walking tour using the Rick Steves book

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Other options for things to see

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Blue Mosque

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Might be worth checking if it’s still under renovations inside

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Basilica Cistern

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Surprisingly cool to see, doesn’t need to take too long

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Grand Bazaar

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Noteworthy, but a bit repetitive to spend a long time. Rick Steve’s has a walking tour for this in his book.

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Topkapi Palace

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The main Ottoman palace, would probably need some time for this

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Spice Market

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Included in Rick Steve’s Old Town Back Streets walking tour

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If you have time, can take the Old Town Back Streets walking tour back to the Golden Horn

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Food options

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Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi, traditional style meatballs (köfte). Can do takeout sandwich if there is a line.

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Hazal Börek Salonu (Börek is like a cheesy and / or meaty warm pastry)

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Beyoğlu (2)

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Area with a big pedestrian street, nice waterfront, and vibrant areas with nightlife.

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Basic Itinerary

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Start at the waterfront at Karaköy

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Interesting active waterfront

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There are some cafes and bars in the north-eastern part of this neighborhood (near Baltazar)

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Walk or take the historic funicular up to Galata Tower

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Can go up to the top of Galata Tower for a view

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Walk down Istiklal Street (Istiklal Caddesi)

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Pedestrian Street with tram, lots of shops and cafes

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Can follow Rick Steve’s New District walking tour

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Get off Istiklal a bit to peruse the Asmalı Mescit neighborhood for nightlife

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Arrive at Taksim Square

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Peruse the areas off Istiklal for more nightlife and activity (Asmalı Mescit, Cihangir)

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Food options

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Stuffed mussels (from street vendors at the waterfront or from Midyeci Ahmet)

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Fish wrap (balık dürüm), Balıkçı Tufan

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Karaköy Güllüoğlu for baklava

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Desserts along Istiklal (profiteroles at Inci Pastanesi) (Mado or misc stands for Turkish style ice cream).

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Kokoreç (chopped intestines sandwich, very popular street / drunk food, can be found in any neighborhood)

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Kadıköy (3)

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More young people and locals, lots of restaurants and nightlife. This is where Fenerbahçe plays 😉

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Basic Itinerary

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Arrive at the waterfront at Kadıköy

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Head to the Moda district to walk around the coast and streets

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Can have some tea at a teashop along the water

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Head to the Kadife Street area for food and nightlife

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Food options

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Çiya Sofrası (famous restaurant for Turkish home cooking foods from around the country)

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Kebapçı İskender (popular dish of plated döner)

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Ciğerci Hulusi (grilled liver)

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Kadim İşkembe Salonu (very garlicky, smelly tripe soup)

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Döner at Korkmaz Bufe (good döner in lots of places)

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A few other neighborhoods

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Şişli (4)

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Bomonti is an up and coming neighborhood: Bomontiada is a nice indoor / outdoor area with food and beer

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Nişantaşı is a nice area with some high end stuff

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Beşiktaş (5)

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Dolmabahçe Palace

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Commercial hub with an active waterfront

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Where Beşiktaş plays

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Ortaköy is at the northern edge of this neighborhood right under the bridge. Nice waterfront area and popular area for loaded baked potatoes (Kumpir)

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Üsküdar (6)

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Neighborhood on the asian side, has a lovely waterfront area where people sit and drink tea and check out the view in the evening.

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Just north of this neighborhood is Kuzguncuk, featured in NYT 36 hours asian side

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Arnavutköy (not pictured)

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A smaller, quieter neighborhood further north on the European side with an attractive waterfront and a distinct architectural style

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See Istanbul Recs 2015 for old recommendations

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