Norm_uk

Constantinople - Jewel of the Byzantine Roman Empire for over a millenia and now occupied since the late 1400s by the Turks (more recently they had a bit of Cyprus too for good measure)....and people moan about the Jews returning to Israel in large numbers in 1948???



N.

Bahtatboy

Saw this and thought of you.

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/...t-2076912.html

Mischief Queen

I've just got back from a long weekend in Istanbul and you can now pay by card at the Visa counter so no worries about currency any more.

We stayed in Taksim Square and I'd strongly recommend a wander around that area - pick a side street and follow your nose for the best food - it's like a rabbit warren so there's plenty to choose from. We managed to stumble in to a karaoke bar, biker bar and a super trendy bar/club with a top (turkish) DJ in all within 5 mins walk of each other. Also recommend a boat trip on the Bosphorous... we did one with a bar and food, I can't remember the rest of the night but according to the photos I had a great time. Enjoy!

Tillybean

Ah, Istanbul - cok guzel. It's a fab city with a lot to see and do. My favourite thing is to just wander around and see where you end up. Anyway, here are some suggestions:

Spice Bazaar (as well as or instead of Egyptian Bazaae)
http://istanbuleats.com/ great website for some fab, off the beaten track restaurants
Topkapi, Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque just have to be done
Also just round the corner from the Hagia Sophia is the Kucuk Hagia Sophia (Little Hagia Sophia) which has amazing frescos
Take a ferry across/down the Bospherous and go past all the wonderful Ottoman mansions that line it
Istikal Caddesi has nice bars and restaurants on it and is also one of the main shopping areas
Ortakoy - which has a market at weekends if its still on and is a really nice area
Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art is worth a look
Go over to Galata and climb up to the old tower which gives a great panaromic view of Istanbul
Never been but people like the Prince's Islands


The metro is great to get around, the taxis can be hard work and the dolmus (shared minibus/cars) are amazing as to the logistics of cramming everyone on board, but they do work!

flares

Toying with the idea of adding a few days in Istanbul to the Xmas trip back to UK as Turkish Airlines via Istanbul is coming in quite competitive vs Etihad (rip off...what do you expect though?).

I'd love to see the place and it would give me something to really look forward to (as opposed to Xmas with the inlaws).

Realise it'll be a bit fresh (2-9 degrees) and will have 7 & 4 yr old with us.

Any up to date tips people? Yes, yes Tripadvisor is my next stop...

Cypselos

It's worth noting on this that when i flew to Istanbul in March on Etihad they snuck in a code share on Turkish airlines on the return leg anyway. And changed the flight times by about two hours with no warning and no desks open to let you know what wwas going on. To compound it all once i managed to work out what flights we were supposed to be on none of the Etihad Club status counted for anything regardless of the code share.

Istanbul is awesome though.

Spugsy

Its a big sprawling city, very busy and takes a while to get to anywhere - saying that its bloody great, loads to do and see and great food and beer.

We went for 4 nights and had a blast.

flares

cheers...now thinking of an Istanbul break in Springtime instead.

Tillybean

Yes I got caught on out on this too - and the business class on TA is ... interesting for want of a better word! And because it was a code share, this meant I wasnt entitled to transportation from Abu Dhabi home which I thought took the biscuit a little.

soukie

We are considering going to Istanbul for a week at the end of May. Was your hotel OK and would you recommend it? We want to do some sight seeing but mainly chill as our 10 year old will get bored with historic buildings and souks!

desertmum

very envious - my favourite city in the world - some of the best seafood in the world - enjoy

Ethos83

I'd stay in Istanbul proper for three days, which is enough time to cover the main sights. Then head down to Antalya for the rest of the trip. Pretty coastal town, nice waterfront and good R&R opportunities.

Meow

Antalya is a long way from Istanbul. They'd need to fly there.

Ethos83

Turkish airways has cheap domestic flights. Roundtrip to Cappadocia and Izmir from Istanbul were both around 400 AED.

A week is a long time to spend in one city if she's worried her son will be bored, and combining Istanbul with a resort town could be an ideal solution. I once spent a week in Istanbul and I'm very keen on historic cities and whilst the place is stinking with atmosphere it wasn't my favourite city and four days would have been enough.

soukie

Thanks for the info - I think you are right - 7 days may be too long in Istanbul so I will look at a combination of places - may even chicken out and go to Cyprius again!