Frommer's Istanbul day by day

Contents

18 Favorite Moments

1 The Best Full-Day Tours

The Best in One Day

The Best in Two Days

The Best in Three Days

2 The Best Special-Interest Tours

Topkapı Palace

Arty Istanbul

Istanbul with Kids

Byzantine Constantinople

3 The Best Neighborhood Walks

Istiklal Caddesi

Eyüp’s Sacred Sites

Tünel to Karaköy

Üsküdar

Eminönü to Sultanahmet

Fener & Balat

Beyazit’s Bazaars & Mosques

4 The Best Shopping

Shopping Best Bets

Istanbul Shopping A to Z

5 The Best of the Outdoors

Gülhane Park

6 The Best Dining

Dining Best Bets

Istanbul Dining A to Z

7 The Best Nightlife

Nightlife Best Bets

Istanbul Nightlife A to Z

8 The Best Arts & Entertainment

Arts & Entertainment Best Bets

Arts & Entertainment A to Z

9 The Best Lodging

Lodging Best Bets

Istanbul Lodging A to Z

10 The Best Day Trips & Excursions

Princes’ Islands

Bursa

Edirne

The Savvy Traveler

Before You Go

Getting There

Getting Around

Fast Facts

Istanbul: A Brief History

Art & Architecture Highlights

Useful Phrases

Index

Published by:

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ISBN: 978-1-628-87136-4 (paper); 978-1-628-87137-1 (ebk)

Editorial Director: Pauline Frommer

Editor: Michael Kelly

Production Editor: Donna Wright

Photo Editor: Ellen Herbert

Cartographer: Elizabeth Puhl

Compositor: Heather Pope

Indexer: Maro Riofrancos

Front cover photos, left to right: Glass of Turkish tea, Istanbul © Saida Shigapova/Shutterstock.com; Interior of Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul © Mesut Dogan/Shutterstock.com; Fisherman along the coast of the Bosphorus, Istanbul © guroldinneden/Shutterstock.com.

Back cover photo: Rug fabric at Istanbul bazaar © CREATISTA/Shutterstock.com.

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About This Book

Organizing your time. That’s what this guide is all about.

Other guides give you long lists of things to see and do and then expect you to fit the pieces together. The Day by Day guides are different. These guides tell you the best of everything, and then they show you how to see it in the smartest, most time-efficient way. Our authors have designed detailed itineraries organized by time, neighborhood, or special interest. And each tour comes with a bulleted map that takes you from stop to stop.

Hoping to gaze up at the domed ceiling at the Süleymaniye Mosque, check out Istanbul’s contemporary art scene, or watch fishermen where the Marmara Sea meets the Bosphorus? Planning to lose yourself in the music emanating from Galip Dede Caddesi, savor Turkish delicacies at one of Istanbul’s many markets, or take a dramatic cable car ride up to Pierre Loti Kahvesi? Whatever your interest or schedule, the Day by Days give you the smartest routes to follow. Not only do we take you to the top attractions, hotels, and restaurants, but we also help you access those special moments that locals get to experience—those finds that turn tourists into travelers.

The Day by Days are also your top choice if you’re looking for one complete guide for all your travel needs. The best hotels and restaurants for every budget, the greatest shopping values, the wildest nightlife—it’s all here.

Why should you trust our judgment? Because our authors personally visit each place they write about. They’re an independent lot who say what they think and would never include places they wouldn’t recommend to their best friends. They’re also open to suggestions from readers. If you’d like to contact them, please send your comments our way at feedback@frommers.com, and we’ll pass them on.

Enjoy your Day by Day guide—the most helpful travel companion you can buy. And have the trip of a lifetime.

About the Authors

Emma Levine was born in Yorkshire, England, and fell in love with Istanbul on her first visit in 1989, and since then has been a regular visitor. After graduating in graphic design, she lived and worked as a writer and photographer in Mumbai, Hong Kong, and Istanbul, and has enjoyed many happy years having adventures around the world. For much of her working life, Emma has specialized in documenting the sporting culture of Asia, especially cricket culture in the Indian subcontinent, and traditional sports in countries such as Iran, Pakistan, and Kyrgyzstan in her book A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat. This book was later turned into a series of documentaries on the National Geographic Channel, which she wrote and presented. Emma is now based in North London, but still travels where and when possible.

Terry Richardson has been exploring Turkey since the early 1980s. He writes and updates several guidebooks to both the country and its leading city, and contributes regular travel features to a number of international and Turkish newspapers and magazines. He also leads groups of history and archaeology enthusiasts through Istanbul’s incredible past. Terry divides his time between his native UK and the country that has become his obsession.

Rhiannon Davies fell for Turkey after a cycling trip across the country’s remote Anatolian plateau. Lured to cosmopolitan Istanbul, she worked as the arts and culture editor for the travel and lifestyle magazine, The Guide Istanbul. She lives in the heart of Istanbul’s vibrant entertainment quarter and spends her free time exploring the city’s restaurant, art, and nightlife scenes. Rhiannon speaks Turkish and is always seeking out regional recipes to add to her collection.

An Additional Note

Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any time—and this is especially true of prices. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirmation when making your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held responsible for the experiences of readers while traveling. Your safety is important to us, however, so we encourage you to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings.

Star Ratings, Icons & Abbreviations

Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality, value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system. Hotels, restaurants, attractions, shopping, and nightlife are rated on a scale of zero stars (recommended) to three stars (exceptional). In addition to the star-rating system, we also use a icon to point out the best bets for families. Within each tour, we recommend cafes, bars, or restaurants where you can take a break. Each of these stops appears in a shaded box marked with a coffee-cup-shaped bullet .

The following abbreviations are used for credit cards:

Frommers.com

Now that you have this guidebook to help you plan a great trip, visit our website at www.frommers.com for additional travel information on more than 4,000 destinations. We update features regularly to give you instant access to the most current trip-planning information available. At Frommers.com, you’ll find scoops on the best airfares, lodging rates, and car rental bargains. You can even book your travel online through our reliable travel booking partners. Other popular features include:

• Online updates of our most popular guidebooks

• Vacation sweepstakes and contest giveaways

• Newsletters highlighting the hottest travel trends

• Online travel message boards with featured travel discussions

A Note on Prices

In the Take a Break and Best Bets sections of this book, we have used a system of dollar signs to show a range of costs for 1 night in a hotel (the price of a double-occupancy room) or the cost of an entree at a restaurant. Use the following table to decipher the dollar signs:

An Invitation to the Reader

In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful places—hotels, restaurants, shops, and more. We’re sure you’ll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share the information with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed with a recommendation, we’d love to know that, too. Please write to: Support@FrommerMedia.com.

Galata Tower at dusk.

18 Favorite Moments

Every visitor to this continent-spanning city of over 15 million inhabitants, once home to two of the world’s greatest empires, will take away their own favorite moments. From Byzantine churches to Ottoman mosques, hip clubs and art galleries and thick black Turkish coffee to waterfront fish restaurants, there’s something for everyone in this great world city.

Head out of the Golden Horn and across the Bosphorus to Asia on a vintage ferry. Istanbul is a city both by and of the sea, and there’s no better way to view it than from a boat taking you from Europe to Asia. See p 17.

Wandering down Galip Dede Caddesi and listening to the sounds emerge from music stores—everything from electric guitars and keyboards to cymbals hand-crafted in Istanbul, the lute-like saz to the ney, the long Anatolian pipe. See p 85.

Eating fresh grilled fish by Karaköy Fish Market. It’s a bit rough and ready, but on a warm summer’s evening, with the Old City skyline ahead, it can’t be beaten for price and pure enjoyment. See p 59.

Watching the sunset over the Golden Horn and Old City from the roof terrace bar of the Büyük Londra Hotel. If it was good enough for Hemingway, it’s good enough for the rest of us. See p 136.

The traffic-free, pine-clad Princes’ Islands are just an hour’s ferry ride away. What a great contrast to the vibrant mayhem of the city, especially when explored on foot or bike. See p 144.

Perusing contemporary art at Istanbul Modern. For a beguiling overvıew of contemporary Turkish art and the chance to see a cracking temporary exhibition, try the city’s leading modern art gallery, set right on the Bosphorus waterfront. See p 30.

Try the full-on meyhane experience at Gurme Boncuk in Beyo lu. Plates of meze, grilled fish, unlimited local drinks, and an Armenian accordion player all in a place jam-packed with Istanbullus Friday and Saturday evenings. See p 103.

It’s hard to classify Istanbul’s hippest club, Babylon. But whatever is on, whether live bands or DJ sets, it’s the place to see and be seen. See p 127.

Sipping Turkish coffee at Kafe Ara, surrounded by scenes of the city on the walls by Istanbul’s photographer Ara Güler (b. 1928). A real cafe society feel. See p 104.

Fresh grilled fish at Karaköy fish market.

The colors of Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar.

Taking the teleferik to Pierre Loti Kahvesi on a warm summer evening. After a fascinating morning people-watching around Eyüp Sultan Mosque and Meydanı, the short cable-car ride above the cemetery is a lovely, lazy way to reach the tea garden named after the romantic French author. See p 54.

Taste your way around Turkey at Çiya, on the Asian shores of the city. Three restaurants spread across a narrow alley dish up a cornucopia of delicious regional specialties hard to find elsewhere. See p 102.

Check out the streets around the Spice Bazaar for an arresting selection of gourmet foodstuffs, from strings of sun-cured eggplants to dried mulberries, pistachios to plump Aegean olives. See p 9.

Ascending Galata Tower and circling the gallery a couple of times. The crowds may perturb, but the views never cease to amaze. See p 10.

Getting lost on the winding backstreets around Çukurcuma, browsing antique shops, jewelry makers, and tiny art galleries. See p 85.

Looking up at the vast central dome and flanking semi-domes of the Süleymaniye Camii. The interior of this mammoth but beautifully austere mosque is an architectural delight—no wonder its master architect Sinan had himself buried in its grounds. See p 8.

Gallery hopping on Independence Street. Istanbul has a thriving contemporary arts scene, best tasted by visiting the small galleries fronting Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Street). See p 48.

Admiring the biblical scenes adorning the Byzantine church of St Savior in Chora (Kariye Müzesi). The mosaics here are superbly crafted and tell familiar tales in the most charming manner. See p 42.

Cheering on Beçiktaç soccer (football) club at the spectacularly situated Inönü (Vodafone) stadium, with views of the Bosphorus and the Dolmabahçe Palace clock tower. See p 129.

Dazzling interior of the Blue Mosque.

The Best in One Day

Istanbul’s history centers on Sultanahmet. Here, the ancient Greeks built the city’s first incarnation; later, the district was the heart of both the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. This area is referred to as the Old City, or the Historic Peninsula of Istanbul’s European side. Over the Golden Horn (an arm of the Bosphorus), and still in Europe, is the thoroughly modern Beyo lu neighborhood. This busy tour gives you a taste of both. START: Tram to Sultanahmet.

Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya). One of Istanbul’s iconic landmarks, with a dusky red exterior and huge domes, there are usually long lines to enter what is today a museum. The first church built on this site dates to a.d. 360, but its present form dates back to the mid-6th century when it was rebuilt by Emperor Justinian I. Your first impression, on entering its dimly lit ground floor, is awe, as you stand beneath the magnificent 55m-high (184 ft.) dome, which measures 31.5m (103 ft.) in diameter. Also in the nave of the church are the omphalion, where Byzantine emperors were crowned, and the weeping column, so called because it is slightly damp to the touch. It supposedly cures all ills. Also at ground level, seen as you leave via the inner narthex (vestibule), is the best of the church’s mosaic panels, depicting the Virgin Mary. On one side of her is the Emperor Constantine, offering her a model of Constantinople; on the other side, Justinian offers her a model of the Hagia Sophia. The upstairs gallery, reached via a long sloping ramp, houses beautiful 11th-century mosaics, including that of Christ flanked by Emperor Constantine IX and his wife, Empress Zoe. Close by you’ll see Viking-era graffiti etched into the marble balcony and another stunning mosaic depicting Christ, the Virgin Mary, and John the Baptist. The church was converted into a mosque, the Ayasofya, soon after the conquest of 1453 (p 171). In 1934, it became a museum. Additions from its time as a mosque include the mihrab (Mecca-facing niche) in the apse, a minbar (pulpit), a loge or raised platform where the sultan would pray, and below the dome, great circular plaques inscribed with the names of Allah, Mohammed, and the first four caliphs.  90 min. Ayasofya Meydanı, Sultanahmet.  0212/522-1750. www.ayasofyamuzesi.gov.tr. Admission