My wife and I are leaving this weekend to go to Istanbul for six nights. I have a meeting which will take up about a day and a half of this, but the rest of the time we will be free. Other than identifying the main sights, we’ve done very little preparation (contrary to my usual approach, which is to obsessively plan everything). I’d be grateful for any tips about what to see, where to eat, pitfalls to avoid, etc. We’re staying near Taksim Square. Thanks!
Definitely take a food tour with Istanbul on Food. We did the taste of two continents tour and it was a highlight of our trip. I would also recommend finding some half /whole day tours, there is so much history that is enriched with having a guide to lead you. Of course the bazaar can’t be missed, it’s overwhelming, plan to see it over several trips. Don’t let anyone shine your shoes or anyone on the street purporting to know you from the hotel recommending their favorite restaurant. Ask me how I know
I visited for about 10 days. The Rick Steves book is the best guide and will lead you to the best places. Besides the usual Haiga Sophia, Blue mosque, Topaki Palace…The ride along the Bosphorous to the Black Sea is really good and the archaeological museum is amazing. I stayed in a condo next to the Galata Tower. I would do the same. There is a great fish hole-in-the-wall restaurant next to the tower. Do go up in the Tower and have a drink!
beyond the obvious attractions: Love the Archeological Museum (istanbularkeoloji.gov.tr/main_page) , the Spice Market, the many little fish restaurants along the Bosphoros strait, walking down Istiklal street at night, the basilica Cistern, Ortakoy (walk there down the strait)) and the church of San Saviour in Chora. The food in Istanbul is fantastic. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad meal there. A day trip to Ephesus is relatively easy and cheap.I think our flight was 45 minutes and cost only $60 round trip. Beware of cheap package tours to Ephesus that insist on taking you to the rug “factory” for ghastly periods of time… Just fly there and arrange your own transport.
Make sure your wife has a long skirt and a scarf if you plan on touring any mosques such as the Blue Mosque.
Make sure your socks don’t have holes in them. You’ll be taking your shoes off a lot. 
Just got back. I have mixed feelings. There were some fabulous sights (especially Hagia Sofia), and the food was really good. On the negative side, we were scammed several times (once in a pretty scary way by a taxi driver), and people were constantly importuning us to shop for carpets and other stuff. The day we had a tour with a guide was excellent.
Thanks for all the tips.
Hunt, I am headed to Istanbul on Sunday for 5 nights. I have our itinerary pretty well mapped out, and could use some restaurant recommendations. We are staying at Sirkeci Mansion near Sultanahmet, but would love to avoid the usual touristy haunts that guide books recommend. We are two women, so prefer to dine fairly close to our accommodations so as to avoid cabs. Any suggestions?
Please provide details on the scams; it is helpful to know what to look for.
Mozaik, right by Sultanahmet, is very nice and has a good overview of different Turkish cuisines: http://mozaikrestaurant.com/
There is also an open-air restaurant, right by the Turkish Bath on the plaza. I forgot the name but it is between the Hamam and Hagia Sofia. The colors are blue and white.
And if you feel overwhelmed and need some peace, go up the street and enter the Four Season. They have divine food, not more expensive than average New York prices. We had brunch there in July, right before leaving and regret not to have gone before. It’s a haven after a busy day in the Covered Market.
Iyi yolculuklar!
TallyMom, the Seasons is on my list for a nice meal out! Glad to hear your impressions.
Will definitely check out Mozaik and the other one.
I keep reading that some restaurants in Istanbul give tourists menus without prices… presumably so that they can charge whatever they want that day. Did you find this to be the case, and if so how did you handle it?
Menus without prices? We never encountered this but we tended to eat where our concierge booked us in at dinner and for lunch we always dined well away from the tourist hot spots (like Sultanahmet) I would run like the wind if someone handed me a menu without prices.
We had no problems in restaurants (although we paid in cash–supposedly some people have problems with their credit cards being copied). We stayed near Taksim, so I don’t have a restaurant recommendation for Sultanahmet.
As far as scams, the taxi meter may have a “magic button” that jumps up the fare while the driver obscures the meter. Then, when you give the driver a bill (say, a 50 lira bill), he will use sleight-of-hand and show you a 5 lira bill and claim that is all you gave him. Both of these happened to us on the same cab ride–and he didn’t take us to the right location. Another taxi had a “broken” meter, and we agreed on a reasonable price. I suspected another taxi of taking us the long way, but after a few more days in Istanbul, I’m not sure about that. We had much better luck with taxis obtained for us by our hotel, so that’s what I would recommend if at all possible.
The shoeshine scam (which I was warned about in general terms, but still fell for once) is that a shoeshine guy will be walking in front of you, and drops his brush. When you helpfully return it to him, he aggressively starts shining your shoes and then demands money. For what it’s worth, I got a pretty good shine, and paid him much less than he demanded. We encountered several more dropped brushes that we ignored. I really dislike this scam, because it takes advantage of your kindness.
The only other thing was to be sure to ask how much small things cost, to avoid being overcharged or given the wrong change.
DD lived in Turkey for three years. Watch those taxi drivers - like Hunt said they are notorious for scams. When my DH was visiting, they took a cab and the driver quoted them the price at the end. DD told him there was no way she was paying that and said she’d give him what she knew it cost. He then said he had no change and she told him that was his problem. He then took off without payment, yelling that she had “no god.” The entire exchange was in Turkish, which threw him since she is a redheaded American. It would cost him more to stay and argue with her than to go pick up an unsuspecting tourist.
Another tried to take them the long way and she told him that he could go that way if he wanted but she wasn’t paying the fare for that way; she’d pay it for the usual way. There are also some that start the meters after the ride has begun and it doesn’t not start at zero and ends up showing way more than the actual cost should be.
If I was scammed by the Taxi, I didn’t know about it. But, I only took one to and from the airport. I don’t remember being scammed at all. Yes, a regular part of walking around Istanbul is the constant requests for business everywhere you go. It begins to feel like just background noise.
I’ve taken several taxis but at that time was well aware of potential scams. Always hold up the money and point to the 50 lire, so he knows that you BOTH know what is being paid.(The slight of hand is the most common scam).And I have, more than once, asked the fare to get to the final destination. And more than once said thanks but no thanks. Sorry that you got scammed Hunt! I do wish that we had warned you, but it’s not something that I think of when Istanbul comes to mind.Other than the taxi drivers and insistent rug sellers, the Istanbul population is both hospitable and generous. (at least that has been our experience)
We had an issue with a taxi, but it got resolved. Not all drivers speak any English. We never had any issue with taxis from the hotel. This was coming back from another city location, way off the beaten path.
The thing about the tea invites is you can go, drink their tea, not buy a rug. It’s a wonderful place to be respectful but not cowed. Food is amazing. Really, DH’s attitude was, so what if his shoes got shined several times?
My D1 took the trip to Prince Islands, it was a highlight. And she did have a headscarf, but did not wear skirts.
It’s still the most amazing place I’ve been. We also went down the coast to Efes, a tale in itself.
" It’s a wonderful place to be respectful but not cowed." That’s been my attitude as well. The nicest time we had in Istanbul was the afternoon we spent in a jewelers in the Grand Bazaar. Tea, talk, bargaining and laughs. Did we get a deal on the silver jewelry? Naaahhhh. But we had a lovely time talking about sales tactics in the US vs Turkey and I still love my earrings. I never ever felt intimidated since I took it all in stride and enjoyed it as part of the experience.