3 days in Istanbul | The 3+1 highlights

A beautiful travel option during fall period is Istanbul!

As three days isn't much time and the traffic down town is chaotic, it would be very practical for you, to stay near all the main attractions of the city in order to get around mainly on foot. In this case we suggest you stay at the touristic area of Istanbul (as we did) named Sultanahmet. We chose a value for money option, the Apple Tree Hotel - great breakfast with an amazing view, very kind personel and the bedroom very nice as well.

The Eurasian city has many cultural and gastronomic experiences - below are the highlights.

1. Hagia Sophia | a Temple, a Mosque, a Museum and a Mosque again... (30΄)

Hagia Sophia is located in the Sultanahmet area, on the main square. It is a major historical and worship site of Istanbul and it was built by the eastern Roman emperor Justinian I in 537a.C. First it was a Christian cathedral for 1.000 years and later it was converted to a mosque for 500 years. In 1934 Hagia Sophia became a museum under the secular Republic of Turkey (with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk as president) being included in the program of revolutionary social and political reform to modernize Turkey. In 2020, the Council of State with the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, annulled the 1934 decision and the Hagia Sophia was reclassified as a mosque.

The entrance in Hagia Sophia is free of charge (The entrance fee to Hagia Sophia from the beginning of 2024 is 25€. It is free of charge to those with religious purpose), but the waiting line is usually long. We suggest you schedule your visit early in the morning or late at night after 9pm as we did (the gates close at 11pm), so you could admire the beauty and feel the magic of this impressive monument! It is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and it is said to have "changed the history of architecture" as it had the world's largest interior space and among the first to employ a fully pendentive dome!

In order to enter the mosque you should wear "proper" attire, you also must remove your shoes - as for women it is obligatory to cover their head with a scarf.

Attention: the place remains open for visitors outside of prayer times - when you hear the Imam praying it means you will not be allowed to enter

2. Topkapı Palace (3 hours minimum)

Another impressive monument in Istanbul is the Sultan's Palace - the Topkapı Sarayı, the sultans' main residence from the 15th until the 17th century.

The palace is a complex of buildings and not one single construction as palaces used to be at that time. It consists many low pavilions and the sultan's main apartment, most of the time less than 2 floors high, located in four main courtyards. Overall, the palace's size is estimated around 700,000 square meters!

The waiting time at the palace's entrance is quite long, so it's better to get the Museum Pass (active for 5 days) to avoid waiting. Alternatively the Topkapi Palace's entrance is 200TL plus 100TL for the Harem's entrance.

The palace has 5 divisions: 4 courtyards with royal pavilions and the harem. The entrance is located at Sultanahmet's square and the first courtyard is considered a garden and is free of charge to all visitors. The actual entrance for the visitors is at the second courtyard. At the beginning we passed by all the gardens visiting the scattered kiosks on our way and we ended at the 4th courtyard where we had a break to admire the magnificent view of the Bosporus. On our way back we visited the harem which is the biggest building of the palace!

The word "harem" in Arabic means "the forbidden" and despite what most people think, it wasn't the sultan's love house, but his private home where he used to live with his family. There are more than 300 rooms in the harem (few of them is allowed to visit, enough to be impressed), where 1.000 people stayed - 300 of them were concubines. The entrance was forbidden to other men and was guarded by eunuchs.

Due to the fact that in the Islamic religion Muslims enslavement was forbidden, the majority of concubines were Christians or Jewish, that were given to sultan as a gift. When the girls entered the harem, they had to embrace Islam and have a proper education such as writing, reading, dancing and so on, in order to keep the sultan entertained. The sultan's mother "Valide" had the management of the harem.

Summer: Wednesday- Monday 9:00-18:00
Winter: Wednesday- Monday 9:00-16:45
Tuesday Closed

3. Basilica Cistern (40')

The Basilica Cistern is located in the same area as Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace.

Back in the old days, Istanbul was often under siege and the key to victory was usually the abundance of water for its inhabitants.

Emperor Justinian, the same emperor that built Hagia Sophia, built this cathedral-sized cistern: an underground chamber approximately 140 m. length, 70m. width and 9m. high (!) capable of holding 80,000 cu. m. of water!

The columns used in this construction are not alike. The goal was to built a durable tank without much expense not taking into consideration the aesthetics, and so they used materials from ancient ruins found in the surrounding areas.

Nevertheless the result is very impressive and nowadays it is used as a museum where exhibitions and concerts take place with a magical result - we saw a unique sculpture exhibition. Here many movies were hosted such as "Inferno" with Tom Hanks and even a James' Bond movie back in 1963 "From Russia with Love".

Many underwound tanks (cisterns) are located in Istanbul and some of them are open to tourists. In the late afternoon the waiting line in Basilica Cistern is manageable but if you want to go earlier book your ticket online to skip the line.

The food - sooooo good!

In Sultanahmet square you will find a big variety of street food. Whatever you will pick is delicious! Grilled corn or chestnuts, bagel, ice cream and fresh pomegranate juice are some of the options you will have and are ideal for a snack while having a break from all the sightseeing.

If you choose to walk a little bit further, you will find many restaurants serving lunch, but but be aware most of the prices are quite high (15€/person) as they are 100% for tourists only. Even here you may bargain the price but be polite! At the end of the meal they usually treat you with tea and sometimes even with a desert.

The service in general is perfect - whether you are in a simple food spot or a glamorous restaurant. The food is delicious, mainly meat dishes and quite spicy. You will find a variety of soups everywhere and in very reasonably priced and we also recommend to have one as a starter, especially in winter time.

To enjoy nightlife in a more authentic modern Turkish way, you will need to live the "borders of old Istanbul", crossing the Bosporus bridge to the north modern side (via taxi, 30 mins, 5-10€). There are many European style restaurants, cafes and bars with a young crowd and many locals - the prices here are high but still very good value for an average European or American visitor.

4. Hammam (60')

There are many hammams in the city and it is an experience we totally recommend! It is a simple procedure: to start you sit and relax in a jacuzzi for around 15 minutes and then you lie down so they can wash your whole body with specific gloves that give a scrub effect and with soap of course - the massage is extra in this relaxing experience. You may choose Chemberlitas Hamami which is the oldest hammam in the city and value for money as well (starts from 30€).

This time we chose the Cağaloğlu Hamam which many Turkish people prefer. The building is quite old, from 1741, impressive, very well preserved and clean but the prices are quite high, taking always into consideration that you are in Turkey (starts from 60€).

Extras: The Galata Tower (40') | Istiklal street (~1h) | Bosphorus tour by boat (2h)

A beautiful sightseeing tour that could be combined with a shopping tour on Istiklal street is the Galata Tower. You will need transport (tram or taxi) from Sultanahmet to get to Istiklal street but you could go back on foot as we did. Starting from Taksim square, follow down the pedestrian path, and you will find lots of retail shops with clothes, sweets and tea of course.

Near the end of the road you will find the Galata Tower, where thankfully you will realize that you have the museum pass and you can skip the queue (the entrance is free). Use the elevator to get to the last floor, where you will enjoy a panoramic view of the Bosporus.

The Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi) was built in 1348 and at that time was considered the highest building in the city. At the beginning it was used as a bastion. It was also later used as a fire detection tower during the Ottoman Empire before it was converted into a prison during the rule of Sultan Suleiman ‘The Magnificent’.

A famous story of the Galata Tower revolves around the legendary Ottoman aviator Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi (Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi). According to stories he attached wooden wings (as in paragliding) to his arms and flew from the top of the tower to Doğancılar Square in Üsküdar. This extraordinary feat made the Sultan very suspicious of the man and sent him to exile...

Keep on walking for another 15 minutes, cross the Galata Bridge and you will find yourself where all the touristic boats depart for the Bosporus tour. There are many choices around and we found one that lasted 1 hour and a half for 3€ each. We had to wait for half an hour for the boat to fill up with tourists before the departure, so just in case get yourself a bagel from the street and enjoy it with a hot tea served on the boat while enjoying the view as you wait.

Shopping| Grand Bazaar - Spice Bazar (1h-1day)

Don't leave the shopping to the last day. Following are the two popular bazaars but you won't find there necessarily the lowest prices...

In the Egyptian or Spice Bazar as they call it (Misir Carsisi) you will find a beautifully designed space filled with shops selling mainly spices but almost only for tourists - honestly we could barely see a Turkish customer. The prices aren't tempting at all but the variety is very impressive.

The Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi) is a 10 minute walk from the Spice Bazaar. Here you will find everything and it is crowded. Take your time and bargain each and every thing you want to buy as you can drop the prices by 40%. Try to be polite and nice, start a chit-chat with the Turkish seller, don't be in a hurry and enjoy the bargain procedure to achieve your goal!

Istanbul is a unique destination, combining something exotic in a relatively safe environment with ease of communication.

TIPS

• Most of the taxis have no taximeter. Print in advance on a paper the important addresses, such as the hotel's, so you may show it to the taxi driver as most of them don't speak English. Negotiate the price before the driver starts and try not to stop the taxi outside, for example, an expensive restaurant, as the taxi price will increase... Ideally choose an Uber driver.

• Download the Google Translate app as many locals use it too.

• The water is safe to drink, but you will find very cheap bottled water everywhere in the city.

• The toilets are free - there are located in public places such as museums and restaurants/cafes.

• Exchange your currency to Turkish pounds in the center of Istanbul rather than the airport for better exchange rate.

• Always wait for your change, otherwise they will keep it as a tip. You should leave the tip of course around 10%-20%.

• Don't forget the earplugs! At 5 am there is a possibility that the loud pray of Muezzin will wake you up...

• Buy yourself a prepaid sim card for your mobile phone when you get to the airport.

• There are two airports in Istanbul: IST & SAW.

• Get comfy with athletic shoes and outfit layering. High heels, especially in the old city, may prove quite difficult.

Ambulance: 112 
Police: 155
Fire Dpt: 110 
Tourist Police: (0212) 5274503 

Sonia Gerodimou

Editor Valerie Kosoulis