I had the immense pleasure visiting Istanbul before it got all crazy and America decided it wasn’t safe anymore…and by America, I mean my mother. But it is fabulous. I have visited a handful of times and while I have the flexibility to piece the city together over several trips, I would highly recommend a first timer give this immaculate place at least four days to capture the culture of the city. So let’s dive in, shall we?

I am not going to piece this city together by day. Why? Because I could do any one of these on any given day. I could also spend all day at one of these places and not think twice. So we will look at the highlights and I’ll let you piece together your own holiday.

Hagia Sophia

Let’s talk about the picture at the top of the page for a minute. Hagia Sophia is one of the most important buildings in Istanbul; that isn’t just my opinion, it’s Google’s. Once a church, then later a mosque, the interior is a shrine to the historical significance this city possesses.

 

Blue Mosque 

Ladies, this is where you need to bring a cover for your head. This is an active mosque and you need to be prepared to respect the Muslim culture if you plan to enter this holy place. I never took photos of the inside because it is considered a holy place to those who worship inside. But it is spectacular; rooms in the back for women to worship while the men have the space in the front of the mosque.

 

Basilica Cistern

Lots of people claim the 20 Turkish Lira is too much for entry to this underground cistern but I found it fascinating. It is a stone’s throw from Hagia Sophia so to me, it’s a shame not to go. There is a lot of history behind it but all in all it’s a super cool, and by cool I mean the temperature is cool, place to step back in time.

Galata Tower

Galata Tower is an icon of the city skyline. You can walk up to the top of the tower and get a view of the old town and the Bosphorous; which is great timing because that leads us to the inevitable water cruise.

 

 

Scenes from the River

I have used two methods to cross the Bosphorous; water taxi and a night cruise. The water taxi takes you to one location on the Asia side of Istanbul for a price of 5 TL. Follow the water taxi link to find ferry pricing and destinations. If you want to do a more formal cruise, I did a night cruise that took us up and down the Bosphorous for 15 TL. Between us? I did both and the water ferry does the job for a third of the price. I wouldn’t spend money on the authentic cruise.

Food

I love Turkish food. Love it. Crave it when I leave more than anything else. If you like spicy food, make sure to eat all the Adana you possibly can. And sweets? Baklava; but only from this neighborhood: Karakoy. It is the hippest area in Istanbul with the best tiny spots to get a coffee and baklava.

Grand Bazaar

This is where I win; bargaining. Be ready to do some serious shopping inside the Grand Bazaar, and have fun! Plates, bowls, scarves, leather goods, food, jewelry, spices, turkish delights, ANYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE can be found inside. Don’t buy at your first location. Get a feel for the pricing inside before you start tossing out the cash. You’ll find the same stuff at each store.