Istanbul, Türkiye

by Yaoho |

on April 1, 2023

Istanbul the largest city in Türkiye (Turkey) spans over Eurpoe and Asia. The Bosporus separate the Europe and Asia side and connects the Mediterranean to the Black sea.

View of Bosporus (Europe on the right side and Asia on the left side)

Information

Cruise port

The cruise port for Istanbul is the new Galataport port with shops and restaurants. From Galataport you can walk along the river to cross over Galata Bridge to reach old city of Istanbul. About 30-40 mins walk.

Tram/Metro

There is tram available from Galataport to city center, and a tram station is right outside the terminal security check. You need cash in Lira to buy the tram ticket. On the two days we were there, we walked to the city center both days and did not use the public transportation. But taking a tram from the cruise terminal to the old town is highly recommended as this direction is an uphill ride.

Currency

Local currency is Lira, although some shops take Euro it is best to have some local currency with you. There are many Banks/ATMs on our walk to city center and we were able to get Lira through ATM.

Dress Code

When visiting Mosque women are required to have head coverings.

Visit during Ramadan

When we visited it was during Ramadan, check the mosque prayer times as most mosque will close to tourist during prayer times. During Ramadan Muslim fast from dawn to dusk but we found this did not impact tourist in Istanbul. Restaurants and street food was available. Just be mindful and respectful of locals that may be fasting during this time.

Places We Go

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia was built in 360 AD and was originally an Eastern Orthodox Church until the Ottoman Empire converted it to a Mosque in 1453 AD. It was the seat of the Orthodox patriarch, counterpart to Roman Catholicism’s pope. It was converted to a museum and recently converted back to a Mosque. Entrance is free, but the mosque is closed to public during prayer time. Women are required to wear head coverings.

In Hagia Sophia, there are columns which were brought from Egypt and the temple of Artemis in Ephesus.

Blue mosque

The Blue Mosque was closed for restoration during our visit. So unfortunately, we were not able to visit inside.

Hippodrome of Constantinople/Sultanahmet Square

This is the square where the Hippodrome used to be, now you can find the Serpert Column (the one moved from Delphi), Obelisk of Thutmose (from Egypt) and the Walled Obelisk on one end and the German Fountain on the other end of the square.

Sultan Ahmet Tomb

The final resting place of Sultan Ahmet and his family. Entrance is free. Women are required to wear head coverings. The inside is stunningly beautiful.

Grand Bazaar

The grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays. It is huge and maze like. All kinds of shops from jewelry to leather to clothes. We were not interested in shopping so did a quick walk through. The spice market is more our cup of tea.

Spice Bazaar

Inside

Inside of the spice market is filled with shops selling all kinds of turkish delight/spices/food. But we think it’s more for the tourists.

Outside/behind

There is a whole market outside/behind the spice market. It feels like the inside is more for tourists and the outside is where the locals shop. We found a coffee shop that had lines wrapped around the building so we bought some as well and it did not disappoint – very good Turkish coffee. Turkish delight – we found a couple shops around the corner that sells Turkish delight by the Kgs. We saw locals come and buy boxes and boxes and decided to try some as well, we bought 1 box (1 Kg) of mixed Turkish delight for 50 Lira. Tried some after we got back to the cruise and they were delicious and much better (less sweet) than the ones we tried inside the market. Next day, we went back and bought more. For some reason I forgot to take pictures of the shops, but they can be seen in the picture below of the Spice market building, the shops are outside the building on the right-hand side.

Topkapi Palace

Topkapi Palace of the Ottoman sultans. Entrance ticket to Topkapi Palace was 500 Lira per person in 2023. There’s a separate ticket for the Harem as an add on. When I got the ticket, I misunderstood what the add on was for and thought it was for audio tour and did not purchase the add on. The ticket line can get long and we did not go back to purchase the Harem tickets. The ticket include free audio tour but the line to pickup the audio was also long so we bypass that as well.

The Holy Relics have items that are considered scared on display. There is a line to get in (but worth the wait) and women are required to wear head coverings. Some items include items belonging to Prophet Muhammad (beard, bow and arrow, sandals), Moses’s staff – the one used to part the Red sea, and the Sword of David. There’s no photos allowed inside the Holy Relics.

Gülhane Park

This is a very nice park to walk through on our way to Topkapi Palace.

Basilica Cistern

This is the largest ancient cisterns beneath the city of Istanbul and is open to the public. Entrance fee was 300 Lira per person. The line to get ticket was very long, so if you can get ticket online before do that to save time. It’s worth a visit. Some highlights include the Tear of crying column, two columns sitting on Medusa’s Head and other art installations.

Galata Tower/Istiklal street

We walked from spice market across the bridge and head up the hill to Galata Tower (did not go up the tower) and continue on to Istiklal street. Istiklal street is often compared to 5th ave in NYC or Oxford st in London. It has modern shops and restaurants.