Things to do in Istanbul
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Jennifer’s Hamam
Owned by Canadian Jennifer Gaudet, this recently opened shop stocks hamam items including towels, robes and peştemals (bath wraps) produced on old hand looms or hand/motor looms. It also sells natural soaps, kese (coarse cloth mittens used for depilation) and rosense products (natural rose hand and body products from Isparta).
reviewed
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Aya Sofya
Called Hagia Sofia in Greek, Sancta Sophia in Latin and the Church of the Divine Wisdom in English, İstanbul's most famous monument has long and fascinating history. Built by Emperor Justinian, it was constructed on the site of Byzantium's acropolis, which had also been the site of two earlier Aya Sofyas.
The first of these was a basilica with a timber roof completed in 360 by Constantine's son and successor, Constantinius, and was burned down in a riot in 404; and the second was a building commissioned by Theodosius II in 415 and destroyed in the Nika riots of 532. Justinian's church, which dwarfed all other buildings in the city, was completed in 537 and reigned as the…
reviewed
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Topkapi Palace
This opulent palace is the subject of more colourful stories than most of the world’s museums put together. It was the home of Selim the Sot, who drowned in the bath after drinking too much champagne; İbrahim the Crazy, who lost his reason after being locked up for four years in the infamous palace kafes; and Roxelana, beautiful and malevolent consort of Süleyman the Magnificent. No wonder it’s been the subject of a popular feature film (Jules Dassin’s 1963 Topkapı ), an opera (Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio ) and a blockbuster social history (John Freely’s wonderful Inside the Seraglio ). There’s loads to see, so make sure you dedicate at least hal…
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Galata House
This would have to be one of the most eccentric restaurants in town. Run by the utterly charming husband-and-wife team of Nadire and Mete Göktuğ, it is housed in the Old British Jail, just down from Galata Tower. The jail functioned from 1904 to 1919, and has been sympathetically but comfortably restored by Mete, who is one of İstanbul’s most prominent heritage architects. Nadire uses recipes handed down from her Georgian mother to concoct great comfort food – the hingali (meat-filled dumplings in tomato sauce) are absolutely delicious. She also plays the piano for guests.
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Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta
This is one of the most famous eateries in the city, and to be frank, we’re at a total loss to understand why. The ever-present queues of locals obviously adore its rubbery ızgara köfte (grilled meatballs) served with bread, white beans, salad and pickled chillies, but we have always been underwhelmed. Why not try it yourself, though? The place has been serving since 1920 and is certainly clean, cheap and cheerful.
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Istanbul Airport Private Arrival Transfer
Varies (Departs Istanbul, Turkey)
by Viator
Let us make your arrival hassle free with an Istanbul Airport Private Arrival Transfer. Avoid all the stress that comes with trying to get from A to B when you'…Not LP reviewed
from USD$15.00 -
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Dance of Colours
This popular two-part performance features a whirling dervish and Sufi music segment followed by dances from 10 different regions of Turkey. Colourful costumes and professional dancers make for a good evening’s fun, with the added bonus that you don’t have to fork out for an indifferent meal.
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Blue Mosque
With this mosque, Sultan Ahmet I (r 1603–17) set out to build a monument that would rival and even surpass the nearby Aya Sofya in grandeur and beauty. So enthusiastic was the sultan about his grand project that he is said to have worked with the labourers and craftsmen on site, pushing them along and rewarding extra effort. Ahmet did in fact come close to his goal of rivalling Aya Sofya, and in so doing achieved the added benefit of making future generations of hotel owners in Sultanahmet happy – a ‘Blue Mosque view’ from the roof terrace being the number-one selling point of the fleet of hotels in the area. The mosque’s architect, Mehmet Ağa, who had trained with Sina…
reviewed
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Basilica Cistern
When those Byzantine emperors built something, they certainly did it properly! This extraordinary subterranean structure, built by Justinian in 532 (perhaps on the site of an earlier cistern), is the largest surviving Byzantine cistern in İstanbul. Now one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions, it’s a great place to while away 30 minutes or so, especially during summer when its cavernous depths stay wonderfully cool. The cistern’s roof is 65m wide and 143m long, and is supported by 336 columns arranged in 12 rows. It once held 80,000 cubic metres of water, delivered via 20km of aqueducts from a reservoir near the Black Sea. The cistern was constructed using colum…
reviewed
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Sali Pazari
On Tuesday there is a massive market in Kadıköy, on the Asian side: the Sali Pazari. The cheapest clothes in town are on sale here, so if you've been on the road for a while and your underwear needs replenishing, this is the place to do it! To get there, get off the ferry and move straight ahead along the major boulevard of Söğütlüçeşme Caddesi for about 500m until you come to a busy intersection, Altıyol Square.
Cross over, take the right fork and continue eastward along Kuşdili Caddesi for another 250m (three cross streets). At Hasırcıbaşı Caddesi turn left and you'll see the tent-city market spread out before you. It's open between 08:00 and 18:00. On Sunday t…
reviewed
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Leb-İ Derya
Ask many İstanbullus to name their favourite watering hole and they’re likely to nominate this unpretentious place. On the top floor of a dishevelled building off İstiklal, it has wonderful views across to the Old City and down the Bosphorus, meaning that seats on the small outdoor terrace or at the bar are highly prized. There’s also food on offer.
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Princes' Islands
Most İstanbullus refer to the Princes' Islands as 'The Islands' (Adalar), as they are the only islands around the city. They lie about 20km southeast of the city in the Sea of Marmara, and make a great destination for a day escape from the city.
You'll realise after landing that there are no cars on the islands, something that comes as a welcome relief after the traffic mayhem of the city. Except for the necessary police, fire and sanitation vehicles, transportation is by bicycle, horse-drawn carriage and foot, as in centuries past.
All of the islands are busy in summer, particularly on weekends. For that reason, avoid a Sunday visit. If you wish to stay overnight during …
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Bosphorus Night Cruise
One of the most enjoyable, and certainly most romantic, night-time activities in İstanbul is to take a Bosphorus ferry. Enjoy the view back to the Old City, the twinkling lights, the fishing boats bobbing on the waves and the powerful searchlights of the ferries sweeping the sea lanes.
The best ferry to catch for this purpose is the one from Karaköy (just over the Galata Bridge from Eminönü) to Kadıköy. Just go to Karaköy, buy two tokens (for the voyages out and back) and walk on board. When you reach Kadıköy you could head into the backstreets and grab a bite to eat.
A shorter ride is the one from Eminönü to Üsküdar. When you alight in Üsküdar, you could have a d…
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Ambassador Hotel Spa Center
There’s no atmosphere to speak of at the spa centre of this shabby modern hotel just off Divan Yolu, but all treatments are private, meaning that you get the small and pretty hamam all to yourself. Best of all is the fact that the 60- or 75-minute Turkish massage treatment here (bath, scrub and soap massage) includes a 30-minute oil massage given by Zeki Ulusoy. Zeki is trained in sports, remedial and aromatherapy massage and he really knows his stuff – you’ll float out of here at the end of your session. You can also book the hamam for private use (€20 per person per hour) or book a 45-minute Turkish bath treatment without the oil massage (€35).
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Erzincanli Ali Baba Fasulyeci
Join the crowds of hungry locals at this long-time institution in the former kütüphanesi medrese (theological-school library) of the Süleymaniye Mosque. It’s been dishing up its signature kuru fasulye (Anatolian-style haricot beans cooked in a spicy tomato sauce) since 1924. Try some with side dishes of pilaf (rice) and pickles, and wash it all down with an ayran (yoghurt drink). Next-door Kanaat Fasulyeci is nearly as old and serves up more of the same.
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Albura Kathisma
Albura Kathisma is a welcome addition to the otherwise mediocre array of restaurants along Akbıyık Caddesi. Its streetside tables are usually occupied by tourists sampling Turkish dishes such as hünkar beğendi (lamb or beef goulash served on a mound of rich aubergine puree) or mantı (Turkish ravioli topped with yoghurt, tomato and butter). The food is decent, with lots of vegetarian options.
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Istanbul Archaeology Museums
It may not attract the number of visitors that flock to nearby Topkapı, but this stunning museum complex is already one of the city’s top attractions. It can be easily reached by walking down the slope from Topkapı’s First Court, or by walking up the hill from the main gate of Gülhane Park. The complex is divided into three buildings: the Archaeology Museum (Arkeoloji Müzesi), the Museum of the Ancient Orient (Eski Şark Eserler Müzesi) and the Tiled Pavilion (Çinili Köşk). These museums house the palace collections formed during the late 19th century by museum director, artist and archaeologist Osman Hamdi Bey and added to greatly since the republic. While not immediately…
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Kapalı Çarşı (Grand Bazaar)
Kapalı Çarşı (Grand Bazaar) has been a shopper's Mecca since just after the mid-15th century, when the smallish warehouse was turned into a teeming bazaar by a constant stream of traders, selling everything from carpets to cummin. These days it's the most fantastic, monstrous, labyrinthine and totally manic shopping bazaar you could hope to experience.
Tourist shops selling glittery geegaws line the main streets, but delve into the back streets and you'll still find Istanbullus buying a few metres of cloth, a gold bangle for a daughter's birthday, a beautifully crafted gold-plated 'eye' to ward off evil or an antique carpet. Before you visit, prepare yourself properly…
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Pierre Loti Café
After visiting the Eyüp Sultan Mosque, many visitors head north up the hill to the Pierre Loti Café, where the famous French novelist is said to have come for inspiration. Loti loved İstanbul, its decadent grandeur and the late-medieval customs of a society in decline. When he sat in this cafe, under a shady grapevine sipping tea, he saw a Golden Horn busy with caïques (long, thin rowboats), schooners and a few steam vessels. The water in the Golden Horn was still clean enough to swim in and the vicinity of the cafe was given over to pasture. The cafe that today bears his name offers views similar to the ones he must have enjoyed. It’s in a warren of streets on a prom…
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Moreish
Chefs Cokşun Uysal and Esra Muslu trained in Melbourne and London before returning to İstanbul and opening this intimate restaurant. The sophisticated interior by Milagard Architecture perfectly complements the ambitious menu, which comes complete with amuse-bouche and splendid home-baked bread rolls. An initial perusal of the dishes on offer may make you fear that there is too much happening on each plate, but fear not – everything works wonderfully. Highlights of our last meal included a main course of roasted lamb and braised lamb shank with red cabbage, tahini humus and a cognac-plum puree followed by a dessert of flourless chocolate mousse cake served with rosewate…
reviewed
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Neve Shalom Synagogue
During the 19th century, Galata had a large Sephardic Jewish population and a number of synagogues. Most of this community has now moved to other residential areas in the city, but the synagogues remain. Tragically, this building (which dates from the 1930s) seems to have become a target for anti-Jewish extremists and it has suffered three attacks in recent decades – a brutal massacre by Arab gunmen during the summer of 1986, a bomb attack in 1992 and a 2003 car-bomb attack carried out by a motley group of Turkish Muslims inspired by Osama bin Laden. In a tragic irony, the name Neve Shalom means Oasis or Valley of Peace. To visit, fax a request including your name, addres…
reviewed
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Hamdi Et Lokantası
A favourite İstanbullu haunt since 1970, Hamdi has phenomenal views overlooking the Golden Horn and Galata that are matched by great food, professional service and a bustling atmosphere. Try the haydari (yoghurt with roasted eggplant and garlic), the içli köfte (meatballs rolled in bulgur ) and the patıcanlı kebab (lamb kebab with eggplant) and you’ll see what we mean. Any place this good is always going to be busy, so make sure you book, and don’t forget to request a rooftop table with a view (outside if the weather is hot). If you get there early (around 6pm), you might be able to score one of these without booking. Enter through the ground-floor baklava shop.
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Haci Abdullah
Just contemplating the sensational imam bayildi (‘the imam fainted’) at Hacı Abdullah’s makes our tastebuds go into overdrive. This İstanbul institution (it was established in 1888) is one of the best lokantas in the city and is one of the essential gastronomic stops you should make when in town. You’ll find all the traditional favourites, as well as a wide selection of desserts, including home-bottled fruit compote and a delicious künefe (shredded wheat pastry with pistachios, honey and sugar). The elegant surrounds feature bottle upon bottle of pickled vegetables and comfortable banquette seating. No alcohol is served.
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Baths of Lady Hürrem
Traditionally, every mosque had a hamam (bathhouse) included in or around its complex of buildings. Aya Sofya was no exception and this elegant symmetrical building, designed by Sinan between 1556 and 1557, was built just across the road from the great mosque by Süleyman in the name of his wife Hürrem Sultan, known to history as Roxelana. The hamam was one of 32 Sinan designed and is widely thought be his best. It operated until 1910 and until recently functioned as a carpet shop – no-one (including the local heritage authorities) seems to be sure what its future use is going to be after the current restoration is completed.
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Khorasani
When considering ocakbaşıs, the word stylish doesn’t often come to mind. Succulent, yes. Smoky, sometimes. But stylish? Hmm. The owners of this new place off Divan Yolu are aiming to challenge preconceptions with Khorasani, and it seems to be working for their predominantly tourist clientele. Here, the meat plays second fiddle to the surrounds, which are extremely attractive. The chef hails from Antakya, and the kebap style is that of southeastern Anatolia, meaning that a few spicy dishes adorn the menu. A welcome addition to the Sultanahmet eating scene.
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