Things to do in Turkey
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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).
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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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Sultan Garden Restaurant
This very leafy place, with a terrace overlooking the harbour and a functioning ancient cistern, is a perennial favourite offering excellent service and traditional and inventive Turkish dishes. Try the hünkar beğendı (spiced stewed lamb on aubergine puree; TL22).
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Ejder Restaurant
Run by a welcoming husband-and-wife team (Mehmet does the meat, his wife the veg), this popular restaurant is a firm favourite with travellers for its delicious dishes (try chicken şiş or the sizzling Anatolian meat platter) and atmospheric setting under the arches of the Roman Aqueduct. While waiting for your meal, ask to see the 25 tomes of comments left by diners – everyone leaves a note, their signature and a small memento (a metro ticket from their hometown, a foreign coin etc – we even found a parking ticket and human hair!). Careful perusers will find an autograph from the late Steve Irwin.
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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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Bougainville Travel
A long-established English-Turkish tour operator with a solid reputation and much experience in organising any number of activities lasting a full day (unless otherwise specified), including canoeing (TL70 on the Patara River, with individual rentals TL40/70 for a single/double); canyoning (TL100); mountain biking (TL72, with individual rentals TL44); paragliding (TL180 for flights lasting 20 to 30 minutes); scuba diving (TL56 per dive including all equipment); and sea kayaking (TL60).
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Ali Kaya Restaurant
The best time to visit this simple licensed restaurant above Amasya is at sunset, when you can recharge after the steep climb with meze while taking in views of town and the tombs. Taxis will ferry you up for TL8.
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Göreme Open-Air Museum
One of Turkey's World Heritage sites, the Göreme Open-Air Museum is an essential stop on any Cappadocian itinerary and deserves a two-hour visit. First an important Byzantine monastic settlement that housed some 20 monks, then a pilgrimage site from the 17th century, the cluster of rock-cut churches, chapels and monasteries is 1km uphill from the centre of the village.
Follow the cobbled path until you reach Aziz Basil Şapeli, the chapel dedicated to Kayseri-born St Basil, one of Cappadocia's most important saints. The grate-covered holes in the floor were the graves of the chapel's architects and financiers; the small boxes contained less-affluent folks' bones. In the …
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SOS & Sultan Restaurant & Café
A cheapish option that offers belly fuel rather than gourmet meals.
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Kebab House Mehmet & Alibaba
Covered in testimonials from contented customers, this friendly and informal joint dishes out tasty Turkish fare. The smiley owners are eager to please and are happy to educate the uninitiated palate with a variety of local treats such as Adana kebap. Complimentary coffee and yoghurt sides are the norm.
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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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Troy
The approach to Troy, 36km from Çanakkale, is across rolling grain fields. This is the ancient Troad, all but lost to legend until German-born Californian treasure-seeker and amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann (1822-90) excavated atop a promising hill in 1871. He uncovered four superimposed ancient towns, destroying three others in the process.
The window where you buy your admission ticket is just past the village of Tevfikiye, 500m before the site. Guidebooks (with maps) to the site are available at souvenir shops near the ticket box.
In Homer's Iliad, Troy was the town of Ilium. The Trojan War took place in the 13th century BC, with Agamemnon, Achilles, Odysseus…
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