Brutal crowds in Istanbul

Hi

Arrived in Istanbul today- love the city but the crowds are truly horrifying. Long queue snaking around the block for Basilica Cistern and went in the Blue Mosque on my third attempt (well worth the effort).

Tomorrow I'm planning on visiting the Topkapi palace- so I would like to know whether the crowds are specially large on Sundays. Waiting 15 min is OK. Do you suggest the online booking and do they accept a soft copy of the confirmation?

Thanks!

Ansh

If you thought the crowds for Basilica Cistern and the Blue Mosque were "horrifying", just wait for Topkapı where once you finally make it to the innermost courtyard you face long lines to enter every over-crowded interior space :(

I don't know if any one day of the week is much worse than any other. In general though the more and larger the cruise ships moored near the entrance to the Golden Horn (neat Galata Bridge) the worse the crowds will be. The only time saving measure I know of is advance purchase of tickets but you'll only save time by not waiting to buy the tickets at the site itself.

Two years ago in the late fall I was trying to take a friend on their first visit to Turkey to Topkapı. We went three different general times (near opening time, around lunch and near closing time) on two different days to find the crowds impossible to bear. We went other places instead. Five or six years ago on a rainy day in November was the only time I found the crowds at Topkapı to be reasonable--it was also when I came to understand the Turkish word "üzgün". "Üzgün" is a curious word that is sort of like "rueful", "world weary", "ennui", "dejected" and "melancholy" combined.

If the weather is nice on Saturday or Sunday I suggest avoiding anyplace whose main attraction is based on being outdoors like a park, island, forest etc. as they will be crammed full of people who live in Istanbul trying to get "away".

Thanks for your response. In general what is the best time to visit Topkapi then? It opens at 9, should we line up at 8.30 or so?

I was there last September/October and it was NOT busy at all, except for inner gallaries of Topkabi palace.

If you have pre-booked tickets, there may still be queues within the palace. So whatever, I would recommend getting there about half an hour before opening time, and once you're inside head straight for the Harem section. I think this part of the palace gets busiest, and it's fairly cramped in places.

Sundays are always very busy especially if the weather is good because you have not only foreign but also local visitors looking around places.Gulhane Park on a Sunday in April was so insane that I and friends took one look at the gate and turned around!Yet next morning we strolled through there at total leisure.
Get to Topkapı a good 30 minutes in advance and,as suggested by Thomas,go directly to the harem section if you elect to see that .If you aren't planning on seeing that then head to the Treasury section first which is another one that gets very busy quickly.
If you haven't visited Aya Sofya yet then wait until late afternoon to go as it is much quieter then.

Thanks for all the responses. So I think I will go to Topkapi around 8.45 toda. cheers

If you haven't visited Aya Sofya yet then wait until late afternoon to go as it is much quieter then.

That's good advice too. However, do leave yourself plenty of time in Aya Sosya. In my experience this is a place to linger and soak up the atmosphere (and remember some of the momentous events that happened here), so don't leave it till 30 minutes before closing time.

In 1969 I used to go and sit in the Blue Mosque at various times of the day - and I'd usually be the only one in there.
When I returned, in 1999, I found, to my horror, it was now like a bus station. That's the price of cheap flights/ tourism! :>))

Thanks for the replies.

Went to Topkapi Palace (and Archaeology Museums- which had negligible crowds) in the morning, reached about 8.40 or so and found manageable crowds. Bought the Museum pass so that should help a bit. Planning to visit Aya Sofya tomorrow (and hopefully the Basilica Cistern too).

cheers

Unfortunately the Aya Sofia is closed on Mondays :(

Basilica Cistern is open 7 days per week.

Perhaps a good day to visit Istanbul Archaeology Museum and take a nice walk through the lower grounds of Topkapı.

Please excuse me--you already went to Istanbul Archaeologic.

Perhaps a good day to make your way to Chora Church, explore the area around it on foot and take and some public ferry rides up and down the Golden Horn. If time, go to the final ferry stop on the Golden Horn (Eyüp), turn right and walk through a big public plaza, then right beside an old Mosque to the cable car leading up to a great view point. The walk down through the cemetery is nice and there's a nice "old Istanbul" (think wooden homes) area to stroll through. The area around Chora Church also has quite a bit of "old Istanbul" along some seriously steep streets.

This is IMPORTANT: The Turkish name for Chora Church is "Kariye Müzesi". The closest Metro is the Topkapı (don't confuse this with the palace) on the M1. The closest ferry stop on the Golden Horn is Fener. From either place I suggest a taxi, a hand-held GPS, a detailed map or some good written directions after studying something like Google Maps.

This is IMPORTANT: The Turkish name for Chora Church is "Kariye Müzesi". The closest Metro is the Topkapı (don't confuse this with the palace) on the M1. The closest ferry stop on the Golden Horn is Fener. From either place I suggest a taxi, a hand-held GPS, a detailed map or some good written directions after studying something like Google Maps.

I think a standard tourist map of Istanbul should suffice. Metro to Topkapı gets you within walking distance, and it's not as if you're searching for Lord Lucan or the Holy Grail. :-)

In 1969 I used to go and sit in the Blue Mosque at various times of the day - and I'd usually be the only one in there.
When I returned, in 1999, I found, to my horror, it was now like a bus station. That's the price of cheap flights/ tourism! :>))

The Süleymaniye mosque gets you a much better experience, in my opinion. There are no crowds, and I think the architecture is far superior too.

Please note....Hagia Sofia is now NO LONGER CLOSED on Mondays.You can visit 7 days a week.Closes at 19.00 with last ticket sales at 18.00 during summer and 17.00 with last sales at 16.00 in winter.

Makes complete sense. This being such a popular monument, it has always surprised me that it closed on Mondays. Thanks for sharing.

I think Adirnekapi is the closest station, I can be wrong.

Thanks for all the replies again! My 2 year old guide said that Aya Sofya is closed on Mondays... so I visited today (excellent, of course). With the Museum card the ticket queues were bypassed, though crowd management in general could improve at the Aya Sofya. The Mosaic Museum had very few crowds.

Actually yesterday we took the tram to Topkapi and decided to walk along the City Wall to Kariye Muzesi, but just long story short, walked a bit and turned back... so will try by taxi another day.

Leaving tomorrow for Cappadocia for 4 nights and back to Istanbul for 4 more nights. so enough time to take your suggestions.

cheers

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