Brutal crowds in Istanbul

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

This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.