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Guide to Istanbul, Turkey
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Istanbul Running along the Bosporus strait, Istanbul is a city full of everything imaginable. Turkeys busiest city is full of romantic attractions, cultural centers, technologically advanced commercial centers, and ancient architectural gems dating back thousands of years. Youll find some of the worlds most spectacular mosques - with their soaring minarets competing for airspace with Istanbuls high-rises and some incredible sites originating from the Byzantine Era. Youll find a ferry ride gives you a wonderful perspective of this great city, and a walk along the divide that segues the Old City into the modern, heavily-European part of the city. Youll discover why the Turkeys cultural mecca is the perfect place as your next destination.
When to go:
The ideal time to travel to Istanbul is in late spring early autumn. Between April and June, and between September and Oct, its comfortably warm, and humidity is at its lowest. Youll also find that the exciting events and activities still abound, and crowds that populate the streets and attractions as in the summer, are not as heavy. There is a bit of rainfall that occurs during these timeslots, though nothing enough to diverge from your daily plans in the city.
Getting there and around:
Ataturk Airport is Istanbuls connection to the world, and it is in fact Turkeys largest and busiest flight hub; youll find it comforting to know that most major carriers from most international airports around the world offer services to Ataturk Airport. Dont be fazed by the fact that the airport is 23km (14 mi) away from downtown Istanbul (Sultanahmet), because the taxis available outside the terminal will get you to the city speedily. You can choose to go with an airport bus for a cheaper fare, though expect a transport time from anywhere between 35-60 minutes.
Getting around the city is easy, and you have a great range of transportation services to pick from. Most of Istanbuls public transportation services are cheap, but reliable, and that goes for the trams, buses, ferries, metro, and cabs. The trams go quite slowly, though you can get wonderful views of the city on your way to your destination. Ferries are even slower, butwellthats the point, and you can spend a romantic afternoon traveling along the Bosporus strait, marveling at Istanbuls skyline with your significant other. Take a taxi, and youre sure to get wherever youre going fast, and the metro system is constantly improving and already has a great reputation for service.
Attractions:
If you want to delve right into scoping out the greatest sights, start at the Atmeydani (Hippodrome). Its a fantastic history marker built by the rulers of Byzantium originally used for chariot races, and later for more gruesome spectator sports. Youll walk through an amazing architectural achievement (keep in mind this was built around 1450 BC, and though many of the statues that were originally kept here were either stolen or taken to various parts of the globe, Youll find notable additions, including: a little gazebo that once stood as an elaborately carved fountain (a gift from the German emperor on visitation), and superbly preserved granite obelisk which still shines thousands of years later.
Aya Sofya is a highly recommended attraction to visit as well. Aya Sofya once stood as the greatest church in Christendom until the fall of Constantinople thereafter returned to service as a mosque. After long time in use as one of the greatest mosques in the world, it is now standing as a museum to the past home to mosaics and a breathtaking dome. Youll notice the astounding number of gold tiles that reflect a sort of inner light (tiles number at about 30 million).
Istanbuls Blue Mosque is as fantastic outside as the Aya Sofya is on the inside. The reason why it is dubbed the blue mosque is because of the Iznik tiles on the interior. Youll be impressed by the size of the structure, as well as the large center dome, and surrounding tiny domes with great minarets jutting toward the heavens.
If you enjoy shopping, your one stop venue is the Great Bazaar. Its the shoppers mecca of Istanbul, and youll find everything here. Really, everything.
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