The main question, is Istanbul worth visiting?
Istanbul has hosted 4 empires from the past to the present (Roman Empire (330-395), Byzantine Empire (395-1204), (1261-1453), Latin Empire (1204-1261), Ottoman Empire (1453-1922).
Istanbul is the city that has hosted three major religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam).
Istanbul is the only city in the world on two continents (Asia and Europe). and most importantly, the Bosphorus, which is a natural sea route that separates the Asian and European continents with its natural beauty and strategic importance, which has been the favorite of many empires in history.
Let's try to explain Istanbul briefly,
This city, which gushes history in every corner, has been the capital city of many empires throughout history. Being a center of attraction in every period with its strategic structure, historical texture, and natural beauties, Istanbul still maintains this great importance today. If we take a look at its historical texture, Sultanahmet, one of the most important historical areas, comes first. Sultanahmet Square, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar, Obelisk, Topkapi Palace, German fountain, and many other historical buildings are in the first place.
If we continue to list, of course, the Istanbul Bosphorus comes second. It has a magnificent view and nature structure besides many historical buildings such as Bosphorus, Maiden's Tower, Galata Tower, Dolmabahçe Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, Rumeli Fortress, Küçüksu Pavilion, which every tourist who comes to Istanbul must visit once.
If we continue to count other historical buildings, many historical buildings such as the Spice Bazaar, Istanbul Prince Islands, Pier Lotti hill, Süelymaniye mosque, Eyüpsultan mosque and many other historical buildings such as mansions, museums, and churches have witnessed history from past to present.
is Istanbul worth visiting? Now you can decide.
When to visit Istanbul? The answer to this question is somewhat personal. However, let's try to give you some tips. The best time to get the most out of every event you attend is the low season (mid-August, September, October) to visit Istanbul from the end of summer to the beginning of autumn without drowning in the crowds and waiting long queues. In the summer, which is the high season, Istanbul is very crowded and accommodation and activity prices are expensive.
Spring months: March, April, May - The weather is between hot and warm and it is less rainy.
Summer months: June, July, August - Weather There is no hot and dry rain.
Autumn months: September, October, November - The weather is warm and rainfall is rare.
Winter months: December, January, February - The weather is cold and rainy. Snowfall is rare.
It is cheaper and more convenient to visit Istanbul in spring and autumn, as the queues in the historical places you will visit will be less.
Where will I stay when visiting a city you do not know with your family, group of friends or alone? Is which location safe? Is it suitable for the family? These are questions that come to mind. Everyone's priority is of course security. Istanbul is a very reliable city in this regard.
Now let's come to the real question, where to stay in Istanbul? For this, we will have a few recommendations for you.
Sultanahmet is the area where historical buildings are densely located. It will be very convenient for you to stay in a hotel in the Sultanahmet area, as the historic buildings in this area are within walking distance of each other. In addition, it will be very easy to join Istanbul Bosphorus tours or do other touristic activities from the centrally located Sultanahmet area. Another advantage is being able to go to historical places by tram without interfering with Istanbul traffic. However, accommodation in the Sultanahmet area is a bit more expensive than in other regions.
If you want to stay in the heart of Sultanahmet, we recommend staying at Seven Hills Hotel, which has magnificent views of Istanbul Bosphorus, Hagia Sophia, and Blue Mosque.
Are you coming to Istanbul for the first time? This section is for you then.
There are many questions in your mind when planning a trip to a city that you have never known. What to take with me? Where should I stay? Which tours should I join? What are the places that I should visit? You will be busy with these questions. We will try to talk about everything you need to know if you are visiting Istanbul for the first time.
Let's start with what should we put in our suitcase,
If you are going to visit Istanbul in the summer, it is enough to bring summer clothes, sunscreen, and sunglasses. If your plans are to visit a place that is sacred to Muslims, such as a mosque, keep a set of long, not short dresses and a headscarf.
If you are going to visit in spring or autumn, it will be sufficient to have more spring clothes, a thin coat and an umbrella against the rain.
Do not forget your camera because the most activity you will do in Istanbul, which smells history in every corner, is taking pictures.
Take some cash with you, but don't carry all your money with you. You have the opportunity to get foreign currency from ATMs in Istanbul.
Let's come to which airport is closer to the center, there are two airports in Istanbul. Sabiha Gökçen Airport and Istanbul Airport. Both are the same distance from the center of Istanbul. For this reason, the airport you choose depends on which company you want to fly with. Sabiha Gökçen airport is usually used by Pegasus airlines and Istanbul airport by Turkish Airlines. Is Pegasus your choice? Turkish Airlines?
How should you transfer from the airport to your city center? The easiest and most affordable way of doing this is to talk to the hotel where you will stay and organize it. Some hotels offer free transfers according to the number of days of stay.
Do not forget to bargain when you shop in Istanbul. Be sure to bargain hard, especially if you are going to buy carpets or handmade souvenirs.
Currency: Turkish Lira (TL)
Electricity in Istanbul: which type do I need? In Turkey Istanbul, the power plugs and sockets are of type F. The standard voltage is 220 V and the standard frequency is 50Hz. If an F type socket is used in your country, you will not have any problems with the electrical socket. However, if you are using a C type socket, you will need to bring a converter with you. Many hotels in Istanbul will help with this, and you can get a converter from the reception. Or you can buy it for 15-20 TL (2.5 Dollars, 2 Euros) from a store that sells electrical products.
Credit Cards in Istanbul: In Istanbul, you can use Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, and American Express.
Using traveler's checks in Istanbul: Exchanging Traveller’s Checks in Istanbul is difficult and will come with very high fees.
Foreign currency valid in Istanbul: Dollar, Euro, and Pound is most popular.
Cuisine: Istanbul cuisine is renowned as one of the world's best. You can taste eastern and western dishes.
Weather: There are four seasons in Istanbul. (summer, spring, autumn, and winter)
When you plan a trip to a city you visited for the first time, the first thing that comes to mind is the best activities to do and the best places to see. You start searching on the internet on this subject, but we think that there is no more valuable information than the information provided by a local guide, and let's try to explain what you need to do on your Istanbul trip.
It shouldn't be hard to guess the first option, Sultanahmet area. You can visit this region in 1 day with a good plan. Due to the nature of the region, it will be very easy to visit historical places that are within walking distance of each other without much effort. The only problem is the long queues when visiting historical sites.
If we make a list of places to see in Sultanahmet, Hagia Sophia comes first. History, which is on the Unesco historical heritage list, cannot go without seeing this magnificent structure that has witnessed many events. You can visit many historical buildings such as the Blue Mosque, Basilica cistern, German fountain, obelisk, Istanbul Archeological Museum, Turkish and Islamic Museum.
Another magnificent building is Topkapı Palace, an Ottoman palace, which has one of the most beautiful views that make up the silhouette of Istanbul, and is the treasure of our civilization in the historical peninsula. Topkapı Palace, built on an area of 700,000 square meters on the East Roman acropolis in Sarayburnu, is the administrative, educational and artistic center of the empire for approximately four hundred years from the Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror to the 31st Sultan Abdülmecid; It also became the house of the sultans.
The Grand Bazaar should be another haunt, one of the world's largest and oldest covered bazaars. It is a bazaar where you can find many items such as souvenirs, tiles, hookahs, silk, and carpets in the covered bazaar, which has nearly 3600 shops.
Let's come to the other important activity;
Istanbul Bosphorus boat tours will be very good for you to get out of the crowd of Istanbul and take a peaceful boat tour in the cool waters of the Istanbul Bosphorus.
Since you will be well-rested after the Istanbul Bosphorus boat tour, let's walk down from Sultanahmet, go to Eminönü and visit the Spice Bazaar. You have the opportunity to find all kinds of spices, medicinal herbs, Turkish delight in this bazaar with a very old history. When you go to this area frequented by the local people for shopping, you will feel the smell of coffee that fascinates you. Mehmet Efendi Turkish Coffee Shop, with long queues in front of it, get an absolute package and try its recipe.
Continue walking from the Galata bridge towards the Galata tower, take pictures with the locals fishing on the bridge and climb to the top of the tower, which is about 64 meters, to watch the Golden Horn and Istanbul with a bird's eye view and of course do not forget to take a picture. You can take the most beautiful panoramic pictures of Istanbul from the top of the tower.
Your last stop should be the Istanbul Princes Islands, you will find many historical mansions, churches, and magnificent nature on the island where princes were exiled during the Byzantine period. Stroll the streets and smell the history, spend a day in peace. If you will take an Istanbul Princes Islands boat tour for about 1-1: 30 hours to go to the islands, it will give you the chance to see the Bosphorus.
Turkish cuisine is one of the famous cuisines in the world, which consists of a mixture of Asian and European cuisine. Istanbul has a richness where you can find the magnificent flavors of Asian and European cuisines and at the same time try many flavors unique to Turkish cuisine. Let's try to enlighten you about what to eat in Istanbul, where you can find many wonderful flavors such as kebab, stuffed meatballs, doner, lahmacun, ravioli, stuffed grape leaves, tandoori, and baklava.
If you like kebab, lahmacun, stuffed meatballs, you will stop by Istanbul Aksaray Horhor. Especially meat dishes are served in this region where many kebab restaurants are lined up. The restaurant we recommend in this region, which carries traces of Eastern cuisine, is Hatay Medeniyetler Sofrası. You can taste many meat dishes belonging to the Eastern culture here.
If you want to eat doner, we recommend you to visit Dönerci Sadık Usta, which is a small restaurant within walking distance of this area but is a frequent destination for locals for its taste.
Don't leave the area without eating lahmacun at the Çığır Lahmacun hall, which is just a few steps away.
Well, if you want to eat fish and seafood, we recommend you to visit Seven Hills Restaurant, which has the best view of the historical peninsula. You can find everything about seafood in this restaurant, where you will be fascinated by its view.
If you like dessert, the only address for baklava is Karaköy Güllü Oğlu. If you want to buy Turkish delight as a gift, you can visit the Egyptian Bazaar and buy fresh Turkish delight.
If you want to sip your drinks and eat your meals with the magnificent view of the Bosphorus in front of you, with Hagia Sophia on one side, the Blue Mosque on the other, you should definitely visit the best restaurant in Sultanahmet, Seven Hills Restaurant.
If we list the delicacies you should not go without trying when you visit Istanbul,
Try it you won't regret it!