Istanbul- for years I avoided Istanbul
I think the last time was when I flew to see a game of the Fenerbahçe football club.
In my memories, Istanbul was an old, dirty, and unpleasant city.
All that changed when a friend suggested flying to Istanbul after hearing good things about the city,
So I packed a small trolley and flew to Istanbul for 4 nights
Introduction: A Brief of Istanbul
Istanbul is one of the most impressive cities you will see in Europe,
The city that is considered one of the largest in the world is also full of life and energy,
In the street, endless people are going somewhere or nowhere.
Impressive mosques are everywhere and next to them are huge modern and impressive towers.
The central streets are packed with crowds of people and next to them, you will find small, quiet, and picturesque streets.
A city is full of contrasts, just like the religion of Islam that dominates it but is not noticeable and this is because Turkey is a secular country.
In the streets, you will see mosques but you will not see many women with veils
In the hotels and shops, you will see Christmas decorations and the atmosphere is completely secular.
During the day the traffic on the roads is difficult and all taxis increase the price by 3 and even 10 times
The road system is excellent and between sides, there are bridges and an elaborate canal system.
On the street, you will see men who have had hair transplants and women who have had beauty treatments,
everything is free and visible.
Another beautiful thing is the attitude of the Turks toward animals,
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a nation that loves its animals so much,
The animals are treated like kings, the street cats are well cared for and the dogs enjoy endless caresses
Exploring Top Attractions in Istanbul
As in every city I come to, I recommend as a first step, taking a free tour to get to know the city,
With the help of the tour, you will get to know the city very closely, and then you can choose where to return.
In the first two days, I signed up for two familiarization tours with the city.
Initially, I traveled with Haktan, a local and very knowledgeable guide, as part of a large group.
On the second day, I walked with Onder, a stunning, sensitive guy, who volunteers in places for needy people.
My recommendation is to take him as a private guide, Onder’s WhatsApp – 90-505-398-74-93
The route I put up here is in accordance with the recommendations of the guides with whom I traveled.
What to Do in Istanbul – Must-See Experiences
Recommendations for Istanbul – The old city
The tour begins in the Fatih neighborhood, the neighborhood of the old city of Istanbul.
In the Old City area, you will find many mosques and old sites from the Ottoman period,
And even before that, from the time the Greeks ruled the place and the city was called Constantinople.
The mosques you must see are the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace.
Topkapi Palace was the place that impressed me the most with the colorful gardens, and the tall and impressive trees.
From there continued towards the spice market (Spice bazaar) which has existed since 1664.
In this market, you will find spices of all kinds, of all kinds, including typical Turkish dishes such as rakhat lakum.
Continue walking in the Aminino neighborhood which is near the bazaar and the port,
Go to every one of the many interesting shops that the neighborhood has to offer,
For example the big and famous bazaar of the city or the gold market adjacent to it.
Don’t miss out on a visit to the Rahat Lakom store, the oldest in all of Turkey and the oldest business in the country, since 1777.
When you arrive at Eminino port, board a ship that will take you on a short cruise to the Asian side of Istanbul.
When you reach the other side, enter for a few minutes into the impressive Mihrimah Mosque,
One of the oldest in the city, from 1543, and a good start for a tour of the famous Iskidar neighborhood.
Stroll through the narrow streets and paintings of the neighborhood
And in Knapa one of the best pistachios you’ve ever eaten, at Moazzam’s.
Walk on the pier next to the water, until recently there was a sea there, but the waves made names in the adjacent buildings,
So the Istanbul Municipality decided to dry up part of the sea to save the buildings.
If you feel like eating with the locals, in a special, literary, and impressive atmosphere,
Enter Nevmekân Sahil, a decorated library that is also a very impressive cafe
Istanbul’s top recommendations – Taxi Square to Galata Port
We will start the second day at Taksim Square.
Taksim Square is the heart of all of Istanbul and all of Turkey.
This huge square is located on top of a hill that overlooks the city and overlooks the entire area.
From the square, we go down to Istiklal Street, the long and winding street which is considered the most central street in Istanbul,
The end of the street is at the port of Galata, but until we reach the end, we will pass several attractive destinations along the way.
First, we will look at the huge shawarma stalls of the city (shawarma = DUNER)
We will continue down and enter through the passage called Halep Pasaji, a hidden alley off Istiklal Street
And we will look at the impressive building hidden from view and through it, we will pass small and special shops.
Along Istiklal Street, there are several such crossings, you need to identify them and enter them.
We will continue in the downward direction, towards the port of Galata
On our way, we will see 2 impressive churches that are recommended to visit.
The impressive Church of St. Antoine and later the smaller Church of Santa Maria
At the end of Istiklal Street, we will continue toward Galata Tower.
The tall and impressive Galata Tower is located in a stunning small square
Surrounded by crowds of people standing in line to enter the tower and observe the area.
The entire square is full of restaurants and cafeterias, including one of the most photographed cakes in Istanbul,
so the turn to her is impossible, but maybe you will get lucky.
Not far from the tower is the Neve Shalom Synagogue, which has undergone quite a few terrorist attacks.
We will continue down through the alleys towards the port, to a place called Karakoi
This a great observation post on the different parts of the city, on the port, on the sea, and maybe some good fish meal.
From here I recommend crossing the bridge towards Aminuno and taking a cruise on the Bosphorus river
Recommendations for Istanbul – a cruise on the Bosphorus
A cruise on the Bosphorus is one of the things you don’t want to miss in Istanbul.
Seemingly, how much sailing can excite, getting on a boat and sailing,
But gentlemen, this cruise is one of the more worthwhile things you will do in Istanbul.
On a cruise, you get on a boat that takes you on the huge and impressive Bosphorus river and cruises along it.
On a cruise, you will see the European side and the Asian side,
You will see stunning houses and mansions,
You will see Istanbul in all its beauty and splendor.
The boat can be boarded at various mooring points, for example on the Asian side in the Üsküdar neighborhood
Or under the Bosphorus bridge in the port of Ortakoi or at the point where I boarded, in the port of Eminönü
You can go up at any point and get off at any point you choose.
For example, we got on the Imunonu and after an hour and a half, the boat turned back, turned around, and returned to Ortakoy and that’s where we chose to get off.
We walked in the Ortakoy area for an hour, an impressive area, including a synagogue called the Tree of Life.
A beautiful and picturesque area for a walk and from there we walked back to the taxis (it was impossible to find a taxi at the peak of the traffic jams).
Pay attention, on the streets of Istanbul you will be offered this cruise at different prices and different promises, refuse them all!
The only place where you will buy the cruise will be in the port itself!
The cruise is subsidized by the Turkish government
It leaves every day at 14:40 (and only at this time) and costs only 32 lira (about NIS 6).
Of course, you can join private entities that will organize a different type of cruise for you at a different price, but the 14:40 cruise is the cheapest and recommended.
Recommendations for Istanbul – massage
The massage at the Marble Hotel is the massage you need to get to
The entrance to it is through the Marble Hotel
Take the elevator down 2 floors and you are in the best hammam and massage in town.
You will receive a drink, a good conversation, an experienced masseuse, towels, changing rooms, restrooms, and a good-smelling perfume at the end of an activity.
The hammam includes everything a hammam includes (scrubbing, soap bubbles, hot water)
And the price, especially for my readers – 400 lira for two hours. This is not a mistake, 400 lira (about NIS 80). Enjoy!
Istanbul Top Restaurants
To recommend restaurants in Istanbul would do an injustice to everyone else
The whole city is kind of one big restaurant
Everywhere you turn you will see a restaurant, a cafe, a shop that sells food, or a street stall
Of course, there are the shawarmas, or in their local name doner, which are an experience in themselves.
And most importantly, pistachios, in Israel are very expensive, in Turkey, their country of origin, they are plentiful and everywhere.
Hamdi
Hamdi’s restaurant is in the Imunonu neighborhood, not far from the port
Its location on the fifth floor allows it to overlook the Bosphorus and the entire European region
The food served at Hamadi is of a high standard and the service is one of the best I have seen in the city.
If you are in the bazaar area, Imunonu, this is your restaurant
Nusr et – the chef from the World Cup
The Turkish chef who is considered one of the most famous in the world, Ultra Chef.
Known for the way he sprinkles salt on the food, or the gold he coats in the meat or baklava
And especially in that, he was pushed to sports events, like in the last World Cup.
Chef Noser At has several restaurants all over the world and also in Istanbul.
If you come for the aura of the stars, you will know that it will cost you a lot of money
If for the food, every Turk knows, the doner outside is better.
Location of the restaurant on the map
Arada – Lebanese restaurant
We came to the Arada restaurant by chance
On the first day, we sailed to the Asian side
And since we had time, we started walking along the length of the Bosphorus
Then we saw it, among all the impressive houses, a colorful and impressive shop,
On the second floor is the restaurant that overlooks the water.
If you are looking for quality Lebanese food, this is your restaurant
Hafiz Mustafa
I’m not a fan of sweets (apart from ice cream) and prefer to avoid them
I’m not a baklava person and the whole category of Turkish delight (Turkish delights in free translation) doesn’t speak to me,
But if there is one thing that is hard to miss, it is Hafiz Mustafa’s shops
The man, the turban, and the baklava.
The restaurant every Turk would love to be in and be seen with one of his bags.
So I will also recommend to you, enter the flagship store on Istiklal Street, take a photo for a minute, and leave
And maybe on the way to buy from the huge selection in the store.
For those who follow, I visited his store in Dubai, welcome to read.
Doner – shawarma
They call it a doner
We and the Arabs call it shawarma
It’s just that our shawarma is a quarter smaller than what goes on at the facility in Istanbul.
It is enough to see the video I took to understand how huge Doner is in Istanbul
And you gentlemen too, eat at least once a day
I recommend the same doner where I waited half an hour in line
Beltur restaurant chain
The following restaurant chain is a concept.
The Turkish government decided many years ago to develop a chain of restaurants
The network will be accessible to everyone in Turkey at affordable prices and high quality.
The restaurants are all run under the Beltur name and are committed to a high standard and a cheap price.
Anyone can go in there and eat a hearty meal, including tourists.
To identify whether the restaurant is one, it will have a Beltur sign on it
For the list of restaurants, it is recommended to enter Balthor’s website
Coffee No. 4
Sometimes, you need to rest a little from all the shopping,
I recommend sitting at Cafe No. 4, ordering one of his cakes, and relaxing for two hours.
In general, walking around the neighborhood of the cafe is one of the more relaxing things I’ve done in the city
Tips for Shopping in Istanbul
I assume that if you came to read the shopping recommendations section
You probably already know that Istanbul is the city with the highest quality imitations.
If in China the imitations tend to tear and disintegrate quickly, then in Istanbul the imitations are at a high level
You just have to find them and know how to pay accordingly.
You will find the clothes in any bazaar or store in the city.
It is better to enter the bazaar and buy a well-known brand than another Zara shirt that is also available in Israel.
Those in the know will tell you that the best goods are not found on the street but on the floors above the street.
Here I am, I bought 3 pairs of high-quality Armani Jeans for NIS 80 each after I found a store on the 4th floor.
Don’t ask where the store is, can’t remember how I got there, but I guess you can find even better ones.
One note – the sizes in Turkey are small, i.e. their XL size is equivalent to our L size.
Besides the bazaar, another and no less good area is the area of Istakalal Street
In the street, you will find all the international brands and also good Turkish brands like (LC WAIKIKI, MAVI, and TUDURS)
Walking down the street can last for hours and you won’t want to leave it
Recommendations for Istanbul – hotels
There are countless hotels in Istanbul
To recommend one would do injustice to others,
Each hotel has its uniqueness and location.
The most prominent location is of course Taksim
But a good hotel will cost a lot compared to the accepted prices in the city.
Besides taxis, there are good and other places to stay in every Fatih neighborhood.
While walking around the streets of the neighborhood I was amazed by the beauty of some of the hotels
Most of them were boutique hotels on narrow and picturesque streets.
If you are looking for a high-class hotel, with large rooms, with all the services for tourists and business people, I will recommend the Marriott Asia Hotel
Marriott Asia Hotel is 30 minutes away by taxi from Taksim Square
From a place on the Asian side and in its surroundings you can find a shopping mall, shops and not far from the basketball court of the Olkar basketball team.
I stayed on the executive floor of the hotel, which includes a pampering breakfast, food around the clock, a pampering spa, and a few other little things that make a vacation great
Getting Around Istanbul – Transportation Option
There are 2 airports in Istanbul
Turkish Airlines flies to the larger and more important Ataturk airport
Whereas Pegasus, the Turkish low-cost airline, flies to Sabiha,
Sabiha airport is the size of our airport and most of it is intended for low-cost companies.
If you arrive in Sabiha, an Uber to the Marriott Asia Hotel will cost you 180 lira, and for ceremonies around 230 lira
When traveling is around 30 minutes without traffic jams and around an hour+ with traffic jams.
In the field, there are many restaurants, good duty-free shops, and even a hotel on an hourly basis.
Further reading
All my stories from Istanbul – single_dad_traveler