Thread: Istanbul in September: Tell me where to go!

I totally missed this post--must be due to non-nonrev chatter threads.
OK--Skip Princes Island/beach experience: IST is not a beach destination. Spend your time wandering around the city. Use Istanbulkart for transport.
I'd minimize your Asia time--take the 12TL ferry (pay attention to departure times) recommended on TA IST forums. BorusTheTaurus and Enigma2007 are your best friends. Also Busy-Retired has a great perspective on IST. Stay away from Istikal Street--Prada yadda yadda...
The Guide to Istanbul's Public Transportation System - Istanbul Forum - TripAdvisor

Do not miss the spice bazaar--best stuff is booth 51. Plenty of other goodies tho. Best meatballs EVER--Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftesi. Right down the street is Mada goat milk ice cream--plain is the BEST!! We tried wet burger--YUK. Loved doner kebab same street(Divanulo?) on tram route Cemberlitas. The street food is fascinating--try the sweetbreads, spit roasted and wrapped w/intestines if you dare--it actually looks tasty and I like sweetbreads. Take good guidebook like Rick Steve's (current one written by 2 others) for self touring. Grand Bazaar is pretty fun--you can bargain for goodies!
I recommend Sultanahmet for small hotels. So many--PM if you want more advice--give me price range, etc.
There is SO MUCH to see--stick to what you really want to see/eat/do or wander around--either will work! Hope that info helps. I am so happy to see someone else soaking up IST.

Thank you, I knew you'd come through for me!

After talking with the Father-in-law and the wife, it's now looking like we may stay in Norway one extra day to see Oslo (the rest of our time will be in smaller cities where relatives/ancestors live/come from) so the trip will be reduced to Tuesday-Friday, with us arriving Tuesday evening and heading straight to the airport Friday morning. But I figure Tuesday night, Wednesday, and Thursday should still be a good visit, especially for someone normally used to day trips. I would also like to see Buyukada for a little bit, the serenity and scenery just seem so intriguing. But not a full day or night, just a couple hours.

Here's my new (probably slightly half-baked) itinerary...

Tuesday: Arrive on TK1752 around 5:00. Did I mention I'm planning on buying real tickets? ... work our way back to a hotel (will figure out which later on, but it will be the same hotel the whole time). Wander around the city a bit, get dinner/street food, get to bed a little early to rest up. Maybe try a nargile somewhere.

Wednesday: Roughly 50/50 time spent at Buyukada and Asian side. While I have been to Hong Kong, I don't want this to be like when I was in Gibraltar and saw another continent (Africa) but never went! I'm sure there will be a few things worth seeing, and if we go back to the European side early, I'm sure that will be fine as well.

Thursday: European side - bazaars and usual attractions. Still need to fill in the blanks, but I'm sure a good guidebook will help out here.

Friday: Back to airport to make our way back home. On a trip like this, I'd like a couple days to work with glitches + jet lag, plus a couple days at home would be nice so I don't have to go to work *that* quickly on Monday.

Oh, and I forgot to ask, when were you there last? How did you feel re: safety? My father is a retired cop, always concerned about that stuff. From what I can tell, it's no different from any other European city from a tourist's standpoint. He's calmed down a bit from his initial reaction ("are you out of your flippin' mind?") but it would still be nice to hear from someone who has been there first-hand.

Bue--I was just there--early June for my 60th Bday. Seriously, take the ferry and visit Asian side,; there is a HoHo ferry--there is TOO much on the Old City peninsula. Stay anywhere Sultanahmet--Apricot, Angels Home, Broken Columns, etc are all decent small properties. Root thru booking.com for best deals--plenty to be found and you can email props directly. Sirkeci area is ok too for transport--just lacks the charm of Sultanahmet. (many small hotels have rooftop terraces). Gotta leave for CVG/DTW flt for funeral. Will send more from SkyClub if I can find it.

Originally Posted by spongebue

Oh, and I forgot to ask, when were you there last? How did you feel re: safety? My father is a retired cop, always concerned about that stuff. From what I can tell, it's no different from any other European city from a tourist's standpoint. He's calmed down a bit from his initial reaction ("are you out of your flippin' mind?") but it would still be nice to hear from someone who has been there first-hand.

Tell the cop to stand down--very safe city as long as you don't hang in dark corners of the city...even pickpockets are more prevalent in other EU cities!

PS--don't forget the online $20 visa!

You'll likely get to hotel by 7 pm. If you choose S-met, there is a large open air restaurant/nargile lounge that has entertainment. Don't recommend eating there and they don't serve alcohol. We saw a dervish performer and the music is always good. Prob lots of smoking places when you wander around other areas. You should try raki sometime, too.
Many S-met sights can be done in half day, add walking to Grand Bazaar. Spice market is great and near ferry port to Asia. There is also a special mosque next to both that has beautiful tile work--quite impressive.
After a closer look at Buyukada, I see you, you romantic little devil!! Everything in IST has a certain romantic mystique. Learn about Roxelana and impress the little woman, too. Ignore those carpet guys, museum "guides" and restaurant hawkers. Have a wonderful time.

Yeah, I heard about raki. I think whether I like the stuff or not, I'll have to bring a bottle or two home. I love having a good variety of things in my "bar" (more of a cabinet, but shhh) and this would definitely be unique! Which reminds me, I should probably pick up a bottle of Akvavit in Norway...

Thank you so much for all your help! I'll be sure to get pictures, feel free to remind me to post. And if/when I'm in CVG next (should be an easy sell as long as Jungle Jim's is still there) I owe you lunch!

Oh man, this is really weird. Since there are only 2 flights a day OSL-IST, and most connection options really aren't that amazing, I actually... b-b-BOUGHT tickets! First time in years buying a 100% airline unrelated confirmed ticket. But the price wasn't too bad, and it'll be nice to go within Europe and not worry about that one flight. Save the jumpiness for getting back to USA.

Bue--you might want to read this: I know the author meant Princes' Islands:
Princess islands other than buyukada - Istanbul Forum - TripAdvisor