INCREDIBUL ISTANBUL Part 3

In just half day, I was able to visit a lot of places already as I told before once you are in Sultanahmet area, the tourist spots are just close to each other.

As I continued my exploration, I went to Topkapi Palace since it is just beside Hagia Sofia. So if you have ample time in the day, you can go directly here but pay attention to its closing time.

Topkapi Palace-

It is like Intramuros in the Philippines, a city within a city; Topkapi Palace was a former main residence of the sultan and his court. It was initially the seat of government and a residence as well.

The palace is located on a hill and on the backside it will give you the panoramic view of the Bosphorus. Lots of shady trees inside the palace and the courtyard is very wide where you can sit on the grass and read books under the trees if you just want to spend the day without touring the whole palace.

There are a lot of things to see inside the palace and one of them is the Harem. The Harem is a place where the sultan or king keeps his wives or concubines. There are small apartments inside that serve as rooms for the wives of the king or sultan.

Since the place is huge, it will take you around 3 hours exploring the whole area or I guess more than that since there is a lot of things to see. I’m not even sure if I was able to tour the whole palace, better to have guided tour inside for you to see the whole palace without missing any parts of it.

The palace is closed every Tuesday and opens from 9am to 5pm and entrance fee is 25TL but if you want to see the Harem you will pay 40TL total.

Just about some 700 meters from Sultanahmet , there is one big mosque that is very visible if you are at Galata bridge.

The Suleymaniye Mosque-

Although not as impressive as the Blue Mosque, but still worth visiting.  The interiors are just the same as Blue mosque but less grandiose. Same guidelines once you enter inside, you have to remove your shoes and put them on plastic bags. Women has to cover their heads and proper dress code is strictly observed; no miniskirts and shorts.

The only difference of this mosque is that there is a small cemetery inside and some tombs which are closed by the way so you just have to peek at the doors. At the backside, you will have a view of the Bosphorus also. Since nothing much to see, at least 1 hour is already okay just to take some pictures and see what’s inside. There are no entrance fees and it is open daily from 9am to 5:30pm, it is closed only during prayer time.

After seeing Suleymaniye Mosque, have some time for shopping, since Grand Bazaar is just next to it around 100 meters. Actually you have the option of going first to Grand Bazaar then to the mosque since they are just small distance away, but I prefer doing a shop later because I don’t want to bring some stuffs while visiting the mosque, either way, you have the option. But for me, I went to Grand Bazaar during my last day in Istanbul.

Grand Bazaar-

If you want to go shopping without spending too much, this place is for you. From its approximately four thousand shops, your eyes will feast on a lot of things. From carpets, to lamps, to porcelain, to jewelries, name it, almost everything is there! It is the biggest covered market in Turkey with 60 entrances.

The place is huge even a lot of tourists are there, clean and well-guarded, so I guess it is safe. Make sure you know how to bargain as the prices are quite high. I just roam around just to see what the place has to offer. I am shop-aholic but I did not buy much stuff there. I went to one store selling traditional shoes and sandals since I am a shoe addict. I want to buy sandals similar to Aladdin shoes hehe but unfortunately they have small sizes and nothing fits me. Good thing I was able to spot other slippers that have my size. They are closed sandals made of leather and hand-sewed. They sell them for 70 TL but I bargained them for 50TL and I am not sure if I got the good price. They are comfortable on the feet but if you will use them for long walks, they are not recommendable; probably you can use them on the beach.

I just spent there for like one hour, enough to see the whole place. But if you want to check each store, probably you will spend for 2 hours more. No entrance fee and the market is closed every Sunday.

 I’m done walking around Sultanahmet area; I have to move now on the other part of Istanbul, at Eminonu. Visiting Istanbul will not be complete if you haven’t tried one of the activities here and that is the Bosphorus Cruise. This is one of the amazing things to do here because you will get the chance to see both sides of Istanbul, the Asian side and the European side. It is like shooting two continents in one stone!

The Bosphorus-

From Sultanahmet station, you can take the metro going to Eminonu, and then from there, take a small walk just before reaching Galata Bridge. From there, you will see ferries offering boat ride. Take the Turyol Ferry for for 10TL you will have 1 and 30 minutes of Bosphorus cruise. But if you like longer tour, pay around 30TL for 2-3 hour trip that will include meals.

You can do it anytime of the day but I chose to do it in the late afternoon because I want to see Istanbul at night time. Once the ferry leaves the port, it will pass on the Europe side where in you will see the mansions and palaces, while going back, it will pass on the Asian side. The best part of this cruise is that you will get to be on Europe and Asia!

If you got hungry after the Bosphorus cruise, you will find a lot of restaurants under Galata Bridge. There are chains of restaurants there so you have a lot of options.  Also, on the other side of the bridge you will find some street food vendors, I tried one of the street foods there and I ordered fish sandwich that costs 6TL which is very satisfying.

Since the area is near the sea, some of the restaurants there serve fish or sea foods meal.  Once you’re done with your snack, continue walking at Galata Bridge where you can find locals catching fishes. It will take you around 10-15 minutes of walking to reach the end, and from there some 200 meters you will reach Galata Tower.

Galata Tower-

Built around 500AD, it served as a watch tower to help defend the city during the Byzantine empire. It is not difficult to find since it is very visible from afar, you just have to follow the directions and you will not get lost. Getting there is quite exhausting because aside from narrow streets, the tower is located on top of a hill which you have to climb steep stairs.

There is an entrance fee of 20TL and from the entrance you will take the elevator going to the top and take spiral stairs to reach the viewing deck. At the viewing deck you will have a 360 degree view of Istanbul. You will see from top the Suleymaniye Mosque, the Bosphorus and Topkapi Palace. If you are afraid of heights, this place is not for you because at the viewing deck the space is only about 3 feet wide and since there are a lot of visitors it could get easily crowded. I did not stay there for long as I felt dizzy on top. I just took pictures there and went down. There is a restaurant inside with glass windows and you could still see the view outside without going out to the view deck.

Galata Tower is open daily from 9am to 8pm and maximum time to spend is 1 hour.

After having a 360 degree view of the city, you can take a walk from Galata Tower going to the famous street in Istanbul, the Istiklal Caddesi.

Istiklal Caddesi-

Perhaps the busiest street in Istanbul, Istiklal Caddesi is the shopping district of the city where most of the high-end stores are located. It is situated at the Europe side called Beyoglu, Istiklal Caddesi is home to various restaurants, cafes and bars. This could be the entertainment district of Istanbul where lots of yuppies lived there.

I met one friend from couchsurfing.org and he walked me around the street. He was my tour guide on that day and he showed me the whole area. We had our coffee and of course I tried the authentic Turkish coffee.

If you walk straight along the street you will find yourself at the Taksim Square which is the end of Istiklal street. If you want to go back again at the Galata Tower, you can ride the tramvia lumbering alongside of the street which is functioning very well.

Roaming around Istanbul is very easy, as long as you read directions you won’t find yourself getting lost. You don’t need to take taxi, all you need is to take the metro that will take you to some landmarks.

Taking the metro is the quickest and most convenient way to reach some tourist spots as the traffic is very heavy. It will just cost you 3TL no matter how far the distance. As much as possible never take taxi as some taxi drivers will scam you. Please keep in mind that Turkey uses two currencies, Turkish lira (national currency) and euros. Though euro is not their official currency, most of the hotels there use euro for their rates especially if you avail their pick up services. In this case, there are some taxi drivers who take advantage of the euro currency. If you ask the rate make sure you have to specify if it is euro or lira. Some drivers will only tell the amount but when you are about to pay they will charge you in euro!

So basically those are just a few reminders when getting around Istanbul, there are scammers everywhere so just be aware.

Over all, my entire Istanbul trip is really unforgettable! I am still in awe that this city has really captivated me. The four month preparation is really worth it plus the fact that I did it alone! It was a successful one and my expectations about this place really exceeded. And one thing that made me loved this place, is the cleanliness of the city! I won’t hesitate to go back there again in the future because it is worth visiting again.

On my next story, I will write about my experience in Cappadoccia as I had the best adventure of my life!