Istanbul questions

[UniFoxOs]

Just booked a cheapo long weekend in Istanbul, flying with (I think) Ezy from Luton.

Any tips on the city and sightseeing?

Any tips on getting from the airport to the city (the hotel says EUR40 using their pre-booked courtesy car, sounds a bit expensive to me). It's Sabiha Gokcen airport, by the way.

Thanks in advance,

UFO

[Founder]

Everything in istanbul is expensive except for the subway... Taxi works but the drivers do scam you often and dont expect them to know where everything is...

The bosporus is very nice with the old castle and mosques...

[The Real Slim Shady]

Taksim area is great fun: shed load of restaurants, bars and shops.

The spice bazaar is a sensory explosion and the main bazaar is a maze!!

The Blue Mosque and the palace are excellent to visit and a Turkish bath is a must.

If you have the need of a haircut and shave you will get the best ever in IST.

[Moira]

Fully agree with the previous posters: Topkapi palace, the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia, Taxim area, the bazaars ... all very nice

I personally preferred the spice bazaar, also known as the Egyptian bazaar. A real explosion of colours, spices, tastes, .... indeed. If you want to buy something in the bazaars be sure to get a serious discount!

As for taking a taxi: the taxi drive can be quite an adventure. Traffic rules? Nah. :\ But then again, they seem to drive like that in most tourist cities.

And make sure to take a travel guide or even just a piece of paper with you that mentions the turkish names of the places you want to visit. People are often not familiar with the names we use for them!

[Michael SWS]

A taxi to or from the airport should not cost more than about 30 lire (about €17). But be wary of touts, make sure the meter is switched on and switched to the correct (daytime) tariff.

[ZILLI]

Sabiha Gokcen airport is on the other side of the main airport, quite far from the city centre. There are airport busses that operate from both airports to taksim square, and far cheaper then taxis, and normally directly in front of the arrivals hall.

A weekend wont be long enough! You must also take a bosphorous cruise either by day or night from outside the grand bazaar all the way to the mouth of the bosphorous! Hope you enjoy it, its a lovely city!

[ThreadBaron]

SAW is not the other side of the main airport it is on another continent. We are quite used to LCCs taking us 50 miles from the city where we want to be but using the name of that city for the airport. This takes that to a whole new level.

The best way (not the quickest, but the most fun) into town is to grab a taxi from the rank outside the terminal (there is a rank maitre d' so it ain't difficult) and go to the local rail station. Ticket (the fare is pennies) to Haydarpasa, the Asian terminal in Istanbul, which is worth seeing, it is a magnificent building. Then a ferry from outside across to the European side at Karakoy. You get a good look at the suburbs and the people from and on the train, and then the great view to the iconic mosques and the Topkapi as you sail across. The shuttle bus might be easy, but it is no fun.

Whatever you do, you must not give into the temptation of the Whirling Dervishes. You will be bored, bored, bored for more than an hour.

Get around using the buses or trams. The flea market at Ortakoy is worth a visit as you will also see the Bosphorus Bridge and the mosque at its feet.

Enjoy! We did.:ok:

[wub]

I echo the recommendations for sightseeing and would add the Basilica Cistern, near the Blue Mosque and if you like modern architecture as well as the old, the Kanyon Shopping Centre is incredible.

The easiest way to get around is to buy an 'akbil', it's an electronic button in a plastic holder that opens turnstiles on the tram, metro and local ferries. It can also be used to pay the fare on buses by pressing it against a machine as you get on. They can be bought at kiosks all over the city and cost 6YTL, which is refundable, you then top it up with however much money you want by putting cash or card in a machine and pressing the akbil against a sensor. Very easy and it saves problems with language as not many bus drivers speak English.

There is also an open top city sightseeing bus that leaves from outside the Hagia Sophia museum. It's quite expensive but the 2-hour tour is comprehensive and you can hop on and off as you please.

Just brush up on saying "no thank you", you'll need it when you are approached to buy anything and everything!