Istanbul, the epicenter of Turkish history, cutting-edge art, and reasonably priced, real cuisine, is full of charming little neighborhoods to discover. Vicky Smith provides guidance on where to begin.
Here Is What You Should Know
Istanbul, which is on both the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus strait, is a confusing mix of Byzantine artifacts and tall minarets. Even though tourists have been drawn to this Turkish city for a long time because of its old attractions, a number of new places have opened in recent years that show it has more to offer than just old things. The renovated Atatürk Cultural Center and the £1.3 billion Galataport shopping and cultural complex, which will soon be home to a new Istanbul Museum of Modern Art designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano, are both must-sees.
This is the perfect location to immerse yourself in Turkish cuisine, culture, and socializing. Consider Turkish Cuisine Week and the Contemporary Istanbul Art Festival. The prime attractions are legendary (and featured on many famous travel posters), but the hip neighborhoods that lie beyond them are also worth your time and money as a tourist.
Most of the city’s famous landmarks are on the European side. The Golden Horn estuary separates the newer part of the city from Sultanahmet, which is called the “ancient city.” Most of them live on the second peninsula, which is a charming place where sellers of simit (Turkish bagels) sell their goods under candy-striped awnings and cats walk around ancient ruins from the Roman, Byzantine, and early Ottoman periods.
Visit the best sites
Even though it controversially changed from a museum to a mosque, which covered many of its beautiful Christian mosaics, the Hagia Sophia is still a world wonder and one of the best things to see on a tour. Topkapi Palace (TL320; £15; harem entry additional) is another landmark. Ottoman sultans lived here for 400 years before the 19th-century Dolmabahçe Palace (300 TL, £14.50) built. The Dolmabahçe allows only guided visits and no photos.
The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (75 TL, £3.60), the Archaeological Museum, and a boat tour of the Bosphorus round out the list of top cultural attractions. If you want to see a lot of sights, you should buy the city’s museum pass, which costs 550 TL (£26.50) and lets you into 12 museums. It is good for five days.
Discover the various neighborhoods of Istanbul.
One of Istanbul’s best features is its colorful patchwork of neighborhoods, each with its own personality. Istanbul’s former Greek Orthodox and Jewish neighborhoods, Fener and Balat, are both worth a detour. TV location scouts love them because they are full of photogenic coffee shops, trendy florists, and enough antique shops to make Cihangir look like a dump. They have lofty, multicolored facades and cobblestone streets. They are quickly becoming a hipster utopia with kombucha on the menus.
Bohemian Kuzguncuk, which is on the Asian side of the city on the other side of the Bosphorus, is another exciting place. Its old wooden buildings house art galleries, bookstores, and bakeries, like the famous “mushroom cookie” shop Tarihi Kuzguncuk Frün. In Kadköy, you can find everything from upscale patisseries and a bustling fish market to the new cultural attraction Müze Gazhane, which is housed in a renovated gasworks and has a climate and comics museum, galleries, theater stages, and more.
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Visit a hammam
A visit to Istanbul would not be complete without getting hot and sweaty in a Turkish bath, also known as a hammam. These Roman-era remnants have long been a center of Turkish culture. Shy Westerners may be turned off by going topless, especially women. However, once you realize that no one else is bothered, you may find it rather energizing to have a stranger scrub you with a rough loofah before soaping you up and washing you down. Your skin will then feel like it came straight out of a Gillette commercial. Numerous baths also provide optional supplementary services, such as massages.
Visits to Caalolu, a vision of graceful arches and white marble in Sultanahmet, start at 800 TL (£42), making it perhaps the most well-known hammam among tourists. Try a local hammam like Aziziye in Kadköy for something less expensive and perhaps more real; a basic bathing experience there costs just 110 TL (£6).
A place to stay
In Istanbul, there are three “The Stay” hotels, each of high caliber and with a unique personality. From the Ortakoy hotel, you can see the beautiful Ortakoy Mosque and the tall Bosphorus Bridge in the background. This scene is especially breathtaking at night when both structures illuminated. Sustainability expert Bureau Veritas recently said that the Stay brand is carbon neutral, which is a big deal.
The Green Parrot Hotel is a tiny but elegant option for people on a tighter budget; picture jungle decor, colorful pillows, and ceramic cacti. It’s not too expensive, it’s in the middle of Sultanahmet, and it has all the amenities you need.
You can’t top Hostel Le Banc if you want something even less expensive. This well-known “home away from home” is near the Galata Tower in the Taksim neighborhood and is known for its friendly staff and comfortable rooms. It’s a bargain with on-site social events and a lively café.
Places to eat
Sujuk, a spicy sausage, and menemen, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, peppers, and spices, are some of the breakfast options at Emirgan Sütiş. The restaurant is also known for its milky desserts and big main dishes. If you’d like an alternative to the typical savory start to the day, Kadköy’s Brekkie Croissant & Cookie provides a more westernized cuisine.
Pandeli, Istanbul’s most renowned lunch place (it’s closed for dinner), has enticed celebrities like Audrey Hepburn and the founder of the Turkish Republic, Atatürk over the years with its traditional fare and turquoise-tiled décor. Try the Kazan Dibi, a caramelized confection with tiny strands of chicken that is surprisingly delicious. Pandeli is located in the Egyptian Bazaar, which is worth seeing in general because of its painted arches and fragrant piles of spices.
As an alternative, pick up some pide, which resembles pizza, or börek, a flaky-filled pastry, for a quick lunchtime snack. In Istanbul, outlets are as common as dessert shops. Karakoy Güllüolu and Hac Bekir are two of the best places to get Turkish delight and baklava, respectively.
On the other hand, Roof Mezze 360 serves traditional food and has beautiful views of the Golden Horn estuary. Testi kebab, a Cappadocian meal in which meat and vegetables cooked in a clay pot that is cracked open in front of you, is one of the specials (perfect for some tableside theater).
Where to get drinks
The term “mandabatamaz,” which in Turkish means “a buffalo wouldn’t sink,” alludes to the foam that tops each expertly brewed cup and is always mentioned when asking a local which establishment serves the greatest Turkish coffee in Istanbul. If you want a cup of coffee in a famous setting, try afternoon tea at the Pera Palace. Agatha Christie wrote Murder on the Orient Express at this luxurious hotel, which most recently appeared in the Netflix original series Midnight at the Palace.
Fans of cutting-edge cocktails will like Fahr Konsolos, a mixology paradise in Kadköy’s fashionable Moda district where master barman Burak Ayaz whips up creations unlike anything else. They are all influenced by Turkish flavors, notably the nation’s favorite yogurt beverage, Iran. Visit one of the meyhanes (taverns) along Beyolu’s Nevizade Street for a night out if you want more affordable libations in a lively setting.
A place to shop
The current destination for riverside retail therapy is Istanbul’s £1.3 billion Galataport, which houses a cruise terminal along with a ton of restaurants, shops, and attractions along the Bosphorus. Far from being a boring shopping center, it features everything from international companies like Adidas to local artists like visionary jeweler Avedis Kendir (whose clients include the Queen), and it also sprinkles in a healthy helping of culture. You can check out the Museum of Painting and Sculpture on the roof of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University until the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art opens. Don’t miss the student copy of Osman Hamdi Bey’s Woman with Mimosas on the steps next to it.
Arasta is the place to go if you’d rather shop away from the commotion of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, one of the largest in the world with more than 4,000 shops. In this nice and quiet bazaar, you can buy smaller versions of many of the same things, like Turkish carpets and lamps with filigree. Don’t forget to bargain, and while you’re there, visit the modest but intriguing Mosaics Museum.
Architecture’s best feature
The enormous Süleymaniye and the Sultan Ahmed, known as the “Blue Mosque” because of their tiled interior, are Istanbul’s two most popular mosques, together with the Hagia Sophia. As a “miniature Blue Mosque,” Rüstem Pasha has a lot of Iznik tiles with patterns of cobalt and aquamarine, but there aren’t as many people there. It’s probably as lovely (if not more so) as the Blue Mosque.
Bolts and nuts
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What kind of money do I need?
Lira in Turkish.
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What dialect do they use?
English is spoken by many younger Turks but not Turkish.
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Do I need to tip?
10% is customary in dining establishments and lodging facilities, but not with cab fares.
What is the difference in time?
The UK is two hours behind Turkey.
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How should I navigate?
The Metro system in this city is wide and simple to use; for repeated excursions, it is worthwhile to get a top-up Istanbulkart for 20 TL (£1). Take a ferry to go between the European and Asian sides; the city’s authorized ferry operator is the Hatler.
Which view is the best?
Galata Tower offers 360-degree city views and will reopen as a museum in 2020. Try the new “amlca Tower,” Istanbul’s tallest building with 45 stories above ground, for an even more expansive view.
Expert advice
If you hire a local guide, you’ll find out many insider secrets and see parts of Istanbul that aren’t as well known. Thanks to Azize Celiktas, we learned about places like Arty Kungunzcuk, the delights of stuffed meatballs on stiklal Avenue, and a perspective not found in guidebooks.
How to get there
Attempting to fly less?
By taking Eurostar to Paris and then either continuing on to Istanbul through Bucharest and Budapest or via Belgrade and Sofia, you may travel from the UK to Istanbul entirely by train. Both journeys require roughly four nights.
I’m good with flying.
From the UK, direct flights offered by Pegasus, Turkish Airlines, and British Airways.