Anyone been to Istanbul?

melanzana

Hi folks.

Searched the forum but not much came back.

Anyhow thinking of a short trip to Istanbul four or five days.

Questions I have are.....

Where is a good area to stay? I will pick a hotel from there. Looks like the area around the tourist spots is best. But maybe someone will tell me different?

Is it easy to get around, I.e buses etc. as I have a terror of driving abroad!

Is it safe? Maybe a silly question, but I'll ask it anyway.

It looks like a cool place, what has your experience been?

After all, it is others personal views and feedback that is great. Everything else you can get from google!

Thanks.

jonesMUFCforever

My daughter has just come back from Istanbul - 4 day break but she stayed with an old school friend.
She seems to have had a good time no problems.

mustmakealist

I fancy a trip there too so would be interested to hear what anyonenelse has to say about it

Andream

Went to Istanbul must be about eight years ago, stayed in President Hotel which was near the Grand Bazaar, we walked almost everywhere in the city from here to all the mosques and to Taksim Square in the new part, plenty of shops of all types, plenty of eating places also of all types and for all budgets, felt safe everywhere, obviously we all know that we have to take extra care in any large city. I think one time we took a tram ride between the old and new part which was pretty cheap then and easy to use.

We took a taxi from the airport, no problem with that, but we did get overcharged on the return journey, I think it is best to agree the price before you start the journey.

Have a look at turkeytravelplanner.com this site helped us out alot when we were planning our trip, this guy has obviously spent alot of time in Turkey.

Wish I could be more helpful but it's quite a long time ago since we went, whichever part you stay in you will have a lovely time.

Bob_the_Saver

Great place, you'll love it.

shoppaholic_returns

Lovely place, stay near the blue mosque or near the port, fascinating to see the comings and goings

poet123

We didn't care for it at all. The sights are stunning, but as with many places in Turkey you are constantly hassled by traders and people on the streets. I don't do rude, so I found it very tiresome and it wasn't my idea of a relaxing break. It depends on your tolerance level for this kind of thing I suppose.

littlereddevil

Also love Istanbul. Very easy to get around. We went on foot, tram,bus and train. We stayed in Sultanahmet 3 times but when I go again I would stay in Sirkeci. Any taxis we used were alway metered so no problems.

meher

Fabulous place with a mindblowing history of spiritualy,religion, conquests and empires by real men, I mean the noble Sultans, you wouldn't believe you're still in Europe, spiritual city of Europe, one of the best cities in the world. Very impressive, vibrant, lovely people, lots of cats, fantastic public transport. Persian (and byzantine) architecture as you can expect, is stunning, lavishly decorated palaces, mysterious courtyards, then finally experience the original Turkish bath then go into the shisha caf! (no smelly pubs with drunkards or racial abuse) and listen to folk music for the sake of completion. Also unlike Christian places of worship, they do not charge any entrance fees as it is against Islamic culture. See if you can find a hotel next to Blue Mosque. It is safe, you can go out late at night to see the mosques and palaces in the night lights. You can also take your laptop with you if you like because they have free internet access in all hotels and also in public places unlike other European cities. You could also visit Ephesus, yet another historical city with remains, excavations and pilgrimage if you find time. It is not an expensive place and there are currency exchange shops everywhere - it is better to buy currency while you are in Istanbul. They accept cards everywhere but then I stayed and had food where they accepted cards. You only need cash for travel and buying curious at the grand bazaar which is a very good experience. If you visit trip advisor, some of them have posted lovely blogs and pictures.

melanzana

Thanks so much for replies.

Have only skimmed through them as I have to go out now.

Will read them better tomorrow!

Philippa36

We're off to Istanbul for 8 days in June and I can't wait! I've spent a lot of time on Trip Advisor and booked the Basileus Hotel for a very reasonable rate.

I shall watch this thread with interest but I recommend Trip Advisor if you want up to the minute information. The local guides are really very helpful.